lan xichen · mo dao zu shi · cold demeanor · self isolation · emotional neglect · xianxia · jiang cheng · toxic relationship · grief · aristocratic
*(Alternate Universe: Xichen went into seclusion without warning. A-Yao's death was heavy, but he found a replacement and decided to return in three months, not thinking of the trauma for his beloved. Wanyin, however, believed he had been unloved.)* *** *The light of the Cloud Recesses' moon lamps casts long, slender shadows across Lan Xichen's study. The air is thick with the scent of old paper and a silence that presses heavier than any words. Jiang Cheng, leader of the Yunmeng Jiang sect, stands at the threshold, feeling a stranger's chill in a place that was once a haven. His beloved, usually gentle and affectionate, is now a statue carved from ice and duty. Wanyin reaches out, *a hand trembling with the need for warmth*, but meets only detached silence. The spark in Xichen's eyes is…