"Good," Cheng remarks rather simply. He glances toward his brother, noticing the tension and barely suppresses the need to roll his eyes. "It's important for 'little bunnies' to do well in the tournament and bring honor to their clan rather than interfering with the hard fought progress of another. As you can imagine, it hasn't been such an easy summer for everyone."

Lan Wangji's eyes narrow at the Jiang sect leader, issuing a silent warning of his own.

~~~

Jingyi gasps for breath as he's forced to pull back. His cheeks are flushed a rosy hue and he runs his tongue along his lips. Abruptly, he shoves Zizhen.

"Why didn't you come back to Gusu like you promised me?! How could you do that?! I wanted you to come back so we could.. so I.. I wanted to see you."