Journey and William Wang Jinling’s Marriage Issue

Prince Adrian Dongling turned around and glared at William Wang Jinling. Only then did he realize there were others nearby; his expression instantly soured.

He hadn’t heard the rest of the conversation, but that line—“On the wedding night, she called out another man’s name”—was perfectly clear. He was certain everyone around him had heard it too.

Prince Adrian felt utterly disgraced. If his memory was correct, that night Princess Yara had clung to him, crying out, “Ziluo.”

Such humiliation was no different from saying he was inadequate. Adrian didn’t like Princess Yara, true, but she was about to be his wife. Yet her heart belonged to another man—and now the whole world knew. Spoiled by imperial favor, how could he possibly accept that?

Especially when the woman he liked pointed it out—it was as if she was saying he couldn’t compare to Prince Rowan.

Adrian’s face turned ashen. He swept a cold glare over the officials watching the spectacle, sending them fleeing in panic. Only then did he manage to leave, maintaining a proud facade despite his obvious embarrassment.

“Serena, you really are wicked. Princess Yara lost her heart before she was even married—her future days won’t be easy.” William Wang Jinling didn’t spare Adrian a second thought, motioning for Serena Feng to walk with him.

As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Serena waiting for him.

In fact, even if Serena hadn’t waited, he would have walked out with her anyway—she’d offended too many powerful people tonight.

“Just a little give-and-take. Life before marriage and after are two different things. I’m only adding a bit of fun to Princess Yara’s future.” Serena didn’t care in the slightest, letting William see her mischievous side—she was never one to play the saint.

“Makes sense. Need any help?” People are always biased—at least in William’s eyes, whatever Serena did to Princess Yara was justified.

Help? Serena shook her head. William had already done plenty for her; she didn’t want to trouble him further. As Wang Clan Patriarch, William bore the mission of reviving his family—his burdens were heavy enough.

Compared to William’s responsibilities, her own troubles hardly mattered. Of course, Serena wouldn’t bluntly refuse his kindness; instead, she teased, “What’s this? Since when is the Grand Heir interested in catfights between women?”

It was clearly a life-and-death enmity, but in Serena’s mouth it became a petty rivalry between girls. William understood her intent, and it made him ache for her all the more—Serena always thought of others, but who ever thought of her?

William turned to Serena and happened to see the injury on her face, feeling even more distressed. "Serena, if you don’t want to smile, then don’t. Smiling will only make your wound hurt."

Serena touched her face, unconcerned. "It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt."

When Prince Damien hit her, she hadn’t dodged, but she did manage to shift away from the vital spots, unloading half his force. Otherwise, with his brute strength, he could’ve easily knocked out seven or eight of her teeth. The wound on her face looked scary, but it was nothing compared to the slap she’d given him.

That’s the advantage of being a doctor—she knew exactly which parts of the body hurt most, and which were the weakest.

"I’m sorry I was late. If I’d arrived sooner, you wouldn’t have been hit." William blamed himself. When he got the news, he didn’t rush straight to the palace, but went to the Wang clan council hall first to declare to the elders that he was willing to accept the position of Wang Clan Patriarch.

William wasn’t lying. The Wang clan had long intended for him to take over as patriarch, but he’d always refused—he couldn’t bear to push his own father aside and force him to step down.

But tonight, when he received word from the palace, he had no choice but to step up and accept the clan head’s position. Only the Wang Clan Patriarch could truly shield Serena—no matter how famous the Grand Heir was, he couldn’t suppress Prince Damien.

"You came just in time. Didn’t I slap Prince Damien myself? And he even obediently apologized to me. William, I only realized today that you can be so imperious and unreasonable—I always thought you were a gentle gentleman, always mild and polite." Serena was genuinely curious: what connection made the arrogant Damien bow to William? It was odd.

Prince Damien was notorious for his arrogance—he didn’t even respect Ninth Royal Uncle.

William was a little embarrassed by Serena’s words, his ears turning red—thankfully she couldn’t see. "I don’t want to be so overbearing, but the Wang Clan Patriarch can’t be too easygoing, or people will think the whole clan is easy to bully."

That was explanation enough. Serena understood—status determined how one spoke. No matter how tough she was, she was still just a paper tiger; no one really feared her.

As they talked, the two reached the spot where the Wang clan carriage was parked. William helped Serena aboard, then climbed in himself. As soon as they sat down, a young eunuch approached, "Young Master, here’s the medicine you requested."

"Mhm." A small box of ointment lay quietly in William’s palm. "Serena, let’s put on the medicine first—otherwise your face will be ruined."

Serena’s nose stung—she’d forgotten to find medicine for herself, but this man had remembered all along. She quickly nodded and reached for the ointment, but William dodged her hand, opened the box himself, and took out a small dab. "Turn your face a little."

William’s gentleness was its own kind of dominance—he didn’t give her a chance to refuse. Whether Serena cooperated or not, he simply applied the ointment to her face and spread it gently.

Cool ointment, warm fingertips.

The burning pain on Serena’s face faded, replaced by a sudden, restless heat.

So hot!

Serena felt the carriage was far too small, and William was sitting too close—the air felt stifling.

Just as Serena was considering pushing William away, she heard him say, "Three days from now, the Wang clan will host a banquet to announce the new patriarch to the world. I’ll officially take up the clan head’s duties. After the banquet, I’ll leave the capital for Clearwater Town as a test from the family—I might be gone for more than half a year."

"A test from the clan—shouldn’t that happen before you become patriarch? Why test you after you’ve already taken the seat?" Serena’s focus shifted from William’s actions to concern for him.

"My case is special—the real test comes after." In truth, the Wang clan’s test for William had ended long ago; his years spent traveling were the true trial for the patriarch’s seat. This time, it was a punishment for refusing to marry the woman his family had chosen for him...

Serena didn’t know much about the ways of great clans, but she trusted William’s character and didn’t think too deeply. She only worried, "Will it be dangerous?"

"There’ll be danger, of course. But you can rest assured—the Wang clan won’t let me take risks with my life. With their guards, no one can hurt me." In the darkness, William’s eyes shone, as if he’d made some momentous decision.

"That’s good." Serena breathed a sigh of relief. She couldn’t help much with Wang clan affairs, but there was one thing she could do...