Chapter Text
It really was just bad luck. Just as some are born under a star of fortune, some are cursed with a lifetime of misfortune and despair.
So when the bracket holding up the cabinets failed, sending shelves of plates crashing down on Jiang Cheng’s head, it truly wasn’t anyone’s fault. It wasn’t that the cabinets were poorly installed, it wasn’t that the plates were overloading the shelves, it wasn’t that the drywall was never strong enough to hold in the brackets. No; it was just plain old bad luck. It wasn’t even Friday the 13th, it was just a normal Friday.
The plates that crashed from above just happened to startle Jiang Cheng into knocking a just-finished-cooking pot of soup onto the floor, just happened to cause Jiang Cheng to slip and hit his head on the edge of the counter, knocking the man out. Jiang Cheng just happened to collapse on a shattered piece of plate, and it just happened that that piece of plate sliced straight through an artery on his thigh.
Jiang Cheng just happened to die. It was truly nothing but an accident.
Really, they shouldn’t have let him live alone in the first place. The man had been cursed with bad luck since he was just a little baby; hadn’t it been obvious to his family? One can suffer only so many accidental breaks and bruises before even the most agnostic of humans start to wonder whether there really is a God, and whether that God is truly out to get them.
Jiang Cheng didn’t believe in higher powers of any sort. He was the sort of man to believe only in his own actions, and that any outcome was a consequence thereof.
Even though he would have been one of the few humans justified in believing in the existence of a higher power.
But back to the main point – why was he living on his own? The man was a danger to himself, if not to others. His uniquely bad fortune would never affect those around him; no, the misfortune that befell would only hurt himself. Honestly, it was like he was a black hole of misfortune – you could almost take him around as a protective amulet, and he’d absorb all the bad luck that was meant for you.
Ah, we’re getting off track again. The answer, though, is quite obvious. Let’s take a look, shall we? Let’s see what happened after Jiang Cheng died.
Day One
The soup on the floor evaporated.
Day Two
The veggies in the soup were beginning to wrinkle and stink.
Day Three
Yes, things were beginning to smell quite putrid.
Day Four
A call! Ah, but it was only from the local public library – your book is ready to pick up.
Day Five
Oh, a real call this time! Looks like one of his co-workers, or maybe his boss, at Jiang Corp. They’re worried about him, Jiang Cheng’s never missed so many days of work before, it’s Wednesday and he hasn’t been in since Monday. They hope you aren’t feeling too ill. Call back once you’re feeling better – don’t worry about the sick days, and take a couple extra even after you start to feel better. They’re glad you’re getting some time off, you’re always overworking yourself.
Jiang Cheng’s colleagues at Jiang Corp know that he’s a little cursed. Like clockwork, someone always spills some coffee on the important papers, the network always crashes before Jiang Cheng’s saved some big project. Corrupted saves? M365 mystery issues? Laptop just decides to not turn on? Always Jiang Cheng.
But Jiang Cheng, the responsible and hardworking man that he is, takes unpaid overtime to make up for those hours lost. He’s always the first one to arrive, the last one to leave. Despite everything, Jiang Cheng’s work is always impeccable, and he’s always held himself accountable to the work he does.
His co-workers love him. Is Jiang Cheng a cranky guy? Sure, they’d answer, but if I were cursed with all the universes microaggressions I’d be cranky too! And besides, Jiang Cheng’s snippy, not mean. In a corporate environment, everyone’s worked with truly mean people in toxic departments. Working with Jiang Cheng was a breath of fresh air – always fair, always honest, never neglecting his work. That was better than the backstabbers in Wen Corp’s marketing department, always smiling, always waiting for someone to slip up so they could trample them into the dirt.
Jiang Cheng, your co-workers miss you. But they don’t know where you live.
Day Six
Oh goodness, the smell is beginning to seep into the apartment hallways. The neighbour knocked on his door, then cursed when no-one opened. They’d been smelling something off for days now, but he’s been such a good neighbour – well, non-disruptive neighbour – that they were loathe to accuse him of any misdoing. But it’s been six days of the smell accumulating in his apartment. Soon, they’ll call the strata manager. But guess what? He’s not renting – he bought this apartment all on his own – his Strata manager won’t know how to contact his next of kin.
Day Seven
It’s been a week! Congratulations on joining us! It hurts, doesn’t it, Jiang Cheng, to know that no-one’s found your body yet? Let’s see, who knows you live here? Your sister, your brother. Nie Huaisang. That’s about it, isn’t it? You don’t really realize how little contact you have with the outside world until you’re counting on them to find your dead body. Perhaps your family would never find your body, if it weren’t for the little monthly function your sister’s throwing tomorrow. Or perhaps they would – Wei Wuxian would have called you with some problem of his at some point, Jin Ling might’ve wanted to come visit you soon, but that’s definitely a question of sooner or later.
Hey – at least your neighbours haven’t broken down your door yet. Small comforts, right?
Oh, the phone’s ringing. The caller ID shows… it’s your local representative, calling for your support. That’s one call you’ll be glad to miss!
Saturday Brunch
Let’s change the scene from your rotting body for a moment, shall we? Oh, don’t worry, I’m keeping tabs there in case somebody calls you. But I’d think all the calls to you today would originate from here, no? It’s time for Saturday Brunch!
The staff at the restaurant quite look forward to receiving you and your siblings during your monthly brunches, you know? Jiang Yanli frequents this establishment quite often, she’s a regular customer, and all the staff love her to pieces. She’s kind and she tips well, of course, not that you need me to tell you any of that, but some people would benefit from the context. Jiang Yanli is truly a saint walking on this earth – that is, if saints existed. And when the siblings are brought in? Well, Wei Wuxian is always a hoot, and his boyfriend is the subject of much jealousy behind the scenes. Jiang Cheng, well, you’re definitely a looker, but you interact so rarely with the staff that they don’t really know anything about you! All they know is that you have the softest smile when you talk to your sister, and that’s enough to get half the staff daydreaming of that same smile being aimed at them. The other half’s frightened of the you that scowls at your brother.
What? I’m telling the truth! Anyways, hush your protesting – here comes Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan.
They always arrive ten minutes early – you and I both know you always arrive five minutes early, and Wei Wuxian arrives anywhere between 10 minutes to an hour late. You treasure this time, don’t you? Being alone with your sister for just a little bit. Sure, Jin Zixuan’s there, but he’s surprisingly kind, isn’t he? You’d never say it out loud, but you’re glad that your sister married him. Even if you’re dead, you can count on Jin Zixuan always being there for your sister. What’s that? No retorts for me this time?
Anyways, it seems like the five minutes have passed.
Shall we listen in on their conversation? It’s not a violation of privacy, you’re dead! Who are you going to tell?
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Jiang Yanli frowned. “A-Cheng’s still not here, A-Xuan. He’s never been late before.”
“Well, technically, he’s early,” Jin Zixuan muttered. “But maybe we should call? He might be running late for some reason.”
Jin Zixuan passed over Jiang Yanli’s purse, knowing that Jiang Cheng would be more likely to pick a call with the ID Jiang Yanli than Jin Zixuan.
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Jiang Yanli’s dialing your number. I can hear the phone ringing and buzzing on your countertop. Is that a custom ringtone you have just for your sister? I’d call you gross, but honestly, it’s more cute than anything.
It’s good you were charging your phone before you died.
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“No response,” Jiang Yanli said, pursing her lips. “You don’t think something’s happened? He’s not like A-Xian, he’d at least message us if he wasn’t going to show up.”
“Maybe we should wait for Wei Wuxian to come, he might know?” Jin Zixuan suggested.
“I’m calling A-Xian.”
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It looks like your sister really is unsettled by your not being there. Hey, why are you crying? Shouldn’t you be glad that your sister noticed something wrong?
This is the reason why you never killed yourself, you say. It hurts to see your sister worried about you.
Well, you were always good at predicting the outcomes of your actions. I’m sorry that this wasn’t something you could control. But you can’t look away, not yet.
You don’t want to watch?
Once again, I’m sorry to say that this isn’t something you can control.
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“A-jie, I’m not even late yet, it’s only five past the meeting time!” Wei Wuxian whined over the phone. “I’m on my way, I promise, I just need to finish this one last thing – “
“A-Xian,” Jiang Yanli interrupted, something very uncharacteristic of her. “Have you heard from A-Cheng lately?”
A pause.
“Is Jiang Cheng not there yet?”
“He’s not.”
“Maybe he’s just sleeping in! I’ve heard his department is working on a pretty big project, and you know how Jiang Cheng gets with those mega-projects.”
“A-Xian, you know Jiang Cheng wouldn’t miss brunch without even saying anything. I think we should go check on him, make sure he’s not super sick or anything.”
“Sounds good, A-Jie! I’ll meet you at Jiang Cheng’s apartment, I swear we’re on our way out. You want me to bring anything on the way?”
Jiang Yanli looked at her husband, who shook his head. He’ll be even later, Jin Zixuan mouthed, if you give him errands.
“Thank you for offering, A-Xian, but no need. I’ll bring along some food for everyone. See you there.”
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Looks like they’re packing up. Hope you don’t have anything lying around that you don’t want people to see, A-Cheng!
Oh, man. You’re actually panicking. Your room isn’t that messy, I’ve seen it – it’s super tidy!
Hm? Yeah, your meds are on the table where you always leave them. Don’t tell me you never told your siblings…
Of course you never told them.
Well, if it’s of any solace, I believe that your dead body might come as a bigger shock than the fact you’re taking meds for anxiety. Oh right, you can’t smell, can you. Well, I can tell you that your apartment is rank. Wait, don’t tell me you forgot about the fact your body’s slowly rotting in a pile of spilled soup?
Seems like even ghosts can have panic attacks, huh. Here, take deep breaths. In, and out. In, and out.
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Jiang Yanli wrinkled her nose at the smell wafting through the apartment hallways.
“A-Xuan, what’s that smell?”
Jin Zixuan looked green. “It stinks, A-Li, that’s all I know.”
And the smell only grew stronger as they approached Jiang Cheng’s door.
“You don’t think that’s coming from Jiang Cheng’s place, do you?” Jin Zixuan asked, sounding as if he were on the verge of absolutely losing his lunch all over the dreary carpeted hallway.
Jiang Yanli didn’t answer.
They stopped in front of apartment 404.
They knocked.
No response.
“A-Xuan, give me my purse for a second. I have A-Cheng’s spare key on my keyring.”
Jin Zixuan dutifully passed the purse he was carrying to Jiang Yanli, who dug expertly through the folds of the purse to pull out a keyring, passing the purse back into Jin Zixuan’s arms.
The key fit perfectly in the lock, and with a smooth turn, the lock clicked open.
They opened the door.
The smell rushed out of the apartment door, Jin Zixuan immediately gagging. If he didn’t love Jiang Yanli as much as he did, he would have fled like a bat out of hell. Instead, he held back the bile rising in his throat and followed Jiang Yanli into the apartment.
They didn’t have to go very far to find the rotting body of Jiang Cheng on the floor.