Beautiful Scenery, Ordinary Only for You

Unconditional help? If Serena Feng really believed that, she’d be out of her mind.

Serena Feng shot a cold look at Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan. He was the type who never lifted a finger without profit, yet always wore that proud, aloof mask. He could fool others, but not her. He talked a good game about helping her unconditionally, but she knew he’d demand an even higher price later.

She believed this man liked her, but his ambitions were far too great. If she were just a weak, naive, helpless noble daughter, she was sure he wouldn’t even spare her a glance.

Serena exhaled. Nolan talked about unconditional help, but if she didn’t offer him something in return, he’d probably scheme her to death one day.

Suddenly, Serena realized she’d grown—she no longer saw Nolan as some untouchable god. She’d discovered that beneath his cold, distant exterior, he had an ordinary heart.

It wasn’t until much later that Serena truly understood: Nolan’s heart was only ‘ordinary’ for her.

Serena stepped forward and took Nolan’s hand. Thinking of what was about to happen, she couldn’t help but smile: “You’ve helped me out a ton. Come on, let me show you some beautiful scenery.”

Without waiting for Nolan’s reply, she dragged him along. Victory needed someone to share it with, and Nolan was the perfect choice.

Nolan didn’t refuse, letting Serena pull him along. Her small, cool hand couldn’t even wrap around his, but as they walked, their fingers naturally intertwined, locking together tightly.

Big hand and small hand, fingers seamlessly interlaced. Nolan was very satisfied with this way of holding hands, secretly thinking it would be nice if they could just keep walking forward like this.

Of course, that thought only flashed by—his status meant he could never cast off his burdens for a woman.

Under the night sky, Nolan’s lips curved into a faint smile, his hard face softening. But after walking for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, his smile froze. He couldn’t help but ask, “Where are you going?”

This road led straight to the Emperor’s sleeping quarters. Was Serena planning to get herself killed? Or did she want to deliver a ‘gift’ to the Emperor too?

No way—the Emperor couldn’t die yet!

“I’m heading out of the palace, obviously,” Serena replied with confidence. Why would she stay here? Nolan knew perfectly well how much she hated the palace. If it weren’t for urgent business, she wouldn’t have come at all.

Nolan was exasperated—women really couldn’t be relied on. But faced with Serena’s bright, excited eyes, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything harsh. Instead, he just pulled her toward another direction: “This way’s faster.”

Even so, Serena knew Nolan was saving her face—she’d definitely taken the wrong path.

Uh...

Serena’s face flushed instantly, her eyes darting around, not daring to meet his gaze.

“Ow!” Nolan suddenly stopped, and Serena, caught off guard, crashed right into his back. Her straight nose hit so hard it turned red, and tears sprang to her eyes.

It hurt, and her nose stung terribly!

"Fool, can't even walk a road properly." Nolan never missed a chance to tease Serena openly—he'd gone easy before, but this time he had to knock her down a peg, so she wouldn't get too arrogant and ignore him. Yet seeing her scrunched-up face in pain, he couldn't help himself; he reached out and gently rubbed her nose, asking softly, "Does it hurt?"

Boom—the wave of heat she'd just subdued surged up again, and Serena's face felt like it was on fire.

Wuwuwu... How embarrassing!

"Not hurting anymore." Serena turned her face away, stepped back to escape Nolan's claws, only to find her hand still tightly held. She couldn't back away any farther, so she ducked her head and muttered, "Let's hurry, or we'll miss it."

Nolan pressed his lips together to keep from laughing out loud. If he laughed, Serena would definitely explode. Though this wasn't the first time she'd made a fool of herself in front of him, this time felt completely different—every pore in his body seemed relaxed; even after a sleepless night, he felt clear and refreshed.

Only with his back to Serena did Nolan dare to grin—a silent smile.

So, even the sharp Serena had such a muddle-headed side!

He liked it very much.

Nolan was delighted, but Serena was depressed. She could accept losing face before him in the past, but now? Now it was truly unbearable. She must have left home without checking the almanac—everything felt inauspicious.

She wondered if things with Liam Li would go smoothly.

Heavens above, please let Nolan not have skimmed any of her bombs. Otherwise, if she blew Liam up and also blew herself and Nolan up, they'd end up dying unjustly together in the halls of the underworld.

With Nolan leading the way, they didn't disturb even a frog as they retraced their path through the secret passage. Returning to the corner where they'd hidden before, both stopped unconsciously, their eyes drifting toward the wooden bed...

Even though the lascivious scent had long faded from the air, both felt the temperature here much higher than outside—a restless heat rose from deep inside. Serena licked her lips, suddenly feeling parched.

Nolan turned his head, just in time to see Serena's pink lips swept by the tip of her tongue—making them look even softer and more inviting. Wasn't that a clear invitation to taste?

Nolan's eyes burned, fixed on Serena's lips. His body moved faster than his mind—he leaned down toward her.

Startled, Serena hurriedly raised a hand between them, lowered her head and pretended nothing had happened. In a roughened voice she said, "Nolan, it's time to go. If we don't leave now, we'll be late."

It was just an excuse—Nolan knew perfectly well, but didn't make things hard for Serena.

Only someone who truly liked a woman would let her be willful and coy, indulge her temper and small caprices, and tolerate everything about her. Though he was reluctant, Serena clearly didn't agree, so Nolan pressed down his desire and simply took her hand, leading her into the secret passage.

Serena followed behind, quietly patting her chest, grinning foolishly.

Nolan really was a good man—still something of a gentleman, still relatively respectful. The scale in Serena’s heart tilted further toward him. When she noticed this, she hurriedly rapped herself on the head, cursing her pig brain: what did it matter if Nolan was good or not? The world was full of good men.

Seeing Serena alternately grinning and fuming, Nolan shook his head—women really were changeable.

When they emerged from the secret passage, the carriage was already gone, not even wheel tracks left behind. Serena had to admit, Nolan’s subordinates were truly capable.

“Where are we going?” Nolan reminded Serena—she’d promised to show him beautiful scenery. If he couldn’t kiss the beauty, at least accompanying her to see a beautiful scene would be a small consolation.

Serena’s eyes spun slyly; she laughed and said, “Without a carriage, we can’t go anywhere. Why not pick another day and each go home now?” As she spoke, she tried to pull her hand free and slip away.

Such a good excuse—she’d be a fool not to use it.

Leave? She wanted to leave? Things weren’t that easy.

“No need to pick another day—today’s fine. Wait here!” Nolan caught Serena firmly, his tone and expression saying he’d known she’d try to wriggle out of it.