As soon as the words left his mouth, the phone rang again. Yancy Shaw hung up without a second thought.

Lauren Shaw was now wide awake. She opened her eyes and looked at him. "Who was that? What’s going on?"

"My second brother. Did he wake you up?"

She shook her head. "You should answer it. What if it’s something urgent?"

"What could be so urgent? He’s probably just heartbroken, that’s all." Yancy Shaw quipped offhandedly.

Lauren Shaw perked up. "Heartbroken?" As someone who thrived on gossip, there’s no way she could miss out on such juicy news.

Right then, Yancy Shaw’s phone rang again.

"Answer it," Lauren Shaw urged, handing the phone to him. Yancy Shaw had no choice but to pick up.

Shen Yukbai’s voice came through, tinged with drunkenness. "You little brat, you don’t listen to me anymore, do you? I’m at Jujunhui now—come over and drink with me. Also, bring your sister-in-law along."

The call had barely ended when Lauren Shaw’s phone rang, too. She glanced at the screen—it was Li Qiuchi calling.

They looked at each other and, in that moment, both saw the same resigned expression in the other’s eyes.

They changed clothes and headed out together. Yancy Shaw drove to Jujunhui, while Lauren Shaw went to Li Qiuchi’s place.

Honestly, the two of them felt a bit like professional mediators—woken up in the dead of night just to deal with Second Brother’s affairs. They really did worry enough for the whole family.

When Yancy Shaw arrived at Jujunhui, he found only Shen Yukbai in the private room, drinking alone with a table covered in empty bottles. It was obvious he’d had quite a bit. Upon seeing Yancy Shaw, Yukbai managed a tired smile. "You’re here. Come, have a drink with me."

Yancy Shaw threw him a glance. "So, were you rejected? Or were you just played?"

A look of defeat crossed Shen Yukbai’s face. "Neither."

Shen Yukbai, feared and respected in the business world, was utterly at a loss when it came to emotions. He simply didn’t know how to make Li Qiuchi love him. He just wanted to treat her well, but for some reason, she only seemed to drift further and further away.

"Then what happened?" Yancy Shaw sat down across from him but didn’t pour himself a drink.

Every time Shen Yukbai thought of Li Qiuchi, a crushing sense of helplessness overwhelmed him.

Meanwhile, Lauren Shaw drove to Lanshan Mansion. She’d been to Li Qiuchi’s place before, so she found her way without trouble.

When Li Qiuchi opened the door, Lauren Shaw was stunned by her appearance.

"You’re here, Lauren Shaw." Li Qiuchi looked like she’d been drinking—her cheeks were flushed and she even glanced out at the hallway as she opened the door.

Stepping inside and eyeing the empty wine bottles, Lauren Shaw steadied the swaying Li Qiuchi.

"Qiuchi-jie, you’ve had too much."

"I couldn’t sleep," Li Qiuchi muttered, "so I wanted you to keep me company for a chat. Other than you, there’s no one else I could talk to.” Her voice was unsettled, unable to hide her heartache.

"Is it about President Shen?" Lauren Shaw probed gently.

Li Qiuchi didn’t hide it; she nodded. "I’ve been seeing him for half a year."

Lauren Shaw had already guessed as much on her way over. Seeing Li Qiuchi’s current state, she dared not press for more.

There was another empty wine bottle on the table. Li Qiuchi fetched another from her wine cabinet and poured them both a glass.

"Am I being a coward? I clearly like him, but I just can’t bring myself to be with him."

"Why not?" Lauren Shaw asked, puzzled. If they both liked each other, what else could be standing in their way?

Li Qiuchi raised her glass and took a big gulp, but Lauren Shaw quickly snatched it away. "That’s enough—you really shouldn’t drink anymore. Your body can’t take it."

"I’m miserable. I don’t know how to turn him down. Seeing him sad—it’s like a knife twisting in my heart." She truly liked Shen Yukbai. Zhu Yurou was right: The gap between them was just too wide; there was never going to be a happy ending.

"But why suffer? If you’ve fallen for him, then you should hold on and never let go," Lauren Shaw argued earnestly. “It’s already so rare to meet someone you like. Why not give it your all?”

After all, knowing you’ll regret letting go—why not be brave for once?

Li Qiuchi shook her head despondently. "There’s just too big a gap between us."

"But does he see it that way? That’s only your own thinking. A gap is just words—what really matters is happiness."

If two people really don’t fit, forcing it will only make everyone miserable.

"I can’t know your heart, but if you walk away from this love now, you’ll both get hurt. Qiuchi-jie, is it really worth it to suffer like this?"

Maybe Lauren Shaw’s words struck a chord. After so long, Li Qiuchi had grown less and less confident in this relationship. She kept warning herself not to fall too deep, but in the end, her heart just wouldn't listen.

"All this talk about ‘differences’ is nonsense," Lauren Shaw scoffed, comforting her as she went on. "Anyone who really loves you won’t care about these things. It’s always petty people who use this so-called ‘difference’ to put people down—just to feel superior."

Maybe it was just having someone there to listen, but Li Qiuchi’s spirit steadied a little. She looked at Lauren Shaw with renewed determination.

"Lauren Shaw, what would you do if it were you?"

Lauren Shaw thought for a moment and answered firmly, "Out of all the people in the world, to meet someone you love and who loves you back—that’s rare. There are only so many chances in life to act on impulse. No matter how it turns out, at least you tried. When you look back someday, there won’t be any regrets."

Lauren Shaw had grown up in a loving, sheltered home, so she didn’t really understand what it was like for someone as independent as Li Qiuchi. The things Li Qiuchi took into consideration were many—she had no powerful backing, only herself.

"At least I tried…" Li Qiuchi whispered, repeating it to herself.

Lauren Shaw’s phone suddenly rang—Yancy Shaw was calling.

"Shengsheng, open the door."

Lauren Shaw was surprised. "Where are you?"

"I’m outside Li Qiuchi’s apartment."

Both women looked equally stunned by that.

At the door, Shen Yukbai was completely drunk, slumping onto Yancy Shaw’s shoulder, mumbling Li Qiuchi’s name over and over. Lauren Shaw covered her mouth and let out a soft laugh.

"Qiuchi-jie, looks like President Shen’s good and drunk."

Li Qiuchi wasn’t in much better shape, swaying slightly with flushed cheeks.

Yancy Shaw unceremoniously dumped Shen Yukbai into Li Qiuchi’s apartment, then grabbed Lauren Shaw and headed out.

"Are we really just leaving? What if…" She glanced back, uncertain—both of them were drunk, what if something happened?

"You want to keep being the third wheel?" Yancy Shaw arched a brow at her.

Lauren Shaw shook her head, "I'm just worried—if they’re both drunk, things could go wrong."

What if they ended up fighting…

"Second brother can hold his liquor. Don’t worry."

Oh, Lauren Shaw instantly understood. So he was just pretending to be drunk! Gosh, getting pulled out in the middle of the night for this—she and Yancy Shaw had run around enough over his business.