Ian Lawrence poured his heart out into his phone, confessing his deepest feelings. After baring his soul, he was convinced that Lauren Shaw must have been moved.
But there was no response from the other end. He called her name again.
"Are you listening?"
"My wife is in the shower."
Ian Lawrence froze on the spot, as if struck by lightning when he heard the voice.
"Who are you?" He blurted out, even though he already knew the answer.
"Thank you for liking my wife for so long. But you'll have to be disappointed—I have a great relationship with my wife. There's no need for you to worry about us."
Before Ian Lawrence could react, Yancy Shaw hung up. He even blocked the number for good measure.
When Lauren Shaw stepped out of the bathroom, she found Yancy Shaw looking sulky, as if someone had gotten under his skin.
She walked over and asked, "What's wrong? Who upset you?"
Seeing her, the gloom on Yancy Shaw's face faded a little.
His voice softened. "Just got annoyed by a shameless mutt."
"A mutt?" Lauren Shaw looked baffled. They didn’t own a dog—where did that 'shameless mutt' come from?
He didn’t say anything more and headed into the bathroom.
Meanwhile, the 'shameless mutt' in question—Ian Lawrence—was fuming as he called Claire Xu.
"What kind of guy did Lauren Shaw marry? Bad temper, no morals, and he even dared to answer my call!"
Claire Xu was utterly confused, mind racing—what did he mean by 'no morals'? Bad temper? Was he talking about Yancy Shaw? That didn’t sound like Dr. Shen at all… Wait, what did he just say?
"You called Shengsheng’s husband?"
"Husband? That guy doesn’t have a shred of decency—hello?" Ian Lawrence looked at his phone, realizing Claire Xu had already hung up. This only made him angrier.
Claire Xu didn’t listen to the rest. All she got was that Ian Lawrence had just called Lauren Shaw... and that Dr. Shen picked up.
She immediately called Lauren Shaw.
Lauren Shaw answered, "Qingqing, why are you up so late?"
"Did you know Ian Lawrence just called you?" Claire Xu asked tentatively.
"He called me?" Lauren Shaw was stunned. Recalling what Yancy Shaw had mentioned earlier, everything clicked.
"Ian Lawrence must have found your number somewhere. He called, but Dr. Shen picked up." Claire Xu didn't have to guess what was said. Most likely, there'd now be drama between the newlyweds.
"Got it. That explains what he said earlier." Lauren Shaw murmured softly.
"What did he say?" Claire Xu was all ears for gossip.
"He said he got annoyed by a shameless mutt."
"Pffft!" Claire Xu burst out laughing. "Your Dr. Shen really has a way with words. Alright, I won’t keep you up. Go and cheer up your Dr. Shen—never let bad feelings fester overnight. Best to resolve things right away. If nothing else works, try seducing him!"
Claire Xu, ever the pro at giving relationship advice, even offered a few tips on how to charm a man.
Embarrassing as it was, Lauren Shaw took her advice to heart.
Thinking back on Yancy Shaw’s moody face earlier, she was pretty sure he'd been seriously upset.
As for what was going through Ian Lawrence’s mind, she couldn’t guess. She’d told him she was married, but he still wouldn’t let go. It felt like he was trying to get back at her for embarrassing him in front of the whole school years ago.
When Yancy Shaw finished his shower, Lauren Shaw was sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing at him with gentle eyes.
"Did you take a call before your shower?"
"Yeah." He answered honestly, not hiding anything.
"Are you… angry?" Lauren Shaw ventured, not knowing what Ian Lawrence might have said, and uncertain how Yancy Shaw felt.
Yancy Shaw gave a short laugh. "Not really—just a little upset. I guess the word for it is jealous."
"Why jealous? There’s nothing between me and him—we’re just university classmates at best."
"Because he’s known you longer than I have."
Lauren Shaw: "…"
That’s a reason to be jealous? Now that’s just unreasonable.
---
Yancy Shaw’s flight was at ten in the morning.
Lauren Shaw had only just arrived at her studio when she got a call from him.
She’d wanted to see him off in the morning, but he refused, telling her to sleep in—after all, they’d stayed up late last night and he couldn’t bear to see her tired.
"Shengsheng, I’m at the airport now." His voice was gentle, making Lauren Shaw’s heart melt.
She replied with a soft "Mm. Remember to call me when you land."
"I will. I’ll be gone for a few days—take care of yourself."
"You too."
The two lingered on the phone, sweet-talking each other until his flight was about to leave and they finally hung up.
Just before the call ended, Lauren Shaw heard a woman's voice.
"Yancheng."
Someone was calling his name.
The call ended right then. Lauren Shaw stared at her phone, lost in thought.
That voice—it sounded just like the one she’d heard the last time she called.
Yancy Shaw glanced to his side—Mona Lane stood beside him.
He greeted her coolly. "Dr. Lin."
Mona Lane stood in the aisle with an expensive designer bag slung over her shoulder. Today, she wore a fashionable coat—nothing like her usual hospital attire.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling brightly. "When we’re out like this, you could just call me by my name, you know."
Her tone was easy, but her affection shone through.
Yancy Shaw didn’t even look at her. "Dr. Lin, we’re colleagues."
They had worked together for years, but he’d always kept her at arm’s length—polite, but distant.
Mona Lane was used to it by now, and didn’t let it faze her.
"My seat’s inside—could you let me through?"
Yancy Shaw stood to let her pass.
She thanked him politely and took her seat beside him.
As he sat again, Mona Lane could clearly smell the subtle ebony sandalwood scent he always carried. This was the closest she’d ever been to him.
She hadn’t originally gotten a spot at this conference, but as soon as she learned Yancy Shaw would go, she requested a place that very night. As the daughter of one of the hospital’s shareholders, all she had to do was ask—she wasn’t really interested in the conference; she wanted to be with him.
---
After the design competition show aired, it created quite a stir online. Many tuned in for their favorite celebrities, but ended up becoming fans of the designers.
No sooner had Lauren Shaw hung up than a journalist called, asking for an exclusive interview.
It was the perfect time to promote her studio—she could showcase her brand and introduce her new designs.
Thinking it over, she agreed.
Her assistant Mei and the others had been working especially hard lately. While she’d given everyone a raise, Lauren Shaw still felt she owed them. So, with some free time that evening, she decided to treat everyone to dinner.