Sisi bit her lip hard, a troubled look on her face, her hands twisting nervously together.
"My dad needs a heart transplant, and the surgery costs half a million yuan—I just can't come up with that much. I only did this because I had no other choice, Sister Sheng, I'm sorry."
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she begged Lauren Shaw for forgiveness.
"Everyone runs into difficulties, but did you ever think about the consequences? Do you know what plagiarism means for a designer?"
She wasn't a saint; it was impossible to forgive someone for something so bottomless.
Sisi froze. "I just took a few abandoned drafts—how could that be plagiarism?"
Whenever Lauren Shaw painted a design draft she didn't like, she tossed it in a drawer. In Sisi's eyes, those were all discarded—things that wouldn't affect her even if given away.
The competition piece had nothing to do with them, so how could she be accused of plagiarism?
"Who put you up to this?"
Lauren Shaw didn't bother to argue further. There was no benefit for Sisi to do this on her own; someone must have instigated her.
Sisi stammered, hesitating.
"If you won't say, I'll have to call the police."
"No, wait—it was Eva Snow." Sisi finally confessed.
"It was Eva Snow who came to me—she said she could pay for my dad's surgery, but on one condition: I had to get your competition design."
Just as she suspected.
"I never thought it would get this far. I figured those weren't your competing works, so giving them to her wouldn't cause any problems."
At least she had some conscience left—if she had given Eva Snow the real competition piece, Lauren Shaw would have been disqualified and labeled a plagiarist.
"Sister Sheng, I'm begging you, please don't call the police. I'll do anything you want, just don't report me."
Sisi pleaded, eyes brimming with desperation.
Lauren Shaw had always treated her well, but what she did was simply impossible to forgive.
"I need you to clear my name. Can you do that?"
Lauren Shaw voiced her idea, but once Sisi publicly cleared things up, no company would want to hire her ever again.
Sisi looked at her in astonishment, eyes darting evasively.
"I won't call the police, but you must come forward to clarify this. State publicly that the designs were stolen by you and posted online by someone else with ulterior motives, and issue an apology. Can you do that?"
Lauren Shaw gazed at her calmly. Before someone's own interests are at risk, everything sounds negotiable; only when it truly matters do you see what they're willing to do.
"Either I call the police, or you come clean. Your choice."
Lauren Shaw turned and headed downstairs. On her way to the cardiac department, she caught sight of Yancy Shaw. He was kneeling on a hospital bed, performing CPR on a car accident patient. Blood stained his white coat, but he didn't seem to notice—his hands kept pressing rhythmically.
Not until the bed was wheeled into surgery did she take her eyes off him.
She returned to the door of Sisi's father's ward.
Inside, Sisi was feeding her father breakfast. Their voices drifted out through the partially open door.
"I don't need treatment for this, you know. I'm not going to get better. Better to save the money for you."
"Who says you can't get better? You will! I want you to keep me company for decades yet. If you left too, I'd have no one left in this world."
"Everyone dies in the end. I'm just going a bit earlier. You need to live your own life—don't put yourself through this for me. If I become a burden on your future, I wouldn't be happy even if I survived."
Sisi's nose stung. As expected, nothing could get past her father.
"Sisi, everyone goes astray sometimes, but you have to turn back. Don't keep heading the wrong way. I know this wasn't your intention, but when you make a mistake, own up to it—there's still time to make things right."
…
Lauren Shaw didn't stay to listen. She turned and headed for Yancy Shaw's office. He was still in surgery; who knew when he’d be done? She might as well wait for him there.
For some reason, she really wanted to see him now—to lean into his arms, to feel close to him.
Before she'd even gotten far, though, she saw a face so familiar it was almost aggravating.
As soon as Yvonne Sung saw Lauren Shaw, his expression changed from shock to delight.
"Lauren Shaw, did you come to see me?"
Yvonne Sung was in a hospital gown, face still pale and visibly thinner than before.
Lauren Shaw looked at him indifferently. See him? How could he flatter himself so?
"No." She turned icy, not even trying to hide her coldness.
But Yvonne Sung didn't mind. Her words didn't embarrass him at all.
"I've missed you so much lately. I even dream about you at night. I keep remembering how kind you were to me—I regret everything now…"
Lauren Shaw couldn't help but roll her eyes. Dear heavens, what did she do to deserve this?
"I've got things to do, so I'm leaving."
Afraid Yvonne Sung might cling to her like a ghost, she quickly disappeared down the end of the corridor.
While waiting for Yancy Shaw in his office, Sisi posted a statement on her social media account clarifying the origin of the stolen designs.
Lauren Shaw stared at the post, lost in thought…
Two hours later, Yancy Shaw finally emerged from the operating room. He still carried a faint scent of blood. Spotting her in his office, some of the tension left his brow.
"You waited long, didn't you?" He ruffled her hair.
Lauren Shaw, seated in the revolving chair, put her arms around his waist. For some reason, she felt a heavy weight on her chest.
Even with things resolved, she couldn't seem to find happiness—instead, there was a lingering sense of blockage inside.
Sensing her mood, Yancy Shaw took her hand gently. "Who upset you?" he asked softly.
She shook her head. "No one upset me. I just… people are so fragile."
She'd never thought like this before, but listening to Sisi's father's words in the ward had left her unexpectedly melancholy.
"Did Sisi's father's surgery go well?" she asked.
"Not yet. It's scheduled for next week."
"Will you be the lead surgeon?"
Yancy Shaw knew what she was thinking. His wife was soft-hearted and kind. He'd already guessed this would be the result.
"Yes, I'll do the surgery. Don’t worry."
Hearing that he would be in charge, Lauren Shaw suddenly felt a wave of relief. "Thank you, Dr. Shen."
With him, she couldn't help but feel an inexplicable sense of trust.
Yancy Shaw placed a hand behind her chair, bending down so their eyes met. "Just a thank you? No reward for me?"
Lauren Shaw: "..."
The topic shift caught her off guard.
Seeing how close he was, just a few inches from her, Lauren Shaw tilted her head up and pecked him on the lips.
"What kind of reward do you want?" she teased.
Yancy Shaw gently pinched her chin, tilting her face up. "This is what I want."
He brought his lips down to hers.
Without realizing it, her hands reached up around his shoulders.