Regarding the matter of Li Guangliang being caught, both Bryce Shaw and Yancy Shaw silently agreed not to mention it. Naturally, Madam Chen and Shen Wenting remained none the wiser.
On the first day of the new year, Li Qiuchi returned to Lanshan Manor.
For several days in a row, the Shen family was busy visiting relatives. Bryce Shaw stayed at Lanshan Manor to keep Li Qiuchi company, while also running around trying to handle Li Guangliang's troubles.
On the fifth day of the new year, Sean Snow called Yancy Shaw, inviting him out for drinks. The venue was already set—a private room at the Royal Clubhouse—and Xue told him to bring Le Sheng along.
After hanging up, Yancy Shaw looked rather serious. For some reason, Le Sheng could sense that he had something on his mind.
That evening, Yuan Ran drove them over.
Yancy Shaw wasn’t in high spirits tonight—Le Sheng could easily sense it.
After getting out of the car, she tugged his sleeve and asked gently, 'Is something bothering you?'
Yancy Shaw glanced down and smiled softly, 'No.'
'Then why is there a crease between your brows?' she teased, reaching out to smooth the frown on his forehead.
Yancy Shaw grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips, giving her fingers a playful bite. He didn’t say another word.
In his mind, he was thinking: One day, would he and Sean Snow become enemies? If his grandfather’s death was truly linked to the Snow family, their brotherhood would surely be over.
Le Sheng rose on tiptoe and planted a quick kiss on his lips. It was her first time flaunting their love so boldly in public.
'Hey now, is this something I should be seeing?' came a voice from behind. The couple turned to see Claire Xu walking arm-in-arm with Henry Mills, approaching with a grin.
'Really, you two don't treat us like outsiders at all! All lovey-dovey and whatnot, tsk,' Henry Mills complained, then turned to Claire Xu and puckered his lips, angling for a kiss. 'How about one for me, too?'
Claire Xu, utterly unmoved, reached over and pinched him hard.
'Ow, ow, I was just joking! Lighten up!' Henry Mills yelped, clutching his face in exaggerated pain.
Le Sheng couldn’t help but giggle.
Once they entered the private room, they found several people already seated. Seeing Yancy Shaw, Sean Snow stood to greet him.
'Getting you out for a drink isn’t easy, you know,' he chuckled, then glanced at Le Sheng and greeted, 'Saozi.' (Sister-in-law)
Le Sheng nodded in acknowledgment.
Tonight, Eva Snow and Yvonne Sung were also present. Eva Snow was holding a mic, singing her heart out, but when she spotted Le Sheng, her expression dimmed faintly with grievance.
Henry Mills couldn't resist teasing, 'Zeyang, this is quite the lively crowd tonight! Didn’t you say it was supposed to be just us guys?'
He shot a meaningful glance at Eva Snow and Yvonne Sung—the scene was starting to look like a romantic drama's battlefield.
'Just bumped into them, you guys hadn’t arrived yet, so I asked them to join us for a few drinks.' Sean Snow seemed oblivious to Henry Mills's subtext.
'I’m part of the Snow family—hardly an outsider. Why shouldn’t I be here?' Eva Snow retorted, her tone prickly. Even in front of Yancy Shaw, she made no effort to rein it in.
Sean Snow could only smile helplessly. 'No one’s saying you’re an outsider. Stay if you want.'
Yancy Shaw led Le Sheng to the couch, sitting down together.
Sean Snow raised his glass, handing it to Yancy Shaw while smiling at Le Sheng. 'Saozi, will you have a glass too?'
Le Sheng didn’t refuse. She had come for drinks, after all—why not try some good wine?
The room was buzzing. The guys soon dragged Yancy Shaw into their drinking games, while Le Sheng found herself sitting with Claire Xu.
Claire Xu scooted closer, whispering, 'Shengsheng, that Yvonne Sung keeps staring at you.'
In the midst of the lively crowd, Yvonne Sung sat quietly in the corner, half-heartedly gaming, glancing in Le Sheng’s direction from time to time.
Noticing, Yancy Shaw shot him a warning look. Yvonne Sung quickly averted his gaze, focusing elsewhere. He’d lost count of how many dice rounds he’d lost by now—just kept drinking glass after glass.
Yancy Shaw, on the other hand, rarely lost. The catch: Yvonne Sung sat just before him in the rotation and would deliberately trip him up every chance.
The others weren’t blind—they noticed right away and started to wonder if there was bad blood between Yancy Shaw and Yvonne Sung.
The fact that Eva Snow once had a crush on Yancy Shaw wasn't exactly a secret in their circle—but Yancy Shaw had never reciprocated her feelings.
Given his usual mild-mannered temperament, it wasn’t like him to play dirty in games—unless for a reason. Some sharp-eyed folks noticed Yvonne Sung’s lingering glances at Le Sheng, and connected the dots.
Eva Snow couldn’t stand it any longer—embarrassment was written all over her face. She marched over and plopped down next to Yvonne Sung, snapping, 'Don’t you know how to play? Losing at dice—how embarrassing!'
Someone jeered, 'If he can’t do it, why not play for him?'
'Yeah! Husband and wife working together—they’re unstoppable!' another chimed in, referencing the old saying that husband and wife, of one mind, can cut through metal.
With the crowd urging her on and Yvonne Sung proving useless, Eva Snow turned to Le Sheng, glaring, 'Dare you play dice against me?'
Suddenly called out, Le Sheng looked indifferent, meeting her gaze coolly.
The others watched, all understanding the undertones—after all, Yvonne Sung’s looks toward Le Sheng hadn’t gone unnoticed. Everyone was eager for the drama, but with Yancy Shaw present, they didn’t dare egg things on too wildly.
She glanced at Yancy Shaw; he was about to step in and refuse for her, but Le Sheng accepted crisply. 'Why not?'
Claire Xu’s lips curled up, clearly enjoying the coming spectacle.
The men all put their games on pause, content to watch the two women go head-to-head. The more drama, the better.
'What are the rules?' Le Sheng asked, eyeing Eva Snow.
Eva Snow lifted her chin, 'Loser drinks a whole bottle.' She pointed at a bottle of red wine on the table.
There was a collective gasp—isn’t that a bit much? Downing a whole bottle to yourself?!
'Deal,' Le Sheng replied without hesitation.
Yancy Shaw said nothing, simply sipped at his drink as he watched.
The two women picked up their dice and got ready.
…
The first round finished quickly—Eva Snow lost, plain and simple.
Staring at the bottle, she hesitated. Her plan had been to make Le Sheng lose, not herself.
'What are you waiting for? Drink up!' Claire Xu egged her on, gleefully fanning the flames.
Henry Mills struggled to hold back his laughter. This woman was ruthless—a trait he admired.
Sean Snow tried to ease the tension. 'No need to finish the whole bottle, just a glass will do.'
Le Sheng immediately pushed back, 'Going back on your word—is that how the Snow family does things?'
She had no fear of antagonizing the Snow family; after all, they were already halfway there.
A faint smile tugged at Yancy Shaw’s lips. Sean Snow shot him a plea for help, but found only tenderness in Yancy Shaw’s gaze toward Le Sheng. The two were practically flirting in front of everyone.
Sigh—Eva Snow had dug her own hole. He gave her a 'good luck' look.
Eva Snow didn’t back down. She picked up the bottle and drank it down.
The room erupted in applause—what a drinker! Incredible!
One whole bottle down, Eva Snow wiped her lips, eyes blazing with fighting spirit. 'Again!'