"My sister is resting. She's not in a position to see guests right now. Come back tomorrow." Evan Zhou was so frustrated he was on the verge of tears; Caleb Wang really was a handful.
"I'm not a guest," Caleb Wang snapped, annoyed. Since when was he considered a guest at Feng Manor?
"It doesn't matter if you're a guest or not. My sister really can't see anyone right now. She's injured and shaken up—she needs rest." Evan Zhou's face was long; when did the Seventh Young Master of the Wang clan start acting like a stubborn pest?
"Evan Zhou, stop lying to me. You might be able to fool Dominic Zhai with that, but not me. Do you think this is my first day knowing Serena Feng?
Injured? There aren't many people who could hurt her these days. As for being frightened, that's even less likely. Is she the type to be scared into hiding? Just let me see her—I'm genuinely worried." Caleb Wang tried to barge in, but Evan Zhou firmly blocked his way.
"I'm really not lying. My sister truly needs to rest. She came back in a terrible state—please, don't disturb her." Evan Zhou's head throbbed, but he was also grateful that only Dominic Zhai and Caleb Wang had come to the door.
If Prince Rowan and Prince Adrian showed up, he wouldn't be able to stop them. Of course, those two prided themselves on their status and wouldn't come so easily.
Caleb Wang didn't believe Evan Zhou. Just then, he saw Simon Sun walking over, so he quickly grabbed him and asked, "Simon, where's your master?"
"My master is at home," Simon Sun replied, startled. He shrank back, answering blankly.
Caleb Wang stared at Simon Sun, who acted as if he were avoiding him like the plague. He was stunned—this guy was way too clueless. What exactly did Serena Feng see in him?
Caleb Wang patiently continued his questioning: "Of course I know your master is back. I mean, how is she doing now? Is she alright? Can she see me?"
Evan Zhou quickly shot Simon Sun a look, but Simon didn't notice at all, leaving Evan half exasperated to death. To make matters worse, this clueless kid blurted out:
"Seventh Young Master, you'd better see my master another day. She can't receive anyone now—she needs to rest."
Seeing his master's brow tightly furrowed, Simon Sun guessed she was seriously hurt. Growing anxious, and finding both Evan Zhou and Caleb Wang acting strange, he wanted nothing more than to avoid these two and quickly excused himself, darting away.
"Hey, where are you going?" Caleb Wang was nearly driven mad. Why was everyone acting like this?
"My master is injured. I'm going to find a female medic for her." Simon Sun didn't hide it, calling back as he ran. Not watching his step, he tripped on a stone and fell.
Evan Zhou's face flushed red. He hurried to get up, not even caring if he'd hurt himself, quickly glanced around to make sure no one had seen, and then kept running forward...
What? Serena Feng really was hurt.
Caleb Wang asked Evan Zhou, who nodded, though he hadn't realized it was so serious they'd need a female medic.
The two men exchanged a look and, almost at the same time, rushed toward the small cabin—only to find Serena Feng asleep at the table.
Even in sleep, Serena Feng's brow remained furrowed. Caleb Wang and Evan Zhou felt a pang of worry.
How exhausted must she be to fall asleep at the table? And how troubled, to sleep yet never relax her brow?
"Let's carry her to bed. She must be so tired." Caleb Wang stepped forward, but Evan Zhou stopped him: "Don't move her. My sister is a very light sleeper—if you go near, she'll wake up. She must be absolutely spent today; otherwise, she'd have woken the moment we came in."
Evan Zhou noticed Serena Feng's hair was still damp, and worried she'd catch cold. She was a doctor herself, yet didn't know how to care for herself—how could anyone feel at ease?
Forget it, best to leave for now. Once the female medic arrives, things will be fine.
Caleb Wang took a long look, then nodded and withdrew.
He didn't know what exactly happened last night, but he was sure Serena Feng hadn't had it easy. Forget sleeping—just not being tormented would be a blessing.
The Third Prince of Southern Lyn was a total sadist, notorious for tormenting people. And that woman from this morning—Caleb Wang made a mental note to investigate her background and find out who had sent her to slander Serena Feng.
Caleb Wang stayed at Feng Manor until the female medic finished treating Serena Feng. Once he learned her injuries weren’t serious, he left. Though her wounds looked frightening, they weren’t actually severe. But under Simon Sun’s persistent urging, Serena Feng obediently stayed home to recover, and Feng Manor closed its doors to visitors.
Whether it was the House of Duke Zhen pulling back, or someone else stepping in, after this incident no one came to bully Feng Manor. Everything seemed calm, and Serena Feng could finally rest and recuperate.
During this time, Dominic Zhai visited once. Serena Feng treated him with proper courtesy—neither close nor distant—leaving Dominic thoroughly frustrated. He was the heir of a princely house, personally coming to this rundown Feng Manor; shouldn’t Serena be flattered and overawed?
But he couldn’t find fault with Serena Feng. She was perfectly polite, treating him like an honored guest—what could he do?
Prince Rowan, constrained by his status, didn’t visit in person. He sent his steward to inquire once, bringing rare medicinal herbs. Serena Feng acted terrified and endlessly grateful, but didn’t accept a single thing.
Prince Adrian also sent a pile of tonics. Serena Feng thanked him profusely, but again refused to accept anything. Later, Prince Adrian came himself, but didn’t see her—she was ‘coincidentally’ too sick that day to receive visitors.
After that, Prince Adrian sent one of his side-consorts to visit. She did see Serena Feng, but only exchanged superficial greetings.
The side-consort knew Prince Adrian was interested in Serena Feng, so she tried to be friendly, hinting at an invitation. Serena Feng was thoroughly disgusted, inwardly deciding to keep her distance—she had no interest in harem drama.
Dealing with these people gave Serena Feng a headache, but the one thing that pleased her was that the mastermind behind the pear-seller woman’s slander had finally been identified.
To everyone’s surprise, it turned out to be Rosa Zhen from the House of Duke Zhen—formerly the County Princess of Wu’an, now just the Tenth Young Lady, Rong Qingqiu.
With this, everyone could understand. Because of a few words from Serena Feng, Rosa Zhen’s reputation was ruined, affecting not just herself but other young ladies in the Duke Zhen house. Her motive for hiring someone to publicly curse Serena Feng and destroy her reputation was clear.
Rosa Zhen’s logic was simple: ‘If I can’t have a good life or get married, neither can you.’ But Serena Feng was different—Rosa lived for her family’s name, while Serena relied only on herself.
Learning that Rosa Zhen was behind it actually put Serena Feng at ease. One Rosa Zhen couldn’t upend the world; what she truly feared were moves from the Empress or Princess Serenity.
Whenever those two struck, it was always with hidden killing intent. But lately the Empress and Princess Serenity had been unusually quiet, barely bothering her. Serena Feng found it odd, but since they weren’t making trouble, there was nothing she could do except stay vigilant.
While Serena Feng was recuperating, another major scandal broke out: the Marchioness of Jinyang invited the city’s prominent ladies to watch a play, only for them to catch the Marquis of Jinyang in bed with his cousin Elaine Jiang. The Marchioness was so furious she fainted on the spot...