Although Serena Feng had discussed many things with the Lord of Liancastle, the two hadn’t actually spent much time. By the time Serena returned to the small clinic cabin, the surgery was still underway.
Serena didn’t dare disturb Simon Sun, so she waited outside.
It was already winter, and the small cabin stood exposed with no shelter from the elements. Standing outside, the cold wind cut like a knife—Serena hadn’t been out long before her face stung raw. Turning her head, she saw Bella Qin still standing vigil in the open, and couldn’t help but give her silent credit.
Even if she didn’t like Bella Qin, Serena had to admit the girl had real perseverance and grit. Some of her actions were genuinely moving—like now.
On such a freezing day, Bella could wait outside for hours just out of worry for Simon, letting the wind scour her face without budging an inch. Serena truly admired her—if it were her, she’d never manage it. When it came to social skills and being liked, she fell far short of Bella.
"Miss, your cloak." An attentive maid hurried over with a thick fur cloak for Serena, and only after bundling herself up did Serena finally feel comfortable again.
Wrapped up in the furry cloak, Serena was completely bundled up—unlike Bella’s graceful figure, she looked like a big child, swallowed by fluff with only her eyes showing, like an oversized hamster. She looked so much like Feng Jin that the Eighteen Riders and Zuo An couldn’t help laughing.
Serena shot the Eighteen Riders a fierce glare, pretending to be embarrassed and angry, then turned and went inside, leaving Bella alone to keep her vigil outside.
She was worried about Simon and Logan Ling, but even concern had its limits. Standing outside for too long—no matter how strong she was—she’d eventually catch cold. As for Bella?
Out of a sense of responsibility as host, Serena had sent servants to invite Bella in, but Bella refused, giving her a look that seemed to accuse Serena of being cold-blooded.
Serena had no interest in playing the saint. If Bella Qin insisted on standing outside, so be it. If she got sick, it was just two doses of medicine—Feng Manor could easily afford that.
Fine, Serena would never admit it, but honestly, she thought it was best if Bella did fall ill—if she was stuck bedridden, she’d have no time to chase after Simon Sun.
Two hours later, Simon Sun opened the door and pushed Logan Ling out. Despite the freezing weather, Simon was drenched in sweat, and Logan lay on the operating bed, face ashen—if not for the slight flutter of his eyelids, he could have passed for dead.
"Brother Sixing!" Bella’s voice was hoarse from standing outside so long, her complexion almost as bad as Logan’s. But before she could approach, Greenshine blocked her: "Miss Qin, you’re full of cold air—you’d better not get close to Dr. Sun. Also, my master doesn’t like people near him. Please keep your distance."
Greenshine had just arrived; she’d spent the whole time in the kitchen preparing food for Logan Ling.
She knew Logan couldn’t eat after surgery, but Greenshine couldn’t sit still—she had to keep busy to get through the waiting.
Cutting open someone’s throat and stitching it back up—Greenshine had never heard of such a treatment, but she couldn’t think of any other way to remove what was stuck in Logan’s throat.
Anxious and afraid, Greenshine kept herself busy nonstop. Still, she timed everything perfectly—almost the moment Simon opened the door, she was there.
Seeing Logan Ling alive, though pale, and breathing steadily, Greenshine’s tears wouldn’t stop. When Logan moved his hand to signal he was all right, Greenshine collapsed to the ground, sobbing.
"Little master, you’re finally safe! Thank goodness, truly thank goodness. If Miss knew in the underworld, she’d be happy. Finally, Greenshine has the face to see her again." The ‘Miss’ she spoke of was Logan Ling’s mother—the infamous Demon Sect witch feared by all.
No matter how ruthless Logan Ling’s mother was, she had nothing but love for him.
"Don’t be sad, Miss Greenshine. Logan’s doing well—now it’s just a matter of rest." Simon Sun had been worried about Bella Qin, but Greenshine’s tears shifted his attention.
Serena stepped forward at just the right moment, signaling for the servants to help Bella Qin away. "Simon, it’s too cold outside. Take Logan to the sickroom and oversee his recovery. Don’t worry about Miss Qin—she’s only caught a chill, I’ll handle her."
At this moment, Serena was almost glad Logan had this trauma-based aversion to strangers—it gave her a perfect excuse to keep Simon Sun close and slowly cut off his attachment to Bella.
Simon glanced at Bella, ready to nod, but Bella played the understanding, considerate role: "Brother Sixing, don’t worry about me. Just take care of Logan—I’m fine... I listened to you and wore lots of layers, so I’m not afraid of the cold."
She finished with a sniffle and a little puff of breath, looking sweet and innocent, but Simon had no time to notice—he nodded to Bella and hurried off to get Logan settled.
The surgery had gone smoothly, and Logan’s condition was good, but right after the operation he was extremely weak—he couldn’t afford even a minor illness. Simon and Greenshine quickly pushed him to the sickroom.
As for Bella Qin? Just as Serena predicted, she caught a chill. That night, Bella developed a high fever. Serena spent most of the night treating her, and made sure the maids kept a close eye on her, warning them to come get her if the fever didn’t go down.
The household staff were deeply unhappy with Bella for ignoring their advice and insisting on standing outside in the freezing wind. Caring for a sick patient was hard enough—Bella’s illness doubled the maids’ workload.
Serena knew all this, but could only warn the maids not to slack off with Bella’s care. As for how they felt about it, that was beyond her control.
News of Bella’s illness reached the Lord of Liancastle the very next day. Before leaving to fetch Jason Lan, he came again to Feng Manor, supposedly to visit Bella but really to stir up trouble.
The Lord of Liancastle believed Serena had deliberately mistreated Bella. Even though Bella repeatedly explained, he insisted it was Serena’s negligence and demanded to take Bella back to Liancastle.
Serena almost wanted to agree, but with Lance Quinn’s relationship with Liancastle so strained, she could only grit her teeth and refuse. Besides, Bella herself didn’t want to go, so the Lord of Liancastle had no choice but to give up.
With the Liancastle–Jason Lan affair finally settled, not only Serena but William Wang Jinling could breathe a sigh of relief: at last, those two headaches were out of the capital, and Jixia Academy could be given a decent explanation.
Serena didn’t go to see them off. She stayed at Feng Manor to receive the brother and sister Felix Fuller had recommended.
The siblings came from a poor grassland tribe, even more remote than Chief Musa’s people—Serena had never even heard of their home before.
That was precisely why Chief Musa hadn’t seized their cattle and sheep to sell to Third Young Master Cui. Their tribe couldn’t supply much, but after Felix’s introduction, Serena went in with a ‘dead horse as a living horse to doctor’ mindset—just hoping for a miracle—and ended up with an unexpected delight…