Traveling Together, This Dangerous Girl Must Be Kept Close

Serena was almost certain that Elaine Lane came from the same world as her—and also sure this girl didn’t have any real malice. At least, she wasn’t like Liam Li, who aimed to conquer the world. But...

How to put it—Elaine wasn’t a bad person, but she was naive, clueless, and incredibly self-absorbed. Her sense of superiority was overwhelming, as if everyone but her was an idiot. Especially the way she looked at Serena, always mixing three parts pity with three parts smugness.

Serena hadn’t said a single word from start to finish, yet Elaine automatically cast her as a tragic heroine, a woman in need of her saintly intervention. Elaine wouldn’t stop talking about helping Serena become more confident, more attractive, and so irresistible that she’d have men falling at her feet.

Listening to Elaine’s grand plans, Serena felt a chill run down her spine. If she ever actually went along with any of that, it would be a disaster in the making.

Serena flatly refused Elaine’s kind offer—she would rather die than let Elaine whiten her skin or design her clothes.

Just looking at Elaine’s weird pants, Serena could tell this girl had zero design talent. Odds were, she just copied modern clothes and called it fashion. As for turning heads on the street—wearing something as revealing as a bikini or low-cut dress would definitely get attention. Serena already learned that lesson on her wedding day.

Ancient and modern standards of beauty are worlds apart. What’s popular now would never fly in the past—it’s not about good or bad taste, it’s about the whole society’s rules. Just like you’d never see slaves in the modern world.

Elaine didn’t get mad when Serena turned her down. Instead, her eyes lit up and she started making up a story all on her own.

The gist of it was: Serena had been dumped for being ugly, suffered heartbreak, and now spent her days in drab gray clothes, dressing old and dull, not caring about her looks anymore, and had completely given up on men.

Elaine didn’t give Serena a chance to speak at all—she just kept talking, and when she finished, even patted Serena’s shoulder in comfort: “Don’t be sad, Claire Chen. That man who dumped you just didn’t see your worth. Trust me, the next one will be better—I’ll help you find someone much better.”

Just imagining Serena with three husbands and four attendants, surrounded by a bunch of flamboyantly dressed men all fighting to get her into their rooms at night, made William and Nolan shudder.

They really couldn’t accept such bold ideas. Both glanced at Serena, saw her smile growing more and more forced, and realized she couldn’t accept it either—which was a relief!

A woman like Elaine was just too much—they wished she’d go as far away as possible. Nolan already regretted rescuing her, especially after hearing her say, ‘What’s the use of high martial arts? If I had a gun, I’d just shoot you all dead.’ He shouldn’t have acted just because of her jade pendant, or tried to use her to find the Lan royal bloodline.

Look at that—he’d rescued a real troublemaker. If Elaine ever corrupted Serena, he’d regret it for life. Just thinking about ‘three husbands and four attendants’ made him want to kill someone...

But hindsight is priceless, and regret medicine is worth a fortune. Elaine wasn’t just self-confident, she was thick-skinned to boot. No matter how much Serena hinted, how cold Nolan acted, or how politely distant William was, Elaine just clung to the three of them, claiming she’d travel the jianghu with them and live out a heroic fantasy.

Travel the jianghu, my foot! None of them had an ounce of true hero in them, and none of them looked like ruthless killers. This girl must have watched too many TV dramas.

Serena really wanted to ditch her. If it weren’t for their shared Lan surname, and the possibility they were family, Serena wouldn’t care where Elaine came from.

So what if you’re from the modern world? Liam Li was too, and she killed him all the same.

With Elaine joining, their group of three became four. But now they had a problem: four people, only three horses. Someone would have to ride double. Serena hadn’t figured out the arrangement before Elaine made up her mind.

Elaine, that little troublemaker, whether she had an imprinting complex or was just thick-skinned, didn’t care one bit about Nolan’s cold face. As soon as they left the tea shed, she stuck to Nolan’s side. When Nolan mounted his horse, she naturally reached out her hand, expecting him to pull her up.

Elaine was brimming with confidence, chin lifted, looking utterly pleased with herself.

She was the heroine, after all—weren’t novels and TV dramas always like this? As soon as the transmigrated female lead appeared, she’d sweep up all the handsome guys, whether cold and aloof or gentle as jade. They’d all fall for her, otherwise that icy guy wouldn’t have rescued her the first time they met.

But instead...

'Hyah!'

Nolan snapped his whip and shot ahead, leaving William and Serena behind, charging forward alone. As for Elaine—sorry, he wasn’t waiting for her.

'Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey...' The handsome horse galloped off, startling Elaine so badly she stepped back. Kicked up by the horse’s hooves, dust flew everywhere, and Elaine ended up with a mouthful. Furious, she rushed forward, hands on her hips, and shouted after Nolan: 'Hey, Ninth Master, you jerk! How dare you ignore me, the unbeatable beauty! Hmph... Just so you know, you’re off my male lead list. Even if you regret it later, no amount of making up will win me back.'

This kid... She’s seriously poisoned by those stories!

Serena silently wiped her brow, sneaked a glance at William, and decided to dump this troublemaker on him...