Why. 

"...don't trade sex for mana storage."

Well, that makes it very simple to decide, then. "Okay, I won't, I'll make one in shop instead. ...Do you think Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji would have time to go down to the shop today even though it's a weekend? I want to get started earlier than Monday." 

"Yes, they would."

He fights down the urge to say I can get you mana storage. He could, they have the spare resources to trade. But Masozi isn't even an ally yet, they can't afford to give him something that valuable. It would lead to questions about his judgment.

Instead, Lan Xichen says, "--Nie Huaisang told you what?"

"He was - telling me about nice things he thought I should know, and he showed me - 'porn'? And then it was confusing so he said he should explain how fucking worked." 

"That... does sound like Nie Huaisang, yes. He has porn in the Scholomance?"

Visions of text files flash through his mind.

"He had pictures. He...said it's a nice thing and his store is for selling nice things? He also made tea for me and gave me a guava candy, which was amazing! And he tried to show me how kissing works but I don't think I really got it. ...He said I shouldn't have sex with anyone unless I'm enthusiastic about it or I want to trade something for it, but that kissing people is fine? I don't know why that's different." 

Masozi says all of this very matter-of-factly, in exactly the same tone of voice he would use for talking about mal-spotting duty or what he got from the cafeteria or something. 

"Did you... want... Nie Huaisang to kiss you?"

He has no idea on what level this is a disciplinary issue!

"...I don't know? I said he could. It was...fine, I guess?" 

Lan Xichen is not disappointed that he probably won't get to kiss Masozi. That is not a helpful emotion and so he's not feeling it.

(This is why Meng Yao put so much energy into learning self-modification spells, he thinks.)

"If you end up allying with Shanghai you won't have to have sex for things," he says finally.

"Oh." 

This entire conversation is almost as confusing as the initial conversation with Nie Huaisang? 

"Are you...mad about it?" Masozi manages finally. "Is it - bad, to have sex to trade for things?" 

"I... like to run things so that people who are my responsibility don't have to?"

This seems sort of like the same thing as saying it's bad, or else why would he mind so much? 

Masozi is going to drop the topic, though, it's not going anywhere useful and he doesn't like feeling like Lan Xichen is maybe mad at him. "Oh," he says, and then falls awkwardly silent. 

"...you shouldn't have to have sex unless you want to."

Lan Xichen feels the urge to wrap Masozi up in dozens of wards and stuff him in Lan Xichen's dorm room where he can be safe from everything that might hurt him.

"I mean, Nie Huaisang said that! He just said that wanting mana storage could be a reason for wanting to. But he said it was a bad plan unless I could be subtle about it and I probably can't so." Shrug. 

... ... ...

"...yes," he says, "I think that your advantage in the Scholomance is not plans that require subtle political adeptness."

"I think I have to try to learn how to do it at some point, but I probably need to have mana storage before that, so - I guess I'll go look for a book about how to make it in shop?" 

"If you want we can look for one together."

"Okay." And Masozi can follow him around looking for a while. 

- eventually he pulls together the courage for his other question, the one that's actually fraught and kind of scary to ask even though probably Lan Xichen is trustworthy and keeps his word and won't hurt him. 

"Lan Xichen?" he manages. "Can I - ask you about something -?" 

"Of course. You ask me anything."

"I..." And actually he has so little idea of where or how to start. "I - yesterday I got back to my room and someone from Shanghai was there putting wards on it and he said if I gave him mana for it you would make him give it back?" 

"...I'm sorry, I forget to tell you that. Induction day is very busy. Yes. It's investment, I think you pay it back if you don't die."

"He shouted at me a lot. I think he thought it was a bad idea. ...I asked about paying it back, I - was scared he was going to, to want to be paid and I wouldn't have anything and he would hurt me? And he said probably in two weeks you would either want me to promise loyalty to Shanghai or you would want a 'blowjob' but I don't know what that word means." 

He is going to murder Jin Zixun. 

...

He is not going to murder Jin Zixun, because Jin Zixun is part of Shanghai enclave and it's his job to make sure that every single member of Shanghai enclave graduates alive no matter how personally obnoxious he finds them. 

"I am being generous because I want you to choose to ally with Shanghai because I think you're valuable both now and after graduation. I-- am not going to want a blowjob." Fuck. Fuck Jin Zixun. Fuck his life. "It's, uh. When you put someone's penis in your mouth." He is going to murder Jin Zixun. 

"Oh." Why. Why would anyone do that. It's such a mystery.

Masozi relaxes, though; he was mostly worried about the possibility of an unknown Obligation looming over his future. Known obligations are fine especially if they're not inconvenient. "That...doesn't seem like it would be worth an entire set of wards anyway?"

- and then he tenses again because he's remembering the REST of the conversation. "- He said one of Wen Qing's sister's bodyguards refused to do it anymore because he was mad about you helping me. If that's my fault then I should help do it instead." 

"That is appreciated. You walk him to and from meals? He has guards for classes."