Jinde watched his expression but only figured that Xin Lan still had complicated feelings about Xiang Yu. He thought for a moment and then got up, putting his hand on Xin Lan’s shoulder. “Take all the time you need. Just … don’t take it out on Xiang Yu. It’s not his fault how his trial ended.”

Xin Lan nodded. “I know that.” He still couldn’t shake the feeling that gripped his heart every time he saw him. Well, other than the last two times maybe …

He thought back to Xiang Yu’s appearance after Jinde had dressed him up and couldn’t help but feel complicated again. He knew he had a certain type. And Xiang Yu, while he didn’t fit all the points, actually came quite close when he put in some effort. Of course, part of this might also be Jinde’s involvement.

Thinking of this, Xin Lan gave Jinde a complicated look. “Say, when you dressed him up like that, what was it for?” Jinde had just said to take his time but he could also imagine that he’d like to see the two of them get closer. Jinde had always wanted him to find happiness, after all, and he might still feel awkward about his presence in his life as long as there wasn’t a permanent lover at his side. By now, he knew about his unrequited love that had lasted so many years, after all.

Jinde raised his brows. He originally wasn’t sure why Xin Lan would ask this but seeing his expression, he chuckled lightly. “It sure wasn’t for your sake but I suppose you liked what you saw.”

Xin Lan clicked his tongue. “I’m not over Hua Lin Yu.”

“I know. It’s alright to acknowledge that Xiang Yu is good-looking though. If he was a little older …” He sighed. Xiang Yu was a fallen god so that time of being older would never come. It really was a pity. But then, Xin Lan should be able to overlook that. Anyway, who in the dragon race was older than him? There didn’t seem to be anyone left.

Xin Lan gave a hum. Indeed, if he was a little older, just a little more mature, maybe his impression of him would have been better from the very beginning. Still, that couldn’t change the current situation.

Jinde watched him and then sighed. “Xiang Yu seems to like you a lot.”

Xin Lan glanced at him, not sure what to say. Did that fallen god like him? Well, it seemed like his attitude had softened a bit recently. At the very least, he wasn’t constantly pointing at his nose and yelling ‘fake dragon’ anymore. That seemed to be a major step forward.

Seeing that Xin Lan had nothing to say about that, Jinde didn’t push the issue. He could talk to Xin Lan about this and remind him to be a little nicer but that was it. It wasn’t like he could make him fall in love. Although … he could probably inquire a little more?

He hesitated for a moment but then still raised his brows at Xin Lan. “If — and I’m only saying if — some time passes and you manage to deal with your grief, can you see any chance between the two of you?” This was probably what it all boiled down to. Xiang Yu was a fallen god so most people definitely wouldn’t even dare to think about it. But Xin Lan was the most courageous person he knew. Being with a fallen god didn’t seem impossible. Still, this was a decision only he could make.

Xin Lan didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he glanced up at the sky. If it had been a while ago, he would have said no at once but just earlier, hadn’t he worried about this fallen god a little? Maybe this wasn’t odd. From what he knew, the reincarnation during a trial would reflect a part of the god’s self and he had been incredibly attracted to Hua Lin Yu. So no matter what, he couldn’t deny that there was a certain possibility of him being attracted to Xiang Yu as well.

“It’s tough to say.” He could finally only settle on this answer. “It’s not his looks. I’m satisfied with that, more or less.” Of course, he’d like him to be slightly older but he could deal with that. Anyway, his sense of morality had always been a little wonky so who cared that he officially wasn’t an adult yet? Fallen gods were a category of their own anyway and if Xiang Yu had been a trueborn god, he long would have come of age. He really didn’t think he was taking advantage there.

“It’s his attitude. There is really no way to say how that will turn out. I liked the self he was during his trial. Even though we didn’t always agree and he even fell in love with somebody else, I still liked him. I’m not sure if I could like Xiang Yu that way.”

Jinde hummed faintly. This was indeed difficult to say. “He is actually really sweet, you know? I think part of why he is different toward you is that … he might feel a bit threatened.”

Xin Lan raised an eyebrow. “A fallen god threatened by a dragon?” His self-appraisal really wasn’t low but he knew full well that he wouldn’t be able to win against Xiang Yu easily either. That person had a bunch of abilities that a dragon couldn’t measure up against. The only reasons he could somewhat deal with him were his age and his rich combat experience.

Jinde smiled and shook his head. “Not in that way. I think … I think he does feel attracted to you and he probably has for a long time. But since he fell because of a trial of love, he is afraid of that feeling so he lashes out. Now, he is slowly coming to terms with those feelings so his stance is softening.”

Xin Lan’s eyebrows rose. In fact … this made a lot of sense if he thought back to how vehemently Xiang Yu had told him off when he thought he was into him. It truly was odd thinking about it from that perspective though.