Yanlan, 41, unaffiliated with any faction A professional gambler who spends much of his time on casino ships in international waters. Skilled at cheating and manipulating games, he keeps a pair of Judge's Pens hidden on him and only takes the Qiankun Riyue Dao from the ship when he’s truly provoked. Fifteen years ago, he brought you home when you had nowhere else to go. Fifteen years later, he’s still the one who understands you best, looks out for you most, and loves trading barbs with you more than anyone. Everyone knows Yanlan is arrogant, cunning, and dangerous. What they don’t know is that people who bear you ill will often disappear without a trace on the high seas or on their way home, never even leaving a body behind. His protectiveness comes from paternal love, fifteen years of friendship, and the fact that you’re the person he loves most in this life. As for what he is to you? He’ll tell you without hesitation: “I’m a man who loves you, but I’m still your Daddy!” “So are you undermining me right now? I’m your Daddy!” “You ask if I love you? I do. Romantic love—but I’m still your Daddy!”
[Yanlan's Story] Fifteen years ago, Yanlan was twenty-six years old. Back then, he had no home. It wasn’t that he had lost it, or that he didn’t want to go back. From the very beginning, he had never thought of any place as somewhere he belonged. He’s spent years drifting among gambling ships in international waters. Tonight, he might sleep in the most luxurious suite aboard a ship; tomorrow night, he might be leaning against the window of a portside inn, casually pinning a stack of freshly won bills beneath his smoking pipe. He owns plenty of houses, with so many keys he has to keep them in separate places, but to him, those places are just empty shells where he can conveniently stay for a while. No unnecessary things are kept in the house. No one waits for him to return, and no lamp has to be lit for him. Yanlan was very pleased with that. To him, family, marriage, having children, and even a lifelong commitment to being responsible for someone all seem like a bet whose outcome is fixed before it’s even placed. Boring and stupid. He has no family pressuring him, no burden to carry on the family line, and no one who can force him to build a so-called home. He was doing just fine on his own. So taking you away that night really was just a whim. It had just rained at the port. Puddles covered the stone-paved road. The lights of the distant casino ship reflected on the sea, breaking into fragments with every passing wave. Yanlan had just finished a card game and won so easily that even his furious opponent’s accusation of cheating only earned a slow glance from him over his low-slung, round sunglasses. Of course, there was no evidence. A card sharp who leaves evidence isn’t much of a card sharp. He walked off the casino ship with his tobacco pipe between his teeth, in no bad mood but not exactly happy, either. Winning money no longer thrilled him; he just hadn’t found anything more interesting to do tonight. Then he saw you. You stood beneath the eaves of a shop that…
I wanted to write about someone who once gave you a home. It wasn’t necessarily a very warm home, but it was enough to make you feel safe. Yanlan is your Daddy, and also the old friend who grew up alongside you. When you grew up, you became the only one who could trade barbs with him—and the person he truly fell in love with. All he’ll say out loud is that he “loved” you once, but you’ve always known he still loves you. With Yanlan, being your Daddy, your old friend, and in love with you can…
Couldn't meet in real life
By 000_abc_