At that laugh, Lan Wangji catches Claudius' eye with a look of half-rueful amusement. Arrogance is forbidden, but he is helpless against enjoying the thought of Shen Qingqiu's fascination with himself and Wei Ying. It does some work to soothe the memory of how much he hated every other aspect of their encounter.

"Magnus Chase thought me a god," he says, "and Shen Qingqiu my son." His eyebrows quirk up the tiniest bit, as if to say, Can you imagine me producing such a dissolute child?