After hearing Yancy Shaw’s explanation, Lauren Shaw finally grasped the reasons behind it all.

Now that she knew about the Shen family’s eldest son, she recalled how Mandy Snow had called her ‘third brother’s wife’ earlier today. That meant Yancheng had another older brother.

“What about your second brother? Why have you never mentioned him before?”

“He does business outside. He hardly ever comes home.”

Yancy Shaw’s response was light and casual.

Lauren Shaw nodded in understanding. Of course, their family was well off. The eldest brother was in research, Yancheng was a doctor, so naturally the second brother would go into business. Otherwise, how could they afford such a lavish house?

She soon emptied her glass and reached for another drink, but Yancy Shaw took her cup and wouldn’t return it. “Take it easy. Now’s not the time to be drinking too much.”

Lauren Shaw wanted to indulge a little more, but in the end, she held herself back.

“Did Eva Snow often come to your house looking for you in the past?”

Maybe it was the wine talking, but she suddenly found herself curious about Yancy Shaw’s past with Eva Snow.

Yancy Shaw put down his wine glass, gazing at her thoughtfully.

“Why ask about that all of a sudden?”

“Just curious. If you don’t want to talk about it, forget it.” Truthfully, she simply wanted to understand him better.

Today, after hearing Mrs. Chen mention his past at the Shen house, Lauren Shaw found herself wanting to know more. Even what Eva Snow had said the other day left marks on her heart. She wanted to know why he chose to marry her.

“Eva Snow is Mandy Snow’s niece, so she visited the Shen house a lot, but I never really had much to do with her.”

When it came to people he disliked, Yancy Shaw had never been keen to even exchange words or glances.

“If you don’t like her, we just won’t go over there anymore.”

If Lauren Shaw didn’t like someone, they didn’t have to see them.

She shook her head. “We still need to visit your parents. We can’t just avoid going home just because I don’t want to see Eva Snow. It’s the Shen family’s house, not the Snow family’s. Why let her make me uncomfortable there?”

After dinner, Yancy Shaw reclined on the balcony’s rocking chair, drumming his fingers rhythmically on his thigh. He picked up his phone and dialed Sean Snow.

“Third Brother, it’s late—what can I do for you?”

The two had known each other since childhood, long before Mandy Snow married into the Shen family. They were good friends.

“Tell Eva Snow not to trouble Shengsheng anymore.”

He couldn’t stand anyone being disrespectful to Lauren Shaw—showing her disrespect was as good as disrespecting himself.

Sean Snow was momentarily stunned. “What has Yueyue done lately?”

“You should ask her yourself.”

Yancy Shaw’s tone was unfriendly; it was clear Eva Snow had crossed a line.

“Got it, I’ll talk to her. But you know her temper—me saying something might not really work.”

When it came to Eva Snow, even Zeyang felt helpless. After all, she was just his cousin; he couldn’t scold or hit her.

“If you can’t make her listen, find someone who can.”

Yancy Shaw was blunt. If his words carried no weight in the Snow family, there were others who could get through to her.

“Alright, I get it.” Sean Snow couldn’t help but add, “Third Brother, you’re really serious about your wife, aren’t you?”

Yancy Shaw said nothing, but his silence was answer enough.

After hanging up, Sean Snow couldn’t help but rub his temples in frustration. He knew full well that Eva Snow was head over heels for Yancy Shaw. Even after he’d rejected her time and again, she refused to let it go.

On top of that, his uncle and aunt kept scheming for her to marry into the Shen family. Whenever Zeyang reminded her, his uncle and aunt would just give him the cold shoulder. Now they seemed to bear a grudge against him, too.

Yancheng was already married, yet Eva Snow wouldn’t give up. Zeyang simply couldn’t comprehend it—a grown woman fixated on a married man, was she really that desperate?

What a mess.

Lauren Shaw stepped out of the bathroom and saw Yancy Shaw wasn’t in bed. She searched for him in the living room and found him lying on the balcony’s rocking chair. She walked over.

“Why aren’t you resting in bed?”

Yancy Shaw raised his eyes to meet hers from his chair. “Mm, I’ll be in soon.”

“Did you drink too much?” Lauren Shaw leaned down, placing her hand on his forehead to check his temperature.

Fresh from her shower, she wore a loose nightgown, its neckline slightly open, nothing underneath.

As she bent over, Yancy Shaw had a clear view of the scenery within.

He felt himself heat up even more.

“You’re burning up. Are you feeling sick somewhere?” She leaned closer to check.

He’d meant to say something to warn her, but the words caught in his throat. Just looking at her like this, his heart began to race uncontrollably.

Lauren Shaw was oblivious to what she was doing to him—Yancy Shaw was burning with desire.

He reached out and caught her by the neck, pulling her in for a kiss.

Only when Lauren Shaw was almost breathless from his kiss did he reluctantly let her go.

A breeze drifted by, and Lauren Shaw shivered, feeling chilled—and not just from the wind, but from inside her gown as well.

Following his gaze, she noticed her neckline had fallen open due to her earlier movements, leaving nothing to the imagination. After her shower, she’d only thrown on a loose nightgown...

Had he seen anything?

Who was she kidding—of course he had! He must have seen everything he ought and ought not to see! And during the kiss, her upper body was pressing right down on him...

She suddenly straightened up, blushing furiously, and bolted for the bedroom.

Yancy Shaw watched her rush away with a smile he simply couldn’t hide.

He didn’t feel ashamed, so why was she the one embarrassed?

The taste of her still lingered on his lips. Maybe, he thought, it was time for him and Lauren Shaw to seriously explore their life as a married couple.

His little white rabbit—so cute, every part of her.

The wind on the balcony blew past him, but it couldn’t cool the heat pooling inside.

Lauren Shaw lay on the bed, mortified by what had just happened. She could have died of embarrassment.

After Yancy Shaw showered, he slipped into bed and pulled her into his arms.

Lauren Shaw tensed up, but tonight, she’d already made up her mind. Still, Yancy Shaw made no further moves.

Perhaps it was the wine, but lying in his arms, she felt completely at ease. Gradually, sleep overtook her.

When she awoke in the morning, the spot beside her was already empty.

Yancy Shaw had gone to work early. Seeing she was still sound asleep, he hadn’t woken her.

On the table, breakfast awaited, still warm.

A message came through from Yancy Shaw: “You looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn’t wake you. There’s breakfast on the table—don’t forget to eat.”

Lauren Shaw sent him an ‘ok’ sticker in reply.

When she got to the studio, Xiaomei informed her that the organizers of the Original Design Competition had called looking for her just now.

Lauren Shaw was puzzled. “Looking for me?”

Xiaomei nodded. Just then, the phone rang again.

Lauren Shaw went over to answer.

She felt even more perplexed. She wasn’t some renowned designer—why would the organizers call her directly?

She was about to refuse, but it was as if the woman on the other end could read her mind—she left Lauren Shaw no space to turn them down.

“My brand is still pretty new. I’m not sure I even meet the competition’s requirements.”

“You’re too modest, Miss Li. Having you compete is our honor.”

The other person was exceedingly courteous, not making Lauren Shaw uncomfortable at all. With no real grounds to refuse, she could only agree.