Startled by her own reaction, Henry Mills touched his face nervously. "Do I really look that scary?"

Yancy Shaw spotted the phone on the table and asked, "Where’s Shengsheng?"

"She went to change her clothes, but she's not back yet." Claire Xu recounted what had happened earlier to Yancy Shaw, feeling more unsettled the more she spoke.

"How long has she been gone?"

Claire Xu glanced at the time. "Almost half an hour."

Yancy Shaw’s expression instantly darkened.

Before Claire Xu could react, he grabbed Lauren Shaw’s phone and turned to Ian Lawrence. "Where’s the lounge?"

Ian Lawrence pointed to the villa nearby. "Over there."

Without another word, Yancy Shaw strode off in that direction.

Inside the lounge.

Yvonne Sung had already searched the place but couldn't find Lauren Shaw.

Lauren Shaw was pressed against the inside of the bathroom door, praying Claire Xu would come looking for her soon.

Yvonne Sung had begun to suspect she was hiding in the bathroom. He tried the door, found it locked from within, and sneered, "Lauren Shaw, stop hiding. I know you’re in there."

Lauren Shaw didn’t bother playing games. "This whole plagiarism scandal—that was your doing, wasn’t it?"

With only the two of them left in the room, Yvonne Sung made no attempt to deny it. "Yeah, so what if it was? Don’t you think you’re being awfully cold-hearted?"

What? Cold-hearted? He's out of his mind.

"You broke off our engagement and immediately rushed to have a flash wedding. I know you were just trying to get back at me, but I already apologized! Why can’t you just forgive me?"

Lauren Shaw couldn’t believe she was even having this conversation; just because he apologized, was she supposed to let go of everything? Who made up that rule?

"What’s the point of all this? I have a new life now. Does sabotaging me bring you any joy?"

A proper ex should stay gone, like they never existed. Why did he have to keep popping up and wrecking her peace?

Yvonne Sung rambled on, but Lauren Shaw had no intention of responding.

Frustrated by her silence, Yvonne Sung flew into a rage and began kicking at the door.

Lauren Shaw was grateful the bathroom had a lock—or there was no telling what this lunatic might try.

She wondered if Claire Xu had noticed anything strange.

Just then, Ian Lawrence led Yancy Shaw to the villa.

The maid’s face twisted in panic when she saw them.

"She’s the one who called Shengsheng over to change," Claire Xu said, instantly recognizing her. "Where is she?"

The maid stammered, unable to answer.

Yancy Shaw’s eyes turned icy cold. "Where did you take her?" Even his words exuded a chilling menace.

The maid trembled uncontrollably, finally pointing upstairs. "She... she's in a room on the upper floor."

As soon as she spoke, Yancy Shaw bolted upstairs.

Inside, Lauren Shaw braced her body against the door, afraid Yvonne Sung would break through the flimsy wood.

"Bang!" Yvonne Sung kept slamming the door—completely unhinged, yet blaming Lauren Shaw for his own crazed actions.

Just as Yancy Shaw reached the third floor, he heard the commotion. His face was already set in stone.

Suddenly, everything went quiet outside. Lauren Shaw exhaled in relief—until a scream split the silence.

"Shengsheng, are you in there?" Claire Xu called, knocking on the door.

Hearing Claire Xu’s voice, Lauren Shaw finally let her guard down.

She opened the door and immediately saw Yancy Shaw raining punches down on Yvonne Sung.

Blood stained the corner of Yvonne Sung’s lips. He sneered at Yancy Shaw, "You dare hit me?"

Yancy Shaw looked like an enraged lion—a side of him Lauren Shaw had never seen before.

"So what if I do? Right now, I feel like taking your life." His voice was so cold it sent chills down Lauren Shaw’s spine.

Yvonne Sung balled his fists and charged, but Yancy Shaw moved like lightning. Yvonne Sung hadn’t even touched him before Yancy Shaw sent him sprawling with a single kick.

"That’s some serious skill," Claire Xu muttered, unable to hide her admiration.

He didn’t look like a doctor at all—what a waste if he were anything else.

"Guess you didn’t know," Henry Mills explained. "Yancheng trained for years. He could take on a handful of thugs, easy."

Lauren Shaw remembered Henry Mills telling her that Yancy Shaw’s fighting skills were even better than his—and what she saw today proved it.

The noble manner Yancy Shaw usually wore was nowhere to be found. Today, rage twisted his features, his gaze cold and merciless.

He pinned Yvonne Sung to the ground, fists landing blow after blow.

Yvonne Sung tried to fight back, but he never got the chance. All he could do was curl up and shield his head.

This was the first time Lauren Shaw had seen this side of Yancy Shaw—the gentle, refined man she knew replaced by a wild, violent stranger.

"Yancheng, that’s enough." Lauren Shaw called out, not out of sympathy for Yvonne Sung, but out of fear things would go too far.

At the sound of her voice, Yancy Shaw paused.

Yvonne Sung lay limp and helpless on the floor. Calmly, Yancy Shaw pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the blood off his hands.

"Call someone to take him to the hospital," he instructed, glancing at the shell-shocked Ian Lawrence.

Ian Lawrence still hadn’t processed what he was seeing. Only when Henry Mills nudged him did he snap out of it. "Oh—right. I’ll arrange that."

Yancy Shaw walked over to Lauren Shaw and gently ruffled her hair, his eyes soft and full of concern. "Are you okay? He didn't scare you just now, did he?"

Lauren Shaw shook her head.

He noticed the red wine stains on her qipao, his brow furrowing, but said nothing. Instead, he gripped her hand tightly. "Let’s go home."

Lauren Shaw caught sight of a gash on his hand, still bleeding—likely from the fight just now.

Only after the two of them left did Ian Lawrence snap back to reality.

"What's going on? Third Brother and Lauren Shaw...?"

Henry Mills raised his brows. "She’s his wife. Didn’t you know?"

Ian Lawrence was floored. "Th-third Brother’s wife?"

He stared at Henry Mills, then Claire Xu. He could have sworn Lauren Shaw was married to Yvonne Sung—when did it become Yancy Shaw?

Claire Xu looked at the motionless Yvonne Sung on the ground and wondered if he was even still alive.

Henry Mills gave a dismissive snort. "He’ll live. Yancheng knows what he’s doing. Though with the beating he took, he’ll probably be in the hospital for a while."

This guy just loves dancing on Yancy Shaw's last nerve. At least tonight he got what he deserved—maybe next time he’ll think twice about provoking him.

Yancy Shaw’s stride was brisk. Lauren Shaw, in her heels, struggled to keep up. "Yancheng, slow down."

He stopped and finally noticed how disheveled she looked.

"I’m sorry, I—"

"Don’t apologize. You didn’t do anything wrong." Lauren Shaw squeezed his hand reassuringly. No matter how he changed, she would stay by his side.

Yancy Shaw worried the night’s events had scared her, or that she might start to fear him—but in that moment, he just couldn’t hold himself back.