By the time Yancy Shaw finished his surgery, it was already eight in the evening.
He picked up his phone and saw a missed call from Lauren Shaw.
A smile tugged at his lips as he opened WeChat, only for a message from Shen Sylvia Shaw to pop up. The moment he saw the photo she'd sent, his expression darkened.
Zooming in, he couldn't see the man's face, but judging by the back, he was sure it wasn't Yvonne Sung.
Lauren Shaw didn't know that many men to begin with.
He sent Shen Sylvia Shaw a message.
[Nothing to do lately? I heard there's an excellent finance school overseas. I can help you transfer there.]
Seeing this message gave Shen Sylvia Shaw a headache.
All she'd done was take a few photos—how did that turn into her being exiled abroad?
When Lauren Shaw got home, she happened to come out of the kitchen.
Seeing him return, she walked over and naturally took his coat, their movements so intimate it was as if they'd been husband and wife for years.
"You must be hungry, right? I ate at a restaurant today. I wanted to ask you to come along, but you were busy. On my way back, I packed up your favorite sweet and sour pork and shrimp dumplings."
"I had an emergency surgery to do this afternoon, so I stayed busy until just now." He looked down at her, letting her slip off his coat.
"You must be tired. Eat something first," Lauren Shaw said, putting his coat away before turning back to the kitchen.
She laid the food out in front of him, remembering how, as she was leaving, Owen Shaw teased her that she was starting to look more and more like a full-fledged housewife.
Yancy Shaw quietly ate.
Lauren Shaw sat across from him, watching him silently.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Yancy Shaw looked up, meeting her gaze.
Propping her chin on her hand, Lauren Shaw stared at him with wide, bright eyes.
"I'm waiting for you to ask me something."
"Ask you what?"
"Like who I was eating with tonight, or where I went to dinner." She met his eyes openly.
A hint of a smile flickered in Yancy Shaw's eyes. "Is that important?"
"I think it's pretty important—because I had dinner with a man tonight." She watched his reaction carefully, but saw no sign of disapproval.
He set down his chopsticks and looked at her seriously.
"Shengsheng, there’s no need for us to second-guess each other. Whatever you do, you don’t have to report to me. I trust you."
He trusted her completely, just as she did him.
"Tonight I had dinner with my uncle. I actually wanted to invite you, but you were busy. Sorry for not waiting for you." Lauren Shaw explained.
She didn't really have to say anything, but she simply wanted to share these things with him, to let him into her everyday life.
"My uncle lives overseas and just came back today. He even said he wants to meet you sometime."
Yancy Shaw looked at her gently. "We'll invite Uncle out for dinner soon then."
Lauren Shaw thought of what Owen Shaw had told her earlier.
"The day after tomorrow is my grandmother’s 80th birthday. Do you have time?" After their marriage, she’d never formally brought him home, except for that one meeting with her parents.
"I’m free," Yancy Shaw replied without hesitation.
Just then, his phone rang, interrupting their conversation.
Lauren Shaw glanced over—her older sister, Nina Shaw, was calling.
She answered, and Nina Shaw’s voice came through the line.
"Shengsheng, where are you?"
"I’m at home." Lauren Shaw glanced at Yancy Shaw.
"I’m right outside your place. I’ve been knocking, so why aren’t you opening the door?" Nina Shaw sounded tired.
Only then did Lauren Shaw remember—she’d moved in with Yancy Shaw but hadn’t told her sister yet.
After hanging up, she grabbed her car keys and a change of clothes, speaking to Yancy Shaw as she got ready, "My sister went to my old place looking for me. I’ll go pick her up—wait for me here, okay?"
Yancy Shaw took her hand, "I’ll go with you."
"You just got home—get some rest, don't wear yourself out." She knew he had to be tired, and she couldn't bear to make him run around more.
"It’s late. I’d worry about you going alone." Even as he spoke, he was already pulling on his coat and heading for the door.
Seeing this, Lauren Shaw stopped protesting and followed after him with a smile.
Nina Shaw had been living in Port City ever since she got married.
"My sister and her husband had an arranged marriage for family business reasons. They barely knew each other before tying the knot, so their relationship’s always been strained. Mom and Dad have regretted agreeing to it ever since."
In the car, Lauren Shaw explained her sister’s story to Yancy Shaw. A few years ago, their father had a car accident, and the family business was hit hard. Uncle Owen Shaw had just started taking over the company at the time, but still couldn’t fend off predatory rivals.
To keep the family business from falling into outsiders’ hands, their father agreed to a marriage alliance.
Thanks to help from the Qiao family, the Shaw family's business survived unscathed.
Precisely because of Nina Shaw’s unhappy example, their parents hadn’t interfered much with Lauren Shaw’s own marriage plans.
They just wanted her to find someone who would treat her well and make her happy.
Who would’ve expected she’d run into someone as tone-deaf as Yvonne Sung.
The car stopped in front of the Linshui Bay Apartments.
Nina Shaw stood alone at the curb, dressed thinly against the wind. Her hair was tousled, and she looked a bit haggard. Ancheng’s fall nights were harsher than those in Port City—the cold wind cut right through you.
Lauren Shaw opened the car door and threw her coat over her sister’s shoulders.
Once they were in the car, Nina Shaw noticed Yancy Shaw too.
"Sis, how did you get back here?" Lauren Shaw asked, frowning.
Nina Shaw only started to thaw after feeling the warmth of the car. "I flew back. It was a last-minute decision, and I forgot my luggage. I didn't expect Ancheng to be this cold already." She shivered as she spoke.
Lauren Shaw didn’t press for details, but one look at her sister’s miserable state made plenty clear.
Then, the phone rang—a call from an unfamiliar number, but the caller ID showed it was from Port City.
She glanced at Nina Shaw, who was staring out the window, lost in thought.
After a moment’s hesitation, Lauren Shaw picked up.
A deep, magnetic male voice came through.
"Lauren Shaw, has your sister contacted you?" The voice on the other end sounded anxious, with blaring car horns in the background.
He was obviously looking for her.
Lauren Shaw paused, then replied, "She’s with me. Don’t worry."
There was silence on the other end. Just as Lauren Shaw thought he’d hung up, he finally spoke again—"Then, please take good care of her."
"I will," Lauren Shaw replied, then hung up.
She was certain now: her sister and brother-in-law had argued. She didn’t know the reason, but things must have been bad—Nina Shaw wouldn’t have come back in such a sorry state otherwise.
"Don’t tell Mom and Dad about tonight," Nina Shaw said, looking at Lauren Shaw.
They’d always been close sisters; whatever Nina Shaw said, she would listen.
Now that she was married, good or bad, letting their parents know would only add to their worries.