"Mn," Lan Wangji says, and this serves as something of a stand-in, a polite acknowledgement, while he turns this over. A protest if it's necessary. Until he came here, he had never imagined there could be so many people like him in one place. He is not ashamed; he has known the truth of his own desires since he was a child. Still, he is not immune to the surprising comfort of finding himself surrounded by people who find his love comparatively unremarkable.

"These flags," he says, at some length. "They are part of the celebration?"