Innocently, Ivy blinked her eyes and looked at him with a perplexed expression, showing a hint of pure innocence. "Not enough?" The man smirked, his lips curving. "What do you think?" "..." This time, Ivy was left speechless. "Well, how do you want it?" When Shawn heard her question, he was initially waiting for her with an intense look. However, he quickly surrendered, as he realized that in Ivy's world, love was just an added bonus. With a sigh, he became slightly despondent. "Shawn..." Ignoring Ivy's call, he gripped the back of her head with one hand and held her cheek with the other, gently lifting her and capturing her lips. His voice, soft and nearly overflowing with sensuality, whispered, "Remember, this is how you should use your mouth from now on." Ivy allowed him to ravish her lips, as the man's kisses alternated between a gentle breeze and a wild, stormy downpour. Light and heavy, deep and shallow, she couldn't quite catch the rhythm, but she couldn't bring herself to push him away. In the end, she surrendered herself to him like a floating reed. After Shawn had his fill and released her, she asked him, somewhat dazed, "Are you satisfied now?" The man looked at her with lingering desire and said, "Not quite." "So, tomorrow..." Ivy cautiously tested Shawn, observing his calm expression, and she knew that the sweet treat she had just given him was enough for now. "I'll be back soon!" Not wanting to make him worry, Ivy added, but to her surprise, Shawn suddenly said, "I'll accompany you." "Huh?" She exclaimed in surprise and quickly refused him. "Don't do this. I don't want to tire you out. We still have the second and third surgeries to go through. You're a patient too." Shawn's lips twitched as he responded with an enigmatic tone, "So, you do acknowledge that I'm a patient." "What?" "Never mind," the man smiled, squinting his eyes. "I just thought that I'll be going to the neighboring city for a business trip tomorrow. We can go together.""Alright," Ivy said, followed by, "Shawn, you're a part-time consultant, right? Why are you working harder than the full-time employees?" Shawn was briefly taken aback and felt a sense of panic, but quickly found an excuse for his slip-up. "I want to get more involved in the company's affairs for now. When I'm able to walk again, I'll switch to a full-time position. Mr. Cato Alter values me more now, and when I become full-time, I'll receive higher compensation." "Oh," Ivy didn't delve further into it and pushed him toward the bathroom. "Then let me walk you to the bathroom to freshen up. You have a busy day ahead." "Or, how about you bring me along tomorrow?" A faint sigh was suddenly heard behind them, and they both turned around in surprise to find that Emma had appeared at the door, seemingly out of nowhere. "Mom, when did you wake up?" Both Ivy and Shawn exclaimed, exchanging nervous glances. "I've been standing at the door for quite a while," Emma replied as she walked into the living room and poured herself a glass of water. "During your bonding time." With those words, she lightly floated back into the bedroom, leaving no room for the two of them to react. Emma had thought that she couldn't disrupt the ambiguous atmosphere between the two of them and had hoped they would seize the opportunity to go to the bedroom together. However, she had clearly overestimated them. Being startled like that, Shawn was untroubled, but Ivy blushed and refused to accompany Shawn to the bathroom. She was afraid that she'd be devoured by him the moment she got close to that door. "I... I suddenly remembered some unfinished work. You take your time; I'll go and take care of it," she said and didn't wait for Shawn's response before she vanished in a hurry. Shawn's face turned as dark as coal. He was frustrated and went to the bathroom alone. It took him quite some time under the cold shower to cool down. After planning the entire night, all his efforts had been in vain. He had to get his legs healed soon, or he wouldn't be able to enjoy any pleasures. Early the next day, the family of three headed to City S. Emma remained silent throughout the journey, gazing at the two photos. After consulting her, Ivy called Uncle Jim to discuss the arrangements. Uncle Jim was delighted, saying that the old master had skipped meals, eagerly awaiting their arrival. Ivy hung up the phone with a smile and held her mother's hand. "Mom, are you okay?" she asked. Emma put the photos back in her embrace and whispered, "Ivy, I am okay. It's just that when I look at these photos, the tiny dots of my childhood occasionally flash in my mind, like watching a movie... Back then, no matter how many times the scenes flashed, your father's face was always missing. Ever since I found out about him, whenever I recall those moments, your father starts to take shape." Ivy embraced her. "Mom, Grandma must be happy in heaven." Emma choked back a sob and said, "Mom resented him her whole life, disappeared from his world for a lifetime, thinking it was a punishment for him. But wasn't it also a punishment for herself? I know your grandma wanted me to be happy, and I shouldn't hold any grudge for her." "Okay," Ivy held her hand even tighter. Shawn, sitting across from them, reached out and held her other hand. The three of them were huddled together, immersed in a tranquil moment. Unbeknownst to them, the family car they had been steadily following slowly came to a stop. "Mr. Tate," came Luke's voice from the driver's seat, "our meeting starts in half an hour, and we need to get to Group G quickly. So, we might have to drop you off here." Luke also wanted to take them to the hospital, but if Uncle Jim, that sly old fox, found out, they'd be caught red-handed. So Luke had no choice but to lie. Ivy, aware of Shawn's recent busyness, helped her mother out of the car. Seeing Luke looking guilty, she reassured him with a smile, "It's okay. We'll just take a taxi from here." Soon, a taxi pulled over by the roadside, and Ivy waved goodbye to Shawn as she helped her mother into the car. Once the taxi had left, Luke asked, "Mr. Tate, which branch of the company are we going to in City S?" Shawn, with his gaze returning from where the taxi had disappeared, replied, "We'll go to the hotel nearest to them." At such an important moment when Ivy was meeting her biological family, Shawn couldn't be there in person due to his work commitments. However, he was determined to stay nearby in case she needed him at any moment. ***