Beating Doudou, This Child Must Not Die

The Feng Manor servant stood awkwardly before Serena Feng, accompanied by the wet nurse.

Because the situation was so sudden, the wet nurse hadn't been carefully chosen. The servants had simply asked around on the street for a woman who'd recently given birth and was lactating, barely questioned her, and dragged her straight into the manor.

Initially, the servant felt rather proud, thinking he'd handled things well. But standing before Serena Feng and meeting her gaze, he realized he'd oversimplified the matter.

You can't just hire any wet nurse at random—if something goes wrong, it could cost the child his life.

The servant looked nervous, but Serena Feng ignored her. She stepped forward to scrutinize the unsteady woman, examining her from head to toe with a clinician's eye, then had her extend her hands for a detailed check. Only after confirming she showed no signs of illness did Serena allow the wet nurse to feed the child.

If conditions allowed, Serena would have run a full physical exam on the wet nurse.

Diseases can enter through the mouth—this baby is so weak that if the wet nurse is ill, he’s at even greater risk.

Whether or not this is Ninth Royal Uncle’s child, since he’s been entrusted to her, Serena must ensure he survives. Otherwise... even if it’s not her fault, she won’t be able to explain herself.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, she must guarantee that the child stays safe and healthy until Ninth Royal Uncle returns.

Once Ninth Royal Uncle comes back, the child’s identity can be confirmed. At that point...

Serena Feng glanced at the frail child, then turned away...

If this were someone else’s child, she could help look after him. But if he’s Ninth Royal Uncle’s, then sorry—she wants him as far away from her as possible.

She has no interest in being anyone’s stepmother. If Ninth Royal Uncle wants to find the child’s birth mother or do whatever, that’s his business—Serena Feng won’t be serving.

With Simon Sun and the wet nurse caring for the child, there’s basically no major problem, so Serena doesn’t hover every day. Under Simon’s careful treatment, the kitten-weak child gradually improved, his face growing rosier by the day. However...

No one dared mention the child in front of Serena Feng; it was as if the baby had become a taboo in Feng Manor. Everyone tacitly pretended he didn’t exist.

Only the clueless fool Doudou, after sleeping for three days and nights, woke up and immediately grabbed Serena Feng: "Where’s Ninth Royal Uncle’s child?"

Serena’s lips twitched, but she didn’t reply—she simply pointed toward the ward. She expected Doudou to go check, but instead the idiot just sighed in relief: "As long as he’s not dead. If he died, I’d be doomed."

"Why would you be doomed?" Serena refused to admit it, but she was definitely annoyed.

Doudou, completely unaware of the danger, answered seriously, "Shore said if anything happens to this kid, Ninth Royal Uncle will slice me into a thousand pieces."

"Really?" Serena said with a thin, fake smile.

The Valley Master, Dr. Redwater, and Dr. Marcus Guile saw this scene from afar and, in perfect sync, stopped walking. Dr. Redwater leaned on Dr. Guile and said, "Tell me, is that kid Doudou truly stupid or just pretending?"

"He’s genuinely stupid. If someone can act this convincing, that itself is a kind of stupidity—if you can fake it so well, does it even matter if you’re really dumb?" The Valley Master replied, sounding profound, but Dr. Redwater just sneered.

"Even a fool like Doudou can make Serena Feng this angry, so you’re not even as good as a fool." Dr. Redwater instantly regretted saying this—he’d just insulted himself too.

Before the Valley Master could react, Dr. Redwater shamelessly slipped away, leaving the old man hopping mad.

Damn it, saying he’s not even as good as a fool—how infuriating.

Meanwhile, that fool Doudou got kicked flat by Serena Feng. Even after she’d left for ages, Doudou still hadn’t recovered, lying there on the ground motionless, as if badly hurt.

High up on the eaves, the shadow guards silently looked to the sky. Their faces were expressionless, but inside they were anxious.

Seeing Doudou still sprawled on the ground after so long, they realized the young lady was getting more and more violent lately. If this keeps up, how will it end?

Before, the young lady used to write to the master two or three times every two days. But ever since this supposed son of the master arrived, she hasn’t written at all. Are we about to lose her?

"Should we report this to the master?" Shadow Guard One looked deeply worried, only to get a look of disdain from Shadow Guard Two.

"Mind your own business. The master’s affairs aren’t for us to meddle in. Maybe the master already knows, maybe this is all part of his plan. If you mess it up by interfering, do you want to go back for retraining?"

At the word 'retraining,' Shadow Guard One shivered all over and instantly abandoned the idea of reporting: "Shadow Guard Code: Do not interfere in the master’s affairs. I swear I won’t meddle—I saw nothing."

"That’s more like it." Shadow Guard Two nodded with satisfaction, pointed toward Serena Feng’s direction, and said, "Keep watch. I’ll go take care of something."

With that, he slipped away...

Everyone in Feng Manor is sharp—except for the fool Doudou. During this period, unless something urgent came up, no one bothered Serena Feng. Even when Prince Samuel’s facial pain flared up again, he didn’t call Serena but summoned Simon Sun instead.

"Grandpa Zhai, you can’t keep dragging out this facial condition. It’s best to block the pain nerve entirely—otherwise, you’re just treating the symptoms, not the root." Simon Sun said kindly while performing acupuncture on Prince Samuel.

Being likable has its perks—Prince Samuel, who was always stern with Serena Feng, acted like a kindly neighbor grandfather around Simon Sun.

Serena Feng had previously suggested surgery for Prince Samuel, but he flatly refused—he thought operating on his face was a bad idea. Yet when Simon Sun brought it up, Prince Samuel just thought for a moment and agreed.

"You set a time." That was full trust—he’d agreed to let Simon Sun serve as lead surgeon.

But Simon, oblivious as ever, had no sense he was 'stealing' his master’s patient, nor did he get cocky from earning Prince Samuel’s approval. He simply answered calmly.

Such a minor operation was no challenge for Simon Sun. Lately, during his busiest days, he’d performed five surgeries in a single day—without a single error.

Serena Feng was in a bad mood. Aside from her young patients, everyone could see it. William Wang came by several times hoping to comfort her, but couldn’t find the words and left each time. In the end, he just sped up his investigation into the child’s origins.

But... Doudou might be a fool, but as a professional assassin, his skills were top-notch. Everywhere he’d been, all traces had been wiped clean. William Wang had no leads; his only option now was to write to Ninth Royal Uncle and ask for an explanation.

Several times William picked up his brush to write, but each time he set it down. He could help investigate, but if he got too involved, not only Ninth Royal Uncle but Serena Feng herself would be unhappy.

After all, this was their private matter.

Just like William Wang, Serena Feng also picked up her brush several times, wanting to write to Ninth Royal Uncle and ask about the child’s identity. But each time, she didn’t know what to say.

If this child wasn’t Ninth Royal Uncle’s, and she rashly wrote to ask, he’d definitely think she didn’t trust him—and then...

Just imagining Ninth Royal Uncle’s cold, reproachful gaze, Serena lost all courage to inquire. Of course, it’s also possible she was simply sulking.

Not saying a word, just dumping a child on her to raise—what’s that supposed to mean!

And just as Serena was fuming, the letter from Ninth Royal Uncle finally arrived at the city outskirts. If nothing went wrong, she’d receive it today. Only...