He reached out his hand. “Let me have your phone for a second.”
Lauren Shaw handed her phone to him.
He typed his number into her dial pad, then handed the phone back to her.
“That’s my number. It’s the same on WeChat.”
Lauren Shaw nodded, saved his number with a note, and added him on WeChat.
Why did she have this strange feeling, like they were both familiar and unfamiliar with each other?
Maybe this is what a flash marriage feels like.
Yancy Shaw glanced at his watch; he still had another surgery in the afternoon.
“I have to go to the hospital later. You should rest at home. If there's anything you need, just call me, and I'll pick it up on my way back.”
Lauren Shaw nodded. Yancy Shaw was truly busy—registering their marriage in the morning, helping her move, barely a moment’s rest before rushing out again.
In the vast apartment, only she was left. The emptiness felt a bit lonely.
She wandered over to the balcony and discovered the view was truly impressive. There was a reason this was the most prestigious neighborhood in Ancheng.
As evening approached, Yancy Shaw returned. The lights in the house were still off.
The living room was empty—he didn’t see Lauren Shaw. Without even changing his shoes, he headed straight to the bedroom and found her curled up asleep on the bed. The tight line of his lips softened into a faint smile.
Still half-asleep, Lauren Shaw felt someone gently touching her cheek. She turned over and kept sleeping.
Yancy Shaw let out a soft chuckle.
Woken by the sound, she opened her drowsy eyes and saw Yancy Shaw standing by the bed. Rubbing her eyes, she said with a sleepy nasal tone, “You’re back.”
“Mm. Did I wake you?”
Yancy Shaw shrugged off his trench coat, revealing a crisp white shirt with two buttons undone, hinting at the skin underneath.
“No, I’ve slept all afternoon. About time I woke up, anyway.” She lifted the blanket and placed her bare feet on the floor.
Seeing this, Yancy Shaw immediately picked her up. “You’re not fully recovered yet. Don’t go barefoot on the floor—you’ll catch cold.”
The closeness sent Lauren Shaw’s heart fluttering.
“Oh, I’ll remember that.”
He set her down gently on the living room sofa, then went to the entryway to fetch a new pair of women’s slippers for her.
After dinner, Lauren Shaw sat on the sofa watching videos from Fashion Week while Yancy Shaw went to take a shower.
By ten o’clock, when he saw she was still awake on the sofa, he came over and sat next to her.
“Not tired yet?”
“No, I slept all afternoon. I’m not sleepy.”
“You shouldn’t stay up late. It’s not good for your health.” His voice was gentle—not lecturing, just caring.
Lauren Shaw nodded and followed him into the bedroom.
Thinking about sleeping together tonight made her a little nervous. But they were already married; sharing a bed was only natural.
Yancy Shaw was already lying down. She lifted a corner of the blanket and slipped in beside him.
He turned off the light. The room fell quiet, and their breaths seemed unusually loud in the darkness.
After a moment’s silence, an arm slid around her waist, and the next second, he pulled her into his arms.
“Yancy Shaw, have you ever been in a relationship before?” she blurted out without quite meaning to.
She remembered he had mentioned once liking someone. Now she really wanted to know what kind of girl that was.
Yancy Shaw answered honestly, “No. I’ve had neither an ex nor an old flame.”
Worried she wouldn’t believe him, he added, “A few years back, there was someone I liked, but that’s ancient history now, so you don’t need to worry.”
Because the girl he likes is right beside him now.
In the darkness, Lauren Shaw gave a soft laugh.
“I’m just curious. For a girl to catch your eye, she must be pretty exceptional, right?”
“She is,” Yancy Shaw said quietly. “Very exceptional.”
Lauren Shaw thought to herself, She’s probably married by now, or else why wouldn’t Yancy Shaw have pursued her?
Beside her, his breathing slowed as he watched her fall asleep. He lowered his head and gently kissed her forehead, whispering, “The girl I like is right here with me.”
At dawn, Lauren Shaw woke up and found herself staring at the sleeping man beside her. She couldn’t help but study his face.
Asleep, he was free of the usual seriousness—dangerously good-looking. She stared quietly, suddenly realizing she’d be waking up to this face every morning from now on.
This peaceful feeling was especially beautiful.
She moved slightly, noticing the hand around her waist was holding her fast. She could barely turn over.
And her own sleeping posture was far from graceful. One leg was thrown over him, and her hand rested on his chest.
Her fingers unconsciously squeezed. Oh—the muscles felt nice.
Gently, she tried to move her leg off him, breathing softly so as not to wake him.
But the more she moved, the tighter his arm held her.
“You’re awake?” She didn’t know when Yancy Shaw had woken up, propping his head on one hand and looking at her, still half-asleep.
“When did you wake up?” Lauren Shaw was sure she’d been as quiet as a mouse.
“I woke up the moment you started touching me.”
Lauren Shaw: ...
Why did it feel like a child getting caught red-handed?
“I should get up.”
Watching her fumble to get out of bed, Yancy Shaw finally released her.
By the time Lauren Shaw finished washing up and came out, he had already changed.
“Tonight, I’ll go visit your parents. I’ll come home after work to pick you up.”
“But you already met them, didn’t you?” she asked, puzzled.
“Yesterday was too rushed. This afternoon, I’ll pick out some gifts and make a proper visit. Now that you’re my wife, I want to show my respect to them.”
When she heard the word “wife” from his lips, Lauren Shaw felt deeply moved. It was clear he cared about their marriage.
“Then I should go pick out gifts, too. I’ll be visiting your parents soon, after all.” Feeling his sincerity, she wanted to match it with her own.
Since they’d gotten their marriage certificate, they should live well and honor their parents together.
Yancy Shaw smiled, “Then I’ll come pick you up after work.”
Once he left, Lauren Shaw tidied up and headed to her studio. It was close by—just a ten-minute walk.
When her staff saw her, they were especially warm.
“Sienna Shaw, we haven’t seen you for days. We missed you!”
They hadn’t forgotten the last incident with the rotten eggs tossed at the studio. Everyone had seen the rumors about their boss. While they felt sorry for her, seeing she was in good spirits put their minds at ease.
One tactful staff member rolled her custom wedding dress into storage, out of sight and out of mind.
But someone sharp-eyed noticed the diamond ring on her finger.
“Sienna Shaw… something good happened?”
A colleague quickly nudged her, signaling to keep quiet. Everyone knew about Sienna Shaw’s ex-fiancé cheating—how could she possibly be getting married now?
Lauren Shaw glanced down at the diamond ring and smiled, nodding. “Mm, I got married.”