The Eighth Prince’s surgery went smoothly. Serena Feng only acted as assistant; Simon Sun needed no guidance from her. Once he picked up the scalpel, all his nerves, worries, and anxiety vanished.
Whether it was the Eighth Prince or a nameless orphan, Simon Sun saw no difference between them. On the operating table, all he could do was everything within his power.
Serena was the perfect assistant—she handed Simon every instrument he needed the instant he reached for it, without him having to say a word.
Their teamwork was seamless—one passed, the other took—no need for eye contact, each knew exactly what the other would do. There was no room for a third person between them.
Serena found a moment to wipe the sweat from Simon’s forehead, then kept her eyes glued to his hands, not blinking once.
Simon Sun was undeniably gifted, but this was his first time as lead surgeon. Serena was still a bit worried—especially since the patient was the Eighth Prince. If anything went wrong, the Emperor would never spare them.
The procedure went well, but during the final suturing, an arterial bleed erupted from the lip. Both Serena and Simon’s faces changed. Serena recovered first, knowing it wasn’t fatal, and immediately regained her composure: “Press it.”
Simon panicked for a split second, but Serena’s voice rang in his ear, bringing him back to focus. He followed her instructions without hesitation.
“Stop the bleeding!”
Simon didn’t hesitate, nor did he ask Serena to take over. He steadied himself and handled the emergency exactly as they’d planned. Seeing Simon stay calm, Serena finally breathed a sigh of relief.
“Once the bleeding’s stopped, check the incision again. If there’s no problem, finish the suturing.” Serena stopped watching over Simon and went to prepare the medication for the Eighth Prince.
With only the two of them in the room, Serena had to handle everything herself.
Simon nodded silently, then focused intently on the Eighth Prince’s lips. After confirming there was no further issue, he signaled to Serena, who gestured for him to finish the suturing.
Simon sutured the wound and wrapped it in gauze, while Serena finished preparing the medication and also readied the Pain-Relief Wand for the Eighth Prince.
Serena rarely used the Pain-Relief Wand. Whether it was William Wang, Holden Cui, or Victor Yun, these men were the type to bleed without ever shedding a tear—almost as if they didn’t feel pain at all. Her Pain-Relief Wand was wasted on them.
But the Eighth Prince was different—he was still a child. Once the anesthesia wore off, he’d cry from the pain, and might split the incision. Serena had to do everything possible to keep him comfortable.
Because the Eighth Prince was so small, finding his artery was especially difficult. Simon struggled for quite a while before finally inserting the needle accurately and adjusting the medicine bottle. He glanced at the Eighth Prince lying on the table, forced down his excitement and pride, and said in a steady voice, “Master, it’s done!”
"The operation was a complete success, Simon—you did great!" Serena praised him generously.
Serena was more and more satisfied with her apprentice. What could be happier in this world than having a disciple with outstanding talent? Serena was certain that in time, Simon would surpass her by far.
As his master, she needed to keep working hard, or she’d be left far behind by her own apprentice.
Master and apprentice wheeled the Eighth Prince into the outer room, changed his clothes, and then pushed him out. As soon as the door opened, Imperial Noble Consort Helena Hsieh rushed forward, her face tense with worry. She looked anxiously at Serena and Simon: “How is the Little Prince?”
Serena didn’t answer, but looked to Simon—he was the lead surgeon, so it was his job to announce the good news to the patient’s family.
Simon could stay calm on the operating table, but facing Imperial Noble Consort Helena made him a little nervous. He stammered, “Please don’t worry, Your Ladyship—the Eighth Prince is fine.”
“But why hasn’t he woken up yet?” Helena pressed.
Right now, her entire heart was focused on the Eighth Prince; she didn’t care if Simon sounded unsure.
“The anesthesia hasn’t worn off yet. To spare the Eighth Prince pain during treatment, we sedated him in advance. He’ll wake up in about an hour. Your Ladyship, please step aside—the Little Prince needs to rest now.” The more Simon explained, the steadier and more confident he became.
“Alright, I’ll go too.” Helena’s eyes never left the Eighth Prince—she couldn’t bear to let him out of her sight.
Just moments ago, waiting outside the operating room, her heart had been in knots.
Simon glanced at Helena’s ornate attire and frowned. “Your Ladyship, if you’re going to care for the Eighth Prince, you’d better change into something more practical.”
Helena was dressed in full palace regalia—beautiful, but hardly suitable for tending to a child.
“Alright, I’ll change right away. What kind of clothes would make it easier to look after him? Is there anything I should watch out for?” Helena glanced down at her own outfit, then shot a glare at the two palace maids sent by the Emperor.
If not for those two women, she wouldn’t be dressed like this. They’d insisted that simpler clothes would disgrace a Noble Consort. Hmph—what mattered more, palace dignity or her son’s wellbeing?
Seeing Helena’s good attitude, Simon relaxed and spoke more informally. After a few simple instructions, he motioned for her to step aside so he could take the Eighth Prince to the sickroom.
Helena followed them all the way, with the guards trailing behind. And then—
Serena was left standing all alone!
Everyone had forgotten about Serena. She watched the group ahead with bright, piercing eyes, then quietly looked away.
Why... did Helena, Simon, and the Eighth Prince together look so much like a family?
Was she seeing things, or was she really seeing things?
Forget it. Serena quietly returned to the operating room and started cleaning up.
Ugh... This was supposed to be Simon’s job, but now it was all hers. Well, what could she do? Simon was the lead surgeon now, and she was just the assistant.
After cleaning up the operating room, Serena prepared all the instruments needed for the afternoon surgeries. They had two more operations scheduled—there was no time to waste.
For the next few days, Serena felt as if she’d returned to modern times—one surgery after another, endless rounds, never-ending cases.
Babies born with congenital defects weren’t uncommon. Most families dealt with them at birth, but not every parent could be so cold-blooded. Quite a few secretly raised their children, hoping for a miracle.
For those families, Simon Sun was a godsend. This time, he brought back sixteen children—not all with cleft lips, but with other conditions too. Serena and Simon spent this period treating all sixteen.
Serena and Simon had to diagnose and treat all sixteen children, plus handle their follow-up care. The workload was unimaginable.
For three days straight, Serena and Simon slept less than three hours a night. As a result, they began to neglect the Eighth Prince.
Helena wasn’t pleased, but since the Eighth Prince was fine, she didn’t say much. The two palace maids sent by the Emperor, however, were far from happy.
After the Eighth Prince woke up, his wound hurt and he was especially difficult to care for. Helena handed his care over to the palace maids, who barely slept these past few days—let alone had time to snoop around Feng Manor or steal the token.
The two maids were sleep-deprived and failing at their mission from the Emperor. It was no wonder their tempers were short. That night, they were up again tending to the Eighth Prince, who woke crying twice before dawn.
By the time they finally soothed the Eighth Prince, it was nearly morning. The two maids, exhausted, exchanged a glance—and in their eyes flashed a trace of malice...