#but sometimes i just need to see madam yu get her just desserts

[yinyangbuns]

The jiang sect destruction episodes always reawaken the need in me to scour the “jiang family bashing” tag on ao3

[bloody-bee-tea]

Pay me in love

For @ruensroad because she always listens to my babbling and complaining and yet still always expands my ideas so beautifully <3

Jiang Cheng is excited. It‘s the first time he’s bringing Lan Xichen to meet his parents, and it gets to him more than he expected it to.

Lan Xichen stops him right before they enter the restaurant.

“Breathe, my heart,” he whispers as he takes Jiang Cheng’s hand and leans in for a sweet kiss. “It’ll be alright.”

“I hope so,” Jiang Cheng mutters back, because he knows his parents, and especially his mother, can be a lot to handle sometimes, but Lan Xichen simply smiles reassuringly at him and Jiang Cheng squeezes his hand.

“Let’s go,” Lan Xichen says and tugs Jiang Cheng along, who follows a lot more willingly now, because trust Lan Xichen to know when he’s nervous and how to settle him down.

He enters the restaurant behind Lan Xichen, a small smile still on his lips, that immediately turns into a frown when he only sees his mother at a table.

“Mother? Where’s father?” he asks once they are standing next to the table and Madame Yu looks Lan Xichen up and down before she turns towards Jiang Cheng.

“He had more important things to do,” Madame Yu courtly tells him and Jiang Cheng automatically straightens up.

How stupid of him to think both his parents would take time out of their busy schedule for this.

“It is nice to meet you, Madame Yu,” Lan Xichen says, polite as ever, and Jiang Cheng breathes a bit deeper when he briefly squeezes Jiang Cheng’s hand before he lets go of it to sit down.

“Lan Xichen, I presume,” Madame Yu gives back and eyes him over again. “A pleasure,” she then tacks on with a smile on her face, and Jiang Cheng knows that smile.

It’s the one for business partners.

“Mom,” he tries, but she silences him with one look, and Jiang Cheng is helpless to that, still.

He falls silent.

“I heard you were recently appointed position as the CEO at your company,” Madame Yu starts, and Jiang Cheng bites his lips so he doesn’t groan.

He didn’t bring Lan Xichen here so she could turn it into a business talk.

“I did,” Lan Xichen answers, and then it goes downhill from there.

Madame Yu keeps the conversation firmly on the topic of their respective corporations and while Lan Xichen answers any and all of her questions readily, Jiang Cheng can see the small frown forming between his brows.

He was expecting something else, just like Jiang Cheng himself.

They somehow make it through dinner like this, and when Madame Yu offers some dessert Jiang Cheng is quick to inform her that they will have to leave soon. One course is enough with her.

Lan Xichen’s smile has gone suspiciously frayed around the edges, and he almost seems relieved when his phone rings.

He takes it out of his pocket and after one look at the caller id he looks up at Jiang Cheng.

“I’m sorry, but I have to take this. We’ll probably have to leave afterwards,” he lowly says, as if that isn’t exactly what Jiang Cheng wants, and kisses Jiang Cheng’s temple as he gets up, phone already unlocked.

Jiang Cheng would be bothered by this if he wasn’t so used to it already.

Madame Yu watches Lan Xichen walk away, until he is out of earshot, before she turns towards Jiang Cheng.

“What are you paying him?” she wants to know and Jiang Cheng can do nothing but stare dumbly at her.

“What?” he asks when she doesn’t say anything else.

“Did you really think I would believe you’re dating Lan Xichen, CEO of Lan Enterprises? Nice try, Jiang Cheng. Now tell me what you’re paying him.”

“I’m not paying him at all,” Jiang Cheng says, because why the hell would he pay his boyfriend to date him, but Madame Yu shakes her head.

“People like him don’t date out of love,” she says and she makes it sound like she’s imparting some great wisdom. “They date for convenience, and even that criteria fits you just barely. I doubt Yungmeng Jiang Corporation is big enough to be on his radar.”

“He’s not dating me because of that,” Jiang Cheng argues and his mother smiles at him like she would at a small, stupid child.

“Of course you are not,” she says. “But he is. He would never date someone like you. People like him don’t have time for that.”

“People like him,” Jiang Cheng mutters. “What do you want to say? That dad paid for you, too?”

“Of course he did,” Madame Yu says as if it was nothing. “He had to pay a hefty sum for our first date. My father lowered the price when it became clear he would bring his shares of the family company into our own, but of course he paid for the privilege of dating me.”

Jiang Cheng doesn’t even know what to say to that.

“Did you make an offer to Lan Qiren?” Madame Yu asks and Jiang Cheng slowly shakes his head.

“I’m supposed to meet him tomorrow,” he mumbles and Madame Yu narrows her eyes at him.

“You didn’t make an offer yet? Dear gods, what did I even teach you? You have to double the price, to make up for your oversight.”

“He’s not—we’re not together because of that,” Jiang Cheng tries, again, but Madame Yu only scoffs.

“The Lans would never look twice at someone like you,” he tells him and Jiang Cheng goes cold.

“Wei Wuxian—,” he starts but his mother interrupts him.

“Knows that he and Lan Wangji are nothing more than fuckbuddies. He’s aware of where he stands.”

Funny, Jiang Cheng thinks. He thought they were madly in love.

“When you meet Lan Qiren tomorrow, he’s expecting you to make an offer. You better have it ready, too. I would hate to lose the connections this could get us.”

“We’re not—he’s my boyfriend,” Jiang Cheng presses out, because he cannot believe this, but Madame Yu only gives him a pitying smile.

“And why would he date you for anything else than your name and the company?” she wants to know and Jiang Cheng doesn’t have an answer to that.

Why would Lan Xichen?

“It’s nice you think this is out of love, but with his reputation? He must be expecting quite the price to allow you to endanger it like this.”

Oh, Jiang Cheng thinks and then everything kind of goes fuzzy in his head.

“Don’t fuck this up for us,” Madame Yu hisses over the table, right before a familiar hand settles on Jiang Cheng’s shoulder.

“We have to leave, my heart,” Lan Xichen says and he frowns down at Jiang Cheng. “Are you okay?” he asks and Jiang Cheng somehow drags a smile on his face.

“Of course,” he gives back, voice horribly hollow, and he gets up. “Good night, mother,” he says, and can’t even bare to look at her.

“Jiang Cheng, Lan Xichen,” she gives back and Lan Xichen smiles at her in parting.

“Are you okay?” he asks Jiang Cheng on their way to the car, and Jiang Cheng manages a nod, despite the uproar in his head.

How could he have been so stupid to believe that the heir to the Lan Enterprise would be willing to date him? Would fall in love with someone like him?

His memory helpfully replays all the sweet and tender moments between them, how Lan Xichen laughs at Jiang Cheng’s remarks, how he always so willingly leans in for kisses, how he enjoys hand-holding.

And he’s doing it all because he’s expecting Jiang Cheng to pay for it. Jiang Cheng feels dirty just thinking about it, feels like a whore Lan Xichen picked up from the street and it might as well be like that, with how bad Jiang Cheng must be for his reputation.

Jiang Cheng doesn’t know how they got home, but he numbly follows along when Lan Xichen leads him up to his apartment.

“Jiang Cheng, what is wrong?” Lan Xichen asks again, as he closes the door behind them and Jiang Cheng walks away from him, needs to put some distance between them.

“Did you expect me to pay you, too?” he hollowly asks and he can’t even look at Lan Xichen.

“Pay me for what?” Lan Xichen asks, confusion clear in his voice and Jiang Cheng spins around to him.

“For dating me? Did you expect some kind of payment for that as well?”

“Jiang Cheng, I’m not a hooker. And neither are you,” Lan Xichen gives back, clearly so confused but Jiang Cheng only laughs bitterly at that.

“But I’m not your boyfriend, either, right? Gods, how can I be so stupid?” he mutters and slaps a hand over his face. “You let me stay here, for days. How much does that cost, huh?”

“Jiang Cheng, I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” Lan Xichen says, and he’s using his CEO voice.

Normally, that gets Jiang Cheng back from whatever frenzy he’s been talking himself into, but it barely works now.

“Is Lan Wangji expecting to be paid, too? He must know that Wei Wuxian doesn’t have that kind of money.”

“No one is expecting to be paid for anything,” Lan Xichen tells him and he sounds frantic now. “Jiang Cheng please, what are you talking about.”

“You’re the heir to the Lan Enterprise.”

“Yes.”

“And I am just a lowly nobody, with convenient connections and a company you have your eyes on. Of course you wouldn’t fall in love with me.”

“That’s bullshit,” Lan Xichen vehemently says, and the swearword jolts Jiang Cheng out of his still bitter laugh. “I am dating you because I love you. You’re my boyfriend, my partner, my heart. I don’t want any kind of payment from you.”

“Sure,” Jiang Cheng mutters, refusing to admit just how much it hurts to hear that endearment from Lan Xichen’s lips now. “And you’re bringing me to brunch tomorrow to meet your family. And not because Lan Qiren asked you to because I still haven’t made an offer.”

“We’re going to brunch because Wangji and Wei Wuxian are going to announce their engagement,” Lan Xichen tells him, and Jiang Cheng hates to see the desperation on his face. “Jiang Cheng, please, just tell me what happened.”

“My mother,” Jiang Cheng starts and then he can’t finish, because Lan Xichen has put his hand over his mouth.

“Do not finish that sentence, because I’m going to forget myself,” Lan Xichen presses out between clenched teeth and then he takes a few deliberately deep breaths. “Did your mother really insinuate that you should be paying me because otherwise I could never be with you?” he demands to know and when he doesn’t move his hand from Jiang Cheng’s mouth, Jiang Cheng simply nods.

Lan Xichen’s face falls right in front of Jiang Cheng’s eyes, and it seems so real that Jiang Cheng has to bite back some tears.

“Please tell me you don’t believe her,” Lan Xichen mutters, but he doesn’t wait for an answer that Jiang Cheng can’t give him. “I love you, Jiang Cheng. I want you to meet my family, the people I hold dear to my heart, because I love you and I want them to know you, too.”

“Lan Qiren,” Jiang Cheng muffles out behind Lan Xichen’s hand who moves it in reflex. “He won’t like it. I mean really, what can you even gain from being with me?” Jiang Cheng asks and he keeps his eyes away from Lan Xichen’s face.

“My happiness,” Lan Xichen firmly gives back and then stalks back to his jacket, pulling out his phone and before Jiang Cheng can even protest he has already dialled.

“Uncle,” he says when the line connects, “I’m going to put you on speaker.”

“What is wrong, Xichen?” Lan Qiren wants to know and Lan Xichen fixes Jiang Cheng with his eyes.

“Jiang Cheng is under the impression that he has to offer to pay you for the privilege of dating me,” Lan Xichen tells him and Jiang Cheng cannot meet his eyes, not when Lan Qiren will confirm everything his mother has told him.

“Did you have dinner with Madame Yu?” Lan Qiren asks instead of answering and Lan Xichen agrees. “That dreadful woman,” Lan Qiren mutters under his breath, but Jiang Cheng still hears it.

“Uncle,” Lan Xichen urges him on when he stays silent for too long.

“Is it a love match?” Lan Qiren asks in return and Lan Xichen doesn’t hesitate.

“It is.”

“It’s not a match out of convenience?”

“It is not.”

“Then there is no need for payment,” Lan Qiren finally says and Jiang Cheng blinks.

“What?” he weakly says and Lan Xichen comes closer so Lan Qiren can hear him better.

“If the match happens out of convenience, the family must be repaid,” Lan Qiren explains, “that much is true. But if the match happens out of love, no one could care less.”

“Mother didn’t mention that,” Jiang Cheng whispers.

“Because that woman doesn’t have a romantic bone in her body,” Lan Qiren bitterly says and then sighs. “Jiang Cheng, I presume?”

“Yes, sir,” Jiang Cheng is quick to answer.

“Listen here, boy. Your mother is a business woman, through and through. She wouldn’t recognize love if it bit her in the nose. The Lans—we are the exact opposite. Our family doesn’t marry for convenience. We are romantics. If Lan Xichen is with you, then he is so because he loves you. The only repayment anyone wants is for you to love him, too.” He pauses here before he asks: “Do you?”

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng whispers, because he does, with all his heart and then some.

And he already saw all of that broken and crumbled with just a few words from his mother.

“Then love him. I expect to see you tomorrow,” Lan Qiren says, and it’s clearly a dismissal.

“Thank you, uncle,” Lan Xichen says before he hangs up, and he turns his full attention on Jiang Cheng again.

“Do you believe him?” he asks and Jiang Cheng nods once. “Do you believe me when I tell you I love you?” he goes on, and here, Jiang Cheng hesitates.

“Do you really?” he asks, voice small and unsure and Lan Xichen doesn’t hesitate to pull him into a hug.

“More than anything,” Lan Xichen whispers into his hair. “I love you, and I’m going to tell you as often as you need to hear it.”

Jiang Cheng clings to Lan Xichen and he curses his mother, hates her for making him feel this insecure with someone he loves, and who loves him, and he buries his face in Lan Xichen’s neck.

“I might need to hear it for a while,” Jiang Cheng admits, hating how weak it makes him, but Lan Xichen only nods.

“For as long as you want. Until you get sick of it.”

Jiang Cheng doubts that could ever happen, but he agrees anyway.

“Do you want me to take the couch today?” Lan Xichen asks, because he knows Jiang Cheng far too well, knows how easily he gets overwhelmed, but Jiang Cheng shakes his head.

If Lan Xichen sleeps on the couch tonight, the doubt will take root again.

“Please don’t,” he mutters and he can feel Lan Xichen smile into his hair.

“I won’t,” he promises as he pulls back.

Lan Xichen frames Jiang Cheng’s face with his hands, and he smiles at him, not allowing Jiang Cheng to turn his head away.

“I love you,” Lan Xichen tells him, serious as anything and he drops a little kiss on Jiang Cheng’s lips. “I love you so much and then some.”

Jiang Cheng can’t help the small smile that brings to his face and when Lan Xichen’s face lights up at seeing it, he allows it to go bigger.

“I love you, too,” Jiang Cheng gives back and sighs when Lan Xichen rewards him with a soft kiss.

“And that’s all that I need,” Lan Xichen mutters against his lips.

Jiang Cheng can still hear his mother’s words, but Lan Xichen holding his face and kissing him almost reverently, pressing whispered ‘I love you’s into his skin, is slowly drowning her out.

Jiang Cheng knows that he will hear her for a while yet, doubt always takes root so easily in his mind, but if Lan Xichen keeps this up, it won’t take long before he forgets about it.

Before the only thing he remembers will be Lan Xichen and his love for him.