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

Looking at her daughter's solemn expression, and then at the aloof Shen Jingshu beside her, Luo's mother was completely bewildered: "Xiao Luo, what do you mean by that? Isn't this your friend?"

Xiao Luo took a deep breath, finally dropping the pretense and speaking frankly: "Mom, I didn't dare tell you before because I was afraid you'd worry too much. This is Master Shen Jingshu, a metaphysical master I specially invited. My father's illness came on so strangely; we've been to every hospital, but they can't find the cause. It's not an ordinary ailment at all; someone has cast a spell on him, stealing his lifespan!"

"The reason Dad was able to stabilize his life and recover so quickly was because Master Shen rushed to the countryside overnight and broke that harmful life-borrowing formation."

"What did you say?!"

Luo's father, who had just woken up and was breathing weakly, suddenly opened his eyes wide, his face full of disbelief.

He struggled to his feet, his voice hoarse, and pressed on, "Xiao Luo, you just said... I was possessed? Who did it?"

Looking at her father, who was still weak after recovering from a serious illness, Xiao Luo felt a pang of sadness, but still gritted her teeth and told him the truth: "Dad, it's Grandma."

"Impossible!" Mr. Luo blurted out, his eyes filled with disbelief. "That's my biological mother, the one who gave me life and raised me. How could she do such a thing to me? How could you slander your grandmother out of thin air!"

He was honest and filial, and he adhered to filial piety throughout his life. Even though he suffered from his mother's favoritism and neglect from childhood to adulthood, he never complained. He simply could not accept the cruel fact that his biological mother had deliberately taken away his lifespan and harmed his life.

"I didn't slander her." Xiao Luo's eyes were firm, and her words were sincere. "Think about it carefully. You suddenly declined and aged rapidly after you returned from visiting your critically ill grandmother in your hometown. Yesterday, Master Shen and I personally went back to the old house and broke the evil spell that allowed your life to be borrowed. That's why you've recovered so quickly today. Everything makes sense."

Upon hearing this, Luo's mother was deeply shocked, but not entirely surprised.

She had been married into the Luo family for decades and had long seen through her mother-in-law's cold-heartedness and favoritism. For so many years, her mother-in-law had only ever cared for her youngest son, treating her eldest son's family with indifference, aloofness, and cruelty. But she never imagined that her mother-in-law's selfishness and malice had reached the point of harming her own flesh and blood.

A bone-chilling cold swept over her entire body, and Luo's mother felt a chill run down her spine, unable to speak for a long time.

Only Luo's father refused to believe it, his obsession running deep.

Now that his lifespan has returned to normal and his vitality has been fully restored, he feels much lighter. His emotions are churning, and he can no longer contain himself. He forces himself to get up and insists on returning to his hometown to verify the truth.

No one could stop him, so they could only let him drive back to the old house.

Just two hours later, the door to the house was pushed open from the outside.

Mr. Luo walked in, looking utterly dejected. His eyes were bloodshot, and he staggered, his whole being shrouded in an aura of extreme despair and heartbreak.

That last shred of hope, that last vestige of filial piety, was utterly crushed by reality.

The three people inside watched him quietly, remaining silent in tacit agreement, and no one stepped forward to say anything.

Luo's mother silently got up and brought out bowls and chopsticks from the kitchen, gently comforting her, "Let's eat first."

The atmosphere at the dining table was quiet and solemn. No one mentioned the old house again, but everyone knew in their hearts that the truth had already been revealed.

After the meal, Luo's mother took out a thick envelope and solemnly handed it to Shen Jingshu, her tone full of gratitude: "Master, thank you so much for saving my life this time. This is a small token of our appreciation, please accept it."

Shen Jingshu accepted it readily without much refusal, only gently instructing, "Uncle, go out more often to bask in the sun and absorb positive energy. The remaining negative energy in your body will gradually dissipate, and your body will be completely healed."

Madam Luo quickly agreed and warmly urged him to stay, saying, "Master, it's a rare opportunity for you to come all this way. Please stay a few more days. Let Xiao Luo show you around and let you have a good time."

Shen Jingshu gently shook her head and smiled warmly: "No, I took leave to come here. I'm still in school and need to get back to school as soon as possible."

"Wow? You're so amazing, and you're still in school?" Mrs. Luo exclaimed in surprise, expressing her sincere admiration.

"Um."

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo's father came out of the house. His expression had calmed down a lot, but there was still an unyielding weariness and coldness in his eyes.

"I'll take you to the airport." He offered to take the car keys, his tone sincere and respectful.

Despite the family's repeated attempts to persuade her to stay, they eventually drove Shen Jingshu to the airport together.

On the return journey, the carriage was quiet.

After a long while, Luo's father spoke slowly in a hoarse voice, recounting everything he had seen when he returned to the old house.

"When I got back, my mother was lying in bed and couldn't get up at all."

"Overnight, he completely collapsed. His black hair turned completely white, his face was full of deep wrinkles, and he looked old and frail. He was a hundred times more haggard than when he was terminally ill. He was lifeless and barely had the strength to open his eyes."

His voice choked with emotion, filled with sorrow and absurdity.

He finally believed that his biological mother, who had been biased and selfish her whole life, had indeed taken away his lifespan, ruined his body, and exhausted his vitality in order to prolong his own life.

It's laughable that his life of filial piety and forbearance ultimately resulted in a betrayal by his closest relatives and a meticulously planned, deadly scam.

Cause and effect are cyclical, and retribution is inevitable, ultimately leading to a scene of utter desolation.

Shen Jingshu took a flight back to Beijing, keeping a low profile and remaining composed throughout the journey.

When she returned to the Peking University campus, it was still early. She deliberately avoided the crowds and did not disturb anyone. She quietly carried her simple bag and went straight back to her dormitory.

The dormitory was empty; her roommates were still in class. She quickly packed her things and had barely settled in when the bell rang to signal the end of get out of class.

A moment later, three light footsteps came from the corridor, the dormitory door was pushed open, and Xu Zhixia, Song Ran, and Lin Miaomiao returned together.

Upon entering the room and seeing Shen Jingshu sitting peacefully, the three of them immediately brightened up.

"Shushu! You're back! Is everything settled?"

Shen Jingshu nodded slightly, her tone calm and composed: "Yes, it was a small matter, and it's already been resolved."

Xu Zhixia immediately smiled and leaned forward, her eyes crinkling with excitement: "You came back just in time! Perfect for my birthday party! It's my birthday today, you didn't forget, did you?"

Shen Jingshu was slightly taken aback before she suddenly remembered.

These past few days, she's been busy traveling to Yunnan Province and dealing with cases involving the life-borrowing evil technique, so she really forgot all about Xu Zhixia's birthday.

She immediately looked apologetic and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, Zhixia, I've been so busy that I forgot to prepare a birthday gift for you."

"Oh, it's nothing!" Xu Zhixia waved her hand dismissively and laughed heartily, "Your safe return and the time you took to be with me is the best birthday gift I could receive!"

She sighed softly, with a hint of helplessness in her voice: "You all know my family's situation. Every year on my birthday, my family throws a huge party. I don't really like these kinds of events; I just want to spend my birthday quietly with my family and you good friends."

"But being in this kind of family, you don't always have a choice. It's called a birthday party, but most of the guests are my dad's business partners and social guests. To put it bluntly, it's just a business cocktail party."

"But don't worry, tonight we'll just have fun! The banquet hall has two floors. The downstairs is for the adults to socialize and discuss business, while we'll just have fun upstairs. We don't need to get involved in any of those formalities."

Song Ran, standing to the side, asked somewhat nervously, "Zhi Xia, if we're going to attend... do we need to wear formal attire? We haven't prepared anything."

Lin Miaomiao nodded in agreement, a hint of unease in her eyes.

They came from ordinary families and had never attended such a formal banquet in a wealthy family before, so they were inevitably a little nervous and uneasy.

"Don't worry! I've already prepared dresses for the three of you!" Xu Zhixia smiled warmly. "They were specially ordered according to your sizes, they'll definitely look great and fit perfectly. We'll try them on one by one later!"