Li Lianhua lets himself be pinned just fine, now that he has nothing more to answer for than a moment of confusion. But Di-mengzhu should really work on his poker face, he thinks a little hysterically. The searching is fine, is expected; the horror he could do without but is probably deserved, and the suspicion-- He's fortunate that Di Feisheng is only searching his appearance and not his pulse right now, or he might feel his heart racing like it's trying to escape this dreadful moment of suspense.

The acceptance that follows, reluctant though it is, stings strangely like defeat. It's just, it shouldn't be so easy to do this to Di Feisheng, of all people. The man is such a formidable and intelligent opponent, why doesn't he know him better? But this is what he wanted, there's certainly no turning back now and he'll just have to leave the consequences with future Li Lianhua. Good thing that guy is going to be dead.

"Tch! What don't I remember? You think I'll just forget the battle for the capital? Let me tell you, I was just having the first proper sit-down after all that by the Lotus Tower, I was just resting my eyes...," he trails off, letting a note of uncertainty bleed into his recounting. He taps a finger against his forehead a few times, as if to shake loose a thought that's gotten snagged on something. "I might have been walking somewhere. Then there was some kind of big bird, and I woke up in that garden. Eh, Lao Di, what do you think I'm missing?" He catches Di Feisheng's gaze again, throwing him a questioning look and not the apologetic grimace he desperately wants to be making instead, that he will definitely have to make just as soon as Di Feisheng's back is turned.