Hei Market was the nearest market from Wei Family Residence. It was also a famous place because there were a lot of people who would be crowding over there because any sort of goods could be found. Many merchants also loved to stay there because of the number of people who used to be there.

The carriage was moving at slow speed with Wei Liuying and Xiao Qing inside. Xiao Qing looked at Wei Liuying and opened her mouth but a look from Wei Liuying prevented from speaking.

Wei Liuying placed her finger in front of her mouth. The driver that Feng Chun prepared must be her people. There were not many servants in Wei Family Residence who would be willing to listen to her. She had to use other means if she wished to be able to survive because those whom she tried to pull over will be killed one way or another.

No matter who they were.

Only Xiao Qing and Xiao Yu were left behind to stay with her in order to tie her down there. But it was not necessary anymore.

"Third Miss, we have arrived in Hei Market. Where do you want to go?"

Wei Liuying looked out. "I'll be walking from now. You shall wait over there."

"Yes, Third Miss."

Slowly, Wei Liuying walked out of the carriage. Even though it was still early in the morning, there were already several people who were busy doing their daily activities. Many of them already worked from early morning to earn more profit for themselves.

"Xiao Qing."

"Yes, Miss?"

"Follow me."

Xiao Qing's expression was still as downcast as before. However, she didn't say anything as she followed behind Wei Liuying. Some people were looking in their direction, but Wei Liuying didn't pay any heed. She continued to stroll on the street before she finally stopped in front of a restaurant.

Bountiful Delicacy

It was a restaurant that was famous in the capital city. There were a lot of people who liked to go here. Be it noble or commoner, they could come as long as they have enough money to pay for the food.

That's right, the food here was expensive.

Wei Liuying walked inside. There were already a lot of people on the first floor. The tables were full, showing how well received the store was. Most of them were commoners as nobles usually ordered a private separate room on the second floor.

However, the one she was looking for was not a noble.

Wei Liuying's eyes landed on the crowd by the side. There was a young man in the middle with several young ladies around him. Even though it was broad daylight, the women were trying their best to get close to the young man without caring for their faces anymore. It was as if their best option would be to be with him.

"Miss, what are we doing here?" Xiao Qing asked in worried tone.

Without answering, Wei Liuying stepped forward and approached the young man. He was wearing expensive fur robe that clearly reflected how rich he was. However, he was not part of a noble because his real occupation was that of a merchant.

"Young Master Shi?"

"Yes?"

The young man, Shi Yan, raised his head. His eyes narrowed slightly when he saw Wei Liuying, who had covered her face behind a veil. The two of them have already agreed to never greet each other in public because they wanted to keep their relationship a secret from other people.

Now, why did Wei Liuying greet him in broad daylight?

"Young Master Shi, do you like women?" Wei Liuying asked.

Shi Yan smirked when he heard her question. He stood up and approached Wei Liuying, ignoring other women and men who were trying to get close to him. "I can't really see your countenance, but I believe you should be very pretty. Are you trying to sell yourself to me, Young Lady?"

"Young Master Shi is joking." Wei Liuying took a step backward. Her clear black eyes were staring back at Shi Yan without any hint of fear or worry. It was as if she could see through the layer of disguise that he had placed in front of him. "I come here because I'm in trouble."

"Oh, what kind of trouble?"

"I have an unruly servant, and my family didn't want her to stay with me. I would like to ask whether Young Master Shi is interested or not," Wei Liuying replied.

Behind her, Xiao Qing's eyes turned red. She opened her mouth yet no words came out. At this point, she thoroughly didn't understand what her Miss wanted to do. Why would she approach a merchant in the broad daylight like this?

After all, merchants were known to be at the lowest social strata.

Shi Yan arched his eyebrows. He was quite stupid compared to Wei Liuying, but he was also quite perceptive. After all, he had been living as a merchant for a long time and dealt with some noble family. The fact that there was always a hidden layer beneath their words was not exactly a secret.

He looked at Xiao Qing and noticed that this was the servant who always accompanied Wei Liuying when she visited the bookstore before.

'Wei Family Household must be in a mess right now.'

It was rare for Wei Liuying to fall into a trap. Without Xiao Qing beside Wei Liuying, it was clear that the number of allies Wei Liuying had in her residence would decrease. If she stayed there for any longer, who knew when she would accidentally get poisoned or received false news and fell into another trap.

"She doesn't look half bad," Shi Yan said with a smile. "Are you sure that you want to offer her to me?"

"Words that have been said couldn't be taken back again," Wei Liuying said unhurriedly. She stared at Shi Yan. "An unruly servant can't possibly stay in my residence anymore or it'll create chaos."

"Create chaos?" Shi Yan laughed. "You sure have your way in your words, Young Lady. Tell me, what do you want?"

"I want two liang of silvers," Wei Liuying replied.

This time, Shi Yan was dumbfounded once more. Two liang of silvers didn't worth much for noble families. For commoners, they would be able to live for half a year without the need to worry about their expense, but noble families usually used several liang of silvers just to live day by day.

He looked at Wei Liuying with a frown. "I didn't know that you're so desperate of money, Young Lady."

Wei Liuying shook her head. "I have a favor that I want to ask Young Master Shi."

"Speak."

"Please take care of Xiao Qing well."

Shi Yan's lips curled up to form a smile. "There's no need to worry, I always take care of my people well."

"In that case, I'll thank Young Master Shi."

With a wave of his hand, one of Shi Yan's servant stepped forward and handed the money to Wei Liuying. It was two liang of silvers, just like what Wei Liuying asked. On the other hand, Wei Liuying handed the document of Xiao Qing that she had in her hand. Thankfully, her mother had given to her the necessary documents for both Xiao Qing and Xiao Yu.

"Miss," Xiao Qing called out, feeling restless.

Wei Liuying looked at Xiao Qing and smiled. "From now on, I'm no longer your Miss."

Xiao Qing's eyes turned watery, but she knew that this was the best option that Wei Liuying could give her. If she was sent away by the servants, who knew how she would end up in the end? It would be good enough if she could end up with a corpse intact when that happened.

"Live well and be happy, Xiao Qing."

"Yes, Miss."

Wei Liuying patted Xiao Qing's hand and looked at Shi Yan. "I'll take my leave first, Young Master Shi. Thank you very much for your help today, I'll never forget the favor I owed to you today."

Shi Yan arched his eyebrows. He scanned Wei Liuying and Xiao Qing with eyes full of interest. "In that case, may I know your name, Young Lady?"

"What's the use of name? If fate wills it, we'll meet again," Wei Liuying replied.

For a moment, Shi Yan felt as if he saw a flash of sadness within Wei Liuying's eyes. It was faint, yet he knew that it must be there because it was so clear. The deep black eyes that was never disturbed was now showing traces of Wei Liuying's real feeling.

Shi Yan frowned. 'Just what happened in Wei Family Residence to shake her this much?'

In the past few years he knew Wei Liuying, he had never seen her being so troubled. No matter how hard it was in the Wei Family Residence, Wei Liuying still could handle everything with ease.

Now, it was no longer the case.

He sat down back on his chair and waved his servant to come nearer. "Do you have any clue where that young lady come from?"

"Replying to Young Master, she must be from Wei Family Residence based on the carriage that she used."

"Wei Family Residence?" Shi Yan asked in a low tone and laughed faintly. "I never knew they have so many interesting people from that place."