When Shang Min and Zhu Yurou left, they gave her a meaningful look. In that instant, she guessed Xiao Pei's intention.

Probably because she didn’t know anyone at the banquet, Xiao Pei wanted to cozy up to her—after all, right now, Lauren Shaw stood for the Shen family. Getting friendly with the third young mistress of the Shen family couldn’t hurt her reputation.

Lauren Shaw didn't want to get caught up in this web of scheming. She leaned on Yancy Shaw’s shoulder. "Hubby, I’m tired. Can we go home?"

The birthday banquet was winding down anyway, and with her mood lacking, Yancy Shaw took her hand and left ahead of time.

Early spring nights still had a chill in the air. As she walked out of the He family house, Lauren Shaw couldn’t help but sneeze.

Yancy Shaw slipped off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders, tightening his hold on her at the same time.

At the parking lot, they ran into the entire George Xu family.

None of them looked particularly cheerful. George Xu noticed her, too, but didn’t greet her—just shot her a glance and looked away.

Worried she’d catch a cold, Yancy Shaw opened the passenger side door for her. "Get in the car first."

Lauren Shaw averted her gaze, turned, and climbed into the car.

Meanwhile, the George Xu family also got into their car. Inside, the mood was tense. Everyone had their own thoughts, and only the driver was focused on the road.

May Lee looked especially disgruntled. The banquet tonight had left a sour taste in her mouth, especially after seeing Claire Xu so favored in front of the He family. She couldn’t help feeling aggrieved.

At the banquet, George Xu himself was publicly lectured by Father and Mother He. Though their tone wasn’t harsh, he understood the meaning behind their words.

Hannah Xu, who never could hold her tongue, finally spoke up when the silence grew heavy. "Dad, Mom, was it just me, or was tonight’s birthday banquet kind of weird?"

May Lee snorted. "This wasn’t a banquet for us—they just wanted us here to watch them show off."

She muttered under her breath, but George Xu heard her clear enough.

"You don't need to get all snide. If you have something to say, just say it."

May Lee dropped the pretense. After bottling up her irritation all evening, she seized this chance to fan the flames. "I’m not trying to be snarky, but seriously, Claire Xu made such a big decision without a word to us? If the He family hadn't talked to us tonight, maybe we wouldn’t have even known she was getting married."

Her words carried unmistakable resentment. In the past, George Xu would have scolded Claire Xu for this, but after meeting the He family tonight, his view had shifted.

"She had her reasons for not telling us. Over the years, it’s been my negligence that’s built a wall between us. That’s on me."

"Don’t blame yourself, old Xu. We’ve treated Claire Xu well all these years—whatever Huanhuan had, she had too, and even more sometimes. I just worried she’d be wronged, so I tried to do better for her. I never thought she’d still keep her distance."

As she spoke, May Lee’s sense of grievance overwhelmed her—she dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

George Xu felt only more vexed seeing her like this. "Whether you treated her well or not, you know best. And if she keeps her distance, you really don’t know why?"

Years of focusing on his career had left most family matters to May Lee. The only news he’d get about Claire Xu was another mishap—breaking his favorite teacup or taking Hannah Xu’s things. She seemed nothing but trouble.

Gradually, in his eyes, Claire Xu had grown into a rebellious, difficult child.

But somewhere along the way, that unruly child had grown up, and now, she was about to get married. That realization filled him with a sort of wistful sadness.

"It’s my fault, too. If I’d paid her a bit more attention, maybe things wouldn’t have turned out like this. It all comes back to me."

May Lee was surprised by George Xu’s attitude tonight—she’d never expected him to defend Claire Xu.

Uncomfortable as she was, she still put on an understanding front. "Don’t be so hard on yourself. Claire Xu’s always been headstrong, never easy to discipline. I know she resented me, and if not for me, maybe she wouldn’t be this way."

Her words softened George Xu some. He had more to ask, but in the end, kept it to himself.

"The He family just talked to me about Claire Xu’s engagement banquet—it’s set for the end of this month. Make sure to get everything ready. Claire Xu’s the eldest daughter of the Xu family, so we need to do this in style."

She’d need a proper dowry, a grand send-off.

Hearing this, Hannah Xu was nearly bursting with envy and anger. She wanted to say something, but under May Lee’s glare, she swallowed her words.

"Alright, I’ll make sure everything’s perfect." May Lee always knew how to handle George Xu. She understood he responded best to softness, so to stay in his good graces, she would always yield when needed.

—

In the passenger seat, Lauren Shaw started to feel unwell—either from the chilly night air or some other reason. She felt feverish and sore all over.

Yancy Shaw leaned down, closing in on her face, and felt the warmth radiating off her. He put his hand to her forehead.

"Shengsheng, you have a fever."

Lauren Shaw touched her own forehead in belated realization. No wonder she felt so weak.

"Must be from catching cold out there."

Her immune system had always been weak, and lately she’d been running herself ragged.

Yancy Shaw buckled her seatbelt and drove towards home.

Lauren Shaw turned to watch him, unable to look away.

Normally, she wasn’t one to stare—unless she’d been drinking.

Tonight, she’d had some wine, and now on top of that had a fever. All of this left Yancy Shaw at a loss—but thankfully, he hadn’t had a drop.

"Hubby, do you think I’m beautiful?"

"Beautiful." He replied without a second’s hesitation.

When it was time to praise his woman, he wouldn’t hold back—whatever she liked to hear, he would say.

"Do you love me?"

"I do."

"Will you ever leave me?"

"Never."

"And you..."

"Baby, you’re not feeling well. Close your eyes and rest, I’ll wake you when we get home."

She was being unusually clingy, probably from the fever, and so he sped up a bit.

The little woman in the passenger seat pouted, furrowing her brows. "You’re being mean to me."

Yancy Shaw: "..."

Was she being unreasonable? Maybe. But honestly, he didn’t mind at all—in fact, he rather liked it.

"Alright, alright, my fault, baby. Whatever you want to say, I’m here to listen." His tone was patient and coaxing.

"I don’t want to sleep. I just want to look at you." Rarely did Lauren Shaw act so willful, but tonight, for whatever reason, she just wanted to be a little selfish.

Yancy Shaw looked at her pouty lips and those big, sparkling eyes locked on him. He couldn’t help but chuckle—she was simply too adorable.