[ It's the sort of ridiculous comeback that Jiang Cheng would have expected from Wei Wuxian, not Lan Sizhui, and for a moment all he can do is blink and stare at the man in front of him. There's something almost strange about it, a familiar echo that makes his heart ache somewhere deep in his chest, but he has to swallow it down, has to force himself not to think too hard about his brother. That just makes his heart ache all the more, beyond anything else that might be rolling through his mind.

There are thorns in his throat and his heart hurts; he doesn't know what to do with himself.

What he wants, of course, is to get this done, to escape so he doesn't have to think too long on the matter of being in such close proximity with someone who is, unintentionally, killing him. Jiang Cheng knows if he isn't careful the taste of flowers will completely destabalise him; he has to try and maintain his composure, has to force himself not to fall flat in terms of his own emotions.

He has to be the stronger one here.

So, he shakes his head, leaning back and giving a raised eyebrowed look of disappointment. ] Does that matter? Rules are the rules, that's what I was taught. [ And it's not as if Lan Wangji or Lan Xichen do anything to break those rules outside of Gusu either, so he had valid reason to imagine Sizhui as being the same.

Leaning back, he tries not to appear as frustrated as he is. ]

Either way, we should be working on getting ourselves back, on ensuring that we can return to the others, not arguing over semantics. So let me take care of you.

[ It comes out with a cough that stains his lip a little red with blood. ]