As long as her daughter married into the Shen family, she wouldn't have to worry about losing her own position.

Dealing with Sophia Chandler had already been exhausting, and now another illegitimate child had shown up—Zhu Xun’s escapades were getting more and more outrageous. She feared that one day her place would be usurped.

After hearing Shang Min's words, Zhu Yurou scoffed. "Beautiful women are everywhere, Mom, you’re right. Li Qiuchi just has a pretty face. But no matter how pretty she is, what's the point? Sooner or later, men get tired of it."

She’d seen too many examples—wasn't her own mother a living testament?

“Young master, you’re back.” At the sound of footsteps outside, a flicker of disgust flashed across Shang Min’s face.

“That bastard! He actually wants to bring his mother, that vixen, back here to live? What a shameless pair!”

Lately, Zhu Xun had been planning to hand over the company’s management to Hugo Pierce, with Zhu Yurou assisting him.

Zhu Yurou was hardly pleased with the arrangement, but she didn't dare show her reluctance. No matter how competent she was, in the Zhu family, a son’s status always trumped hers.

Hugo Pierce wasn’t alone—Sophia Chandler, who had recently been sent on a business trip, followed him in. She glanced blankly at Hugo Pierce, puzzled by the sudden appearance of this extra "brother."

Hugo Pierce threw her a glance, then turned and headed upstairs.

Seeing Shang Min look at Hugo Pierce as if she’d just swallowed a fly, Sophia Chandler couldn’t help but feel a burst of satisfaction.

It didn’t matter who it was—so long as someone could annoy Shang Min, she was happy.

…

That night, Lauren Shaw received a call from Mrs. Chen, who sounded rather upset.

“Shengsheng, did you know about Qiuchi’s situation beforehand?”

Lauren Shaw’s heart skipped a beat. She’d thought they wouldn’t check out the online trending news—clearly, they had.

“Sorry, Mom, I didn’t mean to hide it from you.” She fidgeted like a kid caught doing something wrong, nervously tugging at Yancy Shaw’s sleeve, and mouthed, "What do I do?"

Yancy Shaw took the phone from her. “It was my idea not to tell you.”

Mrs. Chen was silent for a moment, then her voice suddenly rose. “You’re all so independent now! Something this major, and you hide it from us?”

Lauren Shaw hadn’t expected Mrs. Chen to be so angry.

“It was one thing for your brother to keep it from me, but you kept his secret too? I can’t believe I raised you two!” Mrs. Chen was fuming; Yancy Shaw let her vent, not daring to respond—this sort of maternal authority couldn’t be argued with.

Then Shen Wenting’s authoritative voice rang out: “Bring your brother and come home tonight. Both of you.”

With Shen Wenting’s order, Yancy Shaw could only obey.

By the time they returned to the Shen house, Bryce Shaw and the others had just arrived home too, and Li Qiuchi got out of the car.

The four of them entered together.

Shen Wenting and Mrs. Chen sat side by side on the sofa. When they walked in, Mrs. Chen glanced at them, pursed her lips, and turned away in a huff, refusing to look at them.

Li Qiuchi mustered her courage. “Uncle, Auntie, this is all my fault. I should’ve told you sooner. I’m sorry.”

Seeing her take responsibility, Bryce Shaw stepped forward to shield her. "Mom, Dad, I was the one who asked Yancheng and the others to keep quiet. It’s my fault, so blame me, not them."

The Shen couple said nothing. This situation didn’t leave them any room to interject.

Mrs. Chen snorted, her tone a little mocking. “Fine, fine. Everyone’s hiding things from me—do I seem that unreasonable in your eyes? Do you both think I can't handle the truth?”

Seeing Mrs. Chen so agitated, Li Qiuchi replied nervously, “Auntie, I was wrong. This started with me; I dragged the Shen family into it—”

“What are you saying?” Mrs. Chen cut her off, stood up, and pulled Li Qiuchi’s hand, her eyes full of affection. “We’re all family. Don’t talk about dragging anyone down. Look at you, you haven’t been resting, have you? You’ve gotten skinnier.”

Her anger stemmed from being kept in the dark. Problems should be faced together as a family, sticking together through thick and thin—not hiding and struggling alone when trouble came.

After Mrs. Chen’s words, Li Qiuchi was dumbfounded.

“You’ll stay with us for a while. Let me know what you want to eat; I’ll have the housekeeper make it.”

Li Qiuchi hadn’t expected this response. She looked at Mrs. Chen in surprise, and in the eyes of the Shen family, she saw nothing but concern and genuine worry—no trace of hypocrisy or scorn. The warmth almost brought her to tears, blurring her vision.

“Why are you crying? Did I say something wrong?” Flustered by her tears, Mrs. Chen was at a loss for what to do.

Li Qiuchi shook her head, choking up. "No, I'm just really touched. Thank you, Auntie."

Mrs. Chen’s tone softened. “Silly child, we’re all family. No more of this. Yubai, come comfort Qiuchi—a girl crying makes my heart ache.”

Bryce Shaw chuckled quietly as Li Qiuchi, overjoyed, wiped her tears with a tissue. Her heart felt sweet as honey—not just the taste of love, but the warmth of kinship.

Mrs. Chen turned to Lauren Shaw. Lauren Shaw stood straight and called out sweetly, “Mom.”

Yancy Shaw pulled her closer, holding her tightly.

“Hmm, I haven’t forgotten about you two. You also went along with your second brother to hide things from me. Did he bribe you with something?”

Even though Mrs. Chen tried to keep a stern expression, her tone was gentle, impossible to take seriously.

Yancy Shaw looked over at Bryce Shaw.

Mrs. Chen put her hands on her hips. “Don’t look at him—look at me! Next time, you’re not allowed to keep secrets from me, or I’ll ignore you both and won’t give you a single grandchild!”

Lauren Shaw burst into laughter. She finally understood why Yancy Shaw was so emotionally steady—because this family was so harmonious.

Mrs. Chen was warm-hearted and easygoing. Having a mother like her really was a blessing.

Li Qiuchi smiled through red-rimmed eyes.

Having never known familial protection, now someone cherished her as if she were their own. She wasn’t related by blood, but it felt even deeper. How lucky must one be to find that?

She wasn’t afraid of any storm anymore—she finally had family, a safe harbor, people who would shelter her from the wind and rain.

Meanwhile, Shen Wenting called Bryce Shaw and Yancy Shaw into the study.

When it came to Li Qiuchi, Shen Wenting and Mrs. Chen were united in their support. But the current situation—how could they calm the storm of public opinion?

“The company’s stock is falling. If this keeps up, it’ll really hurt us. Tomorrow’s board meeting is going to be rough—some people will definitely call you out.”

Shen Wenting was right. With all eyes on Li Qiuchi in the worst possible way, everyone else was keeping their distance—everyone except Bryce Shaw, who had gone so far as to publicly announce their relationship now, even at the risk of the company’s interests.

Bryce Shaw had expected this. “Don’t worry, Dad. I can handle it. If not, I’ll have Yancheng help me out.”

He grinned at Yancy Shaw.

Yancy Shaw kept a calm face. “I start work at the hospital tomorrow. I probably won’t have time to handle company affairs.”