He opens his mouth, readying to say ‘I'm sure you did,’ yet instead of being that emboldened, he smiles politely and does his best to not look too amused instead.

Then Sizhui reopens his mouth and remarks, “So we could catch up, yes... of course.” In spite of himself, his lips are quirking at the edges, though he lets his expression soften somewhat, feigning being wounded now. “Goodness, certainly Jin-zongzhu can understand being busy with duties. Jingyi and I certainly tried but, much to our dismay almost every time, something came up.” Not every single time, obviously, so they'd visited here and there, though it couldn't have been more than a small handful of times throughout these past years. “And Zizhen, well...” They both know without him having to specify.

Following a brief head-shake, he perks again, knowing all too well Jin Ling's laying it on thick, except he's not unwilling to fall right back into old habits either (with perhaps a bit of flattery on the side). Sizhui's posture straightens too, his lips curve into a full-on mirthful smirk then he can't help chuckling softly before speaking.

“But it's good to see you, Jin Ling, you look well.” Handsome, in fact, which is also just a bit more courageous than he's willing to be right now.