Xuan Yi looked at the string of candied hawthorn Xiao Jietian held out to her and raised her brows slightly. "Are you treating me like a child?"
The candied hawthorn glistened a vibrant red under the lantern light, looking extremely appetizing.
"Who says candied hawthorn is only for children?" Xiao Jietian drawled with a gentle smile in his eyes. "Eating it when you're older might give it a completely different flavor…"
Xuan Yi had been about to refuse, but the moment she looked up and met his gaze, she saw nothing but pure joy and warmth in his eyes—like a spring breeze that could melt even the hardest ice and refresh the heart.
Without thinking, she reached out and took the string of candied hawthorn from him.
Their fingertips brushed lightly in that instant. A subtle current seemed to pass between them.
Xuan Yi froze for a split second, then quickly pretended nothing had happened as she accepted the treat. But that brief abnormality did not escape Xiao Jietian's notice.
She lowered her head and stared at the candied hawthorn. Suddenly, she remembered the last time she had eaten one—it had been when she was a child, during the most innocent and happiest period of her life.
She vaguely recalled being with her parents, eagerly staring at the bright red strings of candied hawthorn on a stall. After much coaxing, her father had finally bought her the largest and most tempting one.
Had that pure, simple happiness truly slipped away so long ago without her even noticing?
"Xuan Yi?" Xiao Jietian's voice gently pulled her back to the present.
Xuan Yi snapped out of her memories. She looked at the candied hawthorn in her hand, and a smile unconsciously appeared in her eyes. She cleared her throat softly and said, as if nothing was wrong, "It's nothing."
She lifted a corner of her veil and took a small bite. The normally sweet-and-sour treat seemed to have all its sourness filtered away in that moment, leaving only pure, refreshing sweetness—like nectar that soothed the heart.
She even felt a trace of that long-lost innocent happiness within it. A hidden satisfaction flickered in her eyes.
"How is it?" Xiao Jietian asked with a smile.
Xuan Yi nodded slightly. A fleeting, almost imperceptible tenderness appeared in her gaze as she looked at him. "It's really good."
After speaking, she held the candied hawthorn out to him. "You try it too. See how it tastes."
Xiao Jietian glanced at the offered treat, paused for a brief moment, then lowered his head and bit off one of the hawthorns.
The moment he finished, Xuan Yi suddenly froze. She stared at the candied hawthorn in her hand, then at Xiao Jietian.
Her pupils contracted sharply. Her cheeks flushed crimson in an instant, and her heart pounded like a drum. Only one thought filled her mind:
The one he just ate… was the one I had already bitten, right? I… I actually gave him a candied hawthorn I had already bitten?!
It seemed to be her own mistake. When she handed it over, the first hawthorn she had bitten was facing him.
Noticing her strange reaction, Xiao Jietian looked up at her slightly flushed face and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing!" Her voice trembled. She didn't dare meet his eyes.
She had eaten it first, and then he had eaten from the same spot. Didn't that mean… they had indirectly kissed?
The more she thought about it, the hotter her face burned. She felt that if she stayed there any longer, Xiao Jietian would definitely notice something was off.
"Ling Ling and the others have gone quite far ahead. It's not safe. I… I'll go watch over them."
Before she even finished speaking, she had already turned and fled with the candied hawthorn in hand, as if some terrifying flood was chasing right behind her.
Xiao Jietian watched her hasty retreat, his brows rising slightly. A meaningful smile slowly curved his lips.
He had only wanted to let her relive a bit of the happiness from her childhood and warm her heart.
After all, Xuan Yi's heart had already been weathered by life. Only such innocent, simple memories could truly touch and warm it.
He simply hadn't expected this unexpected bonus.
Meanwhile, Xuan Yi had run some distance and was now not far from Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng. She looked down at the candied hawthorn in her hand, then took out a small, cool jade box. Treating it like a rare treasure, she carefully placed the remaining candied hawthorn inside and put it away.
After that, she rejoined the two little girls. Their laughter rang out constantly as they continued strolling.
…
While Xuan Yi and the others were enjoying themselves, a slightly frivolous voice suddenly reached their ears:
"Oh, what beautiful ladies. Would you care to have a few drinks with this young master?"
The three of them frowned and looked toward the voice.
The crowd in the middle of the street parted like a tide, making way for a young man dressed in luxurious brocade robes. He had a pale face and a slender build, surrounded by several uniformed guards with long swords at their waists.
The young man's eyes gleamed with repulsive lewdness and frivolity. It was obvious he had been hollowed out by years of wine and women.
"This… this is the eldest young master of the Cheng Family. He's a notorious scourge in Tianhuang City. Relying on his father being the Cheng Family Patriarch, he's harmed countless women here—regardless of age. As long as they're pretty, he'll make a move."
"These three are in trouble. With that pervert's personality, if they don't have a strong background, they'll definitely suffer."
The onlookers whispered among themselves, but no one dared to step forward and intervene.
The young man stood at the front of his guards, laughing heartily. His gaze brazenly swept over Xuan Yi and the two little girls. "What figures, what looks—excellent, excellent, excellent!"
"This young master is Cheng Shou, eldest young master of the Cheng Family. Meeting such beautiful ladies and little beauties today is truly a heaven-sent opportunity. How about accompanying this young master to Yichun Tower for a few drinks?"
As he spoke, he laughed lewdly, revealing a mouth full of yellow teeth and a faint foul odor.
"Get lost!" Xuan Yi said coldly, disgusted by his appearance.
"Oh, she's quite fiery. I like the ones who resist the most." Cheng Shou's expression grew even more lecherous. He waved at the guards behind him. "Go, bring all three of them to me. I'll take them back and 'discipline' them properly."
At his command, the Cheng Family guards drew their swords. The blades glinted coldly as they advanced toward Xuan Yi and the two girls.
"What a disgusting creature, daring to scheme against Aunt Xuan. It's like a toad trying to eat swan meat—ugly and playing dirty tricks. I'll send you to meet your ancestors!"
Xiao Ling looked at the weakling Cheng Shou with utter disdain.
Xiao Meng's round eyes also filled with contempt.
The two girls exchanged a glance, ready to make a move and teach these fools what real fear was.
After all, they were the little tyrants. When had they ever tolerated such insolence?