Is this considered a neg?

So I was chilling before exam time and I saw girl from my class I speak to every so often.

Without thinking I was about to spout "You look tired." but instantly I remembered that this to her means "You look like shit" and I wasn't trying to insult her and ruin my chances of later pussy by seaming like an asshole.

So instead I mid sentence morphed it into "Why do you look like you're always dying but so happily hanging on to life." Or some shit like that.

Would this be considered a neg, its like an insult and a compliment at the same time.

Her friend started laughing. She just kind of looked at me like "Really, ni... ninja."