*deep breath* okay, let's talk about the nieyao divorce. let's talk about what happens when a man of principle falls in love with a man of ruthless pragmatism. let's talk about the faultlines on which they break.

nieyao.... you can claim that they're not in love (except they are and you're wrong) but what's important is how much they admire each other. they admire each other for the very qualities that will end up splitting them apart.

nmj has never seen a man to match meng yao--his brilliance, his competence, his accomplishments despite his disadvantages. (the fact that nhs deems this noteworthy shows both how much nmj trusts meng yao and how unusual that trust is)

meng yao has never met someone who respects him like nmj does, much less someone who respects him *because* of his background and everything he's overcome. (crucial to understanding how the story plays out is the contrast w lxc, to whom my's background genuinely doesn't matter)

as @casual_cheese is always pointing out, he's not smiling here. he knows he doesn't need to. the bargain he's been making his whole life--how much pride can he barter for attention or cooperation, for a place at the table--it's not necessary. nmj doesn't need to be bought.

fast forward through the betrayal and the fight to its conclusion. meng yao has tried to plead his case and failed. he's about to die. he could plead his case. he could die furious, having all the wounds inflicted upon him dismissed as "little vanity." he could die in silence

and instead...

we know what meng yao looks like when he's lying. it's not this. this is the most honest face we'll ever see from him. that tiny smile, when he looks up to see the tears in nmj's eyes--an expression of reassurance, even of permission. he's accepting nmj's decision

meng yao, the consummate opportunist, is meeting nmj where he stands. because nmj is a man of principle and that means something to meng yao. it was principle which raised meng yao up; he betrayed that principle and now he's accepting the consequences. even if it means dying.

now watch very closely.

because i'm not denying that meng yao is a liar--he's lied before, he just lied his ASS off about his motives for killing the captain and he will go on after surviving this to lie with almost every breath he takes for the rest of his life

but right here, right now, in this precise moment there's only one of the two of them who's not being honest, and it's not meng yao

does nmj believe this is really why he's sparing meng yao? quite possibly. does meng yao believe it? unclear.

do i believe it? not even remotely. "emotionally compromised" is basically nmj's middle name, and he's very obviously heartbroken here

but whether you believe him or not, the important things are (1) he's breaking his principles, and (2) the excuse he gives for doing it

because it's the very excuse that was the fundamental law of meng yao's life until he met nmj, which is to say: everything is transactional