Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

After an unknown amount of time, Shen Jingshu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.

She had just woken up and her eyes were still hazy with sleepiness. She looked up in a daze and met Lu Jingxing's deep and gentle eyes. She instantly came to her senses and realized that she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Her cheeks flushed red and her ear tips turned completely red. She sat up in a panic, feeling extremely embarrassed.

"I'm so sorry, I accidentally fell asleep..."

Her voice was soft and husky, with a nasal tone from just waking up. She was too shy to look at him, and her helpless appearance was especially endearing.

"It's alright, as long as you sleep soundly." Lu Jingxing said, his voice gentler than the night, without a trace of impatience, but full of indulgence.

Shen Jingshu clutched the hem of her clothes, hurriedly trying to push open the car door and get out. She quickly said goodbye, "Mr. Lu, thank you so much for today. I'm going back to the Li family now. Make sure you keep the wooden plaque with you at all times; don't lose it!"

After saying that, she hurriedly pushed open the car door and walked quickly into the villa, without even having the courage to look back.

Watching her flee in a panic, Lu Jingxing leaned against the steering wheel, his fingertips gently stroking the lightning-struck wooden plaque close to his body. A deep and gentle smile appeared on his lips, his eyes filled with determination and seriousness.

He murmured softly, his voice so low that only he could hear it: "Shen Jingshu, next time we meet, it won't be like this."

He will always watch over her and protect her, and this protective wooden plaque is the bond she gave him, as well as his lifelong obsession with her.

Only after watching her figure completely disappear into the villa and the lights come on did Lu Jingxing slowly drive away. The night was long, and his heart was filled with her image.

Shen Jingshu returned to the Li family villa and found the house quiet with no one else in sight, so she turned around and went straight back to her room.

Meanwhile, Lin Wanqing had accepted Shen Xinyi's invitation early in the morning and gone out for a date. The mother and daughter strolled around all day until nightfall before choosing an elegant Western restaurant to sit down for a meal.

During the casual conversation, Shen Xinyi casually revealed to Lin Wanqing the current predicament of the Shen family, mentioning her eldest brother Shen Yifan's current distressing situation.

When Lin Wanqing heard that her biological son, Shen Yifan, had suffered a disastrous investment failure and had mortgaged the Shen family company and mansion to borrow a huge sum of money, she felt a pang of anxiety and her face was filled with worry.

"How could such a big thing have happened? What are you planning to do now?" She was both angry and anxious, looking at Shen Xinyi. "You little brat, are you planning to keep this from me forever? How's your older brother?"

Shen Xinyi lowered her eyes, feigning grievance and dejection: "My brother is very depressed right now, and he has been running around trying to attract investment, but with little success."

Her voice choked with emotion as she feigned a sensible yet heartbroken demeanor: "I'm sorry, Mom. I secretly sold all those designer bags you gave me to raise money. With the family facing such a huge crisis, as a daughter of the Shen family, it's my duty to do my part."

"But if the Shen family really can't hold on and goes bankrupt, I'm afraid I won't have many opportunities to visit you often in the future. I've already found a part-time job outside, and I'll be busy working to support the family from now on. I won't have any extra time to go shopping and relax with you anymore."

Upon hearing this, Lin Wanqing felt an overwhelming pang of heartache.

She had spoiled Shen Xinyi since she was a child, and she couldn't bear to see her precious daughter have to go out and work hard during the most stressful time of her senior year of high school. She immediately frowned and shook her head repeatedly: "No, you are at the crucial time of preparing for the college entrance examination. How can you go out to do part-time work and suffer? Tell your mother how much money we need, and I will find a way to make up the difference."

Lin Wanqing was filled with heartache for her daughter, completely forgetting the time when Shen Jingshu was also in her final year of high school, but had to work part-time alone without anyone caring for her. Both were in their final year of high school, but Lin Wanqing only had eyes for Shen Xinyi, and couldn't bear to see her suffer even the slightest hardship.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xinyi felt secretly pleased, but on the surface she still pretended to be pitiful.

She had no intention of selling those expensive bags, and never planned to actually do any part-time work. Her earlier display of misery and weakness was all a performance deliberately staged for Lin Wanqing's benefit.

She knew her mother's temperament too well. Only by feigning pitifulness, acting sensible, and deliberately showing weakness could she evoke Lin Wanqing's guilt and heartache, making her willingly take out money to fill the huge financial hole in the Shen family.

Shen Xinyi still refused to speak directly, only pretending to be considerate and speaking softly, "Mom, the funding gap this time is really too big. I know you just married into the Li family, and although you seem glamorous and respectable, you may not actually have such a large sum of money on hand. My brother and I don't want to put you in a difficult position. This is no small amount, but we'll figure out a way ourselves slowly."

"Besides, if Uncle Li finds out that you've been secretly giving us money, he'll definitely be unhappy. I don't want to cause you any trouble, and I certainly don't want to make things difficult for you in the Li family."

Lin Wanqing felt a pang of sadness, both touched and heartbroken. She quickly took her hand and said, "You silly child, even in this situation, you're still thinking of me. You're all my own flesh and blood. Even if we can't live together, I can't just stand by and watch you fall into trouble."

"I'll discuss things with your Uncle Li personally regarding the Li family, so you don't need to worry too much. Just tell me honestly, how much money do we still need?"

Seeing this, Shen Xinyi pretended to look troubled and reluctant, and slowly announced the number: "We are still short 80 million."

"Eighty million?!"

Lin Wanqing was shocked on the spot, and her face changed. She originally thought that it would only cost a few million or ten million at most to settle the matter, but she never expected that it would cost a full eighty million. This amount was simply too astonishing.

She was stunned for a while before she came to her senses and said helplessly, "I simply don't have that much on hand. With the card your Uncle Li gave me, plus the pocket money I've saved up, I only have about five million in liquid funds left. You can take this five million for emergencies. As for the remaining shortfall, I'll go back and discuss it with your Uncle Li to see if I can borrow it from the Li family first. I'll contact you again when I have any news."

Shen Xinyi immediately showed a touched and guilty expression: "Thank you for your hard work, Mom. You've really been wronged."

Lin Wanqing sighed and gently comforted her, "Silly child, what's there to feel wronged about? I'm your mother, it's only right that I worry about you and protect you. But in the future, when your older brother makes investments, you must advise him more carefully, so he won't act so blindly and impulsively again."

"I understand, Mom. I will keep a closer eye on my older brother from now on and prevent him from making any more rash decisions."

The mother and daughter continued to eat in silence, but during this meal, they were each preoccupied with their own thoughts, their minds not on the food at all.

The Shen family's real funding gap is not 80 million, but only 50 million.

Shen Xinyi deliberately overstated the amount by 30 million, hoping to take advantage of the Li Group's current good fortune and strong financial resources to swindle an extra sum of money and pocket the difference.