"My words weren't meant to be unkind."
"I was simply stating a fact."
"Don't read too much into it."
Little Lemon glared at Zhuge Yun.
"Twisting my words and making things up in your head."
"Pfft~"
Zhang Bo laughed.
"You hear that?"
He looked at Zhuge Yun.
"She told you not to twist her words or make things up in your head."
He gave Little Lemon a thumbs-up.
Zhuge Yun: ...
"That's what I said."
Little Lemon frowned at Zhuge Yun.
"I meant that Master Xiao is the kind of person older people take a liking to... Was I wrong?"
"You could say elders."
Qiao Xin tilted her head toward her friend.
"Wouldn't it sound better to say Master Xiao is well-liked by elders?"
She thought that phrasing sounded more natural.
Little Lemon: ...
Was there a difference?
All right.
Of course she knew.
An old person.
An elder.
Naturally, there was a difference.
Little Lemon shrugged.
"Fine."
"Elders it is."
Actually, after her friend said "elders," she also felt... like those two words sounded more natural.
"Master Xiao."
Little Lemon's gaze fell on the bag beside Xiao Xiao.
There was a basket, too.
The girl blinked.
"Did the old man give you more pastries?"
"Little Lemon."
Qiao Xin pressed a hand to her forehead.
"These are the pastries the old man gave Master Xiao."
That girl certainly didn't hold back.
"Oh."
Little Lemon looked sheepish.
"I know."
"I was just asking..."
Her voice grew quieter and quieter.
The confidence in her tone gave way to a trace of guilt.
"...Those pastries were pretty tasty..."
Little Lemon muttered under her breath.
"And they were pretty, too..."
"Would you like one?"
Xiao Xiao held the bag out toward the girl.