[Xiao Xingchen can only respond with a lowered head and sheepish smile at such kind words about himself, though he turns to stop and face her again once he hears the sniffle. At least it is quiet here - the two of them surrounded by the cool shade of the tall hedges, without the sound of shuffling feet on grass - so that she need not worry about anyone else overhearing this moment.

When he left his place on his master's secluded mountain, he knew he was descending into a world full of cruelty and injustice--his mission was to set what he could right. It isn't difficult for him to understand why this must be painful for her...]

It's nothing all too noticeable. Only that you feel as if you've come in from the cold.

[As if to punctuate his point, he lifts his other hand and clasps it over hers, trying to transfer more warmth to her.]

You've likely figured that I don't know very much about-- ah, "male form"?

[He tilts his head. In the midst of everything, he almost missed that part.]