A Misstep and Nolan’s Moment of Distraction

At this point, William Wang Jinling understood everything. Prince Nolan had made up his mind—he was going to destroy Jixia Academy, and William himself would have to be his accomplice.

William shut his eyes in pain and asked, "Why me? Why do I have to be the one to accuse Jixia Academy?"

"Because you are the Grand Heir of the Wang clan, you are Master Wenyuan's disciple, you are one of Jixia Academy's most outstanding students. Most importantly, you are the Wang clan Patriarch—people believe what you say." Prince Nolan spoke slowly and gravely, each word striking William's heart like a hammer.

Because he was William Wang Jinling—renowned, powerful, and uninvolved in Jixia Academy’s internal politics—his words carried weight. If he made the accusation, no one would doubt him…

One day, even William’s reputation would become a burden.

William opened his eyes, looked at Prince Nolan, and nodded slowly and heavily. "I agree."

Prince Nolan was no gentleman, so he would never give William time to reconsider. Once the deal was struck, he didn’t care whether William had thought it through—he took him to view Master Wenyuan’s remains, and at the same time informed Serena and Yana Zhan that William had arrived.

Serena was in the middle of changing Beanie’s medicine, so she would be late. Yana arrived first at the flower hall, and when she saw William, tears streamed down her face before she could even speak.

"Jinling-gege, you finally came. Father... Father is gone." Yana’s eyes were red and swollen like walnuts, her body so weak a breeze could have knocked her over.

William did not step forward to comfort her. He simply nodded, "I've already seen Master Wenyuan. He passed away peacefully. The dead cannot return, so don’t grieve yourself sick and unsettle your father's spirit."

By the end, William’s nose stung with emotion.

Master Wenyuan died for Yana’s sake!

"Thank you, Jinling-gege." Yana sobbed twice, choking out, "I’m just glad you’re here. These past days, I haven’t known what to do."

With no father, no one to shelter her, she finally realized that all her training in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting could not earn her a living.

Though she was well-read and famed as a talented lady, in the end she was still a woman. She knew her father’s death was connected to Prince Nolan, but she couldn’t take revenge—she could only stay under his protection and wait for her clan to arrive and seek justice.

"Don’t worry, Yana. I’ll handle Master Wenyuan’s case and make sure he didn’t die in vain. You’re his daughter—no one will harm you." When William said “daughter,” he paused slightly, but Yana was too lost in grief to notice.

"I trust you, Jinling-gege." Yana took the handkerchief from a maid, wiped away her tears, and her eyes—washed clear by crying—were bright and determined. But William couldn’t bear to look at her.

Seeing Yana only reminded him of Master Wenyuan’s death. For the sake of his teacher, he would make sure Yana lived without worry—but that was all he could do. He could no longer treat her with the same brotherly affection as before.

After losing her father, Yana had so much to say to William, but he remained distant, barely responding. Yana was clever; if she hadn’t been so deep in grief, she would have noticed how much William had changed.

"Jinling-gege, what’s wrong?" Yana looked at William in concern.

"I'm just... a bit tired." William had wanted to say "I'm fine," but he truly needed some quiet. He still didn’t know how to face Yana.

A trace of hurt flashed in Yana’s eyes. She stood up and apologized, "Sorry, Jinling-gege, I forgot you just arrived. Go rest—I won't disturb you."

Yana left reluctantly, but even as she walked out the door, she never heard William ask her to stay.

When Serena entered, she saw William sitting alone in a chair, shrouded in sorrow. She instinctively softened her steps and walked in quietly.

Serena stood in front of William for a long time, but he didn’t react at all. Startled, she asked softly, "Jinling, are you all right?"

"Huh?" William snapped out of it, looked up to see Serena standing before him, and quickly said, "I'm fine, I was just lost in thought."

"Good, as long as you’re all right. You look exhausted—go rest for now." Serena hadn’t seen William for days, and after leaving without warning, she genuinely wanted to talk. But now wasn’t the right time.

"I'm fine." William quickly returned to normal, even standing up to prove he was all right—but his body swayed and he nearly fell.

Serena shook her head. "You look like this and still say you're fine? Whatever it is, we’ll talk later—go rest first."

Serena didn’t let William refuse. She called for servants and had them settle him in to rest.

William had no choice but to accept Serena’s help; in his current state, he really couldn’t refuse.

After a brief meeting with William, Serena was relieved to see he didn’t blame her or Nolan for Master Wenyuan’s death. As she left, she ran into Prince Nolan in the corridor and asked in surprise, "Why are you here?"

Prince Nolan had been so busy lately that even his shadow was hard to find. No wonder Serena was so shocked to see him.

"What, is it so strange for me to be here?" Prince Nolan’s words made it clear he was displeased, though his tone barely changed. No outsider could hear it, but Serena caught the hint.

Wondering why Prince Nolan sounded so sour, Serena couldn’t help but smile. Her beautiful eyes flashed with quicksilver light, mesmerizing Prince Nolan into a daze.

Serena used to be a shy girl. Though more graceful than most, she lacked a mature woman’s allure—her occasional hints of seduction always seemed a bit out of place. But now…

Everything about her felt utterly natural, her charm woven deep into her bones. Prince Nolan stared at Serena, completely entranced…

"Huh? What’s going on—everyone’s dazed today." Serena waved a hand in front of Prince Nolan’s face, puzzled by his blank look. But he didn’t react at all.

William’s distraction was understandable—he was grieving and exhausted. But Prince Nolan?

Serena couldn’t figure it out. How could someone so alert fall into a daze? Was something wrong?

Serena’s expression shifted. She stepped forward and caught Prince Nolan’s hand, but didn’t expect his reflexes to kick in—he spun and flung her aside.

Serena was no match for Prince Nolan, and she hadn’t expected him to strike. Completely unguarded, she was thrown straight toward the wall, eyes wide with shock, unable to understand what was happening.

At that moment, Prince Nolan snapped out of it. His face changed, and he rushed forward to grab Serena, his cold eyes full of apology.

What had he just done?

Just then, a shadow moved even faster than Prince Nolan. As Serena was about to hit the wall, someone caught her. "Careful," he murmured.