Caleb Wang finally understood what it meant to be hoisted with his own petard, what it meant for someone to push their luck.
Serena Feng was an expert at maximizing her own advantage. If there was a benefit to be had, she’d take it—and she did so with such confidence that no one could fault her.
A gust of wind sent leaves swirling, brushing across Caleb’s cheek. He angrily brushed them away, clenching them in his hand, and snapped, “Serena Feng, you’re doing this on purpose! You’re taking the chance to extort me!”
Caleb nearly spat blood from sheer frustration. If Serena Feng didn’t go into business, it was a total waste of her talents.
“Extort you? You?” Serena retorted. “What do you have that’s worth extorting?” With that, she left Caleb and returned to her room, only to come back out moments later—before he could lose his temper—handing him a stack of white papers:
“I prepared these earlier. Just follow them—I’m not asking for much.”
Not asking for much, huh? Only about a dozen sheets—how much could she possibly have written? Right?
“What is this, some kind of ghostly scribble? It’s all crooked and ugly—and what are these characters? They’re all wrong! What a mess.” Caleb flipped through each page, frowning in disgust.
It wasn’t that his standards were too high—it was just that Serena Feng’s handwriting was even worse than his three-year-old nephew’s. If she hadn’t given him these herself, he would’ve tossed them on the ground ages ago. They were an eyesore.
Serena’s face flushed red, but she refused to back down. Instead, her voice grew louder: “Caleb Wang, stop whining! This is just how good I am. Take it or leave it. If you don’t like it, build the room yourself—but if it’s not up to my standards, I’ll have it torn down and rebuilt.”
Most importantly, his brother's eyes couldn't wait.
Serena ignored Caleb and kept walking. He had no choice but to follow her, pleading all the way, but Serena acted as if she hadn't heard a word.
Caleb, unable to do anything else, tried to persuade Serena by bringing up William: "Serena, the sooner we finish building the room, the sooner my brother's eyes can be cured. You want him to see as soon as possible, don't you?"
This was beneficial for both of them. The betting market outside was in chaos, and most people didn’t believe in Serena. If anyone was anxious, it should be her, not the Wang clan.
Serena nodded, "You're right. I shouldn't let your mistake slow down the building progress."
Caleb nearly spat blood.
What kind of person is she? What kind of person?
What did I even do wrong?
Serena didn’t give Caleb a chance to speak, instead she asked mysteriously: "Caleb, I heard there’s a betting market outside. The odds for me curing your brother’s eyes are five to one, right?"
The moment money was mentioned, Serena’s eyes lit up with excitement.
She couldn’t help it—she was broke.
Feng Manor was still in shambles, waiting for her money to fix it.
With five-to-one odds, if she bet a hundred taels, she’d win five hundred—an absolute windfall.
Caleb nodded, “You’re not thinking of placing a bet, are you?”
Caleb shook his head, firmly disagreeing.
He was a gentleman—he’d never touch gambling. If his father found out, he’d break his legs.
Spending every day with Serena Feng had already ruined his reputation. Luckily, he wasn’t aiming for an official career, or he’d be finished—the censors would never let him off.
Caleb, you may be the Wang clan’s Seventh Young Master, but your monthly allowance is limited, right?
But…” Caleb struggled, “I don’t have any spare cash.
Serena replied, “No problem, I’ll lend you some. I’ve got six hundred taels of gold. You find someone to place the bet—if we win, we split the profit.”
“That’s not really proper.” Caleb was tempted.
No one ever says no to money.
Serena agreed, “When you put it that way, it really isn’t proper.” Just as Caleb thought she’d given up, Serena added, “But now’s not the right time to bet. We’ll wait. I’ll spread some rumors and make it look like I can’t do the surgery, so the odds go even higher—then we’ll bet.”
Meanwhile, at the Su residence, Vincent Su mentioned the betting market to Lance Quinn after finishing business.
“Do whatever you want.” Lance Quinn tossed out the words and left.
...
Caleb was completely speechless.
Serena, why don’t you go into business?
Serena shot Caleb a look. “I’d love to, but without government backing, how could I do business? Anyway, enough talk—help me recopy the plans. I need this room built.”
The world was big, but for Serena, the operating room was bigger.
Serena didn’t bother with Caleb and took him to the study, signaling for him to redraw the plans to her specifications.
“Serena, what’s this?” Caleb pointed at the original sketch.
“Glazed glass. I want glazed glass windows.” At this time, real glass didn’t exist, and glazed glass was the most transparent material available. Serena didn’t think she could make actual glass.
Glazed glass was expensive.
The Wang clan wasn’t short on money. If they were, Caleb could convince his father to bet too—she guaranteed a win, but they shouldn’t bet too much at once to avoid suspicion. Serena brushed off his concerns.
She wouldn’t compromise on the operating room.
“What about this?” Caleb pointed at another dark spot on the paper.
“The flooring. I want wood floors.”
“Fine, wood isn’t expensive.” Caleb quickly sketched the flooring.
“I want the best wood—moisture-proof, dust-proof, fire-proof, termite-proof.”
... Caleb.
“Yes, I want palace lanterns. Ten of them. And this stand is for night-pearls.”
“I don’t have money for night-pearls now, but I will in the future. The room must have perfect lighting—just as bright at night as during the day. Don’t worry, I won’t make the Wang clan pay for the night-pearls.”
“This is underfloor heating. This is insulation. In summer, you can put ice under the boards to cool the room—I want winter warmth and summer coolness.”
“This is the drain. This is the vent.”
“The bed must have wheels. This is the locking bolt—when it’s not being moved, I want it fixed in place.”
“Yes, the table—I want it made of marble, and it has to be movable.”
...
Serena cheerfully directed Caleb, ignoring his increasingly dark expression.
Her operating room couldn’t have a single flaw!