"I know things aren't going well for you right now. I can help you, but I have conditions." Eva Snow's eyes gleamed with shrewdness.
Yana Quinn considered for a moment, then asked, "What conditions?"
Eva Snow’s smile never reached her eyes…
At that moment, the runway show began.
The stage lights came up, and as the music started, the models strutted out in time with the beat.
Lauren Shaw lingered backstage, quietly savoring the show that belonged to her.
When it was time for the finale, Lauren Shaw stepped out. Dressed in a white suit, she looked confident and stunning.
In the front row, off to the right, Yancy Shaw sat quietly—it was a corner seat, so no one noticed him. His eyes never left Lauren Shaw, entirely captivated by her.
After the runway show ended, Lauren Shaw went over and sat beside Yancy Shaw. "I thought you wouldn't come today."
"How could I miss your very first show?" Yancy Shaw placed his hand over hers, intertwining their fingers.
"My parents are here, too. I should go say hello."
Before she could stand, Mrs. Chen came over.
"Sheng Sheng."
"Mom." Lauren Shaw had meant to go over herself, but her mother had beat her to it.
"This show was fantastic—truly refreshing," Mrs. Chen said, lavish in her praise.
Lauren Shaw answered modestly, "There’s still a lot I need to improve. I’ll work harder next time."
Mrs. Chen took a seat beside her and, with sharp eyes, spotted Bryce Shaw sitting not far off. There was a woman next to him, and she looked vaguely familiar.
Mrs. Chen couldn’t help but glance that way a few more times.
Thanks to the collaboration between Feican and Shengmei, all the accessories the models wore at today’s product launch had been provided by Feican.
Zhu Yurou was on the guest list, too.
Her seat wasn't near Bryce Shaw's, but she managed to switch with someone and sit right next to him.
"President Shen, I’ve heard you’ve been really busy lately. It’s become almost impossible to get a meeting with you," Zhu Yurou said, her eyes betraying her admiration.
Bryce Shaw gave her a cool glance. "If you have work-related matters, you can speak to my assistant."
He kept his gaze fixed on the runway. Just then, Li Qiuchi glanced over and spotted Zhu Yurou sitting next to Bryce Shaw. Her heart gave a jolt; she averted her eyes quickly, steadying herself.
She knew Bryce Shaw wouldn’t act out, but women could be petty—it still bothered her to see another woman by his side.
"Miss Li seems special to you," Zhu Yurou probed.
"She is—very special," Bryce Shaw answered without hesitation. He felt no need to hide his affection for Li Qiuchi; he wanted the whole world to know that he liked her.
Zhu Yurou hadn’t expected such a blunt admission. The smile froze on her face—she suddenly felt ridiculous, like a clown.
She’d meant to drop it, but when she glanced up, she caught Mrs. Chen looking her way.
With a quick change in demeanor, she smiled and scooted a little closer to Bryce Shaw. "President Shen, I think we have more than just work to talk about."
But Bryce Shaw acted as if he hadn’t heard her, standing up and stepping away to make a phone call.
Still, Zhu Yurou wasn’t discouraged. She stayed right by his seat, showing no intention of leaving.
By now, Mrs. Chen had walked over.
"Yubai." She greeted him, then turned her gaze toward Zhu Yurou.
Zhu Yurou stood up politely. "Mrs. Shen."
Mrs. Chen gave her a once-over. "I remember you. Weren’t you the girl at the birthday banquet? You kept Yubai company all night."
Zhu Yurou glanced subtly at Bryce Shaw, maintaining a poised smile. "Yes, I saw President Shen had had a bit too much to drink that day, so I wanted to make sure he was okay…"
"I know." Mrs. Chen beamed. It was rare for her to see a young woman next to Bryce Shaw, so she was nothing but delighted.
Bryce Shaw kept talking on the phone, ignoring them. Mrs. Chen began to dig for details about Zhu Yurou.
"What’s your job?"
"How many people in your family?"
...
Watching Mrs. Chen’s eagerness, Lauren Shaw could only shake her head helplessly.
It seemed Mrs. Chen couldn’t wait to marry Bryce Shaw off—she was afraid he’d get too old to find a wife.
"Sister Sheng!"
Sophia Chandler ran up to Lauren Shaw, grinning. "I’d like to do an exclusive interview with you. Do you have time?"
"Sure," Lauren Shaw replied. She was liking this straightforward young woman more and more.
Backstage, Li Qiuchi was changing out of her show outfit as the staff counted up the accessories.
"We’re missing a necklace," one staffer called out.
Zhu Yurou had just entered and overheard. She asked, "Which necklace?"
The staffer hesitated. "The one Miss Li wore."
Li Qiuchi, having just changed, had no idea what was happening outside.
Her assistant, Xiao Qi, came over. "Sis, they're saying a necklace has gone missing."
"A missing necklace?" Li Qiuchi asked, puzzled.
Things rarely went missing during shows—every item was meticulously checked, and no one would dare do something so foolish.
Just then, Zhu Yurou came over with a staff member in tow.
"Miss Li, sorry, but the necklace you wore can't be found. Did you happen to see where it went?"
Li Qiuchi’s face darkened instantly. "The necklace is missing, and you want to ask me? Shouldn’t you be calling the police? Or are you accusing me of stealing it?"
"But you were the last one wearing it," Zhu Yurou replied, her look thick with mockery. "That necklace is worth thirty million yuan*—who knows if someone just decided to keep it?"
(About five million dollars USD.)
...
After her interview, Lauren Shaw saw Claire Xu come over from backstage.
"Sheng Sheng, you should go check backstage. A necklace has gone missing—they’re all accusing Sister Qiuchi of stealing it."
Someone was clearly setting her up.
Hurrying backstage, Lauren Shaw found Zhu Yurou and several staffers surrounding Li Qiuchi. Xiao Qi stood protectively behind her.
Zhu Yurou greeted her with a raised brow. "Designer Li, you’re just in time. One of the pieces your company provided is missing—a necklace. I suspect someone’s tucked it away."
"You should really be calling the police about this, Miss Zhu. Cornering someone like this isn’t exactly professional."
"It’s just some people make wild accusations without any evidence—does your company usually behave like this?" Li Qiuchi pulled up a chair and sat down, staring Zhu Yurou down without an ounce of fear.
She knew Zhu Yurou was just making trouble on purpose, surely for Bryce Shaw’s sake. If she was going to pick a fight, there was no need to pretend to be polite.