It wasn’t until Yuan Ran ran up and saw Yancy Shaw like that that he hurriedly tried to stop him. But Yancy Shaw still didn’t relent.

Yuan Ran looked to Lauren Shaw for help. “Young Madam, please stop Third Young Master, or someone’s going to die!”

Lauren Shaw’s head buzzed. For a moment, she couldn’t quite come to her senses. It was only after Yuan Ran called her several more times that she finally reacted.

All Yancy Shaw could think of was the image of Lauren Shaw getting beaten. He was furious with himself for failing to protect her, and the man in front of him had become nothing more than an outlet for his rage.

Suddenly, a soft hand gripped his wrist, and a gentle voice sounded above him. “Yancheng, stop. If you keep going, you’ll kill him.”

Her voice was light, but it tugged him back to his senses.

He jolted upright, finally realizing as he looked down at the bleeding, beaten man before him that his actions might have frightened Lauren Shaw.

“Baby, are—are you alright?” His eyes were filled with guilt and remorse—guilt for not protecting Lauren Shaw, and remorse that he’d lost control and scared her.

He gazed at her carefully, like a child caught doing something wrong.

Lauren Shaw shook her head. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. But—Xiao Pei needs to get to the hospital, quickly, or she...”

“Don’t worry. I’ve already had her sent to the hospital.”

Hearing that Xiao Pei had already been taken care of, Lauren Shaw finally let out a sigh of relief.

“That’s good. As long as she’s at the hospital,” she murmured, her body relaxing a little. Suddenly, darkness clouded her vision, and her strength deserted her all at once.

“Sheng Sheng...” Yancy Shaw’s voice echoed in her ear, but she couldn’t open her eyes. She was so tired... utterly exhausted...

Yancy Shaw caught her as she collapsed, holding her tightly in his arms and racing downstairs, his voice anxious, “Quickly! We need to get to the hospital!”

As a doctor, he’d always faced life and death calmly—but when it came to Lauren Shaw, he was anything but calm.

Yuan Ran drove, and in the rearview mirror, he couldn’t help but marvel at the sight of Yancy Shaw’s distraught face. Ah, love truly could drive people to madness.

—

When Lauren Shaw opened her eyes again, the strong smell of disinfectant filled her nose. She shifted, and Yancy Shaw immediately asked, urgent, “You’re awake, Sheng Sheng?”

Lauren Shaw’s head still felt dizzy. Realizing she was in the hospital, she asked, “Honey, what happened to me?”

“It’s nothing. Just rest tonight and you’ll be fine.” Yancy Shaw hadn’t left her bedside for a moment since taking her to the hospital.

Lauren Shaw remembered what happened before she fainted and hurriedly asked, “How’s Xiao Pei?”

“Don’t worry, she’s here at the hospital too. She woke up already. You can visit her tomorrow.”

Yancy Shaw was full of concern. Although Lauren Shaw wasn’t hurt seriously and the marks on her face were fading, the lingering fear remained.

Lauren Shaw reached out and touched his cheek. The stubble on his chin felt prickly, and she couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Mr. Shen, you need a shave. Your beard is so scratchy.”

Her teasing tone still carried a hint of unintentional tenderness.

She had only been kidnapped for a few hours, but Yancy Shaw must have suffered as well.

He took her hand and kissed it, gazing at her with deep affection. “I’ll shave soon.”

“I’m fine, really. You don’t need to worry. I’m standing here safe and sound, aren’t I?”

“This was all my fault. I should have asked Yuan Ran to watch over you.” He blamed himself for being careless; if not, Lauren Shaw wouldn’t have had to suffer like this.

Lauren Shaw hesitated. “But the kidnappers weren’t after me. I overheard one of them on the phone with a woman, telling them to release me—but the kidnappers didn’t listen.”

“Their real target was Xiao Pei,” Yancy Shaw replied. “The person behind this whole thing was Zhu Yurou.”

Lauren Shaw wasn’t surprised.

“I already guessed as much.”

She was just an accidental victim in this kidnapping. If it weren’t for her, Xiao Pei probably wouldn’t have survived.

After everything that happened, Xiao Pei would likely give up on Zhu Xun for good.

“This isn’t the first time something like this has happened,” Yancy Shaw said, as if describing something that didn’t concern him directly.

So, Zhu Yurou had only messed up this time because she’d run into him. If not for Lauren Shaw, this incident would have been quietly covered up.

—Zhu Residence—

Zhu Yurou paced nervously around her room. For some reason, she was plagued by a sense of unease.

Shang Min came in, her face clearly glowing with a smile.

“Xiao Rou, your dad was acting strange tonight. He came to my room and actually talked to me for a long time.”

The two of them hadn’t had a calm conversation like that in ages.

“From the sound of it, he must have finally seen through that woman outside. Hmph, I knew it—sooner or later, he’d realize Xiao Pei’s true colors. Now he finally appreciates me again.”

Shang Min was lost in her own thoughts, unaware of Zhu Yurou’s anxiety.

Suddenly, the distant wail of police sirens caught Zhu Yurou's attention, making her even more anxious.

Shang Min frowned. “What’s that sound?”

Zhu Yurou walked to the window. Two police cars were parked outside. Officers were already making their way inside. She panicked, collapsing onto the sofa. “It’s over. It’s all over.”

Shang Min was completely confused. “What’s over? Xiao Rou, what are you talking about?”

—

In the living room, Zhu Xun faced the policemen, his tone unfriendly. “And just what are you doing here?”

After the officers showed their badges, their tone turned official. “We suspect Ms. Zhu was involved in a kidnapping case. We need her to come to the station for investigation.”

“Kidnapping?” Zhu Xun’s brows furrowed, and a cloud seemed to fall over his expression as he realized something.

His voice carried from the living room: “Go upstairs and bring the eldest young miss down immediately!”

“What’s going on?” Shang Min stormed out, furious to see the strangers in her living room.

Zhu Xun’s expression darkened. “Why don’t you ask your precious daughter yourself? See what a wonderful job you’ve done raising her—now she’s even daring to commit kidnapping! Unbelievable!”

Shang Min was stunned. “Ki—kidnapping?”

Standing by the railing on the second floor, Sophia Chandler watched the drama unfold in silence.

“I did this myself. It has nothing to do with my mother. Don’t blame her. If you want to blame anyone, blame yourself—a father’s failure is a failure to teach.” Zhu Yurou stared at Zhu Xun with nothing but bitterness in her eyes.

“You—”

But Zhu Yurou cut him off, her voice resolute. “I’ll take full responsibility for what I’ve done. I won’t drag the Zhu family down with me. I only have one request: please take care of my mother. She’s had such a hard time all these years.”

Zhu Xun hesitated, words stuck in his throat. Shang Min saw the police put handcuffs on Zhu Yurou, and tears spilled down her face as she rushed to her daughter’s side. “My foolish child, how could you be so reckless? I did this—not you! If someone needs to be arrested, arrest me!”