Yancy Shaw’s hand stalled mid-air, chopsticks paused. ‘You’re going to Huadong?’
‘Mm, the organizers for Fashion Week sent me an invitation. I only found out yesterday.’ She had planned to tell him then, but the events that followed made her forget.
‘How many days will you be gone?’ Yancy Shaw asked carelessly.
‘About three, I think. This Fashion Week’s brand is an international heavyweight. I never expected them to send me an invite.’
This genuinely surprised Lauren Shaw. After all, on the international stage, she was barely a blip.
‘Alright. Tomorrow, let Yuan Ran go with you,’ Yancy Shaw said. He had surgeries lined up these few days and couldn’t spare the time himself, but he couldn’t let her go alone, either.
Lauren Shaw was about to refuse, but thinking it over, she realized he was just worried about her safety. If Yuan Ran was with her, he’d be reassured too, so she agreed.
After breakfast, the two left together.
Yancy Shaw dropped her off at the studio, but instead of heading straight to the hospital, he drove over to Bryce Shaw’s place.
When Bryce Shaw saw him, he glanced up with a teasing smile. ‘What kind of wind blew you in today?’
Yancy Shaw pulled out the chair opposite Bryce Shaw’s desk and sat down, his eyes calm and cool as ever—impossible to read.
‘I heard Wanrui is back from the dead?’ he said lightly, his tone edged with sharpness.
Bryce Shaw had figured this wasn’t a casual visit. He set down his pen and walked to the window, hands in his pockets, quietly gazing into the distance, choosing not to reply.
A moment later, Chris Cooper walked in with a stack of documents.
‘President Shen, Wanrui Group held a shareholders’ meeting this morning to announce a new chairman. Some of the partners who had refused to work with them before—well, who knows what perks they were promised, because now they can’t wait to sign with Wanrui.’
Bryce Shaw gave Yancy Shaw a thoughtful glance, then waved his hand for Chris Cooper to leave.
Once they were alone, Bryce Shaw rested his hand on his chin, thinking, then asked, ‘What’s your take on this?’
Yancy Shaw gave a short, amused huff. ‘Just as expected.’
‘So who do you think the new chairman will be?’
‘Xue Qiang,’ Yancy Shaw answered without a pause.
Bryce Shaw raised an eyebrow. ‘Why not Mandy Snow?’
‘She’s not stupid enough to take the fall.’
Right now, Wanrui was nothing but a puppet—completely at the mercy of the Mo family. Who knew what Mo Fan planned to use Wanrui for? If anything happened, someone would have to take the blame.
And Mandy Snow was too shrewd to put herself in that position. Xue Qiang, on the other hand, was an easy pawn—simple-minded and easy to control. Still, she hadn’t expected Mandy Snow would sell out her own brother.
‘She really is calculating, with no thought for consequences whatsoever.’
Yancy Shaw let out a cold snort. ‘That’s just how the Snow family operates. When there’s profit in sight, feelings mean nothing.’
—
Wanrui Group Headquarters.
Inside the conference room, not a sound could be heard. The company executives were present, and so was Yvonne Sung. Though things between him and Eva Snow had soured, they weren’t divorced yet—he was still Xue Qiang’s brother-in-law, with a responsibility to advise him.
‘Is anyone dissatisfied with the outcome of today's meeting?’ Xue Qiang sat in the chairman’s seat, looking down at everyone with thinly-veiled contempt.
Not long ago, these people were full of bluster. Now, they were all quiet. These geezers had just been waiting for the Snow family to falter and were eager to trample them—but now they were all behaving.
Hmph. Bullies, the lot of them.
Yvonne Sung sat with his head bowed, lost in thought.
Mandy Snow was poker-faced as usual. When the meeting ended, Xue Qiang hurried over with a sycophantic grin.
‘Mandy, you’re incredible—you actually found someone to save Wanrui. Thank heavens! If not for you, the Snow family would really be finished.’
Mandy Snow listened, her smile completely insincere. ‘Second Brother, you didn’t sound like this before.’
Xue Qiang’s flattery stalled, but he quickly recovered, smiling as if nothing had happened. ‘That was just me being anxious—I knew you wouldn’t let the family fall apart...’
‘Enough with the empty words. What you need to do now is win back our previous partners.’
‘Win them back?’ Xue Qiang was confused. ‘How?’
He was clueless about the ruthlessness of the business world, much less the point she was making.
Mandy Snow just smirked. ‘You’re the chairman now, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you know what to do?’
Seeing Yvonne Sung nearby, Xue Qiang asked, bemused, ‘Yuche, what did she mean by that?’
‘She means, you’re the chairman now. You should handle company affairs yourself—don’t ask her.’
Xue Qiang snorted. ‘Fine, I’ll handle it myself. I just don’t believe I can’t manage Wanrui.’
Yvonne Sung said nothing, but a sharp gleam flickered in his eyes.
—
In the afternoon, Lauren Shaw got a call from her younger sister Nina Shaw, saying she wanted to stop by the studio.
Xavier Quinn had gone back to Harbor City that morning, and, given that Nina Shaw was pregnant, he’d told her to stay in Ancheng for now.
‘Sis, what’s it like being pregnant?’ Lauren Shaw sat next to her, gently stroking Nina Shaw’s belly, her eyes soft with tenderness.
Nina Shaw laughed, ‘You lose your appetite, feel nauseous, get moody sometimes…’
She started telling Lauren Shaw what pregnancy felt like. Lauren Shaw listened, completely absorbed.
‘Xavier Quinn’s been acting strange lately too—he’s canceled so many jobs just to stay with me...’
She didn’t realize her face was glowing with happiness the whole time she spoke.
Lauren Shaw’s eyebrows curved in a smile. ‘Sis, you and Brother-in-law are still sweet as ever. Look how attentive he is.’
‘You’re just making fun of me.’
The sisters were in the middle of a lively chat when their mother called. It was their great-uncle’s birthday, and there’d be a banquet at home that night—they were both expected.
Naturally, they needed to prepare a present, so they decided to head out to the mall and find something suitable.
As they passed a baby store, Nina Shaw stopped, glancing inside.
‘Let’s take a look.’ Lauren Shaw slipped her arm through her sister’s and led her inside.
Just as they entered, they ran into Yana Quinn, who was also browsing baby products.
Not only did Lauren Shaw freeze—Nina Shaw also stopped in her tracks.
The man accompanying Yana Quinn as she shopped was Yvonne Sung.
‘Shengsheng, am I seeing things?’ Nina Shaw whispered. ‘That man looks so familiar, like, um…’ She couldn’t recall his name for the moment.
‘Yvonne Sung,’ Lauren Shaw said evenly, not a trace of emotion in her voice.
Nina Shaw tugged her lips in a mocking smile. ‘And the woman with him is…?’