"You may rise." Nolan Dongling's voice was icy enough to chill the bone. Serena Feng's heart skipped—she thought, Is something bad about to happen again?
The three of them stood up, uneasy and fearful. Nolan didn't keep them in suspense for long—he spoke: "Edward Sun, someone has accused you of using medical research as a pretext to dismember corpses and vent private grudges."
When Edward Sun had the three corpses carried into Feng Manor, he made no attempt to hide it; plenty of people saw. So, of course, once word got out, someone seized on it. Although only Edward Sun was named, the bodies were brought to Feng Manor—Serena Feng couldn't escape involvement.
Of course, this was just an excuse—a legitimate reason for Nolan to come to Feng Manor. As for his real purpose, only he knew.
Serena Feng's heart jolted; she silently cursed herself for not being careful enough.
How could she have forgotten—even in modern times, not everyone can accept dissecting corpses. Edward Sun openly brought the bodies here; he really landed her in trouble...
Damn it.
Serena was cursing herself—blaming her own carelessness. Luckily it was Nolan who found out; if it had been Princess Serenity or the Empress, she'd be in real trouble.
Under Nolan's cold gaze, Edward Sun broke into a cold sweat and hurriedly explained, "Ninth Royal Uncle, these corpses were purchased legally—they're unclaimed bodies, and the Ministry of Justice has records."
"So what? Edward Sun, this violates accepted morality. Just because I understand doesn't mean the world will."
Edward Sun was speechless. Serena Feng wanted to speak, but held back—Nolan was deliberately keeping her out of this mess, so why jump in and slap him in the face?
Finally learning!
Nolan glanced at Serena, then closed his eyes and said to Edward Sun, "What are you waiting for? However you brought them in, take them out the same way and return them to the Ministry of Justice."
"Yes, yes, right away!" Edward Sun breathed a sigh of relief and quickly ordered his servants to move.
Serena wanted to help, but Nolan said, "Serena Feng, come with me."
Nolan seemed extremely familiar with Feng Manor—he didn't take a single wrong turn, heading straight to the study and sitting down in the main seat as if he owned the place.
"Sit." He gave the order, then fell silent.
Serena had no idea why Nolan was here, but obediently sat below him, hardly daring to breathe. She waited for him to speak, but after that single word—"Sit"—he said nothing at all.
What was that supposed to mean?
Serena looked up and studied him, but Nolan's face was completely expressionless—she couldn't read his thoughts or mood at all.
Serena Feng wanted to break the suffocating silence between them, but then remembered all the things Nolan had sent her—and her chest tightened painfully.
Wasn't all that stuff supposed to clear their debts? Why show up again—does he think she's shameless enough to keep clinging to him?
Relax—Serena Feng isn't that desperate.
Like two people sulking, they just sat there—neither willing to speak first.
Nolan's patience was endless; he sat perfectly still. Serena, on the other hand, grew more and more agitated—just as she was about to stand, Nolan got up.
Serena hurried to her feet, but Nolan walked right past her without a word.
"Ninth..." Serena started, but didn't know what to say.
Nolan paused, one foot on the threshold, hesitated a moment, then spoke with his back to Serena: "Serena Feng, from now on, you are never to interfere in my affairs again."
That was an order.
Without another glance, Nolan walked out. Serena collapsed into her chair, utterly dazed.
So it really was a clean break. She'd thought maybe his visit meant a turning point—turns out she was just deluding herself. Serena laughed, and laughed until tears poured down her face.
"Don't cry, Serena Feng. Don't cry. You knew from the start he was out of your league—why be sad?" She stared at the ceiling, sitting blankly until Evan Zhou reminded her it was time for dinner.
She'd pulled herself together, but dinner still tasted like nothing. Evan Zhou tried to cheer her up with some capital gossip, but Serena forced a smile that looked worse than crying.
Seeing this, Evan could only fall silent, worrying in his heart and hoping Serena would get over it soon.
Edward Sun and his son Simon Sun didn't enjoy their dinner either.
Thanks to Nolan's intervention, Edward Sun finally smoothed over the corpse-dissection scandal. The father and son returned to the Sun Estate, exhausted and starving. But when they sat down and saw a plate of greasy intestines, both instantly thought of the excrement-filled bowels they'd seen that day...
Ugh...
As if on cue, both started retching uncontrollably. Forget dinner—they couldn't even sleep well, just like Serena Feng.
The next morning, Simon Sun showed up at Feng Manor with dark circles under his eyes, only to find his master just as drained as he was.
Simon assumed Serena was worried about him and quickly assured her that Nolan had handled everything yesterday—she didn't need to worry.
The moment she heard "Ninth Royal Uncle," Serena nearly banged her head on the wall. She snapped out of it, nodded at Simon Sun to show she understood.
She tossed a few rabbits to Simon, telling him to practice suturing their wounds himself.
For two days, Serena drifted around like a ghost. She forced herself to focus on rebuilding Feng Manor, but then—an explosive piece of news snapped her awake.
With the Left Chancellor's treason case closed, General Warren Yu requested imperial permission to station himself at the Lyndaria (Western) frontier. The Emperor agreed, decreeing that Warren must depart immediately and may not enter the capital again without explicit summons.
No imperial summons, no entry—General Warren Yu might never return to the capital for the rest of his life.
A while ago, that would've made sense. But now, with Warren at the height of imperial favor, how could something like this happen?
What on earth happened?
When Warren arrived at Feng Manor, Serena asked him directly.
What happened that made Ninth Royal Uncle come in person to order her?
What happened that forced Warren to leave the capital and guard the frontier forever?
"Serena Feng, don't ask about this. Guarding the Lyndaria frontier is my own choice—I have to leave the capital. Only then can everything be put to rest. If I stayed, I'd just keep reminding certain people of what happened."
Warren spoke as he walked inside.
He took all the blame for the Zhu treason case. No matter how the Emperor investigates, he'll only find the evidence against Zhu—all of it passed through Warren's hands.
That evidence represents the Emperor's failure. He'll never allow anyone who knows the truth to live. Nolan and Serena never saw the documents, but if the Emperor learns they even touched them, he won't tolerate their existence.
Warren holds military power, so the Emperor still hesitates. But what about Nolan and Serena?
Nolan's rank and cunning make him hard to deal with, so the Emperor can't move against him easily.
Serena's different—if the Emperor wants her dead, all it takes is a word...
Warren must leave. Only by leaving the capital can he protect Nolan and Serena.
Besides, apart from Serena Feng, there's nothing left in the capital for him—no one worth missing. Before leaving, she was the only one he came to say goodbye to.
Two days later, as the sun rose, Serena Feng watched Warren depart for the frontier. The person taking over security in the capital was...