She'd never noticed Yancy Shaw being so clingy before, but tonight he was exceptionally attached—he wouldn't even hang up the phone.
Lauren Shaw found it amusing. Thinking of all the people waiting for him, she urged, “Let’s chat when you're back at the hotel. Everyone's still waiting for you.”
Only then did Yancy Shaw end the call.
It was strange—a simple phone conversation, not even seeing his face, yet it effortlessly brightened her mood.
She thought, this must be what mutual love feels like.
In the past, she never understood the sweetness of love; she only wanted to make the other person happy, never thinking of her own feelings. Sometimes, when she was upset, even a few lines of Yvonne Sung's manipulative talk only left her feeling worse, even doubting herself.
Back then, she always believed she wasn’t good enough, that was why Yvonne Sung didn’t like her, and she blamed everything on herself.
But now, she understood. It wasn’t that she wasn’t good enough, but rather, some people were just selfish.
No matter what she did, he always felt it was only what he deserved. Worst of all, he didn’t like her but kept her on the line, treating her as a backup, manipulating her whenever he felt like it. Thankfully, she’d cut him off decisively.
With nothing else to do, Lauren Shaw browsed through her phone’s album. Over the past few days, she'd designed several new pieces, and today she tried on a new deep-V, backless gown at the studio. It looked pretty good, so she snapped a few photos.
The deep-V design showed off her figure perfectly, and her entire back was bare to the air. Just looking at the photos was enough to stir anyone’s desires.
After thinking it over, she sent them all to Yancy Shaw.
She added a note: [How do you like this dress?]
A short while later, Yancy Shaw replied, [It’s stunning.]
She couldn’t tell—was he talking about the dress, or about her?
After her nightly routine, just as Lauren Shaw lay down, Yancy Shaw started a video call.
She picked up, and his elegant, composed face appeared on the screen.
“Shengsheng, that dress looks amazing. Wear it for me when I get back, okay?”
“Huh?” Lauren Shaw couldn’t keep up with his train of thought. Coming from him, lines like that felt almost unbelievable.
“You don’t want to?” A trace of disappointment crossed Yancy Shaw’s face.
Lauren Shaw hurried to reply, “I want to!”
But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized something was off. She saw a smile appear on his face, finally catching his meaning.
“No way! That gown is a new design. If you ruin it, what then?” Though he seemed calm and disciplined, in private he was wild—he’d already ruined more than a few of her outfits.
“I’ll be very careful.”
Lauren Shaw: “…”
She realized Yancy Shaw was becoming more and more unreasonable—and also more daring, especially in that department.
“You know, Yancy Shaw, you’re totally not as prim and proper as you seem.”
Yancy Shaw: “…”
Suddenly, the doorbell chimed. While Yancy Shaw was still stuck to his phone, his face soured with displeasure as he glanced towards the door.
“Who could be looking for you this late?” Lauren Shaw asked.
“No idea,” Yancy Shaw replied, rising to open the door.
At the door stood Mona Lane. She wore loungewear, her hair still damp, water droplets trickling down into her clothes. The top button of her nightclothes was undone.
She looked quite pitiable—anyone would want to protect her.
Yancy Shaw pointed his phone camera at her, flipping it so Lauren Shaw could see. Lauren Shaw recognized Mona Lane, but stayed silent, just narrowing her eyes at the woman. What was she up to, looking like that?
“Did you need something?” Yancy Shaw’s gaze was so clear and direct that it made Mona Lane feel a little embarrassed.
“Yancheng, sorry for disturbing you so late… my hairdryer broke, so I wondered if I could borrow yours for a bit.”
Yancy Shaw stood in the doorway, expression calm as ever.
“There’s room service. You can call the front desk and ask them to bring you one.”
Called out so bluntly, Mona Lane’s face froze, her smile twitching awkwardly. “Okay, got it.”
The only response was the thud of the door closing.
Dejected, she slunk back to her room, even checking her appearance in the mirror.
She wasn’t bad-looking; why did he show zero interest? Meat delivered to the doorstep—what man would refuse? Yancy Shaw really had no clue how to appreciate a woman!
Lauren Shaw was laughing so hard she almost couldn’t catch her breath, especially after seeing Mona Lane’s embarrassment. Satisfaction filled her heart.
“She really was trying to deliver herself to you, Dr. Shen. You really are hopelessly oblivious.” She teased him gleefully.
“Mrs. Shen, would you like me to give you a live broadcast demonstration?” he shot back.
“If you dare give me a live demonstration, I’ll go to a male model club tonight and call ten gorgeous guys to my table.”
So be it—let’s see who can outdo whom!
Yancy Shaw’s eyes grew dark and stormy. “I dare you!”
His look only made Lauren Shaw laugh harder, her cheeks growing sore.
“Stop laughing—or I’ll be able to see straight down your throat,” he said in exasperation. The more he spoke, the harder she laughed.
After a while, Lauren Shaw finally managed to stop, catching her breath.
“My husband is handsome and charming—I never thought he’d attract so many women. Makes me feel so uneasy…”
She sniffled, putting on an exaggeratedly aggrieved expression—a real drama queen.
Yancy Shaw simply watched her show.
His little bunny was definitely the vengeful type. After the last time he teased her, she was clearly getting her revenge now by playing it up.
“Did she go to the conference with you this time?” Lauren Shaw thought of the woman’s voice she’d heard on the phone—Mona Lane, she was sure of it. She also remembered that the last person to answer Yancy Shaw’s phone was her.
And back when she’d visited the hospital, Mona Lane always acted hostile toward her. Who knew she’d turn out to be such a sly green tea (a term for a manipulative, two-faced woman)?
“The hospital never said she’d come with me.”
Yancy Shaw really didn’t care; what Mona Lane did was her business, not his.
Lauren Shaw yawned, cupping her phone.
“Are you tired?” Yancy Shaw noted the weariness on her face. She’d been working hard on new designs lately—she had to be exhausted.
Lauren Shaw shook her head, “Not tired, just… there’s been a lot going on lately. Sometimes I feel directionless, not sure what to do. A bit lost.”
There were doubts from the company’s management, Mandy Snow’s constant needling, and now Bryce Shaw’s request.
Thinking of what Bryce Shaw said to her that day, she hesitated, then tested the waters: “Can I ask you something?”
“Go ahead.” Yancy Shaw was organizing his notes from today’s meetings.
“If you were asked to give up your dream career and return to inherit the family business, would you do it?”
She watched his face closely.
Yancy Shaw stopped what he was doing, raising his eyes to meet hers. “Why do you ask all of a sudden?”
He was clearly sensitive to the topic.
Lauren Shaw bit her lip, wavering over whether or not to tell him what Bryce Shaw had said.
“Was it Second Brother who spoke to you?” Yancy Shaw saw right through her thoughts at a glance.