Yancy Shaw wanted nothing more to do with the company. It was exhausting, stressful, and involved endless business trips—frankly, he’d rather not take on the job at all.

Bryce Shaw sidled over with a helpless sigh. "Hey, brat, could you at least put in some effort?"

He’d finally managed to get Mandy Snow out of the company and had hoped this troublemaker would step up. Who would have guessed all Yancy Shaw wanted to do was work at the hospital? It made him want to punch the kid.

But Yancy Shaw kept his calm expression, as if he hadn’t heard a word.

Shen Wenting, unaware of the undercurrents between his sons, simply watched. Though he still carried authority as the family patriarch, his age was catching up with him—the younger generation was already surpassing him.

The company should be left to them. He himself was content with a peaceful retirement.

"How goes the investigation into Qiu Chi's father?" Shen Wenting asked, turning to the case of Li Guangliang.

"The autopsy’s in. The real killer is still at large," came the reply.

Li Guangliang just happened to be at the scene. Even though he swore up and down he wasn’t the murderer, he couldn’t shake the suspicion.

Let him stay locked up for a spell, Shen Wenting mused. Maybe it’d teach him a lesson.

He fell silent for a moment. The Shen family didn’t care much about background, but clean family history was always preferred—he couldn’t help wishing for it.

Bryce Shaw, having truly fallen for Qiu Chi, was beyond persuasion, but, as a father, he still needed to check. "Yubai, how do you really feel about Qiu Chi now?"

Bryce Shaw answered firmly, "Dad, I won’t marry anyone but her. Please don’t try to talk me out of it."

This kid—before Shen Wenting could even finish his thought, Bryce Shaw had already blocked every argument.

So be it. Let the young people deal with their own choices. There’s only so much you can do.

After exchanging a few words, Shen Wenting left the study.

In the living room, Lauren Shaw struggled to find the perfect angle for a photo with her phone. Spotting Yancy Shaw, she called out, "Yancheng, come help us take a picture!"

Mrs. Chen and Chloe Shaw sat side by side, grinning so hard their faces were almost frozen.

Yancy Shaw, bemused at why anyone wanted a photo shoot this late at night, obediently took the phone.

Lauren Shaw nestled up by Mrs. Chen, affectionately looping her arm through hers.

...

The next morning, the picture dominated the trending topics online.

In the photo, Mrs. Chen sat in the center, Lauren Shaw and Chloe Shaw flanking her on either side, all with gracious smiles. From their body language, it was clear Mrs. Chen had already accepted Chloe Shaw as her daughter-in-law.

The timing of the post was obvious: it was a public declaration that Chloe Shaw was now part of the Shen family, safe under their protection. Who would dare pick a fight with her now?

Reactions from netizens were mixed, with both support and criticism pouring in.

Over at the Xue household, Xue Wenchang’s face grew stormy when he found out Chloe Shaw was Bryce Shaw’s girlfriend.

He’d planned for Li Guangliang to take the fall, but with the mighty Shen family involved, things had just gotten a lot messier.

"Still no word from Qian Peng?"

Uncle Lu shook his head. "Nothing yet."

Xue Wenchang let out a long sigh, voice bristling with anger. "Now that the Shen family is involved, what am I supposed to do?"

Uncle Lu bowed his head, equally at a loss for what to do now.

Suddenly, there was a commotion at the study door. It swung open, and as Xue Wenchang looked up, his eyes flashed with murderous intent.

Zhao Juan stood at the threshold. The cup of tea in her hand slipped, crashing to the floor, hot liquid splashing her skirt as she instinctively stepped back—a flicker of panic crossing her face.

Seeing it was her, Xue Wenchang’s expression softened, and he gestured for Uncle Lu to leave.

"Why so careless? Did you burn yourself?" Xue Wenchang asked gently, though he didn’t get up to help.

Zhao Juan regained her composure, meeting his gaze coolly. "I overheard your conversation earlier, Wenchang—you promised me before... that you wouldn’t kill anyone again."

"Enough!" Xue Wenchang cut her off curtly, stopping her from saying any more.

Then he noticed the door was still open and closed it, his tone softening. "I didn’t kill anyone. Who said I did?"

"But just now—"

"How much did you hear?"

His gaze grew darker. Zhao Juan hesitated, then changed her tune, "Just that you said it’d gotten tangled up with the Shen family..."

She had lived with Xue Wenchang for decades and knew his temperament well. No argument was worth risking her life.

"Wenchang, I’m not asking for much. I just want our family to live in peace. Zeyang is old enough to get married—once he has kids, couldn’t we just enjoy a house full of grandchildren?"

Her plea softened Xue Wenchang further. He nodded. "Alright, we’ll do as you wish."

Zhao Juan finally smiled. "I’ll go tell the maid to clean up."

She left, breathing a silent sigh of relief once she was out of sight.

Ever since Lauren Shaw posted that photo, her account had gained a wave of new followers—mostly loyal fans of Chloe Shaw.

Meanwhile, Ruan An’an’s scandals had surfaced: a past tryst with a married director for the sake of a film role. Though only photographs of them entering and leaving a hotel existed, internet users quickly pieced things together.

The key detail? The director’s wife had found out and taken Ruan An’an to court, armed with solid evidence. There was no washing this stain away, no matter how hard she tried.

Mandy Snow looked at the picture Lauren Shaw had posted, eyes burning with jealousy.

Shen Siyi gritted her teeth. "That bitch ruined us, and yet why does she get to have such a good life?"

Because of her, she and Mandy Snow had lost their home and could only stay at the Snow family’s place. Yet never once did she reflect on Mandy’s own wrongdoings.

If she hadn’t hidden things from Nathan Shaw all those years ago, would they be in this mess?

"Mom, are you really willing to let things go on like this?" Shen Siyi stared bitterly at Mandy Snow. She still had no idea who her real father was.

Mandy Snow stayed silent. No matter what Siyi said, she remained unmoved, eyes glued to the photo, lost in thought.

Suddenly, Mandy Snow stood up. Shen Siyi eyed her warily; her mother seemed completely different from before, sometimes unnervingly so.

Mandy Snow picked up her phone and headed to Xue Wenchang’s study, while Shen Siyi clutched her own, busy arguing with Lauren Shaw’s fans online. Ten minutes later, a message popped up:

“Hello, your account has been suspended for violating community guidelines…”

“What the hell!” she exploded. Her account had actually been banned—totally unfair!

Mandy Snow entered Xue Wenchang’s study. Seeing her, he was surprised. "Mandy, what brings you here?"

There was a storm brewing between Mandy Snow’s brows. The anger she’d suppressed for so long was about to drive her mad. She nearly broke down. "I just want to know—can I teach a lesson to Shen family’s third son’s wife?"