There are times when Lan Zhan says such awful things, and he doesn't even seem to know it. It's true that Wei Wuxian has expected a different life for himself many times over - that he would never leave the Jiang sect, that he could sustain Yiling - but he never hoped he'd be alone.

Even when he'd wandered after their parting at home, he always hoped for a reason to come back. Lan Zhan had no expectation of anything but solitude for most of his life. "This is your life now, Lan Zhan," he says, nudging him with his elbow to remind him of his own food. "Eat food, be happy, and litter me with marks."