"If we didn't pamper you, who would we pamper?" Xue Wu came over and sat beside him, taking a grape from the table, peeling it, and holding it to his lips. "Come on, open wide."
Jiang Lan opened his mouth and ate it, his cheeks puffing as he chewed.
Dugu Yan smiled at the sight but said nothing.
Ye Lingling stood beside her and said softly, "He's actually quite happy."
"Of course he's happy." Dugu Yan huffed. "With this many people fussing over him, who wouldn't be?"
"You're happy too," Ye Lingling said.
Dugu Yan glanced sideways at her and nodded.
The private dining room grew lively again. Shui Yue'er busied herself putting food on Jiang Lan's plate, Xue Wu peeled shrimp for him, Yu Hairou picked the bones out of his fish, and Shen Liuyu poured juice into his cup. Beside them, Gu Qingbo and Qiu Ruoshui took turns praising how cool he had looked flying earlier.
Their praise left Jiang Lan increasingly embarrassed. The blush on his face spread from the tips of his ears down to his neck, until he finally slumped over the table and buried his face in his arms. "Stop it," he cried, his voice muffled. "Any more and my head really will be in the clouds."
"Let it," Shui Yue'er said, patting his back. "We'll pull you back down."
"You won't be able to."
"Then we'll tie you down with a rope."
"A rope won't hold me either."
"Then we'll lure you back with oranges."
Jiang Lan lifted half his face out of his arms, revealing one eye. "That would work."
Shui Yue'er laughed so hard she could barely straighten up, then reached out to ruffle his hair again.
Watching Jiang Lan, Ning Rongrong leaned close to Zhu Zhuqing's ear and whispered, "Look