In This World, I, Wang Jinling, Am Not Your Equal

Serena Feng wasn’t angry when she heard Victor Yun’s words. In the face of enough利益, people inevitably change; only a handful stay truly steadfast. Not everyone can see things as clearly as Victor.

Serena understood the Young Clan’s thinking and actions—they simply wanted more. Unfortunately...

But Serena was no lamb to be slaughtered. If the Young Clan thought they weren’t getting enough, then better not to eat at all. Serena opened the wooden box, checked the authenticity of the contract, and told her steward to bring out the copy from her study.

“Send it to the authorities for dissolution.” Serena handed the contract to her steward; the rest would be handled.

From today, Serena’s partnership with the Young Clan was over.

Victor Yun looked dejected, forcing a bitter smile: “Serena, I’ve let you down this time. In the future... this will never happen again.”

“It’s not your fault, so why apologize? Who doesn’t have a couple of troublesome relatives? Friendship is friendship, business is business—don’t mix the two.” Serena waved it off, unconcerned.

To her, working with the Young Clan was just icing on the cake—she could take it or leave it. If not for helping Victor, she wouldn’t have chosen to cooperate at all.

“Troublesome relatives? Mine aren’t just troublesome—they stab me right in the heart. Sometimes I envy you; you don’t have to run around for a whole clan, and after working yourself to the bone for them, you’re not blamed.” Life in a big family has its ups and downs; you can’t please everyone, and conflict is inevitable.

“What’s there to envy? I wish I could do more for my family, but I don’t have that blessing.” Everyone drinks water and knows its temperature—no one’s life is smooth sailing; each has their own worries.

Seeing the flash of sadness in Serena’s eyes, Victor Yun silently blamed himself: “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Serena smiled and said nothing. Of course she minded, but this wasn’t Victor’s fault—blaming him was pointless.

“So, what are your plans next?” Serena changed the subject to avoid awkwardness for both of them.

“What plans could I have? I’ll hand back all authority in the Young Clan and won’t get involved anymore. As a Young Clan member, I’ve done right by them.” He’d lifted the Young Clan out of crisis—he’d done his duty.

Serena nodded. She knew Victor and William Wang Jinling were alike—both proud to the bone. If they took on responsibility, they went all in; if their clan wounded them, they’d abandon it just as thoroughly.

Both sentimental and ruthless—there’s nothing wrong with that.

“Now that you’re not handling Young Clan business, are you interested in doing something of your own?” Serena probed. The Young Clan dealt in medicine, and Victor was skilled in the medical arts; she felt the urge to recruit him.

“Doing my own thing? What do you have in mind?” Victor was sharp—he caught on immediately.

“I’ve built a Medical Academy in the Jiangnan region. Right now, Dr. Redwater and Dr. Marcus Guile are running it, but both are medical geniuses with no head for management. If you’re interested, you can take it over completely—I promise no one will interfere.” Nobody’s perfect. Serena wasn’t good at business herself, which was why she wanted Victor in.

“What’s there to manage at a Medical Academy? Isn’t it just admitting students and teaching them?” Victor wasn’t that interested, but he didn’t refuse outright.

Serena shook her head. “That’s not all I want. The Medical Academy is just the foundation. I want to use it as a base to open clinics everywhere, just like my own family’s—places that can treat all kinds of patients.”

Basically, it’s about training talent first, then opening hospitals—run like modern ones. Of course, profit isn’t my main goal.

The Nine Provinces Realm is huge, with plenty of people, but there are hardly any clinics. Most folks just drag out their illnesses—sometimes because they’re broke, sometimes because they can’t find a doctor. The village barefoot doctors have limited skills and often kill patients by mistake. Serena had her private reasons, but she genuinely wanted to do something for the common people.

In the modern world, she was powerless—she knew things were unfair but couldn’t fix them. Here, it’s different. Ninth Royal Uncle has the ambition to seize the realm, so she should do her part for the people and for him.

Victor’s interest was piqued, so Serena continued: “Victor, I’m building the Medical Academy and opening clinics not to make silver, but so that in this realm, the sick have care and the elderly have support. I can’t do the second yet, but I’ll do everything I can for the first—so commoners can see a doctor and afford treatment.”

“The sick have care, the elderly have support.” Victor murmured the eight words, his eyes growing brighter and brighter as he looked at Serena—admiration and awe in his gaze. Excited, he declared, “What a vision—if it’s for that, I’ll do anything.”

The confusion and gloom in Victor’s eyes were replaced by confidence—his whole being lit up in an instant.

His world had been too small before, always focused on the Young Clan’s riches, just wanting to make them strong. He’d never thought he could do more.

If Serena—a woman—could hold the whole realm in her heart, why couldn’t he?

“Since you’ve agreed, then for the people of this land, let’s work together.” Serena didn’t give Victor a chance to back out—she reached out and clasped his hand in a vow.

She’d finally managed to recruit the talent she wanted—no way she was letting him slip away. While Victor’s blood was still hot, Serena made sure to seal the deal.

Victor was all fired up, but just as he reached out, someone interrupted: “How could you leave me out of something like this?”

William Wang Jinling stood at the doorway, nodded and smiled at them, then strode in—his dark eyes fixed on Serena. “The sick have care, the elderly have support. Serena, in this world, I am not your equal.”

With that, William performed a formal bow to Serena.

For a woman to think of all this—Serena was stronger than most of the men in the realm.

Serena was startled but didn’t get up or dodge; she just laughed and teased, “Jinling, you scared me with such a grand礼—I can’t possibly accept it.”

“You absolutely can.” William was serious, not the slightest bit insincere. “If not for your eight words, I’d never have thought I could do more for the people of this realm.”

William’s vision was broad, but his upbringing had never taught him that he could selflessly, without seeking reward, work for the common people and help them live better lives.

“You’re exaggerating.” Serena was truly startled now. She’d only meant to use a grand ideal to rope Victor into helping—she wasn’t that noble.

‘The sick have care’ was fine—it was her field. But ‘the elderly have support’ wasn’t something that could be achieved just by talking.

“It’s not an exaggeration. The Grand Heir is right—if you hadn’t brought it up, I’d never have realized there was more I could do than just lead the Young Clan. Our education made us think poor commoners’ lives were just like that. Even when we did charity—giving out porridge, fixing roads—we never thought to build a stable life for them.”

But Serena’s talk of training doctors and opening clinics showed them that ‘the sick have care’ wasn’t just empty words. If that could be real, then ‘the elderly have support’ could be realized too...

If they were willing, they could absolutely make it happen!