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

The girl on the other end of the video call smiled gently and said in a sincere and soft tone, "Hello, host. I'm your loyal fan. I watch every single one of your live streams on time. If I happen to miss one, I'll definitely catch up on the replay later. I never miss a single one."

Shen Jingshu's eyes were gentle as she nodded slightly: "Really? Thank you for your favor. Now that you've won the lucky bag, what would you like to know?"

The purple sweet potato and taro ball's name is Li Yanran. Li Yanran tilted her head slightly and thought for a moment, her tone carrying a hint of tranquility and carefree: "I don't seem to have any worries or troubles right now. Why don't you take a look at me, host?"

At this moment, she is in her exquisite and cozy bedroom, sitting upright on the soft bed. She has already washed up and removed her makeup. The camera has not turned on any beauty filters, showing her completely clean and pure bare face.

"Would you like me to send you a photo of myself privately?" she asked softly.

"No need," Shen Jingshu said calmly. "You're completely without makeup right now, so your features are clear. I can just look at you through the camera lens."

The moment those words were spoken, the live stream chat exploded.

Wow! She's completely makeup-free! That's incredibly daring!

My goodness, this skin is the ultimate dream! Snow-white, smooth, and flawless!

[Her skin is as smooth as porcelain and as white as snow—that's exactly what they mean! Her natural beauty is absolutely stunning!]

[Even without any makeup, she still exudes the aura of a poised and elegant young lady!]

Shen Jingshu's gaze was calm as she carefully examined the girl's complete facial features in the camera lens. After a moment, she spoke slowly, her tone becoming more solemn:

"That's right. I see in your face a major turning point that could change the entire trajectory of your life."

Li Yanran's relaxed smile paused slightly, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes, and she leaned forward a little:

"Oh? What's going on? Could the anchor please explain more clearly?"

"You are twenty years old this year, born into a wealthy and affluent family. You have hardly suffered any hardship from childhood to adulthood, and your life has been smooth sailing. You consistently ranked at the top of your class in school and were successfully admitted to a top university in the college entrance examination. After entering university, you were gentle and polite, and were highly regarded by your teachers and loved by your classmates. You also have a childhood sweetheart boyfriend with whom you grew up."

In just a few words, he accurately captured the essence of her fulfilling and smooth life for the first twenty years of her life.

Li Yanran's eyes widened in astonishment, and she nodded repeatedly: "They all match... That's amazing."

"However, this long period of smooth sailing will soon come to a crossroads. The most important turning point and opportunity in your life lies in something that is about to happen..."

Shen Jingshu paused briefly, her gaze sharpening as she looked directly at her through the screen.

Are you currently working on a research project?

As soon as he finished speaking, the live stream chat exploded with exclamations of amazement.

My goodness! Such an accurate prediction!

[This young lady is only twenty years old and she's already involved in this research project—she's incredibly talented!]

Li Yanran's eyes were full of surprise, and she quickly replied, "Yes, it was my mentor who guided me in doing it. I was just helping the teacher organize the materials."

"There's no need to be overly modest," Shen Jingshu said calmly and confidently. "You are actually the true core leader of this project; your mentor is merely providing guidance and assistance."

Li Yanran was suddenly stunned, her heart pounding: "Could the turning point in my life be related to this research?"

"That's right. Are all your original research data and drafts stored on your computer and a USB drive?"

"Yes, anchor, that's absolutely right!"

"Go and look for it right now, see if your USB drive is still there."

"No way, I used it during the day! Wait a minute, I'll go check the study!"

Li Yanran quickly rolled out of bed, holding her phone in one hand, and strode into the hallway. The phone camera inadvertently panned across the long corridor.

The ceiling features a refined and warm solid wood finish, soft wall lamps, and several exquisitely framed paintings hang on the walls.

The live stream chat exploded instantly.

My goodness! The interior design of this villa is so stylish! It's definitely a luxury residence!

[The camera just panned to that painting on the wall! I'm an art student! I recognize it; it's an original by a famous artist!]

I heard that original works of this size can easily cost hundreds of thousands or even millions! And there seems to be more than one on the wall!

[It's confirmed she's from a truly prestigious family! Her family background is terrifying!]

While netizens were discussing the matter enthusiastically, Li Yanran had already stepped into the study, turned the handle, and pushed the door open.

She usually uses this study alone, as her parents are often away on business. The large villa is usually occupied only by her and a few maids and servants who take care of her daily needs.

She had specifically instructed all the servants that the study was a private area and no one was allowed to rummage through or open the drawers and cabinets. The servants always followed the rules and would never touch her personal belongings without permission.

At home, she always felt completely at ease with this little world.

She walked confidently to the large desk and reached out to pull open the side drawer specifically for storing small items—

The spot where she habitually stores her USB drive is empty.

The USB drive engraved with her initials, which should have been lying quietly in the drawer compartment, has disappeared.

Li Yanran's calm and serene smile froze instantly. Her fingertips paused slightly, and she reached into the drawer again in disbelief, carefully searching through the documents, notebooks, and bookmarks, but still found nothing.

"How could this be..." Her voice tightened slightly. "I put it here myself after finishing my assignment yesterday. The maid wouldn't come in, and my parents wouldn't touch my things... Where did the USB drive go?"

The chat in the live stream also became tense.

No way! It's really gone?!

Who took it? Besides the servants, who else could have entered the villa?

All the core materials for this project are on a USB drive; losing them would be a huge problem!

On the other end of the phone, Shen Jingshu's eyes darkened slightly as she slowly spoke:

"No need to search the drawers anymore, the thing isn't here. Think carefully, has anyone recently asked to borrow your study room or come to your room alone under the pretense of discussing a project? Especially your childhood sweetheart boyfriend."

"Host, are you talking about Jiang Che? Impossible."

Li Yanran subconsciously shook her head, her tone full of disbelief, her voice trembling slightly.

"Jiang Che and I grew up together, we're childhood sweethearts, and our elders have long tacitly agreed that we would get engaged in the future. How could he take my USB drive without my permission? Besides, he's not even in my field of study. Even if he got the research materials on the USB drive, they would be of no use to him."

Shen Jingshu spoke calmly and succinctly pinpointed the crux of the matter:

"What is useless to you may be priceless to another."

Li Yanran frowned and quickly asked, "Who is it? Who could it be useful to?"

"Actually, deep down you already have someone you suspect."

Li Yanran is exceptionally intelligent and has had a high level of comprehension since childhood. Now, after calming down and sorting things out, all the seemingly trivial doubts instantly come together.