When Serena woke up, she found herself in a completely unfamiliar room. Out of habit, she immediately sat up and checked her body. Her limbs were stiff, her head felt heavy, but otherwise she was fine—no discomfort at all.
To have fallen from such a height and not have a single scratch—this was simply impossible. No way. But...
What the hell was going on? Did she transmigrate into someone else's body again?
Serena hurriedly rolled up her sleeve, about to activate her Smart Med-Pack to figure out what was happening. But before she could press the button, she heard familiar voices outside the door.
"Valley Master, when is my teacher going to wake up? You keep saying 'soon, soon,' but it's been over a month now." That was Simon Sun, his voice anxious. The Valley Master snapped back, sounding even more impatient: "I told you, soon! Are you tired of asking every day yet?"
"Valley Master, are you really sure my teacher will wake up soon?" Simon Sun asked, voice cautious, afraid the Valley Master might say no.
"She's the Phoenixfield Heiress—she won't die so easily." The Valley Master said it, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice.
Honestly, he had no idea what the Phoenixfield Heiress Brand was supposed to do. It seemed like some kind of ancient magic, long lost—modern medicine couldn't explain it at all.
So she really hadn't died. Serena stopped what she was doing with the Smart Med-Pack, leaned against the headboard, and let silent tears fall.
Surviving should be a good thing. So why did she feel absolutely no joy?
She reached out and touched her still-flat belly. Her heart twisted in pain...
If she survived, then the baby must have made it too, right?
No more Ninth Royal Uncle. But she still had her clan, and she still had her child.
She could still live well. She could. She had to...
Serena curled up into a ball, hugging her knees and burying her head between them, crying without a sound.
Her heart felt like it was being sliced open, and the tears wouldn’t stop. She knew crying wouldn’t fix anything, but right now she just wanted to cry it all out...
She wanted to cry out every bit of hatred and despair in her heart, hoping that once the tears ran dry, she could start over.
But the more she cried, the worse it got. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was herself dropping off the cliff.
Why?
Serena was drowning in grief, her mind spinning with questions. The Valley Master and Simon Sun could have walked in or out—she didn’t care at all.
The Valley Master and Simon Sun came in and saw Serena sitting up. Both lit up with joy: "Serena, you're awake! This is amazing—you finally woke up. You scared me half to death."
The Valley Master, almost like a kid, bounced around in excitement and ran out: "I have to go tell Dr. Redwater and Dr. Guo—let them see I’m still useful!"
He dashed out in a puff of smoke, leaving Simon Sun alone with Serena, who was still crying helplessly.
After the initial rush of joy, Simon Sun finally noticed something was very wrong with Serena. He quickly wiped the smile off his face and stepped forward, worried: "Master, are you okay?"
Serena had already been crying for a while. Her heart still ached unbearably, but at least she could hold it down a little. She smeared away her tears, forced a weak smile for Simon Sun, and said, "I'm fine. I'm just... really happy."
To be alive, to get through this unharmed, really was something to be happy about. Serena just had a stubborn fate—she’d survived a plane explosion, and now even a fall off a cliff couldn’t kill her. Things had to get better from here.
But as she thought about it, tears spilled out again...
"Master, please don’t cry. You have a baby now, and crying like this isn’t good for you—or for the baby." Simon Sun fumbled out a handkerchief, awkwardly trying to wipe Serena’s tears and comfort her, but he had no idea what to say.
He really didn’t know why Serena was crying—maybe she was just overwhelmed with happiness.
"I'm not crying and I'm not sad. Simon, help me check my pulse—see how the baby is." Serena wiped away her tears and spoke with quiet determination.
A mother’s strength—no matter what, for the sake of the child in her belly, she had to keep living.
Serena took deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down so Simon Sun could check her pulse. While she steadied herself, Simon quietly dampened the handkerchief and handed it to her so she could wash her face.
"Thank you." Serena took the handkerchief and carefully wiped her face.
After a good cry and Simon Sun’s silent comfort, Serena’s emotions finally started to settle. Every time she thought of Ninth Royal Uncle, her heart still twisted with pain, but she could press it down now.
Once Serena had cleaned herself up and calmed down enough, Simon Sun could finally take her pulse.
When the Valley Master, Sean Xuan, Dr. Redwater, and the rest came in, they saw Serena sitting there calmly. If not for her swollen eyes, no one would have guessed she’d just been crying.
The Valley Master and Dr. Redwater didn’t know the truth. Seeing Serena wake up and burst into tears, they both frowned, clearly unhappy.
After Simon Sun finished taking her pulse and said Serena’s body was extremely weak and her mood swings were affecting the baby, the Valley Master and Dr. Redwater’s faces changed. The Valley Master scolded her sharply: "Serena, you’re a grown woman and a doctor—how are you still so reckless? Even if you don’t care about yourself, you have to think of the child! Running around while pregnant, acting like you’re a nine-lived demon cat—if anything happens to the baby, you’ll just cry yourself to death! Ninth Royal Uncle finally has a child and you don’t even know how to cherish it."
Of everyone present, only Sean Xuan knew a bit of the truth. When he saw the Valley Master blaming Serena, Sean immediately spoke up for her: "It’s not what you think—Serena, she..."
"Sean, stop." Serena cut him off, her voice hoarse from crying. "It really was my fault. I didn’t take care of myself or the baby."
Sean’s heart ached for her. "Serena, it wasn’t your fault. You know that—Ninth..."
"Enough. Don’t say another word." Hearing even part of Ninth Royal Uncle’s name made Serena’s pain surge again. The grief she’d just managed to suppress came flooding back, leaving her shrouded in despair. The others were shocked and heartsick just seeing her like that.
What was happening to her?
"Okay, I won’t say anything. You just woke up—don’t get angry, don’t be sad." Sean was startled. He didn’t know why Serena had fallen, and Ninth Royal Uncle wouldn’t say. Now, it seemed even Serena herself couldn’t be asked.
"All of you, leave. I need some time alone." After waking up, Serena had swung from devastation to joy, and now everyone’s fussing was exhausting her.
"Rest well. Let Simon stay and look after you." Seeing Serena like this, no one dared say more. They all tiptoed out, leaving only Simon Sun to keep her company.
Serena looked so shaken that none of them felt safe leaving her alone...