"Don't worry about her. You're just too good to her, so now she thinks she can walk all over you. She doesn't even know how to be grateful!" George Xu fumed.
"Yeah, I'm ungrateful. If you can't stand it, just kick me out then. Out of sight, out of mind!" With that, she stomped upstairs.
May Lee smoothed George Xu's chest, trying to calm him. She said apologetically, "It's all my fault. If it weren't for me, there wouldn't be all this tension between you and Qingqing..."
George Xu let out a long sigh. "It's not your fault. That rebellious child—she's getting more out of hand by the day..."
Back in her room, Claire Xu saw the photo sitting on her desk, and couldn't stop her eyes from welling up again.
It was a photo of her and her grandmother. Her mother had passed away when she was five.
Not long after her mother's death, her father came home ten times, but always with a woman and a child in tow—May Lee and Hannah Xu.
Hannah Xu was three years her junior. At five, Claire Xu had no concept of people's hidden motives; all she knew was that her grandmother, seeing how much she hurt, kept her close. That was the only peace she'd known, but when she turned sixteen, her grandmother passed away too.
After her grandmother died, George Xu brought her back home. May Lee acted nice to her on the surface, but secretly tripped her up at every turn.
She'd wanted to move out, but if she did, George Xu would cut off her credit cards—and sabotage her career.
The more she tried to escape him, the harder he forced her to bow her head.
She hated him. Hated that she had a father like this.
Her phone rang—it was a video call from Lauren Shaw.
Claire Xu wiped away her tears, took a moment to steady herself, and answered the call.
The moment Lauren Shaw saw her, she knew something was wrong.
"Qingqing, are you home yet?" she asked, full of concern.
"Yeah, I'm home already. No need to worry."
But Lauren Shaw could tell Claire Xu's mood was low, her eyes still red, as if she'd just been crying.
"What happened? Who upset you?" Lauren Shaw knew a bit about her situation. She'd told Claire Xu before to move in with her, just to get away from all those people.
All those grievances Claire Xu had bottled up—for some reason, just a kind word from someone else, and now it all threatened to burst.
Claire Xu wiped her tears again. "It's nothing. They can't get to me."
Watching her cry, Lauren Shaw's heart clenched. She wanted nothing more than to hug her.
Lauren Shaw said nothing, just quietly watched her through the screen, letting her vent as much as she needed.
After a while, Claire Xu finished crying, and her emotions calmed down. Only then did she start telling Lauren Shaw everything.
"My stepmom set me up on a blind date. The guy's a total playboy—God knows how many women he's been with. And my 'dear old dad' still wants me to meet him."
Lauren Shaw was fuming on her behalf, but she knew Claire Xu wasn't in a place to break free from her family just yet.
"I'll go with you to the blind date tomorrow."
Claire Xu wasn't the type to take things lying down, but having Lauren Shaw with her would be better. If the guy tried anything, the two of them together would keep him in check.
Claire Xu sniffed. "Shengsheng, do I look like the delicate, fragile sort to you?"
Come on, it was just a blind date. She could handle herself.
"Of course not. You're an independent woman of the new era—a strong, capable Chinese woman!"
Lauren Shaw's words finally coaxed a smile out of her.
After chatting for a while, they hung up. Just as Lauren Shaw put her phone down, Yancy Shaw walked out of the bathroom.
He was wrapped in a bathrobe, the collar loose and showing off his strong, sculpted chest.
Lauren Shaw couldn't take her eyes off him.
Yancy Shaw noticed her staring, a gentle warmth filling his eyes as he drew closer.
Lauren Shaw wasn't even aware of what was on his mind—she just wanted to know what it felt like to touch.
Yancy Shaw was the perfect mix: lean in clothes, muscular underneath. She loved the feeling of running her hands over him.
Ever since being with him, she couldn't help but feel like a bit of a perv, always drawn in by his looks.
Yancy Shaw got into bed beside her and fixed his gaze on her. When he saw she was still staring, he couldn't help leaning in, his voice hoarse: "Shengsheng, do you know what you look like right now?"
Realizing her gaze was a little blatant, she cleared her throat and looked away, mumbling, "It's not like I haven't touched before. Aren't you being a bit stingy? You won't even let me look."
Her words went straight to his ears, and his look grew heated.
He grabbed her hand and slid it inside his bathrobe, meeting her eyes with a grin. "So, Mrs. Shen, do you still think I'm stingy?"
Feeling the muscles under her palm, she couldn't help but smile in satisfaction.
Remembering their little bet at dinner tonight, a sly smile played on her lips. "Is that wager from earlier still on?"
"It is."
"So you'll agree to anything I say?"
"Of course. What did you have in mind?" Yancy Shaw lowered his gaze to her, his eyes sprinkled with starlight.
"I haven't decided yet. I'll tell you when I think of something." Lauren Shaw yawned, rolled over, and got ready to sleep.
The warmth of his body pressed up behind her, Yancy Shaw pulled her close, refusing to let her drift away.
His low, tempting voice sounded right at her ear.
"Mrs. Shen, after all that touching, you're just going to leave it at that?"
His little bunny was getting bolder every day. At night, she loved slipping her hand somewhere it didn't belong. It was driving him crazy.
Lauren Shaw looked up at him, her eyes wide and helpless.
He couldn't help thinking—she always looked at him like this when they were in the middle of things, making him never want to stop...
"I was just curious about how it feels," Lauren Shaw said innocently. Seeing his desire was barely restrained, she squinted with a mischievous smile: "Then why don't you try touching mine...?"
Yancy Shaw rolled on top of her, pinning her down.
"Mmph—"
Lauren Shaw had meant to say "no," but he swallowed up her words before she could get them out.
…
The next day, Lauren Shaw accompanied Claire Xu to the restaurant.
Claire Xu's blind date was arranged by May Lee; apparently, his family did business with the Xus. Before they left, George Xu stood at the door and warned Claire Xu not to mess things up, no matter what.
Lauren Shaw knew full well that May Lee never wished Claire Xu well—she doubted this date would be with any 'good man.'
Lauren Shaw sat at a nearby table, keeping a close watch. If this guy tried anything shady, she'd jump in and give him what he deserved.
They waited a while before the notorious playboy sauntered in—fashionably late.
He stared at Claire Xu for a long moment, and Claire Xu stared right back. There was something familiar about him.
"Claire Xu?" The man spoke first, calling her by name.
"Ian Lawrence?" Claire Xu finally remembered him. Back in college, he'd chased after Lauren Shaw like there was no tomorrow—had even once asked her for help.
Ian Lawrence looked around, as if searching for someone.