Vincent Su finally got to witness Serena Feng's stubbornness firsthand. No matter how he tried to persuade her or explain the stakes involved, Serena refused to back down. She was determined to treat Holden Cui's illness, stand by his side, and get involved in the Cui Clan's internal struggle.
"Serena Feng, you're basically turning yourself into a target. Are you not satisfied until you're dead?" Vincent Su pointed at Serena, his hand trembling uncontrollably.
Serena Feng just smiled indifferently. When you've got too many fleas, you stop itching; when you owe too many debts, you stop worrying. With so many people wanting her dead, one more enemy from the Cui Clan was no big deal.
Besides, the ones in the Cui Clan who wanted her dead were just a faction with interests clashing with Holden Cui. Now that she’d made such a public announcement, the rest of the Cui Clan would surely react. Even the people behind the scenes would have to think twice and consider whether the rest of the clan agreed before making a move against her.
Vincent Su was so angry he ground his teeth, his throat practically smoking. He grabbed the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of water. "Serena Feng, your hospitality is getting worse and worse."
Vincent picked up the cup and took a sip, but as soon as it hit his mouth, his face changed. His features scrunched up, and though he tried to swallow, the taste was just too awful. With a loud "Pff..." he spat the whole mouthful of tea out.
Luckily, Serena reacted quickly and grabbed a nearby pillow to shield herself. Otherwise, that mouthful of tea would have gone straight onto her face.
"You're disgusting." Serena wrote on a blank sheet of paper.
"Pah, pah, pah!" Vincent Su searched everywhere for water to get rid of the weird taste in his mouth, but found there was none in Serena's room. All he could do was keep spitting.
"And you dare call me disgusting? Who else puts medicine in the teapot like you? Are you trying to kill someone?" Vincent Su was so frustrated today he was about to lose his mind.
With Storm Cloud Bu gone, Serena Feng's safety was now Vincent Su's responsibility. After finally dealing with a mountain of chores, he heard that Serena was using herself as bait to lure out the mastermind. He rushed over, desperate to change her mind, but Serena wouldn't budge.
Nothing had gone right today. Vincent Su was so angry he sat in a chair, breathing heavily—looking nothing like a refined young master from a wealthy family.
Serena picked up her pen and quickly wrote on the paper: "That medicine was for me. No one told you to drink it; you poured it yourself. If you have nothing else to say, you can leave now."
As for the Cui Clan, I will never compromise. If they can send assassins after me once, they can do it twice. I hate living under threat—rather than always being on guard, I'd rather take the initiative and strike back.
I, Serena Feng, may be cautious and careful, but I'm not weak or useless. If I let them bully me like this and don't fight back, then I'd truly be worthless. If the Cui Clan wants a fight, then let them have it. I, Serena Feng, am not afraid.
"Sis, maybe you're not afraid, but I am! Do you even know how dangerous this is? Where is the Cui Clan, how much power do they have—it's all a mystery. Even the Emperor doesn't dare mess with them lightly." Vincent Su was so anxious, he actually called her 'Sis.'
"The Cui Clan has always kept to the shadows. The fact that they're showing themselves now means they're desperate. Don't worry about it." Serena Feng wrote with her pen.
Vincent Su sighed. Serena Feng was just like Nolan Drake—she seemed easygoing, but once she made up her mind, no one could change it. Vincent could only helplessly urge Serena to be careful.
"Qingchen, if you’re really going to stand with Holden Cui and declare war on the other side, I can’t stop you. But please, promise me you’ll be careful. If something happens to you, Nolan will bury me alive for sure." He had no desire to become the next Storm Cloud Bu.
Uh... Thinking of Nolan Drake, Serena hesitated for a moment. Just as Vincent Su thought she might reconsider because of Nolan, Serena picked up her pen and wrote: "Tell Nolan for me that I’ll be careful, and he doesn’t need to worry. Plus, I have shadow guards around me. They may not be much, but after what happened, they should be on high alert."
Nolan should already know about the shadow guards—he’d snuck in here several times before.
Thinking about it, it was really her own carelessness. Both Ninth Royal Uncle and Nolan Drake had managed to sneak into her room before. If those two could get past the shadow guards and attendants, of course others could too.
Vincent Su didn’t think much of Serena’s comment about the shadow guards. He immediately explained, "Don’t worry, Qingchen. Nolan already swapped out your shadow guards for a new batch. These are definitely better than the last ones—they won’t let you get into danger again."
Serena paused, her grip on the pen tightening for a moment before she quickly wrote, as if nothing had happened: "The shadow guards around me were arranged by Nolan?"
She’d thought these shadow guards were assigned by Ninth Royal Uncle out of concern for her safety. Turns out… she’d overestimated her place in his heart.
Her eyelids fluttered slightly, and Serena gave a bitter smile, silently cursing herself for being greedy—thinking that after one night of passion, things would somehow be different.
She was still herself, and Ninth Royal Uncle was still Ninth Royal Uncle.
Vincent Su sensed something was off, but since he’d already spoken, he could only nod. "Yes, yes, exactly. Nolan was worried you’d be in danger, so he arranged for a new batch of shadow guards. The last group made such a big mistake, they’ve already been punished and sent back for retraining. The ones with you now might be on their first mission, but I promise their skills are top-notch."
Serena’s expression dimmed, her smile forced. She lowered her head and wrote on the blank paper, "Thank Nolan for me. I’m tired—I want to rest."
"Qingchen, um..." Vincent Su silently cursed—today really was a mess. He’d meant well, but ended up making things worse.
Serena Feng ignored Vincent Su, pulled up the covers, lay down, and closed her eyes—clearly done with talking.
Vincent Su left with a bitter expression, giving Serena Feng a long, searching look before turning away.
Even if he wanted to explain, he didn’t know how. He couldn’t exactly tell Serena Feng that Nolan and Ninth Royal Uncle were actually the same person, and that Nolan’s arrangements were really Ninth Royal Uncle’s.
Sigh... It was all his fault for speaking too fast and crediting Nolan for the shadow guards.
Ninth Royal Uncle, I’m sorry!
Standing at Serena Feng’s door, Vincent Su bowed in the direction of the Ninth Prince’s estate, expressing his apology.
"Achoo, achoo." In his study, busy with paperwork, Ninth Royal Uncle sneezed twice in a row. His hand shook, splattering ink across the freshly written document.
Blots of black ink spread across the paper, ruining the official document. Ninth Royal Uncle put down his pen, crumpled up the paper, tossed it aside, adjusted his clothes, and rubbed his aching wrist. He gazed into the distance to relieve his tired eyes.
He hadn’t seen Serena Feng for five days now. During the day, Ninth Royal Uncle had to recuperate and couldn’t go out. Even sending people from the estate to check on her was useless—most of them were sent away by Simon Sun.
At night... He wanted to go, but Serena Feng was guarded twenty-four hours a day. The guards from the Prince Su’s estate had moved into the inner courtyard, patrolling in shifts around the clock. He simply couldn’t sneak in anymore.
Ninth Royal Uncle finally understood what it meant to shoot yourself in the foot. All the maids he’d sent over were now loyal to Serena Feng, treating him like an outsider and refusing to cut him any slack. So close, yet so far away...