"I'm so envious of you, Miss. You can leave this place and go to the capital with that lord to live a good life."

The servant Cui 'er, who had been called over by the procuress to serve her, said enviously as she dressed her.

She was young, only fifteen or sixteen years old. Her temperament had not been polished, and she could not hide what she was thinking on her face.

Looking at her sparkling eyes, Si Yue could roughly guess what the little girl was thinking in her heart. She must be hoping that in the future, there would be a handsome man who would take a liking to her, redeem her freedom, and bring her to live a life of luxury.

Everyone in the Drunken Red Brothel had such thoughts. From the moment they entered the brothel, they had been thinking about how to get out. Either they would risk their worthless lives to escape, or they would spend a lot of effort to win the favor of the rich lord and be redeemed, and then leave this place openly.

In the past, she had not been willing to believe in fate. She had been sold to a brothel by a human trafficker. She had tried to escape many times, but she had been caught every time.

In the beginning, the procuress had thought that she was somewhat beautiful and hoped that she would be able to earn money in the future. She had been willing to tolerate her and had only starved her for a few meals so that she would remember. Later on, the procuress had become impatient with her stubbornness and had not allowed anyone to hold back. She had ruthlessly dealt with her.

Torturing a little girl without leaving any traces was a simple matter in a place like this. What else could there be?

Methods could make people submit.

In the end, what could they do? They could only accept their fate.

Everyone cherished their lives, and she was the same.

She wanted to live. She really wanted to. Even if she had to throw away her name and dignity, she wanted to live.

"Aiya, Miss, you look really good when you dress up. No wonder that lord came to see you when he had the time."

Si Yue looked at the silent woman in the mirror who was sitting upright and dressing. Her makeup was exquisite and carried a bit of charm. She vaguely felt that the face in front of her was unfamiliar and numb. It was no different from the other girls in the brothel.

Si Yue had been here for nine years. Nine years was probably enough time to change a person beyond recognition.

She thought.

Before she was fourteen years old, she was still a little girl who was pampered by her parents. She was innocent and carefree. The biggest worry in her life was that her parents didn't allow her to eat more snacks, and that Little Tiger next door always liked to bully her. However, she just had to cry and they would obediently surrender to her. That was the time she missed the most, the most luxurious and most precious memory.

She closed her eyes, as if she was unable to recall the events of that time.

She was no longer the little Ah Ruan of the Pei family. She no longer had a home, so why should she think so much about it?

"Hey, Miss, what's wrong?

Did I say something wrong … "She was still talking about how infatuated that lord was when she suddenly noticed that there was something wrong with the lady's expression.

Although Cui 'er liked to gossip, she knew her limits. When she saw that Si Yue didn't look happy, she stopped talking.

Si Yue didn't want to argue with her. Seeing that the servant girl was frightened, she comforted her. "It has nothing to do with you. I was just thinking about some unhappy things."

Cui 'er was reassured by her words. Knowing that she was in a bad mood, Cui' er didn't disturb her and continued to work.

Not long after, there was a sudden movement outside. She could faintly hear the brothel keeper's shrill voice. She seemed to be trying to curry favor with someone. The footsteps seemed to be coming in their direction.

Cui 'er beamed and excitedly said to her, "Miss, Miss, I'm afraid that lord has sent someone to pick you up." She happily walked to the door to welcome the person.

Si Yue knew that Xiao Shijing had probably sent someone to pick her up. She simply straightened her clothes, stood up, and walked over.

She saw that the brothel keeper was the first to come in. At this moment, she was smiling flatteringly at that person. The thick layer of makeup on her face was about to fall off.

"Young Master, please come in. This is Si Yue's room."

"Cui 'er, why aren't you pouring water for the Young Master?

What are you waiting for? "

The person in front of her stepped into the room. He didn't say much and seemed unmoved by the brothel keeper's enthusiasm.

Si Yue could only see the side of his face. It wasn't Xiao Shijing, but it was vaguely familiar.

"Si Yue, come here quickly. This Young Master is here to pick you up and take you to the lord's residence."

Seeing that she didn't move, the brothel keeper hurriedly walked over. "Aiya, look at this girl. She's so happy that she's dizzy." The brothel keeper pulled on her wrist and pulled her towards the person.

The brothel keeper's strength was quite strong. Si Yue 'er's wrist hurt from being pulled.

The person turned his head and his eyes just happened to meet Si Yue's. She was startled by those cold and glittering phoenix eyes.

"Why are you here …"

She was a little surprised. She hadn't expected that the person who had come to pick her up would be the man in blue she had met earlier.

Yan Yi wasn't surprised to see her. He greeted her, "We meet again."

Yan Yi sent Si Yue to the carriage, but he didn't leave. He didn't find someone to drive the carriage. Instead, he sat on the coachman's seat.

Si Yue was a little surprised and a little puzzled when she saw his posture. "You're driving the carriage?"

"Yes, why?" Yan Yi said casually as he waved his whip.

"No, it's nothing. I just didn't expect it." Si Yue shook her head with a smile.

This person was interesting. He always did things as he pleased.

Seeing that he really knew how to drive, Si Yue was relieved. She lowered the curtain and sat back in the carriage.

The carriage drove very steadily. It didn't take long for them to reach the main street. The sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the stone pavement gradually mixed with the cries of the street vendors. It was very lively. She was attracted by the noise outside and lifted the curtain by the side of the carriage. She looked up with interest.

There were hawkers on both sides of the road, enthusiastically soliciting passers-by; there were children chasing each other and making themselves dirty in the crowd; there were plainly dressed peasants, pot-bellied tradesmen, elegant scholars, frivolous scoundrels; there were all sorts of people in the crowd.

Everyone walked in the crowd and didn't know each other. They each experienced their own happiness, anger, sorrow, and joy.

She liked to see such things. It made people feel like they were tainted by the smoke and fire of the world. It felt like they were still alive. It was as if they were just an ordinary person in the crowd.

"Why did you agree to go with him?"

Yan Yi sat at the front of the carriage with his back to the carriage. He didn't stop driving and suddenly asked this question.

Si Yue, who was sitting in the carriage, was still looking at the crowd outside the window. When she heard this, the smile on her face froze. Then she said, "Isn't this a very natural thing?

If I have the chance to leave this quagmire, why wouldn't I leave?

Someone is willing to redeem me and take me to enjoy life. Why wouldn't I agree? "

She moved her hand away from the curtain by the side of the carriage. "Sir, you probably don't know how much a lowly person like me cherishes this opportunity."

She looked away from the crowd, as if she had suddenly lost interest.

"Then are you willing to go with me?" Yan Yi asked.

Si Yue couldn't tell what he was thinking. She didn't know if he was serious or not. "Sir, you must be joking. Lord Xiao has redeemed me. How can I go with you?"

Yan Yi frowned. After a while, he said, "Even if you don't want to go, you should stay away from him."

"Pei family's Ruan. That's his name.

You'll only harm him if you stay by his side. "

His tone was emotionless, as if he was stating a fact, something that would happen sooner or later.

When she heard him mention a familiar name, her heart trembled. Then she smiled and said, "Sir, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just an ordinary woman. I don't have that much ability. Sir, you're overestimating me."

"I know that you used to know each other. It's Shi Jing's business if he's willing to let you lie to yourself. But I don't care about that," he said.

There was silence in the carriage. He continued, "Xiao Shijing is now a famous young general in the capital. He came from a humble family and relied on his many achievements on the battlefield. He fought for his achievements time and time again. It wasn't easy for him to come this far. He can't afford to make a single mistake.

Pei Ruan, let him go. "

Si Yue thought it was ridiculous. "Let him go? What am I? I'm just a plaything to please others. Sir, how capable do you think I am?

Hm? "

She mocked herself and didn't want to talk to him anymore. She reminded him, "Sir, you should pay attention to the road. My little life isn't much, but I'm afraid that I'll be a burden to you."

"…" Yan Yi knew that she didn't want to talk to him anymore. He didn't force her and continued driving.

In the carriage, Si Yue released her hands and slowly smoothed out her wrinkled clothes. Her mood seemed to have calmed down along with her movements.

She laughed at herself and felt that she was really pitiful and sad.

When they arrived at Xiao Shijing's temporary residence, there were already servants waiting to welcome her. When they saw Yan Yi's carriage stop, they came forward.

One of them was dressed as a maid. Other than a simple orchid hairpin on her head, there was nothing else. She was dressed neatly.

When she saw that she was about to get down from the carriage, she carefully supported her.

Perhaps it was because of the unpleasant conversation in the carriage, but Yan Yi didn't plan to stay behind and go in with her. He didn't want to add to the awkwardness.

Thus, he gave a few instructions to the servants and planned to go elsewhere.

The servants knew his temperament and had already prepared a horse for him.

Yan Yi was well-trained in riding and archery. He nimbly flipped onto the horse and then spurred it away without looking back.

His loose robes fluttered in the wind, making him look confident and unrestrained.

She looked at his back for a long time before turning around.

Si Yue was led into the residence by the servants. The residence wasn't large, but it was exquisite and the scenery was interesting. Si Yue followed the maid and didn't feel bored.

When she stopped at a residence, she realized that this was the residence that Xiao Shijing had arranged for her.

As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she saw a person standing in the garden.

"You're here."

Xiao Shijing had just finished some work and returned from outside. He calculated the time and knew that Si Yue should be here, so he came over in advance to wait for her.

"I wanted to pick you up personally, but I didn't expect to be entangled by some trivial matters." He raised a hand to his forehead and looked a little tired.

Then he seemed to remember something and said to her, "I've arranged a maid for you. You should have met her just now. Her name is Bai Lan. You can let her do anything in the future. She knows some martial arts and can protect you when I'm not around."

The maid wearing an orchid hairpin walked out and bowed to her. "Miss, this servant is Bai Lan." Then she returned to the ranks and lowered her eyes. She didn't look at anything carelessly and looked honest and reliable.

Si Yue nodded. "Thank you, Sir, for your consideration." She expressed her gratitude and sincerely thanked him without any abnormality.

However, he keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Xiao Shijing suddenly raised his hand and stroked her cheek with his fingers. His fingertips brushed against the slightly red corners of her eyes.

She was startled by his sudden action and looked up to meet his eyes. His eyes, which had always been filled with gentleness, now contained a hint of anger.

Si Yue lowered her eyes again and hid all the ripples in her eyes.

Xiao Shijing pondered for a moment and understood what was going on. "Did Yan Yi say something that made you feel wronged?" he asked in a low voice.

"No, Sir, you're overthinking." She shook her head. "No one made me feel wronged."

Seeing that he didn't seem to believe her, she tugged at his sleeve and said to him, "With Sir around, who would dare to make me feel wronged?"

When Xiao Shijing heard this, he knew that she didn't want him to pursue the matter.

He felt a little sorry for her.

In the past, he had always thought that perhaps this little girl could live innocently and willfully forever. With him protecting her, no one would dare to bully her. However, when he grew up, he realized that some things were often unpredictable.

There would always be accidents that would force the little girl he carefully protected to grow up.

And he had no choice, no choice at all.