Upon hearing Xu Mei's question, Xie Qing felt a shiver run down his spine. He turned his head with a sound as if a rusty mechanism was at work.
"Eh?"
"Don't pretend. Do you think you can hide from the eyes of a cultivator at my level?" Xu Mei snorted.
Xie Qing looked at her expression and could tell that the girl was upset. Her puffed-out cheeks looked incredibly cute.
"W-well, I can't deny it, of course..." Xie Qing sighed and decided to just tell the truth: "You could say it's affection on my part. She did used to like me."
"Hmph..."
Xu Mei made a noncommittal sound that didn't help Xie Qing understand her mood. So he thought for a moment and, putting his arm around her waist, whispered in her ear: "Actually, I was planning on buying you a ring... will you... accept my gift?"
"Wh-what?..."
His gentle, soothing voice made the woman shudder, and Xie Qing's words made her blush and her eyes light up.
