This is not actually all that enlightening! Masozi gives Lan Xichen a nonplussed look, and then frowns and tries to actually parse that. 

Oh.

"- I'm not trying to have sex with you so you give me mana storage!" Aaaaaaaaah did Lan Xichen think he was doing that, no wonder he had worries. "I wasn't thinking about that at all! Also I think I would be really bad at it so it's not even a good strategy!" 

He's going to push through. Concealing his emotions here works if they're going to be allies and doesn't work at all if he's going to wind up entangled on Masozi's bed with Masozi stroking his hair. 

"You maybe think I want it, because I think you are handsome."

"....I - hadn't - do you want it? I - I didn't know you thought I was handsome until you said it just now!" 

"Yes. And it's... not fair for you not to know that, I think? To make decisions with. But if you know maybe you think 'oh, Lan Xichen saved me because he wants me to touch his hair and kiss him, I have to do that or I will be thrown out of Shanghai,' and that is not good for me or you or Shanghai, if you think like that. --I think it goes other way, I want you for same reasons I save you, you are determined and clever and compassionate."

This is much easier with Meng Yao where the sort of benefits Meng Yao is getting from being Lan Xichen's favorite are clear to everyone involved.

Masozi spends an awkward stretch of time frozen on the spot, because he has absolutely no idea what to say. 

".....I don't think you'd have saved me because you wanted to kiss me? Because that would be stupid and - not good strategy... And I know you're not stupid, and so you'd've wanted to save me because I'm - clever and determined and will do things -? And I, I want to - be that for you -  and I like you because you make good decisions and you care about me and you saved my life...." 

Crap. This is all going very very badly. He'd be like "why couldn't this have gone the way it did with Meng Yao" but Meng Yao almost died and Masozi has done enough almost-dying for one week.

"Yes. I want-- to do things for you that are good for you?"

"- Why? Because it's - a good investment, for you?" 

"And because I like you."

".....I don't know what the difference between those is?" 

"...I like you for reasons that are not you being a good investment? Like that it makes me happy when you're excited about math."

"But - isn't me being excited about math part of why I'm a good investment? Because it means I'll be better at learning it?" 

"If you're excited about learning something with no strategic value I still like watching you learn it, I think."

"I - but if it's not useful then I'd want you to tell me that? Because I want to know what has strategic value, to learn first, and - there's so many things I don't know...?" 

Masozi is feeling like he lost the plot of this conversation a WHILE ago and now he's metaphorically-dizzy again, but it's not like that's anything new, and based on the last few days this is maybe the new normal for frequency.

"I tell you! I definitely tell you! It is just an example of liking being different from investment. Or-- if you lose hand you are worse investment but it doesn't change the amount I like you?"

"- What, really? I - if I were stupider then you'd like me less, I think?"

"Yes, that's true. I like people who are-- clever, compassionate, ruthless. People who want to build things. These also make good investments? But I also like people who care about family, which doesn't matter one way or other for investment." He sighs. "And I like people who need someone to take chance on them, which makes for worse investments, I think, in most cases? I like... people who have it hard before, people who do bad things and want to stop..."

Masozi feels like this is combining many distinct categories into one and adding additional confusion! 

"....I don't really have family left that I could care about?" he says, for lack of anything else contentful to say.

"...I think I am confusing you more than I am helping."

"Maybe." 

Masozi pauses. Thinks. 

"I...would be sad if you liked me just because you thought my hair would be nice or that I would be nice to kiss?" Whatever that even means, in isolation, it's very baffling! "I - want you to like me because I'm - good at doing things, and - and - trying to fix things and build things - ?" 

"I do like you for those things."

Awwww. Happy delighted smile. 

"- That seems okay then?" 

"And-- if you want to play with my hair that makes me happy but if you don't want to-- at time or ever again-- then I'm not mad at you or going to punish you?"

"Mmm-hmm." Why would Lan Xichen punish him for that, it doesn't seem like it would accomplish ANY of his goals. "I - I think I just like it? Because your hair is soft, and - a bit because I just like it when you - make that happy face you do sometimes...? - I don't know, maybe I want that because secretly my brain is trying to do a plan to make you like me more? But I don't think I'm doing that and I - I don't know how to tell if my brain is doing it secretly?" 

"I think secret plans to make me like you more are allowed. Especially if they involve being very excited about calculus."

"....I don't need to have a secret plan about making you like me to be excited about calculus! It's just interesting."