Lauren Shaw only meant to tease him a little, but she hadn’t expected him to be so calculating. Until now, she’d thought he simply pitied her.

After hearing her words, Yancy Shaw chuckled softly. "So, Mrs. Shen, are you regretting it now?"

He wrapped an arm around her waist, his other hand lifting her chin as his deep eyes locked onto hers. "But it’s too late to regret it. You’re mine now—you’ll never escape."

Strangely, his scheming didn’t put her off at all. In fact, Lauren Shaw leaned in mischievously and nipped at his lip as a little punishment.

"You’re mine, too. You’ll never slip out of my grasp," she declared.

A shadow flashed in Yancy Shaw’s gaze, and from his eyes, she saw a feeling there she’d never seen before.

Lauren Shaw had a bad feeling. She wriggled out of his hold. "You’re still sick, you can’t..."

Before she could finish, Yancy Shaw had already gotten up and headed for the bathroom. All she heard was his faint sigh: "I’m going to take a cold shower."

"Hey—" Lauren Shaw called after him, face flushed as she stammered out the rest, "I was just acting coy on purpose. Don’t take everything I say so seriously."

Ugh, it was mortifying to say that out loud. She was so embarrassed she could curl into the tiniest little ball imaginable.

Yancy Shaw’s gaze was burning hot, practically feral—if he weren’t sick today, he’d definitely have gotten playful with her.

"My wife’s got plenty of energy. But I’m under the weather tonight, so you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for round two."

As soon as he finished, Lauren Shaw was mortified, twisting up under the blankets in utter humiliation.

He just laughed and disappeared into the bathroom.

Lauren Shaw instantly regretted everything she’d just said. "Lauren Shaw, you’ve really lost your mind—you’ll say anything now, huh? Amitabha! Good looks will be the end of me!"

…

The original design competition moved into its third and final recording session.

This was the last round, and the champion would be crowned today.

At eight in the morning, Yancy Shaw dropped her off at the new location the show had given her in advance. A few other designers were already waiting there.

As Lauren Shaw got ready to step out of the car, Yancy Shaw caught her by the back of the head. Before she could react, he leaned in and kissed her firmly.

Only when he was satisfied did he let her go, lingering as he licked his lips.

Lauren Shaw glared at him, playfully annoyed. "You jerk, you smudged my lipstick!"

Yancy Shaw just laughed, clearly pleased with himself. "I’ll have trouble sleeping without you tonight."

Lauren Shaw rolled her eyes. "Same here—I won’t sleep well, either."

It took them a little while to finally stop flirting and get out of the car.

She had barely stepped out when a Porsche pulled up nearby.

She shot a look of disgust at the driver’s seat.

Yana Quinn opened the car door, and on seeing Lauren Shaw, she looked a little guilty, but still managed a polite smile. "Miss Li."

Lauren Shaw didn’t bother replying, returning a perfunctory smile before turning away—the expression vanished as soon as Yana Quinn was out of her line of sight.

Yvonne Sung stepped out of the car, a smile blooming on his face when he saw Lauren Shaw.

"Lauren Shaw, are you competing too?"

She wanted to roll her eyes but restrained herself in front of the crowd.

Before she could answer, a warm hand slipped around her waist.

"Mr. Su," Yancy Shaw said coldly, warning in his eyes, "my wife is a contestant in this round."

Yvonne Sung stuffed his hands in his pockets and gave Yancy Shaw a disdainful look. "I was just asking. Why so defensive? What, are you scared of me?"

Scared? Please. This ego trip of his was about to reach the stratosphere.

Lauren Shaw clutched her chest dramatically and made a gagging gesture.

"Shengsheng, are you alright?" Yancy Shaw asked, full of concern.

She waved him off. "I’m fine, I just caught a whiff of something…scummy. Honestly, it’s turning my stomach."

Yvonne Sung’s face drained of color.

He took a deep breath, stung by her words, then jumped back in his car.

Yancy Shaw watched as she walked into the filming site.

"Yancheng." Someone called out from behind.

He turned to see Eva Snow walking towards him.

She’d just witnessed the tender moment between him and Lauren Shaw in the car—a side of Yancy Shaw she’d never seen. With her, he was always cold, never even sparing her a warm glance.

"It was my fault last time," she admitted. "I was impulsive and spoke to the elders without knowing the truth. I’m sorry."

Uncomfortable as she felt, she still tried to keep up her best face in front of him.

Yancy Shaw looked at her coolly. "You should apologize to my wife. You hurt her reputation."

Eva Snow hadn’t expected that. She glanced at Lauren Shaw in the distance, clenching her fists and forcing a smile. "You’re right. I owe her an apology."

Saying nothing more, Yancy Shaw turned and walked away.

Inside, the production crew checked everyone in, then led them to the filming site.

Two duplex buildings stood ahead. Each designer had their own room, with their partnered celebrity living next door.

They would all be staying here for the next twenty-four hours.

Every room was rigged with cameras, and meals would be delivered by the crew.

Within twenty-four hours, the designers had to finish their creations.

That night, as Lauren Shaw was cutting fabric, someone knocked at her door.

At this hour, everyone should be busy working—who’d have time to wander around knocking?

Still, out of politeness she called out, "Who is it?"

"Miss Li, it’s me."

Eva Snow? She was surprised—what was she doing here?

"Sorry to bother you so late," Eva Snow said, smiling disarmingly.

Lauren Shaw stood at the door and eyed her warily. "Since you know how late it is, why disturb me?"

Her words seemed to sting, but Eva Snow quickly switched topics. "Mind if I come in and sit?"

"Can I say no?"

They locked eyes. Given the ever-present cameras, Lauren Shaw finally moved aside and let her in.

She didn’t trust Eva Snow to mean well—there was no way the two of them could make small talk.

"So, Miss Xue, what brings you here at this hour? Can’t sleep, so you came to stir up trouble instead?"

Eva Snow gave a small laugh. "I’ve been cooped up all day in my room. It’s stuffy. I thought chatting might inspire me, help me find some inspiration."

Inspiration? She had to come to Lauren Shaw’s room for inspiration? There had to be something wrong with this woman.

Lauren Shaw forced a smile, humoring her. "That’s a pretty unique approach, Miss Xue. Running into someone else’s room for inspiration—will that really help you find it?"