YanLan

"I like Yanfei a lot. And i’m not talking about our friendship."

- Yelan’s voice-line about Yanfei. YanLan is the femslash ship between Yanfei and Yelan from the Genshin Impact fandom.

Canon
The first time Yelan was ever mentionned was in Yanfei’s voice line “About Yelan”. The voice line starts with Yanfei saying that Yelan is an employee of the Ministry of Civil Affairs - which is a lie, since Yelan doesn’t appear anywhere in the Civil Affairs registers, and only claims to work for them, which means that Yanfei is aware of Yelan’s secret and keeps it, since she introduces Yelan to the Traveler as “a colleague/friend of hers of the Minister of Civil Affairs”. She also says she can’t say too much about Yelan’s true identity, implying that the two know each other very well and trust each other since Yanfei lies to hide Yelan’s identity. Yanfei continues her speech explaining that Yelan once helped her with a tough accounting fraud case, and they went to dinner together afterwards. As seen in the Archon Quest, Yanfei mentions that she likes to treat Yelan to dinner and tea parties. Yanfei then talks about how she feels like Yelan always know what she’s thinking, and says that she have to make sure she don’t “get on the wrong side of her“ in the future.

In Yelan’s voice line about Yanfei, she talks about how she likes Yanfei a lot and “isn’t talking about their friendship”. She says that she likes to work with her because of her status as a high-profile legal consultant, and whenever they work together, she always get invaluable leads in return. She finishes her voice line saying she thinks that Yanfei sometimes respects her a little too much.

Their first on-screen interaction is shown in the Perilous Trail Archon Quest, for Yelan’s release. The two are on good terms and frequently step away from the group to think together, in addition to have mutual understanding. In fact, they seems to always be together throughout the entirety of the Archon Quest before separating at the end, and are often seen in the background of the scenes thinking together. They both also seem to be the smartest of the group. In most cases, they have the same deductions and agree just by exchanging a look. In most interactions with one, the other is always nearby.

When Yanfei explains to the Traveler that she came in The Chasm in order to ’execute a will’ and says that The Chasm isn’t the kind of place you can just waltz into whenever you want, Yelan’s voice answers ''“Oh? So you do know what kind of place this is?” . Yanfei recognizes Yelan’s voice, and turns to look in the direction of her voice saying “Ah, I thought I might find you here.”'' Yelan then joins them and says that whatever case Yanfei is working on in The Chasm, she’s sure she can handle it without her input. Yelan calls Yanfei “Liyue’s top legal consultant” while she seems to compliment her skills. After that, Yanfei answers ''“Huh, that’s funny. I thought we’d established that my legal opinion doesn’t count for anything when Yelan’s around?”.'' And that’s how Yelan is introduced by Yanfei to the Traveler as a friend of her.

When Yelan says that she can’t help them with their case, Yanfei is disappointed and says that she was about to ask for her assistance, then asks if she can spare a little time to help her taking care of this will, “for old times’ sake”. Yelan answers it depends on what she’ll have in return, and Yanfei says that Madame Ping gave her some nice tea, and that she’ll be happy to treat her to a cup. Yelan asks Yanfei to tell her more about how she got there, before being interrupted by Itto.

A little later, Yelan mentions how Yanfei is a renowned legal consultant, so she can trust her intentions. She tells Itto that she doesn’t know his background and that Yanfei doesn’t seem to need his help, and Itto asks if they are “joined at the hip” for Yelan to know what Yanfei needs. Yelan awkwardly answers “right...” and continues her speech. Yanfei mutters to herself that Itto really shouldn’t start butting heads with Yelan.

When Yanfei tries to reassure herself that there’s still good even in this situation, she mentions Yelan and Shinobu as some old friends whom she’s happy to be reunited with. Much later, when Yelan says that she’ll never go through the mysterious door because she prefers not to open it if something terrible awaits behind it, Yanfei offers to try in her place. After Yanfei comes back, Yelan asks her if she doesn’t like handling disputes over petty matters, and Yanfei explains why she always has trouble understanding people’s mind, which is actually the opposite of Yelan. (as Yanfei herself recognizes when saying “I feel like she’s able to read my mind at any given moment when talking to her...”) After saying they should change the discussion topic, Yanfei looks at Yelan while asking if anyone else wants to try the door. In response, Yelan says “don’t look at me” and tells Yanfei once more that she’ll never take a chance with it, because she doesn’t want Liyue’s biggest secrets have a chance to be revealed. Paimon realizes that Yelan works for Ningguang, and Yanfei answers “Haha, yes, which is precisely why I was trying to keep her secret” and suggest that they should avoid letting Yelan open the door.

They often tease eachother despite the situation, like when Yanfei asks multiple times Yelan to have tea with her after leaving The Chasm. In a dialogue between them where they’re talking alone, Yanfei asks Yelan if she’s okay since she haven’t slept at all. After answering she shouldn’t worry about her, Yelan tells Yanfei that she seems to got some new ideas just by looking at her. Yanfei laughs and shyly looks down scratching her head while saying “how could you tell?”, and Yelan says that it’s her job to keep tabs on people. They then promise eachother to share their ideas. When the Traveler says that this seems to be a productive conversation, Yanfei says that two heads are always better than one.

While they are talking alone, Yanfei proudly reveals to the Traveler that she secretly learned Yelan’s illusion-breaking method without her knowing it. After they finally found Xiao, the Traveler joins Yelan and Yanfei to share informations. Yelan makes a comment on how she felt the space was targeting them, but Yanfei managed to exploit its weakness. She then laugh and says “Leave it to Yanfei to find a loophole”. At some point, Yanfei remembers what Yelan said to them at the beginning of the quest and asks her about it, only for her to reveal that she was looking for a secret of Khaenri’ah. She then asks Traveler and Yanfei, whom she trusts enough to keep a heavy secret like that, not to reveal it to anyone. Yanfei just answers “We got it” and Yelan starts her explanations. Yanfei then thinks about it, and Yelan asks her if she’s okay, since she suddenly got quiet, and “It’s not like her at all”. Yanfei tells Yelan that she needs time to process everything she said, and interrupts her before she could respond, promising her not to write down everything she told them about. Yelan answers that it’s not what she meant, and that if Yanfei is going to analyze the facts, she should count her in.

When Yelan arrives a little later when they are talking with Xiao, Yanfei waves at Yelan and says “Yelan, you’re back.” Yelan says that she had been back for a while, and was listening to the conversation. When Yelan explains to Xiao that she has understood everything about his strategy in a tough tone, Yanfei tells her “Yelan... don’t be so harsh...”, and Yelan stops immediately. After Itto has broken the wall, Yelan tells the group that she’ll go exploring the area first, and Yanfei answers that she’s with her. She tells the Traveler that she still haven’t found the Fantastic Compass, and takes the opportunity to apologize on Yelan’s behalf for being a bit worked up. She tells more about Yelan, saying that self-sacrifice is something she feels strongly about, because from what she knows, Yelan has lost comrades in the line of duty before, and she thinks being a survivor is what makes her so against seeing other people sacrifice themselves. She then wonders if she wouldn’t have done the same if she had been in Yelan’s place. Since Yanfei knows Yelan’s past, this might suggest that Yelan told her before, while Yelan usually doesn’t say anything about herself easily.

When the Traveler and Yanfei are looking for the Fantastic Compass and meet Fatuis, Yanfei tells the Traveler to watch out, before Yelan’s arrival saying “Hmph, just as I thought.” Surprised, Yanfei shouts “Yelan, you’re here!” and Yelan nods, before continuing to talk to the Fatuis, saying that she’ll take them no matter how many times they show up. Yanfei then tells her to relax, because “they’re now together”. In the domain, the player will have to clear it with only Yanfei and Yelan. After the battle, when Yelan is saying that these enemies were amateurs, Yanfei responds “You’ve still got it”. When they finally find the Fantastic Compass, Yelan asks Yanfei if she’s sure that it’s the compass she’s searching for, to what Yanfei replies positively before saying ''“Yelan? What is it?”.'' Yelan then continues, saying that from the design and the build, the compass looks extremely similar to the catalysts used by her clan. Later, when Yanfei says that they’re lucky because they have a full adepti and a humain with training in magic arts (referring to Yelan), Yelan seems surprised and says ''“...interesting. So that’s what was going trough your head”'', while Yelan usually can guess what she’s thinking, this seems to mean that Yanfei caught her off guard with her reasoning this time.

When everyone finally agrees to leave The Chasm, Yelan warns Yanfei that there is something she’ll have to mentally prepare herself for, which is she won’t be able to take the Fantastic Compass out of here. A little later, Yelan tells Yanfei that she have to get ready to come closer to her when the time comes. At the end of the quest, when Yelan leaves, Yanfei tries to understand what she was thinking, saying “Maybe Yelan doesn’t believe she made a contribution.” and says that she thinks she doesn’t know what to say to the fact that Xiao saved them all, including her. Before separating with the Traveler to have a meal with Shinobu and Itto, Yanfei is disappointed to remember that Yelan left already, and says that she was going to treat her for a tea. While talking alone with the Traveler, Xiao confirms that Yanfei and Yelan were right about him always preparing himself for the worst-case scenario.

They both possess opposite visions, respectively Pyro for Yanfei and Hydro for Yelan. As such, they have a complementary design in red and blue nuances. Gameplay-wise, Yelan is a Hydro support while Yanfei is a Pyro DPS, which means their gameplay also fit together. Yelan’s elemental skill makes Wet, and with Yanfei’s skill or burst, it makes Vaporize, doing more damage. Because of this, Yelan was recognized to be one of Yanfei’s best support (alongside with Xingqiu). Yanfei and Yelan can even be seen fighting the spirits together in the ending cutscene of the Archon Quest, with their elements and fighting style combining together.

Quotes
"I like Yanfei a lot. And I’m not talking about our friendship — as a high-profile legal consultant, important intel in Liyue Harbor is constantly flowing in her direction. Whenever I help her out, I always get some invaluable leads in return. I gotta say though, sometimes I think she respects me a little too much."

- Yelan about Yanfei.

"Yelan is an employee of the Ministry of Civil Affairs — she once helped me crack a tough accounting fraud case. I treated her to dinner afterward. The only thing is... I feel like she’s able to read my mind at any given moment when talking to her... Yes, in the future, I need to make absolutely sure I don’t get on the wrong side of her."

- Yanfei about Yelan. "Oh, you’re looking for Yelan? Hmm, I’d like to suggest that you treat her as an ordinary person, but if you do, it’s easy to lose control over negotiations. There are some things that really depend on her impression of you."

- Yanfei, on Yelan’s Official Introduction.

"Yelan got a bit worked up just now, so I just wanted to apologize on her behalf. I have to say, though, if Yelan hadn’t spoken out like she did, I’m not sure she would’ve gotten through to him. Also... self-sacrifice is something Yelan feels strongly about. She’d try to stop whoever it was. From what I know, she’s lost comrades in the time of duty before, and then was rescued herself. Maybe being a survivor is what makes her so against seeing other people sacrifice themselves. How can things ever be the same again, knowing that your life was saved when others weren’t? In a way, salvation can also be a burden. ...If I were her, I’m not sure if I would have done anything different."

- Yanfei talking about Yelan to the Traveler.

Fanon
The ship sailed as a result of their canon interactions in the Perilous Trail Archon Quest. YanLan shippers often love Yelan’s voice-over ''“I like Yanfei a lot. And i’m not talking about our friendship”'', as well as the flirty nature they have with each other, especially in one specific scene. They also like to think that the dinners and tea parties Yanfei likes to treat Yelan to are some kind of dates. YanLan rivals are YanTao and Shenlan, which have been popular for much longer, despite them currently not having any interactions in the story.

Currently on AO3, YanLan has over 40 works in its romantic/femslash tag, and over 15+ in its platonic/general tag.

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Trivia

 * Yanfei is the person who introduces Yelan on her announcement as a playable character.
 * During Yelan’s first banner in patch 2.7, Yanfei was one of the featured 4 stars.
 * The ship is often referred to with the emojis “⚖️🎲” or “🎲⚖️”.
 * In two cutscenes of the 2.7 Archon Quest, Yelan and Yanfei are shown to look at eachother at the beginning.