"Oh well, when you put it like that..." Shen Yuan laughs, ducking his head a little. His shoulder feels very warm under He Xuan's hand, even though He Xuan's skin is so cold. "I've been doing some work on myself," he says, letting just a trifle of his pride show through. "Trying to put myself out there more, be more honest with myself about things...I think it's going well." After all, here he is! On a pier with a new friend, and He Xuan can call him an idiot for it if he likes but Shen Yuan thinks he's very, very kind indeed. <3

"I think that's the silver lining to being reborn in a strange world," he says leadingly. "Nobody knows you here, it's a blank slate. You can choose who you want to be."