Crisis, Will Not Spare This Bargaining Chip

Serena Feng never liked Bella Qin. It wasn’t because of Lance Quinn—her dislike was her own. Serena had always had an aversion to these white-lotus types. She’d thought their relationship would stay a simple doctor-patient one, that they’d barely cross paths again. Who knew they’d meet so soon?

Just thinking about how Bella Qin had hurt Simon Sun made Serena’s face darken further. Ignoring Bella’s attempts to get close, Serena kept her expression cold, said a couple of curt words, and prepared to send her away.

But Serena forgot—Bella Qin was never one to give up easily. She ignored Serena’s cold face and excitedly began sharing all about her journey to the Capital with Simon Sun, emphasizing just how caring he’d been, how good he was to her, and how happy she was to be looked after by him.

Serena’s temples throbbed as she listened. What did she mean, she was sick and Simon stayed up all night to care for her? What did she mean, he rode all the way to town just to buy her food? What did she mean, he never forgot to bring her gifts after every house call?

Miss Qin, are you showing off, or just flaunting it?

Looking at Bella Qin’s face, growing more radiant and saturated with bliss, Serena just wanted to slap her.

This woman was just… despicable.

Serena wanted nothing more than to throw Bella Qin at Lance Quinn right now and let him deal with his own fiancée—stop causing trouble for her apprentice. A woman so obsessed with showing off her own charm, even without a fiancé, would be too much for Simon to handle.

But Bella Qin had absolutely no sense for reading the room. The darker Serena’s face got, the more excited she became. Serena finally couldn’t stand it. With a loud bang, she slammed her teacup down on the table and snapped, “Miss Qin, if I’m not mistaken, you’re an engaged woman. Isn’t it a bit much, being so intimate with another man? Aren’t you afraid your fiancé will be angry?”

“Serena—Miss Feng, are you saying I’m not keeping my virtue? I—I’m not! Please don’t say that about me. Simon and I have feelings, but we keep it proper, we—we haven’t—haven’t…” Bella Qin hurried to explain, her rosy cheeks turning pale, long lashes trembling, her body shaking, eyes filling with tears, looking so pitiful anyone would think Serena was bullying her.

As luck would have it, Simon Sun, who’d gone out with Zuo An, returned just at that moment. The room froze instantly.

“Master, what’s going on?” Simon Sun had just stepped in and saw Serena’s face full of anger and Bella Qin’s pitiful, timid look. A flicker of gloom passed through his bright eyes.

Serena didn’t miss the change in Simon’s expression. Heart aching for what he’d been through, she quickly put on a smile: “It’s nothing. Miss Qin just came to see me—we’re just chatting.”

“Brother Simon, Serena’s right—we’re just chatting. It’s nothing, really, nothing at all. Brother Simon, don’t worry, Serena didn’t—didn’t mean to bully me.”

Didn’t mean to bully you—so she did, just not on purpose?

If Bella Qin had just kept quiet, it would have been fine. But as soon as she spoke, the atmosphere in the room turned weird. Her voice was thick with nasal sobs, and she kept dabbing at her tears with a handkerchief, acting like she’d suffered some huge injustice.

After all, she was the girl he’d spent last month with—the girl he’d come to care for. Seeing Bella Qin look so wronged, how could Simon Sun not react? If it were anyone else, he’d have assumed Bella was being bullied. But Serena…

Simon looked up at Serena, eyes filled with trust and no doubt at all. “With Master here, I feel at ease.”

Even if the whole world bullied Bella Qin, his master never would. It wasn’t blind faith in Serena—it was simple: as long as it was someone Simon liked, even if his master didn’t, she’d never make things hard for him.

“Hearing you say that, it’s all worth it. Don’t worry, Simon—your master won’t make things difficult for you.” Serena’s nose tingled; all her anger vanished. This kind of wholehearted trust—even Prince Nolan had never given her that.

Because Prince Nolan never trusted her.

Simon Sun gave a shy smile, clearly embarrassed, and stammered to change the subject: “M-Master. I’ve checked Mr. Logan’s condition, and he’s agreed to let me treat him. I’ve drafted two surgical plans—could you take a look?”

“Logan Ling’s letting you treat him?” Serena’s eyes lit up at the news, instantly forgetting about Bella Qin. “Well done, Simon! I’m truly impressed this time.”

Flushed from Serena’s praise, Simon Sun grew even more embarrassed. The two of them dove into a lively discussion—leaving Bella Qin out of it entirely.

Serena glanced at Bella Qin and sneered. So what if she was around? She had nothing to do with them—she could just get lost.

Master and disciple spent ages talking in the flower hall, then moved to the operating room, completely ignoring Bella Qin. Serena did it on purpose; Simon was simply too focused on Logan Ling’s illness to spare a thought for Bella.

Bella Qin stood in the flower hall, dazed, watching the master and disciple chatting away as if she didn’t exist, then watched them leave together, never once glancing her way.

Her tear-washed eyes flashed with sorrow. Bella Qin stared blankly at the darkening sky, thinking: Brother Jingyun was wrong—she couldn’t compare to Serena Feng. Wherever Serena was, no one saw Bella anymore. No matter how hard she tried, it was useless.

Zuo An leapt down from the rooftop, shot Bella Qin a mocking look, yawned, and headed off toward Feng Jin’s room.

Not long after leaving Skyvault Mountain, Prince Nolan, ever so considerate, sent Princess Helena back to Lyndaria just as requested. Of course, he didn’t forget to write to the Lyndarian Emperor, detailing all of Princess Helena’s outrageous behavior at the Martial Arts Conference—making it clear just how many martial artists she’d offended, asking whether it was really worth defending her.

At the same time, Prince Nolan hinted in his letter that Princess Helena might have lost her mind—clinging to Serena Feng and claiming Serena’s adopted brother was her own son.

Pointing at the son of a rival duke and claiming he was hers—Princess Helena’s actions cast a shadow over Serena Feng and Feng Jin. In his letter, Prince Nolan demanded that the Lyndarian Emperor keep his sister in check; he didn’t want to hear any more talk like that.

Feng Jin was now the successor of Feng Manor. If Princess Helena’s claims spread, Feng Jin would lose his standing in Eastlyn, and Serena Feng would be punished for sheltering an enemy royal.

With that letter, the Lyndarian Emperor was sure to rein in Princess Helena. But no one could guarantee she wouldn’t go off the rails again. Given how crazed she was, both Zuo An and Serena Feng knew that once she calmed down, she’d never let go of Feng Jin as a bargaining chip.

To prevent that, the only thing they could do now was find a way to use the Lyndarian Emperor’s hand to completely ruin Princess Helena—make sure she’d never stir up trouble again!