Xichen's 'I know' earns him a flicker of a smile as Mingjue sets down his bowl and he squeezes A-Yao's hand, willing enough to accept the reassurance. His attention snaps to A-Yao at Xichen's confession, however, because this very much new information. He thinks. It's been kind of a wild few days.

"My condolences," are all Mingjue can manage. Nearly twenty years time is more than enough for someone to have gotten and lost a wife. He is not surprised that out of the three of them, A-Yao would have found one. But he really should have known better. "I didn't even ask, before I— Hell, I didn't think of it."

And he turns his concerned gaze on Xichen.