"That would please me very much." Huaisang rises with a smile, bowing deeply to his friend and host. He steals no extra touches or flirtations this time. There will be plenty of opportunity for that, and the idea is to take things slow. Relatively slow. Huaisang can't wait for their courtship to deepen enough that he can begin suggesting that they practice kissing and other intimacies.

Slipping away, he glances back at the doorway, gaze lingering on Jiang Cheng for a moment before he steps through.

Huaisang has never been a morning person. When one of his attendants rouses him that he should dress if he wishes to take Sect Leader up on his invitation, Huaisang whines and rolls out of bed only with difficulty.

When he turns up at the pavilion, he's wearing a mere three layers--undergarments, inner robes, and outer robes, and his braids are wound in a simple bun rather than his usual elaborate knot.

Eyes bleary with fatigue, Huaisang drops onto the cushion across from his friend and immediately slurms across his side of the table. "Jiang-xiong, do you really always get up this early? How do you function??"

Maybe if he hadn't stayed up late reading erotic poetry, he wouldn't have had so much trouble with the early hour.