Since Ao3 is still not working properly, here is this week's update!
Jiang Cheng/Wen Ruohan, this particular chapter is rated G, 2.2k, content note for hospital stuff.
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“I— I have to call him back, I just— just one second—” Jiang Cheng choked out.
“It’s all right,” Jiang Yanli said softly, then huffed a tiny laugh. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Jiang Cheng squeezed her hand again, then stepped out into the hallway. He shot a quick look around to be sure that he wasn’t in the way. The hall was empty, with that vague surreality all identical windowless hallways seemed to share. Jiang Cheng took a deep breath to center himself and tapped at his phone.
It had barely even rung once when Wen Ruohan answered. “Xiao Cheng? Where are you?” His voice was tense and a little too loud.
Of course Wen Ruohan was angry. Jiang Cheng hadn’t been back at the office when he should have and hadn’t notified Wen Ruohan of any delay. He’d just disappeared from work. And then he hadn’t answered any of Wen Ruohan’s phone calls!
“The hospital,” he blurted out. “Sir, I’m so sorry I—”
“What?!” Wen Ruohan snapped. “What hospital?”
“The— the—“ Jiang Cheng’s mind wouldn’t supply the name. “The one we always go to, it’s on fifth—“
“All right, I’m on my way.”
“What? No, no, you don’t need to, it’s fine,” Jiang Cheng said. He realized his voice was rising and lowered it to a whisper, hoping his sister hadn’t overheard. “I’m sorry I didn’t call to let you know I wasn’t coming back to work, but please, I just— I can handle it on my own, I’ll make it up to you later.”
“Xiao Cheng,” Wen Ruohan said, and Jiang Cheng was sure he heard a frown. “Why on earth wouldn’t I come when you’re in the hospital?”
Jiang Cheng’s stomach flipped as a sudden rush of emotion swept through him. Wen Ruohan thought Jiang Cheng was in the hospital for himself, and was dropping everything to come and be there for him. Jiang Cheng was too flustered to remember what Wen Ruohan’s schedule looked like without his planner, but Wen Ruohan hadn’t even hesitated. Jiang Cheng’s chest ached with a cramp of love.
But he still had to stop Wen Ruohan from wasting his time. “No, Lao Wen, it’s my sister,” he said. “I took her to the hospital. I’m fine. She’s— well, not fine, exactly, but we’re just waiting on some tests.”
A low sigh came over the phone, and when Wen Ruohan spoke again, his voice was significantly softer. “I’m still coming, Xiao Cheng. Talk to me. What happened with your sister? Was she in that pile-up?”
“Pile-up?”
“There was a five-car pile-up. When you didn’t answer your phone, I thought… I didn’t know what to think,” Wen Ruohan said. “You would never ignore my calls. I thought something had happened to you.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Jiang Cheng said. He leaned against the wall and let his head fall back against it, closing his eyes. “I was so focused on A-Jie, I just shoved my phone in my bag and forgot about it until now. I keep it on silent, so I never heard it ringing.”
There was a pause. “You didn’t call anyone else?”
“No, I had to get A-Jie to the hospital, and checked in, and… and all of that.”
“I see.” There was some background noise, a car door closing. “I’ll be there soon. Now tell me what happened.”
Jiang Cheng pulled his lower lip between his teeth, then sighed. “You know my sister has some health issues, right?”
“Yes.” Wen Ruohan’s voice was slightly echoey now, the sign of being on speaker as he drove.
“Well whatever it is flared up. She couldn’t walk, and then she got a bad migraine so she couldn’t have driven even If she could walk, and so she called me.”
“And she’s in a room now?”
“Yes, she called ahead and her doctor is here, so they got us in right away. But… yeah, the EMT mentioned the car accident. The pile-up. So we have to wait for the testing machines. And the doctor hasn’t been in yet, probably busy, but a nurse got her vitals.”
“All right. Xiao Cheng, I want to make some calls. I’ll be there soon, all right?”
“If you need to rearrange your schedule, I can—“
“No, that’s not necessary. Miss Chan will take care of it.”
“Lao Wen, you really don’t have to come,” Jiang Cheng said, even though Wen Ruohan was obviously already on his way. “I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
There was a pause, then Wen Ruohan sighed. “Do you not want me to come?”
Jiang Cheng blinked. “You— you’re busy. No one’s dying.”
“Xiao Cheng, I am the CEO. I’m always busy. Your sister is not always in the hospital. If she doesn’t want me in her room, I’ll understand, but you don’t have to do this on your own.”
Tears pricked at the corners of Jiang Cheng’s eyes. Jiang Yanli had been in and out of the hospital for years, and their parents had quickly grown exasperated. They had paid for her care, but didn’t bother to show up. Jiang Cheng had been the one to accompany her, although he knew that she also tried not to bother him too much, no matter how many times he said she wasn’t bothering him with it.
Wei Wuxian was always hard to get hold of, sometimes randomly out of town, sometimes too tired after being up all night to take Jiang Yanli to an early doctor’s appointment. He meant well, he always meant well, but they’d long ago learned it was best to just text him updates rather than ask him for anything.
It had been so long since someone had offered to support Jiang Cheng in this. Not just by throwing money at it or showing up just as visiting hours were ending with take-out too spicy for anyone else to eat, but immediately and without question.
“Okay,” Jiang Cheng whispered. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Good boy,” Wen Ruohan said, voice warm.
— —
Jiang Yanli hadn’t moved at all when Jiang Cheng came back into the room. He put his phone in his pocket so he’d feel it if Wen Ruohan called or texted, then sat next to the bed and took Jiang Yanli’s hand again.
“Everything okay?” she whispered.
“Yeah, it’s all fine,” Jiang Cheng assured her. “Wen Ruohan is coming, but he won’t come in the room If you don’t want him to.”
Jiang Yanli sighed. “As long as he’s quiet I don’t care. I just want my head to stop hurting.”
There was nothing Jiang Cheng could do other than pat her hand. He sighed as quietly as he could and settled in to wait.
Finally the door opened and a nurse came in. “Hi there,” he said, keeping his voice down. “Still have the headache?”
“Yes,” Jiang Cheng barely managed not to snap.
“All right, I have an IV here with a migraine cocktail made up all special,” the nurse said, hanging the bag on the hook attached to the bed.
“Wait, there’s a lot of stuff that’s contraindicated, you can’t just put whatever in there!” Jiang Cheng hissed.
The nurse paused. “Okay. One second and I’ll pull up what we have for Miss Jiang’s current medication list. If there’s something not on there, we’ll double check for anything contraindicated.”
Jiang Cheng blinked, then nodded. “A-Jie, your binder is current?”
“Mn,” she said. “Didn’t take anything else today. No time.”
The nurse swiped his badge on the computer and pulled up Jiang Yanli’s record. Meticulously they compared everything to what was in Jiang Yanli’s healthcare binder. It all matched.
“All right, then this cocktail should be fine,” the nurse said. “Not as nice as a real cocktail, but it’ll make you feel a lot better, I promise. I’ll start it on a really low drip just in case there is any reaction, all right?”
“Mn,” Jiang Yanli nodded.
“Little pinch now,” the nurse said as he expertly hooked Jiang Yanli up to the bag. “There we are. The call button is right here, anything looks off press it immediately.”
“Got it,” Jiang Cheng said. “And thanks. All the other times the doctor said her medication made giving anything for the migraine too complicated.”
“Of course,” the nurse said. “And don’t worry, Dr. Wen is very good with medications.”
Jiang Cheng’s mouth dropped open in surprise, but the nurse was already leaving.
“Did he say Dr. Wen?” Jiang Yanli echoed.
“Yeah… just one moment, A-Jie, I’ll go ask,” Jiang Cheng said. He scrambled to the door and out into the hallway. “Hey!” he called at the nurse, closing the door behind him so their conversation wouldn’t bother Jiang Yanli. “Wait!”
“Did something happen?” the nurse said, hurrying back.
“No, no, just, you said Dr. Wen? A-Jie’s doctor is Dr. Shen.”
The nurse raised his eyebrows. “Dr. Shen is a general practitioner, though?”
“Yes?” Jiang Cheng raised his hands, palms up, almost as though he was waiting for the nurse to hand him something. “And? That’s still who her doctor is!”
“Dr. Wen is a neurologist. A specialist,” the nurse said. “Maybe Dr. Shen brought him in to consult? I’ll ask up at the front, someone will know if—“
“Xiao Cheng!”
Jiang Cheng whipped around. Wen Ruohan had just turned the corner of the hallway, snow still clinging to the shoulders of his coat and glistening in his hair.
“You really came,” Jiang Cheng breathed. He met Wen Ruohan halfway down the hallway and was immediately pulled into Wen Ruohan’s arms. He stiffened in surprise, then melted into the embrace.
“You’re all right,” Wen Ruohan said. “My Xiao Cheng, you’re all right.”
“Mn,” Jiang Cheng hummed. It was only now that he realized he hadn’t really, truly believed that Wen Ruohan would show up. But Wen Ruohan always kept his word. Of course he’d come.
“Okay, uh, I’ll just check on that doctor for you,” the nurse said.
“Thanks,” Jiang Cheng said, slightly muffled by Wen Ruohan’s chest.
“What doctor?”
“Well, A-Jie’s doctor is Dr. Shen, but that nurse just brought an IV with migraine meds prescribed by a Dr. Wen, and so the nurse was going to go check if it’s a consult or, uh…” Jiang Cheng trailed off and lifted his head off Wen Ruohan’s chest. “Wait, did you do this?”
“Of course I did,” Wen Ruohan said, giving Jiang Cheng a final firm squeeze. He took a step back and grasped Jiang Cheng’s shoulders. “Well, I’m no doctor. But surely you’re aware that I have medical connections?”
Jiang Cheng blushed and he scowled. “Well, it seems obvious now.”
Wen Ruohan smiled. “Yes, well. You’ve been stressed. I made some calls, but rest assured, your sister will be in good hands.”
“Oh, shit, I need to make sure I’m there in case she has a reaction to the meds.” Jiang Cheng scrubbed a hand down his face. “Can— can you just wait here while I ask if it’s okay for you to come in?”
“Certainly,” Wen Ruohan said. He ran his hands down Jiang Cheng’s arms to take his hands. “I’ll be right here, Xiao Cheng.”
“Thank you,” Jiang Cheng said hoarsely. He wanted to say more, but he had to make sure that his sister was all right.
“A-Jie?” he called softly as he came back into the room. The monitor was still beeping regularly, and as far as Jiang Cheng could tell, all the numbers still looked normal.
“A-Cheng,” she said. Her voice was stronger. “I think it’s working.”
“Oh thank fuck,” Jiang Cheng said, going to her side. “Wen Ruohan is here. He made some calls. Apparently Dr. Wen is a neurologist, the nurse said he’d check but he probably got pushed to consult with Dr. Shen.”
“You can ask him yourself. He’s just outside. Can he come in?”
“A-Cheng… you…” she trailed off, then her expression under the silk sleeping mask firmed. “You trust him?”
“I do,” Jiang Cheng said immediately.
“Then, yes. He can come in.”
Jiang Cheng nodded, even though his sister couldn’t see it, and went to the door. “Come on in. But quietly, okay?”
Wen Ruohan entered, eyes quickly darting around the room. “Hello, Miss Jiang,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Thank you for letting me come in.”
She smiled. “I think I should be thanking you for getting Dr. Wen to consult. I’m feeling better already.”
“Yes, well, my cousin is a neurologist and Xiao Cheng mentioned you had a bad migraine,” Wen Ruohan said, taking a seat. “Of course I don’t know any specifics, but a few calls and your physician was happy to have a specialist advising on what wouldn’t conflict with your current medication, but would still help.”
“Your cousin, I see,” Jiang Yanli said. Her voice was definitely more energetic. “Please pass along my thanks.”
Wen Ruohan glanced at his watch. “You can thank him yourself. He should be here in another twenty minutes or so.”
“Oh, that’s not—“ Jiang Yanli started.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be covering all the expenses,” Wen Ruohan cut in. He reached over and took Jiang Cheng’s hands, drawing his attention so their eyes met. “You’re important to Xiao Cheng, so you’re important to me.”
Jiang Cheng held tight to Wen Ruohan’s hand. “Thank you, Lao Wen,” he said fervently.
Pairing: Xicheng, Wangxian (side), and Xuanli (side)
Length: 22 chapters
AVAILABLE ON AO3 HERE
Jiang Cheng, resident Angry Guy and heir to a conglomerate empire, has never been the apple of his father’s eye. Quashed under the shadow of his brilliant brother, the music prodigy Wei Wuxian, Jiang Cheng sees his chance to turn things around when he is recruited by the All-Stars Lan Talent Hunt. One problem: he can’t sing to save his goddamn life.
As he struggles to develop his nascent singing abilities, Jiang Cheng finds himself sucked into the whirlwind drama of reality TV, helped along by his adoring siblings, his irritable vocal coach Wen Qing, and strangely enough, the unfairly attractive host of the All-Stars Lan Talent Hunt, Lan Xichen. Somewhere in the glare of the stage lights and an unexpected first love, Jiang Cheng stumbles upon the thing he was searching for all along: the courage to dream — and to attempt the impossible.
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And with that, the fic is officially complete!! Part 2 has been 3 years in the making so I’m still stunned that it’s actually over?? But at the same time, I’m also excited to write more. Anyways, thank you to those who have struck through with me, and I hope you enjoyed the fic.
Canon Jiang Cheng is an extremely hot man who had everything he loved taken away from him, who gave the few things he had left for the one he loved like a brother, and who loves his nephew more than himself.
Canon Jiang Cheng is an extremely hot man who sacrificed his relationship with the only person he had left for the sake of the thousands of people under his charge, who ran seven hundred thousand for days without stopping to eat, rest, or drink to save wwx and lwj, who trusted jgy to take care of his precious nephew and still, he was betrayed.
Canon Jiang Cheng is all of that, and he's also an extremely hot man who's sad, angry, who doesn't feel enough, who lives scared, he was so fucking scared of jl getting hurt that he offered himself as a hostage, so scared that wwx would die again that he let himself be stabbed so that nothing would happen to wwx.
That even after all the crap wen ning spewed out of his mouth along with the revelation of the golden core operation, he still chose not to tell wwx about his own sacrifice, so that the man he once considered his brother wouldn't go back to feel that he owes something (the reason why he didn't say it is up to your imagination, but what is clear is that he could have said it to harm wwx, or to show that wwx is not the only one who sacrificed himself for him another, and he didn't do it anyway).
Canon Jiang Cheng has a waist as small as a delicate girl's, but he could rip you in half in 10 seconds.
And Canon Jiang Cheng has the softest, shiniest lips in the entire series.
All of that is Canon Jiang Cheng, I hope I have made it clear.
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