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

Seeing that Shen Xinyi was determined to stay, Lin Wanqing remained silent for a long time before finally turning her gaze to her eldest daughter, who had been silent all along, her voice trembling slightly: "Jing Shu, then... would you like to come with your mother?"

Shen Jingshu nodded almost immediately, her eyes showing no hesitation, only a firm warmth.

In her previous life, in this cold Shen family mansion, although she and her mother Lin Wanqing were not close, she was the only one who could make her feel a little bit of human warmth.

However, her mother always said, "You are the older sister, so you should give way to your younger sister," and she was used to indulging her, but she never really gave up on her.

In the past, she might have wavered between familial affection and favoritism.

But in this life, reason has long since prevailed over emotion.

She could see clearly that the Shen family members were nothing but a bunch of ungrateful wretches who could never be satisfied.

She poured out her heart and soul for half her life, only to be met with indifference and sacrifice. She no longer cared for the wealth and glory of the Shen family.

"I do," Shen Jingshu replied, her voice clear and resolute.

In her previous life, she accidentally did Lu Ze, the next generation leader of the Lu family, a great favor.

From that moment on, the man fell in love with her and took the initiative to propose marriage.

Although she didn't have deep feelings for Lu Ze, she agreed because of the Lu family's power and the fact that they could help the Shen family, plus her family's urging.

After dating for six months, the couple set a wedding date, and the entire Shen family was proud of the marriage.

However, their good fortune didn't last long. The Li family went bankrupt, and Shen Xinyi was taken back home.

From then on, this white lotus flower began her all-pervasive provocations.

She often pretended to sigh in front of her father, Shen Mobai, and her three older brothers, her eyes full of envy and grievance, her tone so gentle it could melt your heart: "Sister is so lucky. She was born to be pampered by her parents and brothers, and now she has found such an outstanding fiancé as Lu Ze. It's truly enviable."

Then, her tone shifted abruptly, delivering a barrage of veiled barbs: "Unlike me, I've had a miserable life, suffering so much in the Li family. No one likes me now. Is it because I'm not as pretty as my sister that I'm disliked?"

These words are absolutely devastating.

Shen Xinyi has a delicate and fair appearance, and is indeed a typical innocent and harmless little flower.

Shen Jingshu, on the other hand, was bright and dignified, with an outstanding temperament, and was therefore superior.

However, Shen Xinyi's instigation, coupled with her usual skill in feigning weakness, only highlighted Shen Jingshu's deep scheming and domineering nature.

The three older brothers were already completely infatuated with Shen Xinyi, and upon hearing this, they felt even more that Shen Jingshu was taking advantage of them because she was the older sister.

They started criticizing Shen Jingshu, thinking she was too assertive and not gentle enough, and unworthy of someone as outstanding as Lu Ze.

Father Shen Mobai never cared about his daughter's feelings, only feeling sorry for Shen Xinyi. Instead, he advised Shen Jingshu: "Jingshu, since you are going to marry into the Lu family and become the young mistress of the Lu family, you should be generous and take good care of your poor sister. Don't let outsiders laugh at the Shen family."

Everything that followed shattered Shen Jingshu's last remaining illusions about family.

Seeing that everyone was going along with her and doting on her, Shen Xinyi simply stopped pretending. With her cheeks flushed and a shy and timid look on her face, she confessed her feelings in front of everyone: "Actually... I also like Brother Lu Ze, and I want to marry him."

His words stunned everyone present, but there was none of the expected rebuke or opposition.

Shen Mobai and his three brothers, far from finding it inappropriate that she coveted their brother-in-law, instead showed expressions of delight. The eldest brother, Shen Yifan, even impatiently exclaimed, "Xinyi, you should have said so sooner! Why didn't you tell me you liked Lu Ze earlier?"

The second brother, Shen Yifei, chimed in, speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world: "That's right. If you had said so earlier, you could have just had your sister give Lu Ze to you. It's no big deal."

The third brother, Shen Yichen, looked at Shen Xinyi with a doting expression, not finding the idea particularly absurd or outrageous. In their eyes, Shen Jingshu should always give way to her younger sister, even her fiancé.

But as soon as he finished speaking, Shen Mobai frowned, looking troubled: "But Lu Ze is the heir designated by the Lu family. His status is what it is; how can he be changed so easily?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Xinyi lowered her eyes, a secret smugness playing on her lips. Then she raised her head, her eyes slightly red, and revealed an even bigger secret: "Dad, brothers, you don't need to worry. Actually, I've always had a very good relationship with Brother Lu Ze, and he likes me a lot too. He even told me that if I were the one he met first, he would definitely marry me and wouldn't choose my sister."

These words struck a chord with the four members of the Shen family.

In their eyes, Shen Xinyi was pampered and raised from a young age; she was gentle, obedient, and the only family member who was truly on their side.

As for Shen Jingshu, she has been meddling in everything and scheming in every aspect of life over the years. She is always managing this and stopping that, acting as if the Shen family can't function without her. They have long been fed up with her and only think that she is domineering and meddlesome. They have never regarded her as a real family member.

Now that Shen Xinyi says Lu Ze's heart belongs to her, the group instantly harbored wicked intentions.

That night, the Shen family study was brightly lit. Shen Mobai and his three sons discussed the matter behind closed doors, their tone sinister and their words showing no hesitation.

"Tomorrow is Jing Shu and Lu Ze's wedding. The Lu family and our family are both prominent families in Beijing. The invitations have already been sent out, and we absolutely cannot leave it a secret and become a laughing stock."

Shen Mobai smoked a cigarette, his eyes cold, showing no tenderness for his daughter whatsoever. "Since Xinyi and Lu Ze are in love, let's just go all the way."

The eldest brother, Shen Yifan, answered, his voice completely flat: "Dad, what do you mean?"

"Have someone send Shen Jingshu a glass of milk, add something to it, and do it without anyone noticing."

Shen Mobai said fiercely, "When the time comes, we'll say that she suddenly had a heart attack and died unexpectedly. It would be unreasonable for the family to hold a funeral and postpone the wedding. We'll just let Xinyi marry into the Lu family in her place. This will not only fulfill Xinyi's wishes but also save face for our Shen family. We can also get married into the Lu family. It's a win-win-win situation."

Hearing this wicked plan, none of the three brothers objected. They even nodded in agreement, discussing who would deliver the milk and how to cover up the evidence. Throughout the whole process, not one of them thought of Shen Jingshu's years of dedication, nor did they show any father-daughter or brother-sister affection.

They only saw Shen Jingshu as a pawn that could be discarded at will, an obstacle in Shen Xinyi's path to happiness, and killing her was just an easy thing to do.

But to their utter surprise, Shen Jingshu, who should have been in her room preparing for the wedding, came to talk to her father and brothers to ease her anxiety before the wedding.

Just as she reached the door of the study, those chilling, murderous words seeped through the crack in the door, each one piercing her ears.

It was her biological father, and her three older brothers who had devoted themselves to her for many years, who were plotting how to poison her and how to make her "green tea sister" marry her fiancé in her place.

At that moment, Shen Jingshu felt as if all the blood in her body had frozen. Her legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground. She covered her mouth tightly to keep herself from making a sound.

Heart-chilling, bone-chilling.

She recalled how she stayed up all night to help her eldest brother secure investment and build connections, how she went around asking people to help her second brother find a famous teacher and learn medicine, how she went to great lengths to help her third brother make games and gain fame, and how she worried about everything, planned every step of the way, and poured her heart and soul into the future of the Shen family.

In the end, what he received was not kinship or gratitude, but a meticulously planned murder.

It turns out that her sincerity and her efforts were worthless in their eyes.

It turns out that the family she was trying so hard to protect were all evil spirits disguised as family affection.

Overwhelmed by a profound sense of betrayal and despair, all the grievances, heartaches, and sacrifices of her past life became a joke at this moment.

She stood in the cold corridor, tears silently streaming down her face. The last glimmer of hope for family in her eyes was extinguished, leaving only an intense, unyielding hatred.