Lan Xichen pushes himself up onto his elbow. He's lying on Meng Yao's bed, with Meng Yao's head resting near his chest. 

"I thought he'd just offended New York, I didn't know they were on the verge of war."

"That's why it's a bad idea. You cut off your ability to change your mind in response to different circumstances."

"--And if I didn't he would have died. He has no resources, he doesn't know anything about the Scholomance-- someone had to explain to him what the vending machine tokens were-- he wouldn't have been able to find anyone to trade with let alone watch his back."

"Yes."

"I didn't want to just let him die."

"We let seventy-five percent of the people in this school die, why is he special."

"It's different if he's standing in front of you. I know most kids get eaten by a mal but I'm not going to-- leave someone to die when I could have saved them-- even so--"

"You and Nie Mingjue."

Lan Xichen doesn't say anything. They both know how Nie Mingjue died, and the wound is open in his heart.

"Seoul says you're thinking with your dick."

"Seoul would."

"...you could just fuck him."

"Then Seoul would definitely think I'm thinking with my dick."

"If they know."

"I'm not going to do that to him."

"There are much worse things people do to be allied to one of the most powerful enclaves in the Scholomance."

"I know."

"There are much worse things people do to stay alive."

"I know."

"It's what I told my sister to do. She's quite pretty, she'd do well. Her mom's an idol."

"I'm not going to do that to you."

"Er-ge, I have never asked anything from you but your love."

"And yet that's not the only thing I'm going to give you."

"Er-ge is generous."

"Nie Huaisang says he doesn't even like kissing. He probably hasn't hit puberty yet-- probably a little bit because he's underfed--"