Prince Nolan seemed unusually indulgent toward this woman. Normally, with his temperament, not only would he never allow a woman to touch him, but if any dared to cling to him, he wouldn’t give them the slightest courtesy.
If he was in a good mood, maybe he’d send them away with cold words or a single icy, arrogant glance that made them feel so inferior they’d leave in shame. But if he was in a bad mood, Prince Nolan would simply strike and send them flying.
Prince Nolan is nothing like William Wang Jinling—he never had a rule against hitting women. He acts solely on his own likes and dislikes, never caring about right or wrong. So for him to indulge a woman like this...
Serena thought back: when she first met Prince Nolan, he never treated her with such indulgence. Truly... comparing people is infuriating. Serena’s grip tightened around her teacup. Somehow, even though she knew Nolan’s feelings for her, she still felt a vague discomfort.
She’d thought she was special to Prince Nolan—turns out, she wasn’t...
A man as fastidious as Prince Nolan actually allowed a woman he’d just met to tug at his sleeve.
Was this Nolan’s way of warning her? Telling her to keep her distance from William, or risk being replaced at any moment? If that was the case, then Nolan was being utterly childish. Serena glanced up and shot him a fierce, warning glare.
Then Prince Nolan, you really are too childish. Serena looked up and shot him a fierce glare, warning clear in her eyes.
She trusted Prince Nolan—on the condition that he told her who this woman was, and what he really thought of her.
"Ninth Uncle, who is this young lady?" Serena set down her teacup and asked with a smile.
"I don’t know," Prince Nolan replied coldly, his tone almost impatient—as if he’d been waiting for Serena to ask this question for a long time.
"You don’t even know her, but you still went out of your way to rescue her? Nolan, I never realized you had such a soft spot for pretty faces." Serena shot Nolan a fierce look, her meaning unmistakable—
Just wait—you and I will settle this score later.
"You call him Ninth Uncle? You’re so young—shouldn’t you call him Young Ninth Master instead?" The girl in purple’s eyes sparkled. Serena wondered if she was seeing things; it almost looked like cartoon hearts were popping out of her eyes.
Really? Just because of a nickname like 'Ninth Uncle'? Serena didn’t get it, but she didn’t ask.
Uh... Prince Nolan set down his teacup and lowered his eyes, falling silent. He ignored the purple-clad girl tugging at his sleeve, and the atmosphere froze. The girl seemed to sense something was off and reluctantly let go, hanging her head with a pitiful look, her big eyes darting around before finally landing on Serena.
After looking around, she decided Serena was the easiest to talk to. These two men—one cold, one warm—were both tough nuts to crack. The cool guy who saved her might be called Ninth Uncle, but he was nothing like the gentle Ninth Uncle from Desert Distant.
Forget it, she’d put that aside for now—wait until she got to know them better. Out of the three, that 'ugly girl' was the easiest to approach. She’d start with her.
The girl in purple flashed Serena a brilliant smile. "Miss, what’s your name? My surname is Lane—Elaine Lane. (Translator’s note: The original surname is 'Lan,' a prestigious royal clan; here rendered as 'Lane' for Westernization and to match the glossary.) That big ice block just saved me. What about you?"
Lane?
Serena’s pupils contracted. She thought of how Prince Nolan had, intentionally or not, brought up the Former Dynasty in front of her, and of his secret dealings with Lance Quinn. Suddenly, it all made sense.
So... this girl’s surname was Lane. No wonder Prince Nolan indulged her—his relationship with the Former Dynasty’s Lan clan must be special, or he wouldn’t be so close to Lance Quinn.
Now that she knew who the girl was, most of Serena’s irritation faded. She thought as much—Prince Nolan wouldn’t rescue a random girl for no reason. Serena gave her a friendly smile. "So you’re Miss Lane. My surname’s Chen, given name Qing."
She’d just reversed the characters of 'Qingchen'—now she was Chen Qing.
Since she was in disguise, she had no intention of using the name Serena Feng. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have acted so boldly just now.
Heh... what was there to be afraid of? Even if she turned the whole jianghu upside down, it had nothing to do with Serena Feng. Seeing her dark, ugly, rough disguise, no one would ever believe Chen Qing was Serena.
"Chen Qing, that’s a lovely name! Can I call you Rena? (Translator’s note: The Chinese nickname 'Qingqing' is rendered here as 'Rena,' following the glossary. In the story, this is a lovers-only pet name, signifying deep intimacy.) You can call me Elaine or Lainey." Elaine Lane acted as if they were instant best friends, looping her arm through Serena’s like a close girlfriend. Serena was speechless—this girl was seriously oblivious. Couldn’t she see Serena wasn’t happy?
Serena suddenly understood Prince Nolan. She shot him a look of sympathy—it wasn’t that he was especially indulgent toward this girl, it was just that she was so self-assured, convinced everyone liked her. If she wanted to get close to you, you should feel honored.
"Rena—that’s a wonderful name." William flashed a bright smile. "May I call you Rena from now on?" (Translator’s note: 'Rena' is the English rendering of the original Chinese pet name 'Qingqing,' reserved for lovers in this story.)
"No." Serena refused without hesitation. "William, just call me Chen Qing. Same goes for you, Elaine—call me Chen Qing."
Rena was just too intimate a nickname. Serena remembered Prince Nolan whispering 'Rena'—or maybe 'Qingqing'—by her ear. Either way, it was far too close; ordinary people shouldn’t use it.
"Why not?" It wasn’t Will who spoke, but Elaine. "Is it so bad if I call you Rena? It means I like you and want to be friends." As she spoke, Elaine couldn’t help showing off a little—like she thought Serena should be honored by her attention.
This girl really wasn’t likable. She reminded Serena of Liam Li—so much main character energy. Serena frowned and instinctively pulled away. "Rena is way too intimate. It’s a name only lovers use. No one else is allowed to call me that." (Translator’s note: In Chinese, 'Qingqing' is a lovers-only pet name; here rendered as 'Rena.')
Serena explained seriously, glancing at Prince Nolan as she spoke. It was her way of making up for ignoring him on the road—she hadn’t meant to be so cold. After all, on a boring journey, wouldn’t you welcome someone talking to you, keeping you company?
It wasn’t that Serena was ignoring Prince Nolan—he just wasn’t very sociable.
Serena’s words had the expected effect—Prince Nolan’s mood improved instantly. Will’s eyes dimmed for a moment; he forced a bitter smile. Of course he knew how intimate the name 'Rena' was. That was exactly why he wanted to use it, but... Serena had refused.
William was a gentleman. Even if he was hurting inside, he just smiled and let it go. But Elaine was different—she glared at Serena, annoyed. "It’s just a name—why make such a fuss? I call you Rena because I like you. Besides, do you really think anyone would like you looking like this? You’re dark, and you even have a scar on your face."
You can’t go on like this. Men are visual creatures—you want to attract them, you have to dress up and look pretty. They say pale skin covers all flaws, but you’re way too dark. You need to find a way to lighten up and look gorgeous. And what’s with those clothes? That drab gray is hopeless. No man would ever go for you like this. Trust me—let me handle you, and I guarantee you’ll be whiter, and I’ll design you a new outfit myself. You’ll turn heads wherever you go..."
Elaine looked smug, as if she’d just delivered some grand proclamation. The longer she talked, the more confident she became, and her gaze at Serena grew stranger. Serena’s suspicions deepened; she began sizing Elaine up with a searching look.
Was this Lane girl... just like her?