"It's not necessary. I don't care for anything from the Zhu family. If it matters to you so much, then hold on to it for dear life," Hugo Pierce said coldly, fixing Zhu Yurou with a steely gaze.

Zhu Yurou didn't reply. She simply watched Hugo Pierce with a playful, mysterious expression in her eyes.

Lauren Shaw, an outsider to their family drama, sensibly kept quiet. Even though she and Hugo Pierce were friends, this was a private matter—especially with how complicated the Zhu family was.

Hugo Pierce ignored Zhu Yurou’s mockery and walked away without another word.

Seeing that she had been snubbed, Zhu Yurou's face clouded over. But with so many people watching at the banquet, she managed to keep up a façade, chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened.

Once the banquet ended, Lauren Shaw prepared to head home. As she walked out of the hotel, she unexpectedly ran into Yancy Shaw, who was on a business trip to Port City. For a moment, she froze, rubbing her eyes in disbelief.

Yancy Shaw stood a short distance away, a gentle smile on his face as he walked toward her.

He was dressed as usual, but somehow, he looked a little different today.

With each step he took toward her, Lauren Shaw’s heart beat faster.

"When did you get back? Why didn’t you tell me?" she asked softly, her voice full of bashful tenderness.

Yancy Shaw stopped in front of her. "I just got back. Didn’t you say you’d be coming with Mom to this banquet? So I came straight over."

He looked down at her, the hotel’s lights casting a delicate glow over him, making his features look even more striking—she couldn’t look away.

"Ahem…" Madam Chen’s cough broke the charged moment between the two.

Lauren Shaw looked away, embarrassed, as Yancy Shaw naturally took her hand in his.

Madam Chen couldn’t help but smile at their intertwined hands—she adored seeing her son and daughter-in-law together.

Though she enjoyed the scene, she still put on a stern face. "You rascal! Got yourself a wife and forgot your mother—just like your brother."

Watching the pair so lost in their own world made her nostalgic. Maybe it was just her age, but seeing young love like this brought back memories of when she herself was smitten.

Time really flies—blink, and the years are gone.

Yancy Shaw grinned. "Mom, I’m taking Shengsheng* out on a date tonight. Why don’t you have the driver take you home first?"

Madam Chen’s mouth twitched—these two, reporting their date plans to her as if she were some wicked mother-in-law. She almost wanted to smack her son.

But Yancy Shaw didn’t wait for her response; he simply led Lauren Shaw by the hand back into the hotel.

Tsk. They’d barely been apart for a few days and already couldn’t wait to race back into the hotel together—ugh, she couldn’t bear to look.

Lauren Shaw let him lead her by the hand. Once inside the elevator, she noticed he pressed the button for the top floor, and asked curiously, "Why are we going up there?"

Yancy Shaw didn’t answer. He just looked down at her—now the elevator was theirs alone.

The top floor of the Peninsula Hotel was home to a music restaurant, where you could overlook Ancheng’s entire glittering nightscape—a legendary date spot for young couples.

When the elevator doors opened, the floor was covered with red rose petals, trailing from the entrance to the restaurant. The whole room was filled with their sweet fragrance. Lauren Shaw gasped, "It’s beautiful!"

Red roses filled the restaurant. At the entrance, a man in a black tailcoat played violin, the notes floating gently through the air.

They were the only ones there—not a single other diner or even a server in sight.

Lauren Shaw started to feel it was all a bit too perfect—almost uncanny.

Then suddenly, Yancy Shaw knelt down on one knee beside her. Like a magician, he pulled a diamond ring from his pocket.

"Shengsheng, will you spend your life with me? Will you never leave my side?"

Lauren Shaw stared at him, stunned, momentarily lost for words.

Yancy Shaw remained kneeling, his gaze earnest and unwavering. He would wait there until she spoke.

The silence grew, and Yancy Shaw’s eyes darkened with disappointment. "Do you… not want to spend your life with me?"

Seeing the sadness on his face, Lauren Shaw broke into a gentle smile. "I do."

She just hadn’t reacted right away—how could she ever say no to growing old with him?

"It’s a promise, then. We’ll stay together till the very end." Yancy Shaw slipped the ring onto her finger.

"Congratulations, Dr. Shen! You’ve won the beauty’s heart!" called a voice from behind.

Lauren Shaw turned to find that the once empty restaurant was now full of familiar faces.

Claire Xu walked up carrying a bouquet, her eyes shining with envy and joy.

"Qingqing, you…"

"Moved, aren’t you? You know, Dr. Shen spent half a month planning this proposal." She recalled how odd it had sounded when Yancy Shaw first called her about it—after all, he and Lauren Shaw were already married! Who still needed a formal proposal?

She had underestimated Yancy Shaw’s devotion. Their marriage certificates had been obtained in a rush, with barely any courtship at all. Maybe he felt he owed Lauren Shaw proper romantic memories—and wasn't going to let her miss out on them.

Apart from Claire Xu, Xavier Quinn and Nina Shaw were there, along with Owen Shaw and Shuyun Moore.

Xiaomei and the rest crowded around the happy couple, all sporting big, doting grins.

A dreamy feeling washed over Lauren Shaw, as if she were living in a fairy tale.

She gazed at Yancy Shaw, the restaurant’s soft lights sharpening his perfect jawline—she could hardly look away.

Suddenly her nose tingled with emotion. Yancy Shaw noticed and gently pinched her cheek, asking in a low voice, "What’s wrong? You don’t like it? They say girls value ceremony, and I wanted you to have what everyone else does too. If you don’t like it, I promise I won’t do anything like this again."

Lauren Shaw sniffled, looking up at him with misty eyes. "It’s not that I don’t like it—these are tears of happiness, can’t you tell?"

Yancy Shaw stroked her hair. "Baby, if it makes you happy, I’ll do it—all of it."

After hearing that, an idea suddenly popped into her head.

"Anything I want, you’ll do, right?"

Yancy Shaw nodded fondly, his eyes soft with love. "Of course."

"Then… I want a child." Lauren Shaw said her wish aloud. Yancy Shaw touched his nose sheepishly—could he take a pass on this one?

"Baby, let’s talk about that another time." There were still people watching, and it wasn’t exactly the right crowd for that conversation.

From the side, Owen Shaw let out a dry chuckle. "This brat’s got patience—half a month setting this up!" He paused, nudging Xavier Quinn, who was quietly standing nearby. "You’d better learn from him, you hear me?"

Both Lauren Shaw and Nina Shaw were his nieces, and he wanted nothing but happiness for them. Since Lauren Shaw was living blissfully, he hoped the same for Nina Shaw.

He spoke softly, but Xavier Quinn and his wife heard every word. Xavier Quinn glanced down at Nina Shaw, seeing her gazing longingly at Lauren Shaw, a wistful smile curving her lips.