"It's different, I think, if you expect the kid to survive. Like there's a sort of contract you agree to by being born, and Wen Ning failed it."

“….I think it’s stupid and doesn’t help anything to call that ‘failing’? I - it wasn’t his fault and it - doesn’t seem like his biggest problem is about virtue…?”

"I mean, I think they think it is his fault. If he just tried harder he wouldn't be so scared."

“…I don’t think being scared is his problem? I - I’m, I was, scared all the time, and - it seems like I have really different problems?”

"You're scared of mals. a-Ning is scared of people."

Jiang Cheng is looking at Jiang Yanli like she's the wisest person in the world.

He's scared of people and he just doesn't talk to them. This is solvable.

“….I’m scared of people who can hurt me? I - I was so scared, before, when I thought New York would murder me. But I wasn’t before… Did Wen Ning think the enclave would hurt him or kill him?”

"He's mostly scared of being a disappointment, I think."

"And he is a disappointment so the thing he's scared of happens all the time."

“….I don’t think I know what that means?”

"Well, he should be the sort of person who survives the Scholomance and instead he can't even learn to speak English."

“…I think I don’t know what you mean by ‘should’, there?”

"I'm not sure we're going to get anywhere with this conversation. a-Xian, did you have more things you wanted to say about Song Lan?"

"Right. He sucks and I like Masozi better and I am looking forward to meeting him in four years and going 'hey look we got this WAY COOLER replacement who is from Malawi and would totally help me steal a car and not turn me into the Dominus like a dweeb.'"

“…..I don’t know if I think you have the right understanding of me?” Masozi says blankly. “I - it doesn’t really sound like you stole a car for strategic reasons?”

"It was the strategic reason of being fun."

...Masozi kind of hates this entire conversation? He's not at all sure how to steer it onto a track that he hates less, though. 

He ducks his head and says nothing. 

Yanli is going to change the conversation back to math.

Math is so much easier to have a conversation about!

Eventually everyone leaves, but Wei Wuxian lingers.

"...so I heard you need mana storage?"

Masozi is so confused! Again! 

“I - yes - but I had a plan, I was going to get a book about how to build it in shop.” 

"Oh, but mana storage made by freshmen is really bad. Do you wanna borrow my powersharer sometimes? You can stick mana in and draw it when you need it."

“…I would like that but I don’t know if I have anything I can trade for it.”

He shrugs. "You're one of us, if you don't have the mana to finish your homework I'm as likely to be eaten as you. --Just don't tell Lan Xichen, okay? He'd go on about the rules of powersharers. Like you wouldn't get one in six months if we had spares."