A Gentle Smile From the Ice-Cold Beauty

After the initial shock, numbness set in.

Ninth Royal Uncle Nolan Dongling looked at Serena, quickly filling the stone hut with equipment, but instead of being rattled, he grew even calmer.

Getting used to things is truly terrifying. No matter how miraculous something is, you just get used to it. Nolan told himself as much.

No matter what was happening inside, Nolan's face stayed cold and expressionless—neither surprised nor curious, which made Serena admire him all the more.

Nolan truly was the type who could face a mountain collapsing without flinching or a startled deer without blinking. That kind of composure and insight was rare; all Serena could do was admire him, since she knew she’d never reach his level.

"All done." Serena took out each piece of equipment one by one, lifted her chin, and looked at Nolan, her dark eyes glittering with a mischievous smile.

She admitted it—she was doing this on purpose. But...

Nolan didn’t seem the least bit startled. (William Wang should be used for Wang Jinling in later lines if the character appears; ensure all references are updated to William Wang for consistency.)

How boring.

Whew... Nolan quietly took a breath, looking at Serena with a complicated expression. "Serena, you’re someone with extraordinary luck."

Things like this aren’t something ordinary people can possess. The fact that Serena has it is her good fortune.

"Of course. I’m the luckiest person in the world." If not, how else could she have survived disaster after disaster?

Wrong. I’m the luckiest person in the world—because I met you, and I have you.

But when Nolan was about to say this, he swallowed it and instead said, "Serena, you must never let anyone discover your Smart Med-Pack."

If anyone ever found out about it, they’d do anything to steal it. And if they couldn’t steal it, they’d destroy it.

If the Smart Med-Pack belonged to anyone other than Serena, Nolan would take action himself—eliminating the owner to prevent such a person from becoming his enemy.

"Don’t worry, I’m always careful." To protect the Smart Med-Pack’s secret, Serena had already been diligently studying traditional medicine, trying to minimize the need to use the Smart Med-Pack.

"Careful? No, you’re not careful enough." Anyone with a mind to investigate could find out—like him, like William Wang. They just hadn’t said anything.

"Forget it, don’t overthink it. I’ll handle these things. All you need to remember is, whatever happens, protect yourself. As long as you’re alive, anything is possible."

Nolan was telling Serena that if, one day, someone tried to seize her Smart Med-Pack, she should let them take it. No matter how good a tool is, it’s only useful if you’re alive—never risk your life for something external!

As long as they’re alive, there’s always a chance to turn things around.

Stay alive, and anything is possible.

Serena nodded, showing she understood.

The Smart Med-Pack was important, but nowhere near as important as her life. Serena knew this perfectly well.

Serena pointed to the clothes on the stone bed. "It’s getting late—let’s get to work."

Nolan already knew and accepted the existence of the Smart Med-Pack. Her biggest secret was now exposed to him. She had nothing left to hide and nothing to worry about.

"Put on the coat, and wear gloves and a mask." Serena’s hands weren’t fully functional, so she could only help Nolan with small tasks.

Fortunately, Nolan was no longer the pampered prince who couldn’t do anything. He’d been personally caring for Serena for some time now, and aside from cleaning toilets, there was hardly anything he hadn’t learned.

Soon, Nolan stood before Serena, fully dressed and ready. But no matter how Serena looked at him, something felt off.

The same white coat looked sharp and precise on her, sacred and confident on Simon Sun, and always gave off a professional vibe suited to a doctor. But on Nolan...

He somehow managed to turn the doctor’s uniform into something that screamed cold-blooded, twisted killer.

Uh...

Is this the allure of a uniform?

Still, the feeling was just too strange.

Was it something off about Nolan’s aura, or were his eyes just too cold and rational?

Serena stared at Nolan’s face for a long moment, trying to figure out why.

"Is there something wrong?" Nolan checked himself over but couldn’t see what was off.

"N-no, nothing." Serena hurriedly replied. "We can start now."

Anyway, Nolan wasn’t a real doctor and wasn’t about to learn medicine, so what if he gave off a killer vibe? Serena comforted herself with the thought.

"Alright." Nolan nodded, his cold, serious demeanor matching the instruments on the stone bed.

Serena realized she’d gotten it wrong—Nolan wasn’t some twisted killer, he was a research maniac.

A cold, inhuman research fiend. His icy, solemn look made her feel like she was back at the worktable.

Nope!

That was not a pleasant memory.

Serena quickly pulled herself together and began teaching Nolan how to use the equipment. After zero mistakes on his first try, he didn’t need her help for the second, and by the third he could run the tests smoothly on his own. Serena realized she’d just taught her apprentice so well she’d starve as the master.

This... this was just way too fast.

She’d only explained it once, and Nolan had already mastered it. He wasn’t flustered at all—just a little slow at first.

Sigh... There’s just no comparing people. She couldn’t match Simon Sun, and she couldn’t match Nolan either.

Serena quietly stepped back and stood in the corner, so she wouldn’t get in Nolan’s way.

She had to admit, a man focused on his work was seriously attractive—especially one who was already outrageously handsome. When he got all serious and meticulous, she just wanted to be the center of his attention, wishing his eyes would never leave her.

Serena had always liked serious, steady, mature academic men. Now, seeing Nolan in white, standing confidently and intently at the worktable, eyes locked on the testing equipment, she almost wished she could turn into the instruments themselves—just to be the only thing in his gaze.

Nolan liked watching Serena focus so intently on saving lives. And just the same, Serena had no resistance to Nolan’s intense, focused gaze.

If Nolan looked at her with that kind of focus even once, her whole life would be worth it.

Maybe Serena’s gaze was just too heated, because Nolan had to pause and turn to ask, "Is something wrong?"

Through the mask, his voice was cold and mechanical, with no emotion at all. It startled Serena out of her daze, and she quickly forced a laugh. "N-no, nothing. You go on."

Ugh... Handsome men are dangerous. How had she gotten so distracted staring at Nolan again?

It had been years since this happened. Ever since she’d been with Nolan, seeing him every day, she’d never gotten so lost staring at him.

She thought she’d built up immunity to Nolan’s good looks, but apparently not—she’d fallen for it again.

So embarrassing.

Serena blushed.

"Mm." Nolan’s eyelids flickered as he replied, face blank, and went right back to work, not the least bit affected by the little interruption.

With the mask on, it was impossible to tell if Nolan was secretly smiling—all Serena could see was the hint of a smile in his eyes.

That faint smile softened his icy face, and even the cold, lifeless equipment seemed less stiff and harsh.

If Serena had seen it, she’d be melting all over again.

A gentle smile from a coldly handsome heartthrob—now that’s lethal!