look there’s a lot of pingxie scenes you could handwave as ~brotherhood~ if you really wanted to but there is literally NO heterosexual explanation for this one
(side note: granny huo technically doesn’t say “wife” but just “a beauty”)
but anyway. wu xie’s first reaction being to look at xiaoge with a semi-panicked expression? xiaoge staring back at wu xie so intently with those slightly widened eyes? and the funniest fucking part, pangzi staring at xiaoge like that? (pangzi’s first reaction when hearing someone talk about wu xie’s love life is to look at xiaoge?)
so either
1) wu xie heard “bring home a beauty” and immediately made the completely correct word association beauty = xiaoge and looked back at him, flustered, while xiaoge is staring right back at him like “im sorry wait is this you announcing to the world that we’re together? does the entire mystic nine know now. was that a proposal*. wu xie. wu xie.” (side note: reminds me of this part of the novel where he heard about how huo xiangu was apparently the most beautiful woman ever and that if you looked in her eyes you’d be willing to do anything for her and wu xie’s first thought was “oh so like xiaoge!”)
or
2) wu xie panicked because he subconsciously didn’t want xiaoge to assume he had any intention of marrying some random girl, so he turned around to look at xiaoge instinctively, and xiaoge is staring back at him, his expression so intent because he’s hurt at the thought of losing wu xie to some “beauty” and trying to hide it
either way. I’m just saying. no heterosexual explanation for this at all guys
*not yet, you gotta wait until he gets the betrothal knife ready and engraves it
desperately hoping Wu Xie saw their signal in the sandstorm and makes it to him before he has to leave. refusing to leave when the others tell him they have to find shelter. and as soon as the storm lets up for a moment he’s wants to go search for Wu Xie ;-;
