Xichengclipse 2021 Day 3

Xichengclipse 2021 Day 3

Stalker - Courtship

Warnings for a past abusive relationship and stalking. Jiang Cheng is still fucked up about it, but it’s only ever talked about.

When Jiang Cheng finds the unstamped letter in his mailbox, he doesn’t immediately think anything of it. It happens frequently enough that some religious groups or protesters go from house to house to deliver their letters and Jiang Cheng has half a mind simply throwing it away without even reading it.

But then he catches sight of his name on the envelop and that’s when he starts to worry.

He still takes the letter with him into his apartment, unwilling to read it out in the open, but instead of immediately opening it once he’s inside he thumbs the envelope for a while.

Surely it cannot be. This hasn’t happened in a long time and Wen Xu should still be in prison.

Jiang Cheng is probably worrying for nothing.

With that thought in mind he finally opens the letter, scanning it once, before it falls out of his numb fingers.

This cannot be happening again.

Dear Jiang Cheng, the card reads. I really do enjoy seeing you every day and I would want nothing more than to go on a date with you, if you would do me that honour. I’m eagerly awaiting your answer.

It’s not signed.

It’s not signed and Jiang Cheng finds that he has trouble breathing.

Seeing you every day, the card says and Jiang Cheng has to fight the urge to cover all his windows up and never leave his apartment again.

Instead of giving in to that urge though, he fumbles for his phone and dials Wei Wuxian’s number as quickly as his shaking fingers will let him.

“My dearest little brother,” Wei Wuxian greets him with and his antics do make him feel a little bit more grounded, Jiang Cheng has to admit to that.

The underlaying panic is still there, though.

“Please tell me Wen Xu is still in prison,” Jiang Cheng says without greeting him and he refuses to have a panic attack when he’s met with silence.

“I haven’t heard anything else,” Wei Wuxian finally says, and all traces of humour have vanished from his voice. “What’s going on?”

“Can you check?” Jiang Cheng wants to know, because he’s not going to sleep well without absolute certainty that Wen Xu is in prison and can not watch him every single day.

“I can check in with Wen Qing. She keeps close tabs on him. But I’m sure she would have told me if anything changed. What’s happening, Jiang Cheng?”

“It’s probably nothing,” Jiang Cheng mutters, because of course Wei Wuxian is right.

If Wen Xu got released early, Wen Qing would have at least told Wei Wuxian, if not Jiang Cheng himself. Of course there’s no reason to worry like this.

“Tell me about it anyway,” Wei Wuxian coaxes him.

“I got this card,” Jiang Cheng tells him, and reads it out to him.

It doesn’t sound any better out loud, Jiang Cheng has to admit.

“It could be a secret admirer,” Wei Wuxian says after a beat of silence and Jiang Cheng scoffs.

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