thinking about 'what matters is you, and not the state of you' and that xie lian is the one who originally says the quote: yet, in one of the most vital moments, when xie lian is the one who needs to to see those words in action hua cheng takes what xie lian has told him, and gives back what xie lian has given him - which hua cheng always wants to do, really, to give everything to xie lian because of his love. hua cheng doesn't need to say them back: his action of repeating how he had greeted xie lian as wuming is all he needs to do to show xie lian 'what matters is you, not the state of you' in actions, not words.
what's interesting is that, xie lian says this originally - and thus does not apply it to himself. it's a testament to xie lian's feelings and trauma about his past, which he represses and does not think about. whenever an implication of him almost becoming the white clothed calamity comes up? he panics. hard. he's terrified of not even just anyone finding out, but especially hua cheng. only to find out - hua cheng has believed those words all along, even before he had heard them from xie lian. different context, sure, but hua cheng's devotion never wavered. his belief never wavered. xie lian may tell hua cheng 'what matters is you, not the state of you' - but he never even thought to think that for himself.
and hua cheng won't have that. he wants xie lian to know that he will be there - he was there at his lowest, and didn't leave. he won't leave. he never will.
it ties into xie lian's guilt and trauma about his past yet still, to others - he belives in it for everyone but himself. to be kind - to strive to keep being kind no matter what life takes to him.
now, he has hua cheng - to remind xie lian that he deserves to be kind to himself, too.
