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

A year later, the belated apology and compensation, though seemingly sincere, were in reality pale and perfunctory.

She thought that the regrets of her youth could be easily made up for, and that material gifts could erase the loneliness of waiting alone all night back then.

Shen Jingshu quietly looked at the genuine yet shallow guilt in her eyes, gently shook her head, and a very faint smile appeared on her lips, clear yet distant.

"No need, Mom."

"What's past is past, there's no point in making amends."

Her voice was soft and calm, without a trace of grievance or resentment: "The coming-of-age ceremony at eighteen only happens once in a lifetime. Once it's missed, it's missed forever. No matter how grand the banquet is later, it can't make up for the time lost."

Moreover, Shen Jingshu, who once sat by a table of cold dishes, eagerly awaiting the return of her family, is no longer here.

Now, she no longer needs false companionship, perfunctory compensation, or this extremely biased and cheap maternal love.

Looking at her completely relieved expression, Lin Wanqing felt not at all relieved, but rather even more bitter and suffocated.

The more magnanimous and indifferent the daughter is, the less she entangles herself or complains, the more absurd and cruel her mother seems.

"But..." Lin Wanqing wanted to say something more, trying to salvage some of the mother-daughter relationship.

"Really, it's not necessary." Shen Jingshu interrupted gently, her tone gentle yet carrying an unyielding distance. "I've never cared about these elaborate formalities, not in the past, and not now. You just need to focus on preparing Shen Xinyi's coming-of-age ceremony. She likes grand celebrations, and she deserves your attention."

Every word and phrase is frank and composed, yet it completely draws a clear line between them.

She made it clear to Lin Wanqing: I don't need your favoritism or your attempts to make amends.

Lin Wanqing stood there, stunned, watching the girl's slender, upright figure and her unwavering back, feeling a mix of emotions.

She suddenly realized with absolute clarity.

She has favored and doted on Shen Xinyi for many years, giving all her tenderness and love to her younger daughter while habitually ignoring and neglecting her older daughter.

The accumulated debts had long since built an insurmountable wall between the mother and daughter.

Now she wants to turn back and make amends, but even the right to do so has been gently but resolutely rejected by Shen Jingshu.

She kept Shen Xinyi, who was loved by everyone, but she lost Shen Jingshu, who was once the most obedient and sensible.

After a long while, Lin Wanqing sighed softly, her heart filled with melancholy.

So be it.

At least this time, she can give everything she has to give Shen Xinyi a world-renowned coming-of-age ceremony, leaving her youngest daughter with no regrets.

At Sunday's banquet, she was determined to make Shen Xinyi the most stunning and glamorous person in the room.

Little did she know that this much-anticipated coming-of-age celebration was never Shen Xinyi's domain.

On that day, with the red carpet laid out and guests gathered, the truly dazzling person would ultimately be Shen Jingshu, who would be ignored by everyone and treated as a foil.

Sunday morning, the sky was bright and clear.

The Li family mansion was quiet until a crisp knock on the door suddenly broke the tranquility.

"Knock knock knock—"

The knocking was neither hurried nor slow, but carried a hint of excited eagerness.

Shen Jingshu had just woken up, her eyes still slightly drowsy. She raised her hand to rub her eyes and slowly walked over to open the door.

Outside the door, Li Beichen stood tall and straight in a neat casual outfit, his eyes smiling.

"Second Brother? Why are you up so early?" Shen Jingshu's voice was soft, with a lazy quality from just waking up.

Li Beichen smiled mysteriously and grabbed her shoulder, saying, "Quickly change your clothes, your second brother will take you out."

"Where to?" Shen Jingshu asked, slightly taken aback.

"You'll know when you get there; it's definitely a good thing." Li Beichen pretended to be mysterious, revealing nothing.

Unable to resist his persistence, Shen Jingshu had no choice but to pick out a simple and comfortable casual sweatshirt to change into. Clean, refreshing, and elegant, she followed him downstairs.

Outside the courtyard, a black sedan had been waiting for quite some time.

After Shen Jingshu got into the passenger seat, Li Beichen started the car without saying a word and drove straight away from the Li family, heading straight for the most luxurious shopping mall in the city center.

He parked the car with practiced ease and led Shen Jingshu to a custom-made dress shop at the very back of the mall.

This shop has extremely high standards, only catering to top-tier wealthy families. Even if you have money, you might not be able to make an appointment. As soon as the staff saw Li Beichen, they immediately bowed and stepped forward with the utmost respect.

"Young Master Li, you've arrived."

Without exchanging pleasantries, Li Beichen pulled Shen Jingshu forward a bit, his tone firm and protective: "She's the star of the show today, so bring out all the dresses and jewelry I pre-ordered."

The shop assistant immediately responded and left.

A moment later, store staff came forward one after another. Some carried layers of exquisite jewelry gift boxes, stacked with brocade boxes, their shimmering light hidden in the air; others pushed racks full of dresses, lined up in a row.

Long dresses, short dresses, tulle skirts, mermaid skirts, and haute couture gowns are all available, with colors ranging from gentle moonlight and cool smoky blue to noble ink black and soft pearl white. Each piece is an exclusive haute couture creation, one of a kind.

The entire shop was open to Shen Jingshu alone.

Li Beichen raised his hand to gesture, smiling generously and indulgently: "Jing Shu, feel free to look around, try on whichever outfit you like, we've prepared them all for you."

Shen Jingshu was slightly taken aback, and said softly, "Second brother, today is Shen Xinyi's coming-of-age ceremony banquet. I am just accompanying her. There is no need for such a grand ceremony."

Li Beichen raised an eyebrow, his tone matter-of-fact: "Who says you can't dress nicely to attend someone else's banquet? My sister, wherever she goes, should always be the most eye-catching one."

He had already planned this out, giving Shen Jingshu no chance to refuse: "Go try it on quickly. These are styles that my brother and I agreed on in advance. They'll fit perfectly."

Seeing the sincere and eager expectation in the man's eyes, Shen Jingshu was unwilling to refuse his kindness and had no choice but to nod in agreement.

The store's dedicated stylist and costume designer immediately stepped forward and accompanied Shen Jingshu into a private fitting room.

Li Beichen leaned back lazily on the guest sofa, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest. The smile in his eyes slowly faded as he recalled his late-night conversation with Li Hanting last night.

Yesterday at the Li family dinner, upon learning that Shen Jingshu's eighteenth birthday celebration had been forgotten by the entire Shen family and that she had spent a lonely night alone, the two brothers felt both pain and anger.

The Shen family is extremely biased, showering Shen Xinyi with everything they have while treating Shen Jingshu as invisible and wantonly mistreating her.

Since the Shen family doesn't care about us, doesn't love us, and doesn't cherish us, that's fine.

Shen Jingshu had no one to pamper her, but the Li brothers did.

The grandeur, dignity, and favoritism that the Shen family didn't give her, the Li family made up for in every way.

This was the idea the two brothers decided on last night, and it's also the origin of this special styling for today.

A moment later, the curtains of the fitting room were slowly drawn back.

A moonlight pearl white haute couture gown accentuated Shen Jingshu's slender and graceful figure. The skirt was adorned with delicate starlight-like tulle patterns, with an excellent drape, simple yet extremely elegant.

With her long hair flowing down and her clear, bright eyes, she was stunningly beautiful even with a bare face.

Shedding her usual understated elegance, she now appears both aloof and gentle, as pure as moonlight fallen to earth, exuding an air of detachment and otherworldly grace.

Li Beichen suddenly looked up, his eyes lighting up instantly. He couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "Beautiful! No wonder you look so good as our Li family's younger sister! No one else looks as good in this!"

He waved to the shop assistant to open the jewelry gift box: "Don't just stand there, pick out another set of jewelry necklaces and earrings that you like, and we'll make a complete set. Today, we'll definitely stun everyone."