Even at sunset, the cries of vendors in bustling Kyoto continue unabated.

School is over.

The twelve-year-old boy was the last to come out. He had fair skin and an impeccable appearance. The most striking feature of him was his full head of white hair, but this did not hinder him. On the contrary, it made him look even more breathtakingly beautiful and gave him a maturity beyond his years. At such a young age, he had a noble air that was hard to match.

No matter how many times the people in the neighborhood have seen him, they always whisper among themselves whenever they see this white-haired boy. The boy is the young master of Linglong Manor. No one knows the origin of Linglong Manor. They only know that it suddenly appeared in the capital one day, and no one can figure out what kind of power is behind it.

A little girl of about seven or eight years old ran over, carrying a pile of food, all sweets. The little girl was adorable, and her fine silk clothes revealed her noble status. She presented all the food to the boy like a treasure, saying, "A-Xing, I'm giving you all this delicious food. Will you be my friend?"

"Miss Xu," the young man nodded slightly, "I appreciate your kindness."

This little girl's name is Xu Ling. She is the only daughter of the Minister of War of the current dynasty. Minister Xu had his daughter late in life, which shows how much he dotes on her.

Xu Ling didn't like his rejection and pouted, saying, "I gave you this because I like you, why are you refusing it?"

"I don't like sweets." He paused slightly, then added with a smile, "I dislike girls who like sweets even more."

"A-Xing!"

"Miss Xu, there is a difference between men and women, please do not address me like that."

"Zhou Xing! You've made me so angry!" The little girl threw everything she was holding on the ground in anger, and the maids and servants behind her quickly tried to calm her down.

Zhou Xing smiled and said, "If there's nothing else, please excuse me for taking my leave."

Xu Ling was furious and wanted to chase after him, but was pulled away by a servant on the grounds that it was getting late and she should go home.

The passersby who were just watching the commotion immediately went back to doing what they were doing.

Zhou Xing was walking down the street when he suddenly stopped. He saw a person, a woman in red.

The woman was beautiful, and her fiery red dress accentuated her graceful figure. Many men were secretly watching her, but she didn't notice because she was intently staring at the candied hawthorns in the vendor's hand. Her beautiful eyes seemed to sparkle with starlight, and her drooling expression was incredibly cute, practically screaming "I really want some!" Her gaze was so captivating that those who looked at her couldn't take their eyes off her.

Zhou Xing stood there for a long time, then walked over and took out two copper coins. "A string of candied hawthorns."

"Alright." The vendor immediately took a string of candied hawthorns. "Here you go, young master."

Sure enough, her pitiful gaze fell on him again.

Zhou Xing felt inexplicably happy. He handed over the candied hawthorn and asked, "Want some?"

"Yes!" she answered decisively, without any hesitation.

"Tell me your name, and I'll give you the candied hawthorn."

She paused, then tilted her head and asked, "Why do you want to know my name?"

"I don't know." He shook his head, then chuckled softly. "I only know that if I want to know your name, I absolutely must know it."