Get Lost, That Unfathomable Act Is Terrifying

Dominic Zhai ground his teeth in frustration, but he just couldn't persuade Serena Feng. Watching her calm and unruffled demeanor made Dominic even more annoyed.

It really was a case of the emperor not worrying, but the eunuch fretting to death... Fine, he’d stop caring too.

"Serena Feng, I really don’t know what goes on in your head. As for Holden Cui, I’m done with his business—you handle it yourself. I’ll keep chasing the killer, but don’t get your hopes up. The Cui clan hides too deep; even the Emperor can’t find them, so I definitely won’t. If you want the mastermind, you’ll have to rely on yourself.

Keep an eye on Holden Cui yourself—don’t let him fool you. He’s no simple character, very calculating. And that Victor Yun guy, be wary of him too. Anyone who flatters you for no reason is either a traitor or a thief.

Oh, and Nolan Dongling—Serena, he’s been recuperating at your place for over a month. Now that you’re healed, he should be too, right? Isn’t it time for him to go back to Ninth Prince Manor? Him living here all this time—what’s that supposed to look like?

People who know he’s recovering get it, but those who don’t might think you two are having an affair. That Nolan Dongling is a sly, scheming bastard—only you would be kind enough to take him in. If it were me, I’d have kicked him out ages ago.

He puts on airs all day long—just seeing him annoys me. Not only does he have that cold-as-ice, expressionless face, he’s insidious and ruthless, always acting deep and mysterious, like everyone else is an idiot except him. And that holier-than-thou attitude, as if he’s the noblest person in the world…"

It’s not that Dominic Zhai is being unfair—his family paid too high a price for that bit of military authority, and he’s disliked Ninth Royal Uncle for ages. Besides, he’s always thought Serena Feng belonged to William Wang Jinling. As William’s close friend, when William isn’t in the Capital, Dominic naturally feels he should watch over Serena for him.

The more Dominic cursed, the more fired up he got. But as he ranted on, he realized Serena Feng and the other two had no reaction at all. Looking up, he saw Serena, Caleb Wang, and Ethan Hsieh all staring toward the door with tangled expressions, their brows furrowed and bodies subconsciously shrinking back. Dominic was confused and turned around…

Ah…

Dominic Zhai let out a loud cry, clenched his fists, and brought them to his lips, backing away in terror: "How can this be, how can this be—N-n-ninth Royal Uncle, w-when did you get here?"

Sure enough, the cold-as-ice, expressionless Nolan Dongling Dominic had just been ranting about was now standing at the doorway, looking at Dominic with a deep, inscrutable gaze—every bit as mysterious as always.

Dominic was so terrified his face turned white and his legs shook. His eyes darted around, first giving Serena Feng a pitiful look as if asking why Nolan Dongling was here, then blaming Serena and the other two for not warning him. His aggrieved expression was just like a scolded puppy.

The three—Serena, Caleb Wang, and Ethan Hsieh—gave Dominic a sympathetic glance, then quietly looked away. They’d tried signaling him with their eyes, but Dominic was so caught up in his rant he never noticed and just got more worked up.

Dominic, we can’t save you now. May Buddha have mercy!

Serena made it clear she wasn’t getting involved. As for Ethan and Caleb, forget it—they were powerless here. After all, Dominic had just insulted Ninth Royal Uncle himself.

"Ahem..." Seeing Dominic frozen in shock, Ninth Royal Uncle kindly cleared his throat, startling Dominic into snapping to attention in perfect military posture. Only then did Ninth Royal Uncle stride inside, satisfied.

"Young Master Dominic, I’m not n-n-ninth Royal Uncle—don’t get it wrong."

"Uh... Yes, sir." Dominic replied, head drooping like a defeated watchdog.

Ninth Royal Uncle shot Dominic a glance, then waved for Ethan and Caleb not to stand on ceremony. He sat down naturally right beside Serena, saying nothing…

Dominic nervously swallowed, trying to comfort himself—maybe Ninth Royal Uncle hadn’t heard much. Sticking to the principle of ‘better confess and die early than resist and live,’ he mumbled a weak explanation: "Ninth Royal Uncle, um, that’s not what I meant, please don’t misunderstand, what I said just now was..."

"I heard you, Young Master Dominic, no need to repeat. I may be a bastard, ice-mountain-faced, cold and ruthless, inscrutable, and high and mighty—but I’m not deaf." A gentleman’s revenge can wait ten years, but Ninth Royal Uncle preferred to settle scores on the spot.

Dominic wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Why did every single insult he’d hurled at Ninth Royal Uncle get heard, word for word? He hadn’t meant it—he’d just gotten carried away, venting and saying whatever came out, never expecting to get caught red-handed.

Might as well give up now. Dominic muttered, "So I’m not even allowed to speak the truth?"

"When did I ever stop you from speaking the truth? Have I blamed you for anything?"

Uh... Well, no, he hadn’t. It was Dominic who’d been talking behind his back, so now he felt guilty for getting caught.

"If you aren’t blaming me, then that’s a relief. I was just talking off the cuff, not being serious." Dominic forced a laugh, though he was anything but happy inside.

Ninth Royal Uncle held grudges—Dominic knew this wouldn’t end well. No telling how much it would cost to appease him this time. At this rate, the Zhai family would have no say left in the Shenji Battalion.

"Just talking off the cuff? You’re even trying to dictate where I live—that’s ‘just talking off the cuff’? Young Master Dominic, who gave you the right to meddle in my affairs?" Talk about bad luck—Ninth Royal Uncle hadn’t heard the first half, but he’d caught everything about himself.

Heaven help me!

Dominic rolled his eyes, just about to fake a faint to escape, but Ninth Royal Uncle caught on: "If you’re going to pretend to faint, Young Master Dominic, at least pick a good spot to fall. If you break a chair, you’ll have to pay for it."

Pfft... His fainting scheme failed. Dominic swayed but finally stood up straight, desperately signaling Serena Feng for help—she was his only hope now.

Unfortunately, Dominic and Serena weren’t on the same wavelength—no telepathy here. Serena kept her head down, completely missing Dominic’s cries for help.

Heaven helps those who help themselves. Dominic psyched himself up—it was just Ninth Royal Uncle, he wasn’t scared. Besides, he had reason on his side; Ninth Royal Uncle really shouldn’t be living at Serena’s place.

Reason wins the world! Dominic imagined himself out-arguing Ninth Royal Uncle, forcing him to apologize and leave in shame.

Hahaha...

Dominic was secretly proud, brimming with confidence—until he looked up and met Ninth Royal Uncle’s deep, piercing gaze. Instantly, Dominic wilted, unable to utter a single word.

Of all the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is best. Without another word, Dominic bolted for the door: "Ah... I just remembered, my grandpa sent me to Mingyi Pavilion to buy pastries. Serena, I’ll visit another day. Ninth Royal Uncle, um, I’ll be going now."

Thud... He hadn’t gone two steps before tripping over the threshold, landing face-first. Scrambling to his feet without even dusting himself off, he kept running: "Just an accident, I’m in a hurry to buy pastries..."

So embarrassing!

Dominic, seriously, could you not have lasted just a few seconds longer? If you hadn’t bailed so fast, I would’ve used the chance to finally kick Nolan Dongling out myself. Thanks for nothing.

If Dominic hadn’t sprinted off like his pants were on fire, Serena would’ve hauled him back just to see if she could finally evict Nolan Dongling. Missed opportunity.