"Yes."

"It's not a request. --I think you'll be a lot happier if you have a friend."

"I have several friends."

"Friends you're not related to and whose names you know."

"Mn."

His social initiative has been punished by additional required socialization. See if he ever takes social initiative again.

"Speaking of, Wangji, I've noticed you've become close to Wei Wuxian."

GODDAMMIT.

"Mn."

"I think you should speak to him more."

"He is impossible."

"You like it."

"He has no respect for rules."

"Wangji, you'd also do well with a little less respect for rules."

Wei Wuxian is already the center and purpose and sole source of meaning in Lan Wangji's life, and that is an embarrassing enough fact. Lan Wangji doesn't think he should be additionally required to speak with him. 

"I didn't choose it," he says, because it's much less blunt than "one day I looked at him and then instead of wanting to punch him in the face in the angry way I wanted to punch him in the face in the sex way, which I didn't previously realize was a thing, and now his smiles are the most important thing and he keeps trying to kill himself and it's horrible and also I can't stop thinking about raping him and that's even more horrible and I think my dick is chafing," and Lan Xichen will understand all of this from his sentence and eyebrow tilt anyway.

"I still think he'd be good for you."

"No."

"Think about it, Wangji." He smiles. "I'll leave you to your playing."

Lan Zhan goes back to his room and finishes his homework and performs his exercises and meditates and only then does he allow his fingers to brush the beautiful, beautiful guqin (his guqin). 

He still has his calluses, but by the time he goes to bed, his fingertips are sore.

He's almost tempted to go to bed late, and is horrified at himself by the thought. He assigns himself copying to do in the morning. There's no one here to make sure he's strict on himself, but that makes it only more important to be strict. The rules are important. The rules are what give shape to life. If he broke the rules, he would be nothing at all.