Botched Strike and the Foolish Lord Bean

Just as Serena rounded the foot of the bed and ran toward the door, Dorian Owen—who had been lying there feigning death—suddenly moved. His body, curled up like a shrimp, sprang open and bounced in place, launching himself straight at Serena.

"Miss, watch out!" Dorian Owen’s movements were so fast and sudden that Spring, Autumn, and Summer only had time to scream. By the time the dark guards appeared, Dorian had already knocked Serena to the ground, clutching a surgical scalpel in his hand.

Swish! Dorian raised his hand and stabbed the scalpel toward Serena’s neck.

"Ah—!"

"Miss!"

Spring and the others turned pale with fright, able only to scream. The dark guards, no matter how quick, were too far to help in time. Everyone present could only watch in horror as Dorian drove the blade toward Serena’s neck.

Dorian’s eyes were bloodshot, his expression wild, but he was perfectly aware of what he was doing. He knew that with this strike, Serena would surely die.

Dorian Owen licked his lips, a flash of fanatic excitement passing through his eyes.

He was about to kill Serena!

Hahaha, Zuo An, you bastard, you’re still a step behind me!

Zed, you sick pervert, just wait—wait until Lord Bean comes for you.

But at that moment, pinned under Dorian, Serena suddenly kicked upward. There was a loud smack, and the next second, Dorian let out a blood-curdling scream.

Pain shot through Dorian, and his grip on the scalpel slipped. The blade veered two inches off, slicing down alongside Serena’s neck. Blood appeared, but it was only a superficial wound.

Missing his mark, Dorian lost the advantage. The dark guards surged forward like wolves, pinning him down and beating him mercilessly.

At this point, Dorian couldn’t fight back at all. He just clutched his crotch and howled in agony. Soon he was covered in blood, lying half-dead on the floor.

Huff...

Serena had just brushed shoulders with death. Though her injury was minor, the fright was severe. Seeing the dark guards subdue Dorian, she collapsed weakly to the ground, gasping for breath.

Her mind was entirely on Simon’s safety; she hadn’t expected Dorian to attack at all. When he lunged at her, Serena reacted purely on instinct and kicked upward...

In that instant when the blade came down, Serena thought she was done for—never expecting to escape death.

She’d snatched her life back. That was Serena’s only thought.

"Miss." Spring, Autumn, and Summer were all trembling as they hurried forward to help Serena up.

"Miss, are you all right?" The three maids’ faces were deathly pale, stricken by both fear and shame.

All of them had been trained by Ninth Royal Uncle to serve and protect Serena. Yet now, when danger struck before their eyes, all they did was scream—they couldn’t help her at all.

"I’m fine." Serena pulled her hand back and wiped her neck, only to find her palm covered in blood.

"Ah! Miss, you’re bleeding!" Summer quickly produced a handkerchief and pressed it to Serena’s wound.

"Just a scratch." Serena pressed the wound, then stepped forward to look at the unconscious Dorian, saying, "Wake him up."

She had to know—who wanted her dead, and who would go so far as to mutilate themselves for the attempt?

"Yes, Miss." The dark guard’s eyes flicked to the bloody scalpel on the floor. Without hesitation, he picked it up and stabbed Dorian in the shoulder.

Ah—! Dorian awoke in agony, his eyes dazed and confused. He stared blankly at Serena and everyone else, his voice weak: "Who are you? Where am I?"

His eyes were watery, like a lost little deer, pitifully looking at the crowd. His thin body trembled, putting on an act of terror and helplessness.

Dorian’s acting was flawless—if Zuo An hadn’t walked in carrying Simon Sun and blurted out, "Doudou?"

Even Serena would have been fooled by him.

"Doudou? You’re saying he’s Doudou?" Serena had just been considering how to interrogate this man, but now there was no need—the truth was out.

Doudou—he was the one Zuo An always mentioned, the assassin sent to kill her.

Zuo An nodded calmly, turning his face away from Dorian.

Given the situation, it was obvious: Dorian had failed in his assassination attempt and was now captured.

Dorian Owen had utterly disgraced the reputation of assassins everywhere.

Serena stared at Dorian in shock, asking suspiciously, "So you’re Dorian Owen—the Assassin Alliance’s killer sent to murder me?"

"That’s right. I’m killer Ouyang—I don’t change my name or hide my identity. Now that I’ve landed in your hands, kill or torture me as you please." Dorian, seeing his cover blown, admitted it bluntly. Inside, though, he cursed Zed for letting Zuo An come back so fast, ruining his escape plan.

"You really are Doudou? I always thought Doudou was a girl, but you’re actually a man." Serena sized Dorian up, remembering what exactly she’d kicked just now, and nodded calmly.

"Girl? Your whole family’s a girl! I’m a man—a man! And stop calling me Doudou. Call me Lord Bean! If you say Doudou again, I’ll kill you." With Zuo An present, Dorian knew he wouldn’t die, so he shouted boldly.

"I am a girl, and my whole family is just me, so you’re not wrong." Serena’s words weren’t incorrect, but she couldn’t help adding, "Doudou, your name is so cute. It really suits you."

"Damn it, I said don’t call me Doudou! If you say it again, I’ll kill you!" Dorian roared, furious at Serena. His outburst tugged at his wounds, but the worst was the kick Serena had landed on his vital parts—he was seriously injured there.

"Ow, ow, ow, it hurts so much!" Forgetting all his other injuries, Dorian clutched his crotch and wailed. His poor precious parts—he’d just escaped Zed’s torture, only to fall victim to Serena’s deadly kick.

Wuuu...

Sweat... Is this really an assassin?

She remembered when Zuo An attacked her—he was sharp, efficient, and scared her half to death. Compared to that, this Doudou... was he really an assassin?

Serena glanced at Zuo An, who turned away awkwardly.

He’d truly disgraced the assassin’s name.

"Ahem, look at Simon Sun—he seems to be poisoned." Zuo An hurriedly changed the subject, tossing Simon onto the sickbed and taking over Dorian’s.

"Poisoned? How could Simon Sun suddenly be poisoned?" With Simon’s condition at stake, Serena had no time to argue with Dorian.

Besides, with Zuo An here, even if she wanted to argue, it wouldn’t work—there was something unusual about his relationship with Dorian.

She’d deal with Dorian later.

Serena stepped forward to check on Simon, but her hand was instantly stained with blood.

"Fetch water. Bring the medicine box. Zuo An, move Simon to the next room—this one’s filthy." Serena rattled off orders, then told the dark guard, "Leave someone here to watch him. Get to the bottom of what happened tonight: Who poisoned Simon Sun? Who set fire to his courtyard? Find the culprits."

It was all too coincidental—Serena couldn’t believe it was an accident. She had to find out how many suspects were still lurking in the Feng household.

To quote Zuo An: a foolish, bumbling Dorian wasn’t scary—the real threat was the other assassins, and especially Dorian’s master...