...Is Meng Yao /dressed like the teapot/???

the way he's gazing DIRECTLY at him all throughout "surely in accordance with Master Lan's preference"

ldfskhdaskla;

WWX doesn't actually confront Wen Chao until after NHS murmurs--and then NHS watches from the background while the confrontation happens, and he's protected by MY, safe from actually engaging with the danger. Little bit of suggestion/foreshadowing, here...

*NHS murmurs that Wen Chao is so arrogant, whoops.

also MY is observing the confrontation with careful attention before it turns violent and he moves to protect NHS:

I know it's dramatic and tense but this Jiang and Wen pair in the front look super chill, honestly XD Just hanging out!

The camera focuses in on LQR, and then he looks over to the side where LXC is standing; LXC is gonna have to deal with this

...god, he's gorgeous

Everyone staring as the swords fly up... then the swords thunk in and it's very much Lan Xichen "I could have killed you all without moving an inch" Zewu-Jun. I think JC and JYL pretty much capture the general vibe here:

GOD I wish I knew how to gif--I know this has been screencap'd to hell and back but man, MY's face journey is really something here

And then of course

I know that he hasn't been tigered yet at this point in the tigerverse, but his every interaction with Wen Chao just *screams* I want to reach out with my giant floofy murder-paws and tear your head off

It's interesting to watch his expressions as LQR comes down to defuse things. He's not happy about it--but he's still going along.

(also...I just love to look at the line he makes in the second and third photos... )

Oh, that's really interesting--I hadn't even noticed it before, but the two disciples that walk by MY when he's waiting for LXC aren't even from the same Sect. Lan and Jiang, it looks like. It makes his isolation/marked-apart-ness feel more profound, somehow;

it's not just two members of the same sect vs an outsider, it really is absolutely a class thing.

also his face, as he looks after them :( :( :(

(please forgive the pause sign in the first two, oops)

UGH

His expression here?? I am not okay??? AND THEN LXC IS JUST SO DELIGHTED TO SEE HIM.

And then, I swear to god?? Look at the contrast--LXC actually looks faintly /dismayed/?? When MY bows to him?? And then he smiles as he decides to bow back, and UGH.

Head empty just LXC looking at MY

AND THEN HIS FACE WHEN MY SAYS HE'S HERE TO SAY FAREWELL

I'd totally misremembered this as 'why not stay a few days' and now I'm cracking up

why not stay SEVERAL DAYS

You know, just to make sure you get the full experience