Oh, Shen Yuan took Lan Xichen's meaning all right, and once again he found himself blinking back tears because of it. Lan Xichen's sincerity...it really was too much.

"Jin-ge is very important to me," he says, as calmly and clearly as he can. "I will always prioritize his happiness, no matter what form it takes."

If he was to be Jin Guangyao's friend, he would be the best possible friend he could be - and that included being friendly to and supporting Jin Guangyao's chosen partner. He simply wouldn't allow himself to be envious and hurtful, it just wasn't going to happen.

Shen Yuan reluctantly put down his now-empty teacup, casting around for another place to hide, and happily his gaze landed upon Lan Xichen's frozen cup. "Oh, poor Lan-gongzi," he tsked sympathetically. "Let me fetch you a fresh cup." And so he did, ignoring any protests Lan Xichen may have cared to make.

"These blood powers can be truly troublesome," he commented sympathetically as he set the new cup down in front of Lan Xichen and filled it with tea. "And they can be so different, even for Sleepers of the same blood type! You can tell this is a new, unstable world, no matter what the locals might think."