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

The car came to a smooth stop at the entrance of the detached villa area.

Before Shen Jingshu could even get out of the car, she could see two tall figures standing in front of the villa gate from afar—Li Beichen and Gu Yunzhou had been waiting for a long time.

The two of them were originally looking anxious, their eyes fixed on the way they came, waiting for Shen Jingshu to come and help.

But when the black luxury car came to a stop and the man in the driver's seat got out, the waiting on their faces froze instantly, replaced by disbelief.

Lu Jingxing.

The Lu family patriarch, who has held a high position for many years, is aloof and indifferent to worldly affairs, and is almost a hermit, actually drove Jing Shu here personally.

Li Beichen and Gu Yunzhou exchanged a glance, their hearts simultaneously churning with turmoil.

Why would this real top figure in Beijing be here?

Shen Jingshu, oblivious to the drastic change in their expressions, got out of the car and walked straight ahead, asking softly, "Second Brother, Brother Gu, what urgent matter has occurred?"

Li Beichen snapped out of his daze and immediately reached out to gently pull his younger sister to his side. His gaze swept over Lu Jingxing, who stood not far away with an air of nobility and imposing presence, and he asked in a low voice, "Jing Shu, you just said you were having dinner with a friend... Is that friend the head of the Lu family?"

"Yes." Shen Jingshu nodded frankly.

Li Beichen frowned slightly, full of doubt: "When did you meet the Lu family head?"

This was so unusual that he couldn't help but be shocked.

Who is Lu Jingxing?

He is the true pillar of the Lu family, in charge of the massive Lu Group. He is ruthless, cunning, and has always been aloof from human relationships and women.

Moreover, it was a well-known secret among the top circles in Beijing in the early years—Lu Jingxing had been suffering from a chronic illness since childhood, was physically weak and short-lived, and according to fortune telling, he would not live past the age of thirty.

Over the years, he has rarely attended public events and has never been involved in any scandals with any woman, let alone personally pick him up or accompany him closely.

But now, he treats his younger sister exceptionally well.

Faced with her second brother's questioning, Shen Jingshu brushed it off with a casual remark: "This is a long story. Second brother, you said on the phone earlier that you had something urgent to attend to. What was it? Let's take care of business first."

Only after being reminded by his sister was Li Beichen able to barely suppress the shock in his heart.

Yes, there are indeed some tricky and strange things that need to be dealt with tonight.

But compared to that supernatural incident, the fact that his younger sister and Lu Jingxing knew each other in private and had a close relationship was even more shocking to him.

You should know that the Lu family head in front of you is the most unapproachable and untouchable person in the entire capital.

He was cold-hearted and indifferent, with no desires or ambitions. The vast world of fame and fortune never caught his eye, and it was as difficult as climbing to heaven for ordinary wealthy and powerful families to even get close to him.

No one could have imagined that he would become so deeply involved with Shen Jingshu, a seemingly ordinary girl who had just enrolled at Peking University.

Gu Yunzhou stood to the side, his expression also extremely solemn, his gaze shifting back and forth between the two, his heart filled with surprise and uncertainty.

Tonight's events are becoming increasingly complicated.

Lu Jingxing took in the surprise in their eyes. As a long-time leader, he didn't need to take the initiative to make small talk, but considering the deep bond between Shen Jingshu and Li Beichen, he nodded first and called out in a deep voice, "President Li."

Li Beichen quickly composed himself and cupped his hands in response, "President Lu, thank you so much for personally bringing my sister here."

"It's alright." Lu Jingxing's gaze swept over the girl beside him, his tone calm yet carrying a barely perceptible gentleness. "Jing Shu and I are friends."

The simple word "friend" carried a particularly subtle meaning for Li Beichen and Gu Yunzhou. Anyone could tell that this "friendship" was far more than just a casual acquaintance.

Shen Jingshu didn't dwell on the undercurrents among them. Seeing that she couldn't get any details from her second brother, she turned to Gu Yunzhou beside her and went straight to the point: "Brother Gu, what exactly happened? Your aura seems stable, and there's nothing unusual about you."

"It wasn't me who got into trouble, it was my younger brother." Gu Yunzhou looked worried and gestured to the side, "The matter is complicated, let's go inside and talk about it in detail."

After saying that, he turned to Lu Jingxing and politely invited him, "Mr. Lu, please."

Shen Jingshu was slightly surprised. She knew Lu Jingxing's personality; he never liked to meddle in other people's trivial matters. She thought he would take his leave, but unexpectedly, he followed her into the villa.

She quickly caught up with him, walked to his side, and asked softly in a low voice, "Do you have anything else to do? Will this take up too much of your time?"

Lu Jingxing turned his head to look at her, a faint smile in his eyes, and said firmly, "Not in a hurry."

The group entered the villa one after another. The courtyard was brightly lit and the interior was elegantly furnished, but there was a lingering gloom in the air that made people feel inexplicably depressed.

The four people sat down one by one, and the servants quickly served tea, with wisps of steam rising slowly from the rim of the cups.

Li Beichen looked at Gu Yunzhou beside him and gestured, "This is a situation that happened in your family, so you should explain it to Jing Shu in detail."

Gu Yunzhou's expression was grave. He sighed and slowly explained the situation: "This is what happened. My younger brother, Gu Ming, has been unconscious for three days. We've consulted numerous renowned doctors and conducted a full range of detailed examinations over the past few days, but all the results show that all his physical indicators are completely normal."

"The doctors all say he's just in a deep sleep, but how can a normal person sleep for three days and three nights straight, without responding to anyone calling or shaking them?"

"At first, I thought he had some kind of difficult-to-diagnose illness, but after several treatments, there was still no clue. Later, I thought about it carefully and suspected that he had encountered something unclean outside. It just so happened that Beichen came to see me today, and after we discussed it, we immediately contacted you to ask you to come and help investigate."

Shen Jingshu's expression hardened, and she immediately replied, "I understand. Where is he?"

"It's in the bedroom on the second floor. I'll take you up." Gu Yunzhou got up and led the way.

"Please wait downstairs for a moment," Shen Jingshu said, turning her head to instruct.

Li Beichen nodded: "Don't worry, go up there. I'll stay here with President Lu."

The two agreed and stayed in the living room to wait. Gu Yunzhou then led Shen Jingshu upstairs to the second floor and went straight to Gu Ming's bedroom.

There was someone watching over him at his bedside, and a transparent IV tube was running down his arm and into his body. Gu Ming had been in a coma for several days and was unable to eat normally, relying solely on intravenous nutrition to maintain his bodily functions.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Shen Jingshu keenly sensed a cold and stagnant aura permeating the entire space. It was something that would be difficult for an ordinary person to detect, but it did not escape her eyes. Her expression remained unchanged, showing no sign of anything amiss, and her gaze fell upon the young man on the bed.

Gu Ming's eyes were closed, his breathing was steady, and his complexion looked no different from that of a sleeping person, showing no signs of anything amiss.

Shen Jingshu walked slowly to the bedside, stretched out her fingers, and gently placed them on his wrist to take his pulse.

The moment the fingertips touched the skin, a chilling aura traveled along the pulse. The pulse seemed calm, but it was actually haunted by a ghostly energy that prevented the soul from returning to its proper place.