"Let's go shopping at the mall this afternoon." Yancy Shaw got up, changed into fresh clothes, and glanced at her still curled up in bed. His eyes unconsciously grew more intense.
Lauren Shaw pulled the covers up tightly, wrapping herself securely. Men really can't be judged by appearances, she thought. She'd always assumed Yancy Shaw was a gentleman, never expecting him to be such a wolf in sheep's clothing behind closed doors.
It wasn’t enough that he'd tormented her the entire night—he'd clung to her insistently, refusing to let her go, claiming one time was enough. She just knew she couldn't trust him when it came to this.
She glared at Yancy Shaw, still brooding over last night's wild antics.
The man she was cursing inwardly only looked at her with a doting smile. "Shengsheng, don't look at me like that. I'm afraid I won’t be able to control myself."
"Doctor Shen, do your family know you’re such a pervert?"
Yancy Shaw leaned over and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Don’t you know already?"
Lauren Shaw: …
His face was right in front of hers—perfect from every angle, utterly flawless.
She looked into his eyes; they were as deep and fathomless as a bottomless lake, enough to drown her in.
"Why are you so good at flirting now? Did you used to sweet-talk other women like this all the time?"
"You’re the first girl I’ve ever tried to charm."
At that, Lauren Shaw turned her head away. "You're getting slicker with your tongue by the day."
Where was that reserved, dignified man she first met?
Yancy Shaw chuckled softly, straightening his clothes as he gave her a look full of hidden meaning. "Doesn’t Mrs. Shen like it this way?"
His gaze was so direct she couldn't help thinking of their first time—that had been her initiative. Something about it had flipped a switch in him, and now there was no stopping...
Honestly, it was a bit much.
Lauren Shaw glanced at her phone, then faced him. "You’re about to be late for work. Shouldn’t you be going?"
Unhurried, Yancy Shaw reached out and ruffled her hair. "I’ll pick you up this afternoon."
When Lauren Shaw nodded obediently, he opened the bedroom door and left.
After he was gone, Lauren Shaw lay in bed a little longer before getting up to wash up and heading to her studio.
That afternoon, Yancy Shaw finished work early and came to pick her up.
They went to the mall together to shop for gifts.
Yancy Shaw wore a trench coat, his outfit simple and low-key, but he couldn't hide his natural air of distinction.
Standing next to him at 1.68 meters, Lauren Shaw looked delicate and petite.
He held her hand tightly. After buying some tea, they passed a men's clothing store, and Lauren Shaw was drawn to an outfit displayed on a mannequin in the window.
She tugged on Yancy Shaw's hand. "Let's go in and try it on."
There was no doubt that Yancy Shaw would look amazing in this—the man had a figure that could rival any international model.
Hand in hand, they walked into the men's clothing store.
Neither noticed that someone had been trailing them from behind.
Yana Quinn, wearing a mask and a bucket hat pulled low to hide most of her face, blended into the crowd unnoticed.
When she saw Lauren Shaw acting intimately with the man, she instinctively followed them.
As soon as they entered the store, she hesitated for only a moment before following them in.
Yancy Shaw went to the fitting room to try on clothes, while Lauren Shaw wandered around the store, looking for outfits he could wear on regular days.
"What a coincidence, Miss Li."
Hearing the voice behind her, Lauren Shaw turned to find Yana Quinn standing there.
She raised an eyebrow, her tone flat. "Is it? I don’t think so."
She didn’t believe in so many coincidences—more likely, someone was going out of their way to arrange this.
Yana Quinn didn't take offense at her cold, distant attitude. She took two steps closer, feigning nonchalance as she browsed the racks.
"Who are you shopping for?" she asked absentmindedly.
Lauren Shaw wasn’t stupid—she saw right through the question.
She smiled. "For my husband."
With that, she pointed to the clothes she’d just touched and said to the clerk, "Can you bring this to the gentleman in the fitting room to try on, please?"
The fitting room door opened. Yancy Shaw stepped out in a coffee-colored suit, looking absolutely stunning.
His closet was filled with dark colors—this was the first time she’d seen him in anything like it, which was exactly why Lauren Shaw had been drawn to the suit in the first place.
He exuded that innate authority. With this suit on, he was impossible to ignore.
The salesgirl stared at him, momentarily dazed.
Yancy Shaw’s deep eyes fell on Lauren Shaw.
He took two long steps to her side and asked in a low voice, "What do you think?"
Snapped from her thoughts, Lauren Shaw looked him up and down, smiled, and nodded. "It looks great."
Yana Quinn eyed Yancy Shaw curiously, trying to guess his identity. Men with this kind of poise and presence were rare.
Lauren Shaw and Yancy Shaw, however, didn’t spare her a glance.
At this point, the salesgirl finally snapped out of her daze.
"Miss, would you like the gentleman to try on this white casual set as well?" she asked, holding up another outfit.
"No, thank you. Just bag it up, please."
With that, Lauren Shaw headed off to pay.
Yancy Shaw tried to stop her. "Allow me."
Lauren Shaw pressed his phone down. "Let me pay this time—think of it as a gift from me to you. Don’t tell me you can’t even give me the chance to buy you clothes for the first time?"
Hearing this, Yancy Shaw backed off and put his phone away.
But to Yana Quinn, the whole exchange looked quite different.
"Good-looking men really have it easy—such VIP treatment," she remarked pointedly.
Suddenly, she remembered where she’d seen him before: at the hospital.
But back then, Lauren Shaw and this man hadn’t seemed close at all. When had they started seeing each other?
She’d always known Lauren Shaw’s family was well off. Yancy Shaw was a doctor, and though she didn’t know any details, the way he acted just now—letting Lauren Shaw pay—only cemented what she thought.
He was nothing but a pretty face—a kept man.
Having just paid, Lauren Shaw glanced at her.
Yancy Shaw also turned to look at her, his expression as if he was staring at a fool.
Yana Quinn felt insulted. Hmph, a kept man daring to look at her like that!
"Yana Quinn, what is your problem?" Lauren Shaw shot her a baffled look.
Why did this woman insist on constantly picking at her? Was Yancy Shaw really that much of a distraction today?
At the thought, she instinctively moved to shield Yancy Shaw behind her. Maybe good-looking men were just too much trouble—always attracting unwanted attention.
"Lauren Shaw, I know you blame me over Yuche, but you didn’t have to go so far as to find a pretty boy as revenge, did you?"
What? Pretty boy?
Lauren Shaw turned to look at the so-called "pretty boy" Yancy Shaw. Well, he was pretty fair-skinned.
But Yancy Shaw’s face instantly darkened at the label.
"Miss, do you have something against pretty boys?"