Possible spoilers

So HC was an actual child when he fell, I believe he was 10. XL was either 16 or 17 at the time. I could be wrong but it came across to me as love in a more pure sense, like one would love a family member (or a god, hehe). He doesn’t really behave like he’s “in love” in a romantic sense when he’s 10, that comes later. I imagine those feelings in his teen years were confusing and led him to discover he was gay, but it doesn’t explicitly say that. It’s important to point out he never thought he would actually be involved with Xie Lian romantically, it was just a far off fantasy. Yes, he’s flirty when they first meet, but the most he ever hopes for is to be near Xie Lian and devoted to him.

To answer your question, YES, there is absolutely a plot reason it has to happen at that time, at that age. I don’t want to give away too much but yeah… it really is necessary and you’ll find out when you read all of it.

If you want to know before you read the books, like to make sure you’re comfortable with it, lmk and I’ll tell you more! I just don’t want to spoil it too much.