With legs weak, the sickly stable boy became a mad regent.

The waiter was taken aback, then forced a smile: "Young master, what can I do for you?"

"It's something, something about making money." She leaned against the counter. "I want to talk to your manager about a big deal."

The waiter looked her up and down.

He wore a moon-white robe, his hair tied up with a jade hairpin, and he was even more handsome than a young girl.

But his demeanor and tone—he was exactly like a spoiled brat who didn't know his place.

"Please wait a moment, sir." The waiter went inside.

Ah Chao stood half a step behind her, subtly scanning the entire trading company.

There were martial arts practitioners in several corners.

This place is not simple.

The shopkeeper came out; he was in his forties, lean, and had very shrewd eyes.

He glanced at Shen Nannan, forcing a smile, "This... young master, what big business opportunity do you have?"

Shen Nannan imitated her brother, shaking her head, "I heard you guys take all kinds of business here?"

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "That depends on what kind of business it is."

Shen Nannan leaned closer and lowered her voice: "I have some money and want to leave the capital. I won't take the official roads or use money exchanges. Will you... take me?"

The shopkeeper's smile faltered for a moment.

He looked at Shen Nannan, his expression shifting.

"Young master... I don't quite understand what you're saying."

"Never mind if you don't understand." Shen Nannan straightened up and waved her hand. "I'll find another place."

She turned and left.

After taking two steps, the innkeeper's voice came from behind: "Young master, please wait."

Shen Nannan turned around.

The shopkeeper's smile vanished, replaced by a shrewd scrutiny: "May I ask, young master, where did this money come from?"

Shen Nannan raised an eyebrow: "What do you care where they come from? As long as we can make a commission, that's all that matters."

The shopkeeper looked at her, then smiled.

"Please come in, young master."

Shen Nannan followed the shopkeeper inside, through a door, and into a side room in the backyard.

The shopkeeper invited her to sit down and had tea served.

"Young master just mentioned having some money you wish to spend outside the capital?" he asked with a smile. "How much is it?"

Shen Nannan crossed her legs, looking like a spoiled brat: "Five hundred thousand taels."

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up.

"This is no small sum. For you, young master, to be able to produce so much silver, you must be..."

He paused, then tentatively asked, "May I ask where your residence is, young master?"

Shen Nannan sneered inwardly.

That's when they started trying to get information out of me.

She leaned back and said lazily, "My dad won't let me tell you."

The shopkeeper chuckled dryly, "Young master, you jest."

"I'm not joking."

Shen Nannan picked up her teacup, blew on it, and said, "If you accept the offer, we can discuss the commission. If you don't—"

She put down her teacup and stood up.

"I'll look elsewhere."

The shopkeeper quickly stood up: "Young master, please wait! Of course, we'll take it."

He smiled and leaned closer, lowering his voice: "But you may not know, young master, but for such large sums of money leaving the capital, we... have to register their origin. That's the rule."

Shen Nannan looked at him,

rule?

In her past life, she knew that Fu Tailong was most famous for "not asking about people's backgrounds".

This person is testing her.

She understood.

"Rules?" She raised an eyebrow. "I've heard that the biggest rule here is that there are no rules."

The shopkeeper's smile froze for a moment.

That moment was very brief, but Shen Nannan saw it.

She realized—there was definitely something wrong with this place.

Just as she was about to ask a few more questions, her peripheral vision suddenly caught a glimpse of the scenery outside the window—

A figure flashed past through the moon gate in the backyard.

The man was dressed in a blue robe, tall and slender, and his gait... carried an indescribable air of aloofness.

That figure from behind...

Shen Nannan's pupils suddenly contracted.

It's him?

How did he end up here?

She instinctively tried to see clearly, but the person had already disappeared behind the moon gate.

Seeing her lost in thought, the shopkeeper followed her gaze and glanced outside, his expression changing slightly.

"Young master?" he smiled. "Do you know that person?"

Shen Nannan snapped out of her daze, her mind racing with alarm bells.

Her moment of stunned silence was so obvious.

The shopkeeper was already suspicious, so he must have become suspicious now.

"I don't know him." She forced a smile.

"I just thought that person looked really good, and I wanted to get a similar outfit."

The shopkeeper smiled, but the smile was noticeably less intense.

"You jest, sir." He stood up. "Well then, I can't make this deal on your behalf. I'll have to ask the owner. Would you be willing to come again in three days?"

Shen Nannan knew this was just an excuse.

He became suspicious.

"Okay." She stood up as well. "I'll come back in three days."

The shopkeeper saw her out, smiling and being very polite all the way.

But Shen Nannan knew that this person's eyes were glued to her back.

After leaving the store, Shen Nannan didn't stop and walked straight ahead.

A-Chao followed behind her.

After walking a dozen steps, he lowered his voice and said, "Don't turn around. Someone's following us."

He moved closer to her.

Shen Nannan's heart was pounding.

It's not because I'm being followed.

It was because of that fleeting figure just now.

That person...

Why is it at Futailong?

Her mind was in turmoil, but she dared not stop. She turned into an alley and quickened her pace.

Suddenly, I heard hurried footsteps behind me.

"stop!"

Shen Nannan turned around—more than a dozen burly men surged in from the alley entrance, carrying sticks in their hands. The one in the lead was the same guy who had been peeking around in the backyard earlier.

"Grab that pretty boy!"

Shen Nannan's heart sank.

Suspicion naturally arose.

"run!"

Shen Nannan grabbed A Chao's wrist and ran away.

After running a few steps, she suddenly realized something—

The shopkeeper became suspicious, not because she had said anything wrong.

It was because of her reaction when she saw that person.

That person...

She gritted her teeth and suppressed the thought.

Now is not the time to think about this.

The pursuers behind them were getting closer and closer, their shouts deafening.

Shen Nannan pulled A Chao through the winding alley, running until they were out of breath.

The corset was too tight; every breath felt like my lungs were going to burst.

My chest felt heavy, like a stone was pressing on it; my vision began to blur; and my steps grew heavier and heavier.

"I can't go on..." she gasped, leaning against the wall. "I... I can't run anymore..."

Ah Chao was being dragged along by her, stumbling and panting, looking completely innocent.

Shen Nannan glared at him, wanting to scold him.

What a show-off! In his past life, he had that same composure that allowed him to take on dozens of people single-handedly without batting an eye!

But he couldn't catch his breath, and his vision blurred.

"Young Master?" Ah Chao's voice came from afar, muffled and indistinct.

She wanted to say something, but her lips moved without making a sound.

It's getting darker and darker in front of me.

My body went limp.

He put an arm around her waist and pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Shen Nannan".

Someone called her.

Her voice was deep, with a hint of something she had never heard before—was it nervousness?

She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids were too heavy.

My lips were cracked and dry, I couldn't breathe, and it felt like a heavy stone was pressing on my chest.

Suddenly, something stuck to me.

It's soft.

It's warm.

A stream of energy flowed in.

It carried a slightly crisp scent, mixed with her sweet fragrance.

Shen Nannan thought vaguely—

What is this...? It's so soft...