The chocolates Xia Liang had made were clearly far more elaborate in shape than Bai Jingxuan's. Although Lin Xiaolu could only see the half-finished product, both its deliberately sculpted flower-and-leaf-like form and the slightly crooked patterns on its surface showed the maker's effort and attempts.
"You're really good at this. It actually looks pretty convincing."
Walking over to Xia Liang's worktable, Lin Xiaolu tried to make out her creation. "This shape... is it a leaf? Or a flower?"
"It's a Heart Gem."
Xia Liang wiped her hands with a towel beside her and explained with a soft laugh, "The one you're looking at is modeled after your Heart Gem, so it's in the shape of a bud."
"I see. No wonder it looked like neither fish nor fowl. It was my Heart Bud..."
Lin Xiaolu rubbed her chin and nodded, but then belatedly turned to look at Xia Liang. "Wait, mine?"
"What else would it be? Xiao Xuan can make chocolate for you, but I can't?"
Xia Liang shrugged. "Isn't Valentine's Day about giving chocolates to people you like? So I prepared one for each of you."
"No, I was just a little surprised."
Lin Xiaolu shook her head. "Bai Jingxuan is still young, so she can casually say things like, 'I like everyone.' I thought someone as mature as you would be more particular about this, like believing that chocolates could only be given to the person you liked most."
"It's not like I'm confessing to the opposite sex. Why make such a big deal out of it?"
Hearing Lin Xiaolu describe her that way, Xia Liang could not help rolling her eyes. "Or rather, who said that my giving you chocolate was only because of that broad sort of courtesy? Couldn't it be because I really like you?"