"I’m genuinely curious to see how Yvonne Sung will react when he finds out Le Sheng got married."

Claire Xu let out a cold snort. "I bet he’ll assume Le Sheng only did it to spite him—he's that full of himself."

Such an arrogant, self-important man.

Hugo Pierce shrugged. He couldn’t deny it; that was exactly the kind of thing Yvonne Sung would think.

He let out a heavy sigh.

"What? You feel sorry for him or something?"

"Not at all. Yvonne Sung took her for granted, ruined what they had. Frankly, he had it coming. He might have feelings for Le Sheng deep down, but he's too self-absorbed—so used to her kindness that he can't even tell he likes her at all."

Only now, with Le Sheng gone from his life, does he realize how much she mattered.

"Hmph. So what? That doesn't change the fact that he betrayed her. He already had a fiancée, but he kept lurking around his ex-girlfriend, never setting boundaries—a textbook jerk."

"Back then, Sheng Sheng always bent over backwards to accommodate him when they were together. He just took her affection for granted and never did his part."

As Claire Xu recounted all the things Yvonne Sung had done, she was more convinced than ever—Le Sheng was right not to marry him.

Hugo Pierce nodded in firm agreement.

"You and Yvonne Sung are friends. I hope you don’t mind me talking about him this way?"

"Not at all. Personal matters are personal. I know which side is right here."

Everyone understood reason, after all. Besides, this really was Yvonne Sung’s fault—there was no excuse for him.

Still, he quietly worried what kind of drama Yvonne Sung would stir up once he found out Le Sheng was really married.

Le Sheng looked at Yancy Shaw, uneasy, and spoke. "Let me explain."

Yancy Shaw, dressed in comfy home clothes, lifted the covers and lay down beside her.

"What do you need to explain?" Yancy Shaw propped his head up, lying on his side to face her.

With his face so close, Le Sheng swallowed, nervous.

"I didn’t marry you just to get back at Yvonne Sung."

"I know."

Le Sheng was surprised at his answer. She was sure he’d overheard her whole conversation with Hugo Pierce, so why wasn’t he angry? Did their marriage truly mean nothing more than sharing a roof?

Yancy Shaw reached over and gently stroked her cheek. "Even if you did it to provoke him, I wouldn’t mind. You’re my wife now. You belong to me."

Le Sheng hadn’t expected a response like that. "Yancy Shaw, thank you."

On instinct, she reached under the covers and hugged him tightly around the waist. Only after doing so did she realize how bold it was, and quickly let go.

But Yancy Shaw didn’t let her pull away—instead, he wrapped her even tighter in his arms.

"Do you remember the first time we met?" Yancy Shaw asked.

Le Sheng nodded. "I do. That day, I went to Yvonne Sung’s house and just happened to catch him with his ex-girlfriend. I was furious—stood up to him for the first time. He stormed out, and as I went downstairs, I accidentally bumped into you."

"Back then, whenever he got mad, it was always me groveling to make peace. I kept hoping he'd learn to love me one day, but he just got worse and worse. He never once cared about how I felt."

It made her realize that throughout the whole relationship, she’d always been the one to compromise. Was she really supposed to spend her whole life making herself small for someone else's sake? No. That wasn't the life she wanted.

After so much struggle, she decided to break free from that toxic love.

Letting all her feelings out, Le Sheng felt a great weight lift from her heart.

She looked up at Yancy Shaw, suddenly aware she’d been talking quite a bit tonight. Would he be annoyed?

"Sorry for going on. I’m keeping you up."

Yancy Shaw lowered his gaze to meet hers. "Do you still have feelings for him?"

"No." She replied without hesitation. "Whatever I felt for him is long gone. If you don't like hearing about all this, I won’t bring him up again."

She didn’t even know why she brought up the past tonight—maybe it had just been weighing on her for too long, waiting to be shared with someone.

Though she’d almost forgotten: the man in front of her was her husband. Wasn’t it taboo to bring up an ex like this?

"I'm not upset at all. The fact you can say these things to me just proves you're over it. I don't care about your past. What angers me is that Yvonne Sung had you for three years, yet never cherished you."

Now they're done, yet he still tries to worm his way back in—how pathetic.

Knowing Yancy Shaw wasn’t bothered by her bringing up Yvonne Sung, the knot in Le Sheng’s heart finally loosened.

She looked up at him. His face hovered just above hers—if she leaned in even a little, their lips would touch.

That straight nose, those restrained lips—up close, Dr. Shen’s features were almost impossible to resist.

This kind of intimacy made her pulse quicken and her thoughts run wild.

Yancy Shaw noticed her staring at him. Under the covers, something soft pressed against his chest. Realizing what it meant, a small smile tugged at his lips.

Staring at his softly colored lips, she was suddenly overwhelmed by the urge to bite them. No sooner thought than done—her body started to move in before she could stop herself…

Suddenly, her phone rang, snapping her back to reality. Realizing what she’d just done, she pulled away.

She’d almost drowned in his charm—now she cleared her throat deliberately, trying to regain composure.

Yancy Shaw gave her a meaningful look.

Le Sheng could hardly bear the embarrassment. "My phone’s ringing. It—it might be for you, actually."

Yancy Shaw’s brows furrowed, clearly annoyed by this interruption.

The moment he saw the number, he got up, grabbed the phone, and left the bedroom.

Le Sheng heaved a sigh of relief, patting her burning cheeks. "What were you just doing, Le Sheng? Just can’t resist him, huh…"

"What is it?" Sensing his impatience, a chuckle came from the other end of the line.

"Oh? Did I interrupt something special?"

"Get to the point," he said, his patience wearing thin.

The person on the other end didn’t take offense—he actually sounded quite cheerful.

"I heard you got married. Thought I’d call and check in. Where’s my new sister-in-law? Shouldn’t I say hi to her?"

"Better not. You might scare her off."

The caller tsked, amused. "Listen to you. Is she aware you’re just a wolf in sheep’s clothing?"

"Don’t bother her," Yancy Shaw sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Relax, I won’t. But really, an impulsive marriage? That’s not like you."

"Would you rather I’d been like you—loving someone for years but never daring to confess?"

"Yancy Shaw, that’s low…"

Before the speaker could finish, Yancy Shaw hung up.

He stood on the balcony for a while, then returned to the bedroom. Le Sheng was already asleep. He slipped quietly into bed, pulling her—curled up on the edge—into his arms, then breathed in her scent deeply.

With her by his side these days, he’d slept soundly every night—no sudden wake-ups or insomnia. Having her there was better than any sleeping pill.