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

This is the first time Lin Wanqing, as the mistress of the Li family, has formally organized a large banquet. All of Shen's nominal brothers and sisters will be present. Thinking of her scheming and hypocritical relatives in the Shen family, Shen Jingshu's hard-won relaxation was replaced by impatience.

Just as I was pondering this, my phone beside my pillow vibrated slightly.

It was a message from Lu Jingxing: "I'm home. Get some rest."

Shen Jingshu's expression softened instantly, and she replied swiftly with her fingertips: "Yes, you too."

The next second, the man sent another message, filled with his unique tenderness: [Goodnight, girlfriend.]

She smiled sweetly and replied, "Goodnight, boyfriend."

A simple farewell swept away the gloom in her heart, and she drifted off to sleep with a heart full of tenderness.

The next morning.

Just as dawn was breaking, a constant stream of noise came from downstairs, completely shattering the tranquility of the villa.

The servants of the Li family moved back and forth, busy arranging the hall, placing floral arrangements, tidying up ornaments, and adjusting the lights, creating a grand and bustling scene.

This birthday banquet, ostensibly a celebration for Lin Wanqing's birthday, was in reality a high-end social event for the elite elite.

As the birthday banquet for the female lead of the Li family, the invitees were all ladies of high-ranking families and prominent clans in the city, as well as business partners with whom the Li family had long-term and in-depth cooperation.

In wealthy families, birthday banquets and dinners are never just simple celebratory feasts, but also disguised high-end business exchange events.

Celebrities and dignitaries from all walks of life gather together, taking advantage of the relaxed atmosphere of the banquet to exchange the latest industry information, share resources within their circles, and discuss cooperation intentions. Countless connections, business collaborations, and resource linkages are often quietly finalized at such a grand event.

The sounds of lively preparations echoed through the air, making it clear that the Li family mansion would not be peaceful today.

When Shen Jingshu returned to the Li family home yesterday, she noticed that several new haute couture gowns had been delivered to her room. The housekeeper came to tell her that the second young master, Li Beichen, had sent them to her so that she could choose what to wear tonight's birthday banquet.

Shen Jingshu had no intention of competing for attention, so she casually picked out a simple light blue dress. Each dress came with matching jewelry and high heels in the same color scheme, everything was provided, so there was no need for her to put in any extra effort to coordinate.

She didn't go downstairs to eat with the others, and had lunch alone in her room. It wasn't until the afternoon that she slowly walked down to the dining room on the first floor.

Li Hanting and Li Beichen, who rarely return home at noon on weekdays, were both present, making it a rare occasion for everyone to gather together.

Upon seeing Shen Jingshu appear, Li Hanting called out, "Jingshu, come and sit down."

After she took her seat, Li Hanting slowly began to arrange the evening's affairs: "There will be many guests at the banquet tonight. As a member of the Li family, you will join us at the main entrance to greet the guests later."

Shen Jingshu didn't seem to care and simply replied, "Okay."

The afternoon flew by, and the mansion grew busier than ever. Stylists and makeup artists arrived one after another, and the members of the Li family returned to their rooms to dress and groom themselves.

As dusk approached, everything was ready. Li Hanting and Li Beichen accompanied Shen Jingshu to the villa's main entrance to await the guests.

As the head of the Li family, Li Wenqian, along with Lin Wanqing, the main guest of the evening, stayed in the main banquet hall to give priority to the important guests who had arrived.

A long red carpet stretched out from the main entrance, lights came on one after another, and the air was filled with the subtle aroma of champagne and flowers. A birthday banquet gathering the city's elite was about to begin.

Shen Jingshu was not very familiar with the many guests who frequented high society circles. She didn't say much and stayed quietly by Li Hanting and Li Beichen's side, cooperating with the greetings.

Li Beichen turned his head from time to time to ask with concern, "Are you tired of standing? If you can't stand it, go and rest on the sofa over there. Your brother and I can handle the greetings. I don't know what your brother was thinking, insisting on making you stand here with him."

Li Hanting glanced at him indifferently, without offering any explanation. He had his own reasons—having Shen Jingshu, as the Li family's stepdaughter, greet the guests alongside the two young masters of the Li family was a silent statement.

All the celebrities present could see this and knew that Shen Jingshu held a special position in the Li family, enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the two brothers, which effectively silenced much contempt and gossip.

Shen Jingshu shook her head gently upon hearing this, and winked playfully: "It's alright, Second Brother, I haven't been standing for long. If I'm really tired, I won't stand on ceremony and will slip away to rest."

Seeing that she was relaxed, Li Beichen said no more.

Before long, luxury cars arrived one after another, and guests followed one after another. Shen Jingshu was unfamiliar with most of the faces until the Gu brothers appeared, at which point a hint of familiarity flashed in her eyes.

The guests at the banquet were Gu Yunzhou and his younger brother Gu Ming. Gu Ming had been tormented by a ghost earlier, but Shen Jingshu had intervened and resolved the situation; Gu Yunzhou had also interacted with her several times. Upon seeing Shen Jingshu at the door, the two greeted her with smiles.

"Miss Shen."

Shen Jingshu nodded calmly in response.

After a few brief pleasantries, Li Hanting gestured and said, "Yunzhou, please take Gu Ming into the banquet hall first. We still have guests to entertain, so please don't be so formal."

"Don't worry, we won't stand on ceremony." Gu Yunzhou smiled slightly and led his younger brother into the villa.

One wave of guests arrived after another, most of whom were complete strangers to Shen Jingshu. She simply maintained a polite and proper demeanor.

As the family slowly walked through the gate, Shen Jingshu subconsciously glanced at them a few more times, and the subtle changes did not escape Li Hanting's eyes.

Having worked in criminal investigation for many years, his observational skills far surpassed those of ordinary people. He immediately tilted his head slightly and asked in a low voice, "Jing Shu, is there something wrong with the person who just went in?"

Shen Jingshu gently shook her head: "It's not a big problem, but I'm a little curious. Does Big Brother know them?"

"You look unfamiliar to me too. You can ask your second brother."

Just then, no guests arrived yet, and Li Beichen, who was standing nearby, overheard their conversation and took the opportunity to speak: "Those were the Bai family. This family has only recently entered the upper class, and their expansion speed is extremely fast, with a very rapid development momentum. The Li Group currently has some business dealings with the Bai family."

At this point, Li Beichen pondered for a moment and added, "However, the Bai family's foundation is shallow, and there are many different opinions about how they rose to power. Many people in the industry are discussing it privately. They say that their rise to power was too suspicious, but there is no concrete evidence, so it is not appropriate to speculate."

Shen Jingshu silently memorized it. In that fleeting glance, she had seen a faint red aura surrounding the Bai family head, but within it were wisps of black energy. When she saw him again, she would make sure to see clearly what was going on.

She didn't say anything more, and her gaze returned to the lane ahead.