Why'd you have to go and make things so complicated?

[gayapeel]

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[fourthewin]

"...it's fine." Chenglei was just going to skip, honestly, since being lost seemed like a valid excuse, but apparently that was not an option. He looked at the guy and tried to decide whether this was a trap. He had no idea. He couldn't read these people. Especially not this guy. He also was not sure why he was holding his hand out. Since he couldn't think of what else to do - maybe this guy also thought he was European? - Chenglei finally just reached out and took his hand to shake it. Was that it?

[gayswan]

"... I wanted your timetable, not your hand." Wangji deadpanned but he did shake the man's hand anyway, not sure why he was doing that. He pulled his hand away and cleared his throat, his hands firmly behind his back to avoid that happening again. "My name is Lan Wangji. I was curious to meet you - we don't tend to have new students, it's rare to have a transfer this late into the year too. May I ask for your name?"

He had to make sure before he said too much, he didn't want to give it all away to some random guy.

[fourthewin]

"...oh." Well, that was nice and embarrassing. Chenglei pulled his hand back and swallowed hard, trying to move past this while he looked for his time table, which was folded up and slightly creasy in his pocket. He handed that over, because now he was in this interaction, and then replied. "I'm Zhou Chenglei." And this guy had a bit of a strange way of talking. Or maybe that was just because he'd weirded him out with the hand thing, he could see that. "I moved."

That was about as far as he'd gotten with thinking up a reason for why he started school here mid-year.

[gayswan]

"Ah, so you are Chenglei. I did suspect. Your face didn't change as much as I had expected it too. It's sharper and more masculine but your eyes are very similar." His brow and his nose too. Lan Wangji inspected him for a bit longer before looking at his timetable on his behalf, gesturing to the left hand side where the very grand looking building with the gold trims was. "You have your first class over there."

Offering it back to him, he tilted his head to the side. "Welcome back, Chenglei."

[fourthewin]

"Do I know you? Because I don't really remember anything." He had come across a number of people by now who expected him to remember or at least know of them and it was never good. There was just no delicate way to handle that. He had no idea who any of them were or how he was supposed to deal with them. "Sorry."

He felt sheepish, even more so when looking at the building for his first class. "That's gigantic. How big are the classrooms?"

[gayswan]

"I assumed as much. I didn't think you would know me." Lan Wangji didn't seem offended that he was forgotten, he would have been amazed to be remembered. "Follow me, I'm going to show you the way." He owed him as much, he supposed. Chenglei had always been good to him. Mostly. He was good at sharing his snacks and petted the rabbits so gently - he could show him the way to his class, it wasn't an issue. "There's usually about 10-15 students per class but the rooms are big so it shouldn't bother you. You won't be surrounded by people."

It was an exclusive place to go, after all.

[fourthewin]

"Okay, good. Because the cook still won't talk to me, because she's upset I didn't remember that she fed me snacks." It was making navigating anything fairly difficult and Chenglei already was resigned to how he'd have to bribe her to win back her favour. Maybe he could ask Meng Yao for tips with that, or he'd have to keep eating plain buns for breakfast.

"In my last school, there were forty students per class..." So he didn't think that size would be that much of an issue here. "Lan... You are one of those, right?" He remembered, vaguely. "The families."

[gayswan]

"Yes, I am. Our family has worked with yours for a long time. My brother is the heir and I am the second son." Lan Wangji clarified for his friends benefit, knowing he liked didn't understand any of this. "My friends are the heirs to your closest business partners going forward so it may be beneficial to meet them. There's the Li family, the Wu family and I'm very well acquainted with the Nie family as well."

Of course he was, they all were but he wanted to slowly introduce him to the world. "Everyone who is anyone will be in this school. Anyone in our circle will be obvious."

[fourthewin]

"How are they obvious?" Was it because they all looked like models? Because that guy? That guy looked like a model. And he had roots showing and couldn't even be bothered to put any product in his hair today, he definitely had not slept enough and it showed and if looking like this guy was necessary for an heir, he was very much out of his league. "Or is there a secret handshake. Wait. Don't worry, I won't shake your hand again."

[gayswan]

"No, they will tell you." He looked at Chenglei like he was a total idiot because he was a little? It was endearing but it was odd to have someone so naive and so open about it. "Zhao, Lan, Wu, Li, Jin, Nie - you'll hear their names and if you suspect, they will soon make it known in their introductions. People here know who you are and know plenty about you already. We all do our research." He did pause and, because Wei Wuxian was a good influence, he tried his hand at 'teasing'. "You do really enjoy shaking hands, don't you?"

[fourthewin]

"Yeah. Everyone needs a hobby." It did seem as if Wangji was teasing. At least he hoped he was, because he was trying to smile some in answer and everything. The whole thing was quite embarrassing, but whatever, not as if he'd never embarrassed himself before. Right now, it was becoming way too frequent. "I'm trying to do my research, but I keep mixing everything up."

It was a lot to keep straight. "I know Meng Yao likes your family." He had gotten that feeling, anyway.

[gayswan]

"Meng Yao is good friends with my brother. They have been close for a long time, despite Meng Yao's lower status. My brother strives to treat all as equals." Lan Wangji clarified, unsure how much he knew of Meng Yao but he assumed he was aware of how important it was to treat people as equals - even if they stood no chance of ever being accepted, it was no reason to reject them. "He got Meng Yao his first job with the Nie family."

Which was both good and bad - he always felt like Huaisang learned all the wrong lessons from Meng Yao.

[fourthewin]

"Lower status?" Well. He knew Meng Yao called him 'young master', but Xue Yang seemed to be listening to Meng Yao without any objections and he had witness other people, even his grandfather, give Xue Yang orders, often followed with a lot more attitude, if at all. But on the other hand, Wangji had just said this, so Chenglei had to wonder. "I know he helped the Nie heir. His name's... Huaisang."

He was almost ninety percent certain. "That's why my grandfather sent him to get me."

[gayswan]

"I don't say it to criticise him, it's just true. Meng Yao is the bastard son of the Jin clan heir, he's the son of a ... I think the word is prostitute." The polite word, anyway. "So you will not hear many speak in good favour of him, it was a big scandal. His father rejected his attempts to join his family so he joined the Nies for a long time. He got the job to find you because of Nie Mingjue. I don't know how long he will work with the Zhao's before moving to the next family." It was hard to say with Meng Yao, perhaps the Zhao leader would let him stay as he had done a good job with getting his accounts and paperwork in order but he suspected it was too much stigma for them.

The Nies were more relaxed, they never cared about those kind of issues. "Nie Mingjue, the leader of the Nies, values hard work over status. Meng Yao was very fortunate to meet him. If you don't meet someone who values your work and you have a bad reputation by nature, you will not succeed."

[fourthewin]

"That's so insane." It sounded insane, like something from another era and out of a book or drama. As so much of this did. "I guess that explains why he was so pissy with me."

Still kind of was now, in a way, but Chenglei understood it a bit better. Had to be hard, to be part of this, but not really, and then have to help out someone who had never been part of it, but was suddenly right there. Young master. He got the frustration. "If he's good at his job, does it really matter who his parents are? I don't know, it's all criminal anyway."

No, he couldn't really understand the standards here.

[gayswan]

"It matters to the older generation more than the younger generation. It's not just his parents, it's the fact that he's a bastard. In theory, he has a claim to the seat of power if he can get enough momentum - even if he had no intent to, the threat is there." Wangji explained as he held the door open for Chenglei to get inside. It wasn't that they were all elitist but for the older generation, the idea of bastards being legitimate caused a lot of fear.

Jin Guangshan and his wife hardly want a reminder of his affair lingering around. "It will matter as long as it matters to his father. And his father doesn't want him anywhere near power - hence why it's unlikely he will hang around in the Zhao family any longer."

He had already heard Jin Guangshan express dislike to the current Zhao leader over the idea. And these men were friends, they didn't go against each other.

[fourthewin]

"Ah. Right. That's the same as why I had to come and do all of this, because they'd have me killed otherwise." So, he supposed it was good that Meng Yao got to live at least? Still, seemed pretty unfair. Just because he wasn't born legitimately, he had to go around addressing younger boys as young master. Not that he wasn't insufferable a lot, but Chenglei got it more now. "...is there some kind of bastards that could have taken over for me? I just want to know if someone hates me."

[gayswan]

"No, we don't have that much of an issue with bastards... except the Jin family. I keep a spreadsheet and record every time I meet one. He has around 3 males and 6 females. So far. Likely more." Wangji was clearly amused by it but it was hard to tell, it was all very subtle. Pausing outside of the classroom door, he held out his business card to Chenglei. "If you ever want to talk business, you can contact me. I know we just met, you're unlikely to fully trust me but I remember you. I would like if we could talk more."

[fourthewin]

Chenglei took the business card with both hands and bowed, wisely refraining from any handshaking this time. He had no idea whether he could trust Wangji, because he had no idea whether he could trust anyone. He was a gangster now, so how did he know? Who could he ask? Still, Wangji seemed very nice and almost fond of him, so he didn't want to think badly of him. "Sure. I'll text you. Or I'd say I'd see you around, but this school is so big, I've no idea if we'll run into each other again."

[gayswan]

"You won't be hard to miss, you stand out." Wangji informed him, eyes on his hair. It made him easy to pick out of a crowd, that was for sure. Perhaps today he could introduce him to Tian... and then a few days down the line, maybe Tao. Maybe. He didn't want to scare him off too soon. "Good luck in your first class." Bowing to Chenglei, Wangji turned around and headed off towards his own class, feeling like he'd done his duty now.