Hearing him say that, Lauren Shaw obediently shut her mouth, though she couldn't resist shooting him a glare.

She gave him a look, leaving it up to him to interpret as he wished.

Seeing her cute, indignant expression, Yancy Shaw decided not to tease her any further.

They still had to go sign the contract with Shengmei Group that afternoon.

Lauren Shaw went home to change clothes. Then Yancy Shaw drove her to Shengmei Group.

Shengmei Group had been on a tear in recent years. In just five short years, it had become the leading apparel company in Ancheng.

And not just that—the rumors said the boss behind Shengmei owned a sprawling business empire, not only in fashion but also electronics, hotels, real estate, and even had interests in the entertainment industry.

Yancy Shaw dropped her off downstairs at the company.

"I'll wait for you in the car. When you're done, just come find me," Yancy Shaw said, giving her head a gentle ruffle, his voice soft.

Lauren Shaw nodded, got out, and went inside. As soon as she entered, someone came to guide her.

The person handling the contract on Shengmei's side was a man with a friendly face.

"Hello, Miss Li," he greeted her politely, without making her feel uncomfortable.

He placed the contract in front of her and introduced himself: "My name is Chris Cooper, Assistant to President Shen. You can call me Little Chris from now on."

Hearing Chris Cooper's words, Lauren Shaw couldn't help but wonder—was their boss's surname also Shen? But the idea only flashed through her mind.

She smiled warmly. "Assistant Cui, you're too polite. You're President Shen's right-hand man; I wouldn't dare call you so casually."

Chris Cooper grinned, looking completely unconcerned. "Please, Miss Li, call me however you like. Whatever you're comfortable with."

Lauren Shaw's smile twitched a little. He really was easygoing.

Once the contract was signed, Chris Cooper took the papers and left.

Lauren Shaw was about to head out to find Yancy Shaw, but as she was waiting for the elevator, she ran into Mandy Snow.

Mandy Snow looked surprised to see her, but quickly pasted on a friendly smile.

"Lauren Shaw, what brings you here?" she asked.

Lauren Shaw was someone who could read a room—she matched other people's demeanor. If they were fake, she'd be even faker.

"Sister-in-law! What a coincidence. I'm here to sign a contract. What about you? What are you doing here?" She played innocent, even though she already had her suspicions.

The mention of contract signing made Mandy Snow subtly uncomfortable, but she kept her smile in place.

"You're here to sign a contract?" she asked again, unsure.

Lauren Shaw nodded. "Yes, I took first place in this year's original design competition."

Understanding flickered in Mandy Snow's eyes, but she quickly returned to smiling. "I'm Shengmei's creative director! That's wonderful. We'll be colleagues now, so we'll be able to watch out for each other."

"I'll be counting on you, Sister-in-law—I’m just a rookie in the workplace," Lauren Shaw joked, only half in jest.

Mandy Snow gave a stiff, perfunctory smile.

With a 'ding,' the elevator arrived. Lauren Shaw strode in, then waved at Mandy Snow, who was still standing dumbstruck outside. "Come on, sis, get in!"

Mandy Snow snapped out of it and smiled. "I just remembered I left something in the office. You go ahead."

Watching Mandy Snow turn and head back to her office, Lauren Shaw's own smile instantly dropped. Ugh, acting all day with these people was enough to make her face cramp up.

Back in the car, she eyed Yancy Shaw curiously.

Feeling her gaze, Yancy Shaw grew uncomfortable. "What are you looking at me like that for?"

Lauren Shaw gave a cold snort. "Tell me—how many more secrets are you keeping from me?"

Seeing Yancy Shaw's blank look, she pressed on, "Just now, I bumped into Mandy Snow at the company. Aren't you going to come clean?

"The owner of the company is surnamed Shen, Mandy Snow is a Shen family daughter-in-law—if I'm not mistaken, Shengmei must be a Shen family business." After she reasoned through it, the answer was obvious.

A smile tugged at Yancy Shaw's lips. He took Lauren Shaw's hand and kissed it softly.

"My wife is just too clever. Nothing gets past you."

Lauren Shaw crossed her arms, still unimpressed. "When the organizers called me about the competition, I already thought something was off. So this was all your family's plan from the start."

"It wasn't like that. I didn't know in the beginning—only found out later on," Yancy Shaw insisted, truthfully.

This company had been founded by his second brother, Bryce Shaw. Back then, the Snow family was the leader of Ancheng's clothing industry, but Shengmei had surpassed them in the last few years.

After learning this, Mandy Snow had insisted on becoming Shengmei’s creative director. She already had her own brand and was a designer by training—everyone in the Shen family knew exactly why she wanted into the company.

Bryce Shaw hadn't refused and let her join. By herself, she couldn't stir up much trouble, but she wanted to bring Eva Snow into the company as well.

Bryce Shaw kept finding excuses to refuse, but every so often, she'd bring it up again.

So Bryce Shaw decided to hold a competition—whoever won could sign with Shengmei. Of course, that wasn't the only reason; he had his own motives, too.

One, to shut Mandy Snow up, and two, to give himself more opportunities to interact with Li Qiuchi. But except for Yancy Shaw, no one else knew that second reason.

Learning all this, Lauren Shaw couldn't help but sigh—rich families really did have more drama than hers. The Shen family business was way more complicated than the Shaw family's.

"So if I hadn't entered, Eva Snow would have won the competition, right?" she asked.

Yancy Shaw didn't answer. With so many variables, nobody could say for sure how things might've ended up.

Lauren Shaw's curiosity only grew as she remembered that no one in the Shen family seemed to like Mandy Snow.

"If none of you liked Mandy Snow, why did your eldest brother marry her in the first place?"

She'd been able to tell over the past weeks that Mandy Snow and the Shen family's eldest son weren't on the same wavelength at all.

Yancy Shaw turned to look at her and began explaining the old story.

"Big Brother used to have someone he loved, but the Snow family set him up. Mandy Snow climbed into his bed, and after that, the Xues accused Big Brother of ruining their daughter's reputation and forced him to marry her."

Outsiders all thought it was a business arrangement, but no one knew the truth behind it.

But the Xues’ plans ultimately fell through. They thought Big Brother would naturally become the Shen family heir, but he never cared about the inheritance at all.

All he cared about was scientific research. He spent all day in the lab, and after getting married, Mandy Snow constantly nagged him about it—telling him he was useless for ignoring the family fortune.

To avoid seeing her, he simply moved into his work dormitory.

As a result, their marriage had always been a complete mess.

Lauren Shaw finally understood: the Snow family's ambitions didn't stop at Shengmei Group—they wanted to take over everything the Shen family owned.