Henry Mills noticed her panic and quickly reached out to take her hand. "Come with me," he said.

It wasn't until they left the underground parking lot that Claire Xu finally felt safe again. She looked at Henry Mills and asked, "How did you end up here?"

Walking ahead and still holding her hand, Henry Mills gave her the reassuring sense of a strong figure leading the way. For a moment, Claire Xu found herself enjoying this feeling of being cared for.

"I heard from Lauren Shaw that you ran into some trouble here, so I caught a flight right over," he explained as if it were nothing.

His casual words made Claire Xu's eyes sting with sudden emotion.

It was lucky she'd told Lauren Shaw her location before leaving—otherwise, Henry Mills never could have found her so quickly.

After a few steps, she felt a dull pain in her wrist. Looking down, she realized it was swollen and red where Lu Yuanbo had grabbed her just before.

"What happened just now?" Henry Mills frowned as he noticed the swelling on her wrist.

Claire Xu instinctively tried to hide her hand behind her back. "It's nothing. Really."

They were abroad; she didn't want to make things messier. If any trouble came of this, they'd be the ones at a disadvantage.

Henry Mills pressed his lips together, clearly holding back anger. But he kept his composure in front of Claire Xu.

Lauren Shaw's call came through. Claire Xu answered, hearing concern in her friend's voice.

"Qingqing, did Henry Mills find you yet?"

Claire Xu glanced at Henry Mills and replied quietly, "Yes, he found me."

Now that Henry Mills was with her, Lauren Shaw could finally relax.

After hanging up, Yancy Shaw was still watching her closely.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"Are you playing matchmaker for Henry Mills and Claire Xu now?" Yancy Shaw asked.

Lauren Shaw had called him, explaining that Claire Xu was alone abroad and had run into someone with bad intentions. Henry Mills happened to be there, and without a second thought, rushed to her side, playing the knight in shining armor.

Yancy Shaw saw through Henry Mills's claims that he was only going for Lauren Shaw's sake—what a joke. It was obvious Henry Mills couldn't stop worrying about Claire Xu, so he made up an excuse. Talk about pride.

Despite being turned down multiple times, Henry Mills only grew more determined. As long as Claire Xu wasn't married, he felt he still had a chance—and even if she didn't like men, he would stay by her side.

Lauren Shaw shrugged. "It's rare to find someone who truly cares about her. Honestly, Claire Xu does have feelings for Henry Mills—she's just scared to admit it. There are some things she still needs to work through."

She knew everything about Claire Xu. Over the years, the two of them had been close friends, confiding and healing each other. Lauren Shaw only wanted someone to help mend Claire Xu's wounds.

Claire Xu tried to ignore the pain in her wrist, pretending nothing was wrong. "So, where are you staying tonight? Have you booked a hotel yet?"

"No," Henry Mills admitted. He'd come straight to find her, not even stopping to eat dinner.

"Did you eat?" she asked.

"Not yet either."

"Well, I haven't either. Let me treat you to dinner." She had originally planned to get something to eat, not expecting to nearly get herself into trouble. From now on, she'd avoid Lu Yuanbo at all costs.

Now that Claire Xu was calming down, Henry Mills eased up too—but he still didn't let go of her hand.

—

The next morning.

Lauren Shaw had barely arrived at the studio when her mother called, telling her the old lady had been admitted to the hospital.

Panicked, Lauren Shaw rushed to the hospital.

On the way, she tried calling Yancy Shaw, but he didn't answer.

After arriving, she headed upstairs to find her grandmother's room. Her phone started ringing again. Eyes on her screen, she didn't notice someone coming around the corner—and collided with them.

She quickly stepped back, avoiding a full-on collision, but the person on the other side stumbled and fell to the floor with a cry.

"Ouch!"

It was a middle-aged woman, now sitting on the floor and wailing, "Young lady, don't you watch where you're going? That really hurt!"

Lauren Shaw bent down to help her up, and finally recognized her—wasn't this Yana Quinn's mother?

Hu Guixiang gave Lauren Shaw a swift once-over, then, clutching her back dramatically, groaned in pain.

She'd come to the hospital looking for Yvonne Sung—hoping, frankly, to get some money out of him—but so far hadn't found which room he was in.

"Are you alright?" Lauren Shaw asked.

Hu Guixiang had been about to let it go, but when she spotted the diamond ring on Lauren Shaw's finger, she changed her mind.

"I'm aching all over from you bumping into me. Tell you what—just give me some money and I won't make any trouble over this."

It's the nature of a gambler to seek out more chances to gamble—

Since Yana Quinn's parents got hooked on gambling and ruined their family, money was all they could see.

Lauren Shaw's phone was still ringing, so she took the call.

Yancy Shaw had just finished up and was calling her back.

As soon as he heard the noise behind her, he asked, "Shengsheng, where are you?"

"I'm at the hospital," Lauren Shaw replied.

Hu Guixiang, seeing Lauren Shaw answer her phone and not responding to her accusations, simply lay down on the floor and wailed even louder.

"It hurts so much..."

Lauren Shaw eyed her coldly.

"What's going on?" Yancy Shaw asked.

"Grandma's hospitalized. I came to check on her, but just accidentally bumped into someone."

Sensing something was off, Yancy Shaw said, "Where are you exactly? I'll come right now." Even as he spoke, he was already taking off his stethoscope.

"No need—finish your work first. I'll find you later," Lauren Shaw insisted. The patients needed him more.

Just as Yancy Shaw stood, another patient walked in; he had no choice but to get back to work.

After hanging up, Lauren Shaw regarded the still-reclining Hu Guixiang, knowing she was faking it.

She walked over to her. "Let me help you get checked by a doctor."

"I don't want your help! How do I know you're not up to something? Just pay me compensation!" Hu Guixiang shouted, drawing curious looks from all around.

But she showed no embarrassment, instead bristling with indignation. "Do you know who I am? My daughter is a superstar! Don't you dare look down on me!"

Honestly, this woman was downright unreasonable—no wonder Yana Quinn had been so desperate to escape her parents.

Anyone would feel suffocated living with someone like this.

Ignoring her, Lauren Shaw asked a nurse to bring a wheelchair.

Crowds gathered, but Hu Guixiang still refused to get up. She was here for only one reason: compensation.

Lauren Shaw ran out of patience. "Have you ever considered that you're just embarrassing your daughter?" she said bluntly.

That seemed to get through to Hu Guixiang—just a little. But she still wouldn't let Lauren Shaw touch her, so a nurse helped her into the wheelchair instead.

Of course, Hu Guixiang wasn't hurt at all—she just wanted to milk the situation for cash.

The nurse wheeled her into the emergency room, and from inside, Lauren Shaw could still hear her dramatic cries. If she could shout that loudly, there was no way she'd been seriously hurt. In fact, her acting probably matched her daughter's.

Hu Guixiang kept complaining about her leg, but there wasn't a single scratch—no swelling, not even a hint of redness. Even the doctor was getting annoyed by all her yelling.