Couldn't Yanli have solved this by using that meeting for the dress as an excuse to drag both of them to Carp Tower by the ear? "I can control the Yiling Patriarch with Big Sis Powers(tm) and Lotus Root and Rib soup. How are y'all gonna fear this shit?"
And just that alone would make it so when the other clans asked "How can we trust this is how it works?" "<: /gestures to the sheer Fear of God looks from both brothers"
Her mom would be crying happily watching from beyond the grave "I knew one of my children had my backbone. I'M SO PROUD! This... Is also why I didn't give her Zidian, though. I'm not stupid"
And I unpaused. And I love how these boys went from "Alright so we're fighting for real now." "But. >: Do we have to?" "Y-" "XIAN!" "OHNUMYSISTER /flees to find" "/defends the wwx all the way"
And now I'm at the beginning of the show and I've so many feelings that I refuse to process until tomorrow and now I'm just expecting it to go back to the present after a black screen that says 'And that's what you missed on' then to the shit happening in present day with everyone looking at the camera like "US 8D"
Also they need to stop treating this episode like a fucking final 'LOOK AT ALL THE HAPPY FUN TIMES WE HAD! LET'S THROW IN SOME SAD MUSIC. WANNA GET STABBED? WE'LL DO THAT FOR FREE. THAT'S ON US.FUCK YOU AND YOUR EMOTIONS*"
I kinda want this as an AU now. Yanli rules everything