Comfort, Serena Feng Does Not Need Cheap Pity or Sympathy

"Master!"

Simon Sun's eyes stung, and tears began to fall.

His master was still lost in her own grief, yet she was trying to comfort him. Compared to the pain in his master's heart, his own sadness was nothing at all.

Simon felt as if something had slammed into his chest. His mind went blank—he couldn't think of anything, only wanted to offer a bit of warmth, to let his master know that, no matter what, she still had a disciple by her side.

Simon stepped forward and hugged Serena Feng. When he touched her body, cold as ice, his heart ached even more.

"Master, don't be sad, don't grieve. Everything will be all right. We'll all be fine. The Feng clan has only you left—you must take care of yourself. If General Feng and Madame Feng knew, in the afterlife, how much you're hurting for them, they'd be heartbroken. As long as you're well, they'll be happy too."

He believed, no matter why his parents left, that it was for his own good. So he couldn't let himself be sad—he had to live well, to be worthy of their sacrifice.

Jada Tang, Mira Tang, and the others were startled by Simon Sun's bold move, but they didn't try to stop him. No matter how strong their young mistress was, she was still a woman. Even if she could lean on someone for just a moment, it was enough for her.

Serena Feng didn't move, letting Simon hold her. At this moment, even if she wanted to push him away, she didn't have the strength. She tried to pat Simon's back, but found her own hand stiff. All she could do was tremble and say, "Everything will be fine. All the bad things will pass. Simon, you worry about me, but after this, I think nothing will ever knock me down again."

Serena moved her stiff neck and said to the maids beside her, "Jada, Mira, go...find out how Reid Yale discovered my parents' remains, who was behind today's events, and what exactly happened when my father and mother died."

Why did her father die so horribly? Why were there beast bite marks on her mother's bones? Where exactly did Reid Yale find her parents' remains? She had to know, and she didn't believe a word Reid said.

Her mother's bones still carried a scent of fresh earth, which meant they'd only been dug up recently—not at the spot where her mother supposedly fell, as Reid Yale claimed...

She had to know the truth of what happened back then. She would never live in ignorance again!

"Don't worry, Miss," said Jada Tang and Mira Tang. "We've already sent people to investigate. If there's even a trace, we'll find it." Serena had given Jada and Mira great freedom and authority. They weren't fools—after something like this, of course they'd investigate. As soon as the guests left Feng Manor, they sent out the orders.

Investigate...even if we have to dig three feet into the ground, we'll get to the bottom of it.

After speaking, Jada and Mira stood quietly, waiting for Serena's next command. But after a long while, Serena still hadn't responded. The two maids sensed something was wrong and hurried forward to check—only to be shocked: "Simon, Miss has fainted!"

Serena Feng collapsed directly onto Simon Sun's shoulder, completely motionless.

"Quick, help Master back to her room!" Simon wanted to check Serena's pulse, but in her current state it was impossible—she needed to be warmed up first.

Simon couldn't carry Serena by himself, so he had to trouble Jada and Mira for help. In a flurry, the group managed to get Serena back to her room.

Simon Sun stayed behind with Spring, Autumn, Winter, and Summer to care for Serena. Jada and Mira hurried off to properly collect and store General Feng and Madame Feng's remains.

Holden Cui's courtyard wasn't far from Serena Feng's. With all the banging and commotion, he couldn't pretend not to notice, even if he wanted to. Besides, he'd been waiting for news from Serena's side.

"Serena Feng really is someone with a tragic fate," Holden said, placing a white stone on the board. He remembered playing chess with her two days ago, and felt a pang of sorrow.

Such a proud and confident woman, yet after seeing her parents' remains, she was devastated like this. It was hard to believe. So Serena wasn't truly unbreakable—she just hadn't met the one thing she cared about most, her true weakness.

Holden was almost glad that Reid Yale, that fool, had pushed things so far. He'd found Serena's breaking point and made her collapse. Now Holden wanted to see how Serena would take her revenge on Reid.

"If being parentless means you're doomed, then there are plenty of doomed people in this world. Aren't you one of them yourself?" Master Owen placed a black stone firmly on the board. "Holden, instead of worrying about Serena's tragic fate, you'd better worry about your own illness. With Serena like this, I'm not reassured."

In two days, Serena was supposed to operate on Holden Cui as they'd agreed. But seeing her like this—could she really do it?

Master Owen was deeply doubtful!

"If it can't be done, just postpone it. After something like this, Serena wouldn't want to go ahead either." Holden didn't mind waiting a day or two; his life mattered more. He wouldn't entrust it to a surgeon trapped in grief.

"That's all we can do," Master Owen said, lowering his head to study the board. Suddenly, he realized...he couldn't make another move.

Uh...

A quarter of an hour later, Holden Cui placed his stone and stood up. "Uncle, you lost."

Master Owen stared at the board for a long time, unable to believe he'd actually lost to Holden Cui. He jumped up, shouting, "Impossible, impossible! How could I lose to you?"

"The facts are right here—you lost." Holden was in a great mood. Even being 'abused' by Serena Feng had its benefits: he'd just beaten the famous Master Owen.

"Let's play another round! I don't believe I could lose to you—I just wasn't focused before." Master Owen protested, gathering the pieces for a rematch.

Holden ignored him. "Nope. You're no match for me."

With that, he headed inside, leaving Master Owen alone, gnashing his teeth at the board.

He still had to comfort Serena Feng tomorrow, so he wanted to get to bed early.

But to everyone's shock, Serena Feng didn't wallow in grief, seeking comfort and sympathy as Holden had expected. Instead, she was just as she always was: her expression perfectly composed, without a trace of sorrow. Her bright eyes were as calm and deep as autumn water. If not for her mourning clothes, Holden might have thought yesterday was just a dream.

Serena's health seemed especially strong—after freezing outside all day, she showed no signs of illness. The first thing she did after waking was to confirm that her parents' remains were properly collected. Once assured, her face looked much better.

She went to the mourning hall, offered three sticks of incense to her parents, and gave three respectful kowtows. After breakfast, she visited Holden Cui and Master Owen's temporary courtyard to apologize for the disturbance and assured Holden that tomorrow's surgery would go ahead as planned.

Seeing the shock in Holden and Master Owen's eyes, a hint of irony flashed in Serena's gaze.

Did these people really think Serena Feng would be defeated, would use this as an excuse to beg for sympathy?

No—Serena Feng has never needed cheap pity or sympathy. She won't be broken. If she falls, she'll just get up and fight again, until the day she can't rise anymore!