Knowing she still had unfinished work, Li Qiuchi didn’t urge her to drink. The two of them simply settled into their seats.

Lauren Shaw adjusted herself into a more comfortable position. She’d been busy all day, barely taking a break except for meals, and hadn’t allowed herself such a relaxed moment till now.

Li Qiuchi swirled the wine in her glass, tilting her head back slightly. As Lauren Shaw watched her, she couldn’t help thinking that this simple, makeup-free Li Qiuchi was even more beautiful than the glamorous figure on the big screen.

Li Qiuchi noticed her gaze, turned, and propped her chin on her hand with a lazy expression. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"Because you’re gorgeous," Lauren Shaw replied bluntly, unembarrassed by her own honesty.

Everyone, whether man or woman, loved to admire beauty.

"Qiuchi-jie, you’re actually pretty easy to get along with. So why does everyone say you’re so eccentric?"

Lauren Shaw had wondered about this before, and now, with the two of them chatting, she casually brought it up. But the moment she asked, she felt a bit regretful—maybe it was too rude.

Li Qiuchi’s face remained calm. She set down her glass and tapped her long fingers lightly against the table.

"When I first started acting, I had a really close friend. We used to go to auditions together. One time, I got cast as the female lead, but she didn’t. After that, I lost a friend."

There was a faint, bitter smile on Li Qiuchi’s lips.

"It was precisely because she didn’t get the part that she decided to cut me off. She even spread rumors in the industry that I’d landed the role by sleeping with the director."

Lauren Shaw was stunned. She never expected a friend could do something so cruel.

"Back then, my reputation in the acting circle took a hit. I wanted to prove I wasn’t what they thought, but no one wanted to believe me. That’s when I decided: if my name was ruined, I’d let my talent speak for itself."

She hadn’t become Best Actress through favors, but by earning it step by step with her own effort.

Only she knew the hardships she’d endured. If she wanted people to shut up, she had to show them real ability.

"I’ve seen too many fake people. Those who once tried to drown me with gossip now all have a different attitude."

Lauren Shaw couldn’t help but sigh. To make a comeback from such adversity, one could never be ordinary.

She figured the ones who claimed Li Qiuchi was difficult were the same group who used to spread rumors.

Watching the pain in her eyes, Lauren Shaw realized she might not be as unbreakable as people assumed.

Li Qiuchi took a deep breath, suppressing those unpleasant memories.

She looked at Lauren Shaw. "What about you? I know Eva Snow has had it in for you, but why did Yana Quinn come after you tonight too?"

At the mention of Yana Quinn, Lauren Shaw rubbed her forehead wearily. "That’s a long story—it probably starts before I got married."

Lauren Shaw explained the backstory, and when she finished, Li Qiuchi couldn’t hold back a laugh.

"Are Eva Snow and Yana Quinn sisters or something? How can they both be so clueless?" In this day and age, there was no shortage of men—why obsess over just one?

"Honestly, I wonder if they’re long-lost twins," Lauren Shaw joked, equally baffled at their fixation on making her life difficult.

The two chatted for quite a while, until a call came in on Li Qiuchi’s phone. That reminded Lauren Shaw there was still work left unfinished.

When Li Qiuchi saw the name on her phone, she paused, then picked up.

The moment she answered, her demeanor softened into that of a little girl—her voice sweet and gentle.

There was no need to guess who was on the other end.

Lauren Shaw caught on immediately. She pointed towards the door and mouthed, "I’ll head back first."

Li Qiuchi had wanted to keep chatting; it wasn’t often she met someone she connected with. But the caller, apparently tipsy, wouldn’t let her hang up. She could only reply to Lauren Shaw with a reluctant, mouthed, "Okay."

At the door, Lauren Shaw glanced back. Li Qiuchi, mid-phone call, had no idea how soft her expression had become.

See? Even the coolest heart could melt when it met the right person.

Back in her own room, Lauren Shaw noticed her phone on the desk. Only then did she remember—Yancy Shaw must have tried calling.

She picked it up: several missed calls, all from Yancy Shaw.

She’d been so caught up chatting, she’d completely forgotten about her phone.

She called back, and he picked up almost instantly.

Yancy Shaw’s handsome but usually distant face appeared on the screen, a faint hint of annoyance between his brows.

"I just stepped out for a bit and left my phone behind. Sorry about that," Lauren Shaw quickly explained.

"Shengsheng, were you avoiding my calls?" His voice was a low, raspy baritone—you could tell he’d been in a foul mood.

He wasn’t upset, though. He was worried.

Just as he was preparing to contact the show’s staff, her video call had come through.

Lauren Shaw, oblivious to his worries, thought he was angry. She coaxed, "Honey, I didn’t mean to ignore your calls."

It was no use—how could Yancy Shaw resist when she used that affectionate tone and called him husband? He surrendered immediately.

"I’m not mad. I was just worried about you. Where did you go just now?"

Seeing his face relax, Lauren Shaw grinned. "I went next door to chat with Li Qiuchi."

Thinking of tonight, she added, "You have no idea how awful Eva Snow and Yana Quinn were—they tried to set me up tonight."

Yancy Shaw wasn’t sure what she was saying at first, but he caught the last part: "set me up."

"How did they try to set you up?" he asked patiently.

Lauren Shaw animatedly described how the coffee almost spilled on her, and how she managed to dodge the trap.

"Lucky for you, your wife is clever! I saw through their plot and dodged disaster in a split second," she said, not missing the chance to praise herself.

Yancy Shaw’s eyes softened. "You didn’t get hurt, did you?"

"Nope, they didn’t even come close. Honestly, I have Li Qiuchi to thank—if she hadn’t stepped in, that scalding coffee would’ve landed on me for sure."

Hearing she was safe, Yancy Shaw’s expression eased further.

Lauren Shaw checked the time—it was nearly eleven.

She stifled a yawn. "Why aren’t you in bed yet?"

"I can’t sleep if you’re not here." His voice was deep, magnetic, and laced with tender adoration—it sent a warm flutter through her heart every time.

"What am I going to do with you? You have work tomorrow—you have to sleep!" she teased. Remembering how he’d often struggled with insomnia and nightmares before, she dared not dwell on it. Just the thought filled her chest with a thousand tiny aches.