Cumplane being established and in a (fairly) healthy relationship. They've been dating for about two or three years, but still occasionally find themselves acting like gradeschools with a crush.
After Shen Qingqiu meets Shen Yuan on some sort of rogue mission, or at the Warm Red Pavillion, Shen Qinghua finds him an intriguing (if slightly annoying) figure. He likes that he's not salacious, like other men (he respects my body and does the bare minimum *dreamy sigh*).
At the same time, Shen Qingqiu is finally starting to realize that Shang Qinghua is far more competent (and funny) than he lets on, especially when it comes to Cang Qiong interpersonal dynamics/affairs. AKA, he gossips and trash talks when he feels safe. He the proceeds to read Yue Qingeyue to absolute filth, and Shen Qingqiu doesn't know it yet, but he has just fallen head-over-heels.
When Cumplane has their monthly meeting where they get drunk and read trashy yellow books (Shang Qinghua's scripts), they instead just start drunkenly gushing about how hot Shne Qingqiu is. Shen Yuan denies being romantically interested (he may not be homophobic anymore, but he's still a tsundere), and that he can't *possibly* be blamed because Shen Qingqiu is clearly a peerless jade to all who have eyes. Shen Qingqiu starts to suspects that Shang Qinghua harbors some sort of feelings for him, but he's also just a flustered, anxious wreck on the best of days, then finds Shen Yuan supremely oblivious when men flirt with him at the market.
After a while, Shen Qingqiu ends up hanging out with one of them, and the other just happens to intrude on their time. (Having tea with Shang Qinghua, or out hunting for rare herbs/fungi with Shen Yuan.) Shen Qingqiu then discover that they know each other, when Shen Yuan gets flustered and hits him with a fan in retaliation for some of his trademark crude flirting. Obviously, Shang Qinghua cowers and sniffles, but he's right back to taunting him as soon as he's done nursing his “bruised" ego.
When they finally come back from their own world realize who they're in the company of, Shang Qinghua shouts that “shen-di is being so meeeean! Tell him to stop!” & Shen Yuan's like “no, Shen Qingqiu would agree with me, because *unlike you*, he's got more common sense in his pinky finger than you have in your whole body!” & then shrieks when Shang Qinghua does something stupid; like tackle him, pull his hair, or lick Shen Yuan's hand after it was (rightfully) placed over his infuriating mouth.
Shen Qingqiu concludes that Cumplane are married, and feels a bit hollow at the realization, though he's not entirely sure why (it's because he's *unfortunately* is viscerally attracted to *both* these idiots and is spiritually crushed that he can't have *either* of them).
