"I originally sought out Brother Wu to commission a portrait for my younger sister," Fang Lin explained, shifting his attention away from Su Xiang and toward the well-connected Artist. "But we were told he wouldn't be available for some time because he was joining Brother Zhang and Fairy Su on an adventure. My father suggested, to show sincerity in wanting to build ties with the Su Family, that I should come along on this adventure," he said, swallowing heavily from his bowl of wine while Su Xiang continued to direct her piercing gaze at him.
What his father had actually said was that if he didn't find a way to go along, their window of opportunity to tie themselves to the ascending Wu Ling and Su Yao would likely all but close. If Fang Lin still wanted his father to put in effort negotiating with the Bamboo Silk House, he needed to demonstrate that he would put in some work on cultivating a relationship with Wu Ling and Su Xiang to prop up his efforts.
