Xichen sits close to Shen Yuan, watching the scene play out. It's charming and idyllic, and it's rather clear the boy is utterly smitten with his shizun.

Xichen has had that happen a number of times, teenagers are going to teenager after all, and it's a delicate wire to walk by making sure the boundary between master and disciple is clear without cutting some poor youth too deeply over having a harmless precocious crush.

As far as he can tell, Shen Yuan is utterly ignorant to the boy's feelings and genuinely concerned for his well-being, treating him more how Xichen treats Huaisang than anything else.

"There is clearly a bond here," he says diplomatically. "But why break it?"