"If you were alone, you could still make an excuse and say you came back to get something."
"But we're here. It'll be hard to explain if the old man asks."
"If he tells your parents you came back at this hour, it'll be hard for you to explain, right?"
The boy's eyes widened.
He hadn't thought of that at all.
His face broke into a smile mingled with amazement and gratitude. "Thank you, Master Xiao."
Master Xiao really had saved him from a lot of trouble.
"Master Xiao really is quick on the uptake."
Meng Jixi remarked, then turned to the boy. "Even though Master Xiao and I aren't bad people..."
"But next time, don't let strangers—or people you've only just met and don't know well—into your home so casually."
"You need to be more cautious."
The boy opened his mouth.
He instinctively wanted to argue.
He'd only felt so at ease because it was Master Xiao, and because Big Brother Meng was a police officer.
Perhaps the urgency of finding Little One had also made him less wary.
But in the end...
"...I understand."
The boy lowered his head slightly.
He'd been careless.
Meng Jixi nodded in satisfaction.
Then he noticed that the boy seemed a little down.
"What's wrong?"
Surely he wasn't that fragile?
What he'd said hadn't even counted as a scolding.
"I only just realized..."
The boy didn't look up. His voice was low, tinged with a hint of amusement and helplessness. "Because I knew Little One was always by my side, protecting me, I guess I've never been very cautious about what I do..."
It didn't matter if he walked without watching where he was going.
Little One would remind him.
It didn't matter if someone bumped into him.
Little