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

Lu Jingxing pondered for a moment, then slowly typed: Nothing, I just wanted to ask if you have any free time tomorrow.

Shen Jingshu replied truthfully: She has a professional class tomorrow morning, and she has an appointment with someone to go to a hotel in Beijing to deal with a ghost dispute in the evening. Her schedule is full, and she is afraid she will not be able to find the time.

"If you don't have time, then forget it." Lu Jingxing looked at the text, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes, and replied lightly.

"Okay, goodnight, Mr. Lu."

After sending the closing message, Shen Jingshu casually placed her phone on the bedside table, pulled the thin blanket over herself, and peacefully fell asleep.

In the study, Lu Jingxing stared at the words "Goodnight" at the end of the chat box, sitting quietly by the window for a long time, while the evening breeze swept through the treetops outside.

After finishing her morning classes, Shen Jingshu had a quick lunch and then went out to buy materials for drawing talismans.

Since her rebirth, she has been relying on the old yellow paper and cinnabar left in her space. Now that the amount is gradually decreasing, she specially took a taxi to the old antique streets in Beijing.

I found an old shop with a quaint facade along the street. I pushed open the door and went in. The owner behind the counter looked up and saw that the customer was a young girl. He smiled and said, "What are you looking for, young lady? We have all kinds of antiques and ornaments in our shop."

"I need yellow paper and cinnabar," Shen Jingshu said, getting straight to the point.

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper pulled out a stack of ordinary yellow paper and a box of mass-produced cinnabar from the counter and pushed them over: "This is the best quality product in the store."

Shen Jingshu casually lifted the edge of the paper, then unscrewed the cinnabar cap to examine it closely, her brows furrowing slightly: "These won't do. I need the genuine, top-quality materials specifically for drawing talismans."

"If I don't find anything I like, I'll go check out other shops." Shen Jingshu made a gesture as if to turn around.

"Wait! Wait!" The shopkeeper hurriedly called out to stop them, secretly regretting his misjudgment. The items displayed in the open were ordinary commodities, while the truly high-quality talisman materials were kept deep inside the cabinet, reserved only for regular customers and knowledgeable members of the Xuanmen (mystical arts) community.

"The price of this high-quality item is a bit high. Are you sure you want it, miss?"

"Goods meet the requirements, price is not a problem."

The boss then turned around, bent down, and took out the properly sealed goods from the bottom of the locker.

The newly acquired yellow paper was soft and resilient, with a uniform color, and the cinnabar paste was rich, bright, and fine-textured, far superior to the ordinary paper that had just been taken out. Although Shen Jingshu still had higher standards in mind, she decided to accept it all since it was sufficient for her immediate needs.

"I didn't expect the young lady to be a member of the Xuanmen sect." The shopkeeper put away his idle thoughts and looked her over a few more times. "You look unfamiliar. Is this your first time visiting? Next time you come, just tell me you need materials for drawing talismans. It's the unspoken rule in this circle."

Shen Jingshu responded calmly, only then realizing that there were such unwritten, unspoken rules in this industry.

The shopkeeper quickly calculated the prices: "Two thousand for yellow paper, twenty thousand for a box of top-grade cinnabar."

The price was exorbitant, but the quality of the materials justified the price. Shen Jingshu simply scanned the code to pay and put all the yellow paper and cinnabar into her backpack, which she then quickly stored in her personal space.

"Come anytime you need consumables, I'll reserve the best stock for you," the shopkeeper said solicitously.

After leaving the antique shop, it was getting dark. With the time to meet Xiao Gao at the hotel approaching, Shen Jingshu glanced at the time and set off in the direction of the haunted hotel.

Shen Jingshu hailed a taxi, gave the hotel address, and the car smoothly drove away from the antique street. She leaned against the window, watching the buildings and shops passing by along the street, her expression calm and her heart undisturbed.

Shortly after, the car arrived at the hotel's main entrance. The greeter at the door saw that she was coming alone and mistakenly thought she was a guest checking in. He quickly bowed and politely led the way.

Shen Jingshu did not respond and walked straight into the hotel lobby. The once magnificent and bustling lobby was now sparsely populated and deserted. Even though it was not yet late at night, there were very few guests.

After rumors of a haunted eighth floor began to circulate, the hotel's customer base declined steadily, and business worsened day by day.

She took out her phone and dialed the number Xiao Gao had left in her private messages. The familiar ringtone suddenly sounded from not far behind her. Shen Jingshu immediately hung up the call and turned to walk towards the source of the sound.

Xiao Gao was frowning as he stood to the side of the lobby instructing several staff members on duty to adjust their work schedules when a young woman approached him. He instinctively followed the reception procedure and said, "Hello, if you wish to check in, please proceed to the front desk."

Shen Jingshu said calmly, "I'm the person who made an appointment with you to come and deal with the strange things happening on the eighth floor."

Xiao Gao was taken aback, looked her up and down for a while, and then suddenly realized what was going on. A look of surprise and unease welled up in his eyes: "So it's the master! I didn't expect you to arrive so punctually. I thought I would have to wait a while longer."

She quickly dismissed her employees and led the way, saying, "Shall I take you to the eighth floor to check it out? Ever since these strange things started happening, no one dares to approach the entire floor at night."

As they walked toward the elevator, Xiao Gao couldn't help but steal glances at the girl beside him.

She always thought that a metaphysical anchor who could diagnose evil spirits, break through supernatural phenomena, and make accurate predictions every time was at least an experienced elder, or at the very least a calm and mature middle-aged person.

But the Shen Jingshu in front of me is young, with clear and exquisite features, and a beautiful appearance that makes it hard to look away.

She always wore a mask during her previous live streams, so no one could see her face. Xiao Gao was only familiar with her voice. It wasn't until he saw her up close that he was completely shocked—the internet sensation who became famous for her metaphysical knowledge was actually so young and beautiful.

The elevator gave a soft "ding," indicating that we had arrived at the eighth floor.

As the elevator doors slowly opened, a chilling cold blasted out, creating a stark contrast to the warm and bustling lobby downstairs.

Shen Jingshu walked calmly and straight out of the elevator.

Xiao Gao followed closely behind, his hands clenching involuntarily, his back stiff, his eyes scanning the empty corridor in a panic, every nerve stretched to its limit, his heart filled with suppressed fear.

Shen Jingshu caught a glimpse of her trembling and uneasy expression out of the corner of her eye, and said calmly, "You can go down first. I can handle this by myself. I'll go downstairs by myself when I'm done."

Xiao Gao felt like he'd been granted a pardon and quickly nodded, "Okay, okay, anchor! If anything happens, just call me anytime, I'm ready to help!"

Before she finished speaking, she practically ran into the elevator, quickly pressed the close button, and looked so anxious and flustered that it seemed as if some evil spirit was chasing her.

That's natural.

As night fell, the eighth floor was deathly silent and filled with an eerie atmosphere. The entire floor was deserted, with no sign of life except for Shen Jingshu.

Once the elevator had completely departed, the corridor fell into utter silence.

The pale corridor lights flickered on and off, and a cold wind silently swept through the corridor, filling the air with an unyielding, chilling resentment.

Shen Jingshu narrowed her eyes slightly and activated her Heavenly Eye.

Instantly, a thick, black aura of resentment surged throughout the entire building, layer upon layer, heavy and deeply rooted in the cracks of the walls, ceiling, and floor, lingering for a long time.

The resentment was too scattered, spreading throughout the entire floor, making it difficult to pinpoint the true location of the vengeful spirit, nor to find the root cause of her death or the source of her grievances.

After a moment's thought, Shen Jingshu reached out and took the jade bottle from her backpack.