Lauren Shaw was genuinely shocked. "Shen Yanchén, just how many secrets are you still keeping from me?"

Shen Yanchén didn’t reply, just chuckled softly.

Clearly, she was too naive, had underestimated him once again.

After washing the vegetables, Shen Yanchén told her to wait in the living room for dinner—the kitchen was all oily smoke.

As soon as Lauren Shaw came out, her phone on the coffee table started ringing incessantly. The group chat was buzzing.

Claire Xu and Hugo Pierce were chattering non-stop.

[Did you hear? The Sung family just went bankrupt.]

Claire Xu’s news was obviously a beat late, but you couldn’t blame her. She’d just gotten off a plane, having done several fashion shows overseas and endured a long flight—she’d only just checked into her hotel.

Once she settled in, she finally saw Hugo Pierce’s message.

Hugo Pierce: [Sis, I bet Lauren Shaw knew long before us.]

Claire Xu: [rolls eyes emoji]

Hugo Pierce: [I visited Yvonne Sung in the hospital today. He’s in a really bad way. Yana Quinn was there too, but just sat outside the room and wouldn’t go in. She looked pretty worn out.]

Claire Xu: [Serves them right. They brought it on themselves.]

Hugo Pierce: [But what’s strange is this Dingfeng International. Nobody can even find out who founded the company.]

Claire Xu: [If you ever find out, tell me. I want to thank them in person.]

…

Lauren Shaw scrolled through their gossip before sending a message herself: [Did you guys eat dinner yet?]

The two ever-curious drama-watchers dashed to reply, and the gossip continued.

Hugo Pierce: [I was out of Ancheng for a while—didn’t expect so much to happen.]

Hugo Pierce had been traveling recently and wasn’t paying attention to the news. As a friend to both Yvonne Sung and Lauren Shaw, he’d naturally picked her side. But at this point, his friendship with Yvonne Sung was probably on the rocks.

Lauren Shaw: [That’s all in the past now. I heard you’re getting married soon—are you going to introduce us to your fiancée or not?]

Hugo Pierce: [I’ll take you all out to eat when I have time!]

After a few minutes of chatting, Shen Yanchén called her to eat, and she set her phone aside.

"Who were you chatting with?"

"Claire Xu and Hugo Pierce," Lauren Shaw answered honestly. "They’re all dying to know who the founder of Dingfeng International is. If I told them it was you, do you think they’d believe me?"

Heck, even she could hardly believe it.

"Whether anyone believes it doesn’t matter to me. Fame and money are just passing clouds. The only thing that matters is whoever stays by my side," Shen Yanchén looked at her with deep affection.

"Your favorite—braised lion’s head meatballs. Try some."

With that, he made sure to spoon a hefty meatball into her bowl.

Lauren Shaw looked at him, an unspoken adoration flickering in her eyes—so subtle she didn’t even realize it herself. "Shen Yanchén, I really feel like I hit the jackpot."

How could he be so perfect? He could cook, he was thoughtful, and brilliant too. Little hearts danced in her gaze as she watched him.

"Shengsheng, don’t look at me like that."

Maybe she didn’t realize just how alluring her eyes were at that moment.

"Eat first," joked Shen Yanchén softly. "Save that look for later."

Lauren Shaw quickly glanced away, her cheeks warming up.

After dinner, Shen Yanchén disappeared into his study, claiming he had work to do.

Lauren Shaw grabbed her tablet to work too, but soon felt a wave of tiredness.

When Shen Yanchén came out, he found Lauren Shaw already asleep, curled up on the sofa.

Feeling something brush her face, Lauren Shaw opened her eyes and met Shen Yanchén’s fathomless gaze.

He withdrew his hand. "Did I wake you? Come on, let me take you to bed."

Lauren Shaw shook her head and sat up, yawning. "I haven’t showered yet. I should do that first."

She got up and headed for the bathroom. Shen Yanchén followed behind. "I’ll join you."

Lauren Shaw’s drowsiness vanished. He didn’t look like he was joking. "T-That’s… probably not a good idea, right?"

Sure, they’d already seen each other fully, but still, showering together was a whole different level. What if… just in case…

"I can restrain myself," Shen Yanchén replied, obviously not meaning a word.

"It’s not about you—I’m worried I can’t restrain myself," Lauren Shaw retorted shamelessly. She admitted it: she was plenty attracted to him.

Shen Yanchén’s eyes gleamed with laughter. "Even better. I’ve never tried… in the bathroom yet."

With that, he pulled Lauren Shaw to the bathroom, deftly slipping her clothes off…

"W-wait, let me… I’ll do it myself!" She couldn’t help but laugh exasperatedly at his eagerness.

He turned on the shower, and soon, the steamy air filled the room…

In the end, Lauren Shaw felt utterly boneless from his attentions, and he carried her back and laid her onto the bed.

…

The next day.

Lauren Shaw slept late—the sun was already high by the time she woke. Her whole body ached. Honestly, she thought, this is going to be the end of me. Busy all day, "overtime" at night.

When she arrived at the studio, Xiaomei and the others kept shooting her strange looks.

She was puzzled. "Sorry I’m late. Did I hold up anything?"

"No, no," one of them teased. "Your brother-in-law came by early this morning. He said you were exhausted yesterday and to let you rest."

The teasing started instantly.

"At first I worried something was wrong with you, but now I get it," joked another.

"Yeah, your brother-in-law really treats us like family!"

Early in the morning, the three of them had already gotten more than enough dog food—a Chinese way of saying a display of couple’s lovey-dovey antics. They shook their heads helplessly.

Lauren Shaw’s cheeks turned red at once. She made a show of settling at her desk and diving into her work.

Seeing her reaction, no one dared tease her again.

—

After the show, Claire Xu sat backstage, removing her makeup.

A man approached with a bouquet of flowers, well-dressed, but with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Plenty of men had courted Claire Xu, but none had made her skin crawl quite the way he did.

"Claire Xu, what a surprise running into you here," the man said, genuinely pleased.

His name was Lu Yuanbo—they’d met in college. He looked polished, but underneath that exterior, he was about as appealing as spoiled milk.

Claire Xu’s face was expressionless. "I’m surprised to see you too."

She looked at him, lips twitching with a cold, insincere smile.

Lu Yuanbo extended the bouquet. "It’s been so long—we should catch up over dinner tonight?"

Claire Xu focused on wiping off her makeup, not even bothering to glance his way. "Sorry, I don’t dine with strangers. Bad for the appetite."

Lu Yuanbo’s expression chilled, but he still kept up the façade. "Strangers? Claire Xu, drop the act. We know each other, don’t we?"