Thread by @Foxypepsi1

For #HuaChengWeek 🥳

DAY (PART) 4 of
🧵Thread fic - Updates DAILY🕒
🏛️ A #hualian museum visit: Post-Canon, Modern, POV Outsider

A collab! With @Ying_anSanren's ART below💖

Day 4 Prompt: Headcanon
#Day4HuaChengWeek

Read from the beggining:

https://twitter.com/Foxypepsi1/status/1532968551526563840?t=I5XMxeRMWW5Uca-sxMDQfw&s=19

The round room was the largest one so far, full of hanged paintings, both modern and ancient, decorating the walls.

In the middle there's a huge banner: [Love Through The Ages: Origin Myths of The Red String of Fate]

While Tour Guide Guy waits for the whole group to gather around the first scroll that seemed to be the oldest one, Lai Wen took his time to look around: many paintings featured characters connected by the titular red string of fate.

"This is the one I want to show you first. The oldest painting in our collection," Tour Guy says.

"There are several stories about the red string and how it connects to the Red Supreme and his Beloved. These legends often feature Yue Xia Laoren, the deity in charge of marriages.

Let me tell you some of it: once the lonely Red Supreme was strolling around the mortal realm, he discovered an old man under the moonlight who was Yue Lao.

The Red Supreme offered his imperial carriage to give him a ride. To show his appreciation Yue Lao told him:

"Don't fret, child, I've already connected your red string to your future wife's ankle, you will be lonesome no more."

Years went by and the Ghost King was searching heavens and earth to find his beloved. But to no avail, they kept missing each other.

During his travels the Red Supreme visited a faraway kingdom. This kingdom was known for its Pit of Sinners, where they threw the convicted in. The Red Supreme was drawn to it, so he descended and found a humble daoist there, who turned out to be his beloved.

"They put shackles on my ankle and neck, that's why you couldn't find me sooner. "

The beloved weeped, but the Red Supreme used his abundant power to break those shackles.

"My beloved, let's tie your red string around his fingers from now on and never lose each other again."

"This story ends here, but let me tell you another one that's connected to this painting. Once the humbled daoist lost his memories. The only thing he could remember was that he has a beloved in this world as he was happy to discover that the red string ties them.

He went out and saw that many people were wearing the red string around their fingers wide across the land.

He stopped everyone to ask them:

"Excuse me, are you my beloved? Why are you wearing a red thread?"

"This is to honour the Red Supreme and his beloved," they said.

To his question: "Are you my beloved?"
The answer was always "No".

Thus, he began to pair people up, which took him tremendous time and effort.

But despite playing matchmaker for the town, he didn't find his own match. Yue Lao showed himself to him and said:

"Thank you for helping me, now I'll help you too: since it's been 800 years already let me cut your red string and tie around someone new."
The daoist protested: "Break me and my beloved apart then I shall exist no more."

Yue Lao just started to laugh and pull on the red string—

—until the Red Supreme appeared before their eyes and upon seeing him, the daoist fell in love again."

The legend reaches its end and doubt seeps through the crowd.

"But that's just not right. How could he forget everything except for the Red Supreme?"

The question seems to make Tour Guy flustered a little.
"Sometimes your body, I mean… your mind remembers even if you don't."

"I don't understand either… The daoist was given a chance to find new love, why did he not find someone new? I mean, a lot of things can happen even—

—in one year, not 800… he could have cheated on him or something…"

"Oh, I assure you he's not the type. Neither of them. It's not the case."

"Yeah, how come he was so sure the Red Supreme is still around?"

"The red string was intact, so he knew..."

"But still…Spending your life with only one person is a bit boring to me. Especially if they've been around that much."
Of course, you would think so, Lai Wen rolls his eyes, dude, you keep changing your girlfriends weekly.
Tour Guy's smile is soft, his tone is polite but final:

"That's a fair point and it's okay to think so. But that's not how I see it. I've never had any doubt that my string should connect to one person and one person alone. It's more of a boundless sea than a cage. To get to know that one person who has ever been in my heart—

—and whom I cherish and the one who t-treasures me in return, because for him I'm that "there's always been you".

We had tied the red string of fate around each other's fingers by ourselves.
Rather than destined by an outsider, we're being chosen by the other over and over."

The group is rendered speechless and
Tour Guy ends it with a soft smile playing on his lips:

"And sometimes, all you need is one person alone."

He claps his hands together and beams, his eyes turning crescent:

“Besides, what do I know, I'm just an old,—“

"sentimental man. Nowadays putting on a red string has become a widely popular endearment. Records state that people started wearing it after…"

What's up with this guy, Lai Wen grumbles to himself, not listening to the explanation anymore.

First, he's all "legends are legends, don't take anything for granted", then he speaks of his beliefs so openly and sincerely.

They spend an ample amount of time admiring the rest of the artifacts about the red stringed lovers... —

—maybe a little too much, to the point of hallucinating.

Because when Tour Guy pushes the door to the next room, Lai Wen might catch the glimpse of a vibrant red knot on his middle finger.

/ END - TO BE CONTINUED 🏛️

Ying'an's art is here!!! 🖼️💗

Look at how awesome it is ✨💓
Look how the red string connects these lovely people 🥺💞

https://twitter.com/Ying_anSanren/status/1533906084498444291?t=0Q65YrjvbiG4FUoR2o6MLQ&s=19

🕑 UPDATE WITH DAY (PART) 5

Up next is a rather interesting relic about the Red Supreme's secret everyone wants to know the meaning of? 👀🤫

https://twitter.com/Foxypepsi1/status/1534208155558858755?t=hciU_HpVMQSwx1LEDAPCvA&s=19