Very well, then. Lan Wangji nods, choosing to accept her kindness. He has suffered regrets far worse than temporary embarrassment. Claudius got his entertainment, and Wei Ying was certainly well-rewarded for his own participation.

Instinct tells him to turn and leave now, but he pauses. This mansion is his home. These people are, now, his community. He cannot stay in self-imposed half-seclusion forever, nor can he fulfill any duty of care within the parameters of this world if its people do not know or trust him. So instead, he stays where he is, looks with interest at Nina's work, and then gives her a pointedly curious glance.