"Lord Xie," Xu Mochen greeted, voice smooth as honey yet with steel lurking beneath. "This lady is… an acquaintance of mine. It is only natural that I invite her to stay in more comfortable quarters."
Ling Yu caught the hidden meaning instantly. He was staking a claim, one sharp enough that others around them began whispering enviously.
"Acquaintance?" Xie Lingzhou tilted his head, amusement flickering in his sharp dark eyes as if he'd just been told the punchline to a joke. His gaze slid to Ling Yu, taking in her calm, frost-tinged expression, then back to Xu Mochen. "If it's not funny enough. Because from where I stand, it looked more like abduction. I must have misinterpreted."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Nobody spoke to the town lord like that.
Ling Yu's lips curved, just slightly.