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

The host handed the microphone to Li Wenqian.

As the head of the Li family and the host of the banquet, he first nodded slightly and calmly began to express his sincere gratitude to all the relatives, friends, and business colleagues who had taken time out of their busy schedules to attend. His brief speech, impeccable in etiquette and composed in demeanor, instantly stabilized the atmosphere of the entire room.

The guests listened attentively, occasionally bursting into applause.

Shen Jingshu stood to one side of the crowd, quietly looking at the stage.

Out of the corner of my eye, I glanced at a corner of the banquet hall and saw Shen Xinyi nestled beside Lu Ze, deliberately straightening her back and occasionally flashing a smile at the people in the room, trying her best to attract attention.

On the surface, the birthday banquet was joyous and peaceful, but underneath, everyone's thoughts were churning and undercurrents were already brewing.

After Li Wenqian finished his speech, Lin Wanqing, the protagonist of the evening, also said a few polite words in a gentle and appropriate manner. After she finished speaking, she smiled and officially announced the start of the banquet.

As the melodious and soothing dance music began, Li Wenqian gentlemanly raised his hand and led Lin Wanqing into the central dance floor, where they began a romantic and elegant opening dance.

The two dancers moved with effortless grace and perfect coordination, their every movement exuding the composed elegance of a distinguished family—a truly pleasing sight. As the opening dance concluded, the atmosphere in the hall became completely lively. Many guests, accompanied by their partners, entered the hall, embracing each other and dancing gracefully to the gentle melody. Amidst the fragrant robes and shimmering lights, the banquet hall was both luxurious and vibrant, a scene of harmonious grandeur.

Shen Xinyi pulled Lu Ze down to the dance floor first, their posture intimate and extremely flamboyant. After the dance, the elegant Lu Ze instantly became the object of everyone's sycophancy. Many business people who wanted to curry favor with the Lu family and seek cooperation swarmed around him, exchanging pleasantries and showing goodwill.

Shen Xinyi followed closely beside Lu Ze, listening with a smile to the endless stream of compliments around her, her eyes full of self-satisfaction and vanity.

The noisy and bustling dance floor was filled with people. Shen Jingshu had never liked such lively social gatherings, so she left the crowd alone, found a quiet corner, and slowly walked up to the second-floor terrace.

Far from the hustle and bustle of the banquet hall, with a cool evening breeze and a tranquil atmosphere, this place is clearly a secluded spot rarely visited by anyone.

To her surprise, a slender figure was already standing on the terrace, which should have been empty.

Shen Jingshu paused, about to turn around and find another place, when the figure spoke first, her tone gentle and kind: "Are you Miss Shen? If you don't mind, why don't you come and sit with us?"

The woman's name was Bai Zhi. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable fondness for Shen Jingshu the moment she saw her. Shen Jingshu's clear and pure aura carried a calming and healing quality, bringing a rare sense of peace to Bai Zhi's long-suppressed heart, and she couldn't help but want to take the initiative to get closer and befriend her.

Shen Jingshu's gaze paused slightly as she recognized the person before her as the Bai family member who had piqued her curiosity when welcoming guests that evening. With a hint of curiosity about the Bai family in her mind, she stepped forward.

The two exchanged a smile and calmly introduced themselves.

"I am Shen Jingshu."

"I am Bai Zhi. It's a pleasure to meet you. Please take care of me."

Upon closer inspection, Bai Zhi appeared thin and frail, her figure so delicate that a gust of wind could blow her over. Her face was sickly pale from years of lack of sunlight, and her whole being exuded a fragile and melancholic air.

Shen Jingshu subconsciously focused her gaze on her face, a hint of understanding and regret flashing across her eyes.

Bai Zhi is weak and deficient in Qi, with stagnant Qi circulation. She is surrounded by a lingering gloomy complexion, all signs of being burdened by her family and constantly being consumed and suppressed.

The Bai family appears to have been thriving in the past two years, rapidly rising to the top echelons of society, but inside they are rife with corruption and selfishness.

Such a gentle, pure, and kind-hearted girl was born into the Bai family and trapped within it, her life cruelly tormented and exploited by her closest relatives. What a terrible fate for such a kind and gentle girl to be stuck with such a selfish and cold-hearted family!

The two leaned against the railing of the second-floor terrace, chatting idly in the cool evening breeze.

Bai Zhi was secretly surprised. This Miss Shen from the Li family was clearly young, but her speech and perspective were not at all like that of a teenage girl. Talking with her was relaxed and comfortable, just like being with a peer, with no generation gap whatsoever.

Although Shen Jingshu is only nineteen years old in this life, she has experienced more than twenty years of ups and downs in the human world in her previous life. After death, she wandered for a long time as a soul, witnessing all kinds of human relationships, good and evil, warmth and coldness. Her experience is naturally profound and extensive. No matter what topic Bai Zhi brings up, she can calmly join in the conversation, and they chat happily back and forth.

Looking at Bai Zhi's pale, sickly face and gentle demeanor, Shen Jingshu pondered for a moment, feeling a pang of pity, and decided to offer some gentle guidance.

"Miss Bai."

Bai Zhi chuckled upon hearing this and interrupted her, "Don't always call me Miss Bai. I'm a few years older than you. If you don't mind, just call me 'elder sister'."

"Sister Baizhi."

"Oh, Sister Jing Shu," Bai Zhi responded, her eyes gentle.

Shen Jingshu's smile faded slightly, and she looked at her seriously: "Sister Bai Zhi, do you believe me?"

Bai Zhi nodded almost without hesitation: "I believe you."

"Since you trust me, I will confess something to you: I have another identity that no one else knows about."

Bai Zhi's eyes lit up with curiosity: "Oh? Besides being a young lady from the Li family, Jing Shu has another identity?"

"I am a sorcerer."

Bai Zhi suddenly opened her eyes wide and subconsciously raised her hand to cover her lips, unable to hide the shock in her heart.

It's no wonder she reacted this way. The metaphysical masters she'd heard of were all elderly, venerable elders; she'd never seen such a young master of metaphysics. Despite her shock, there was no doubt in her eyes, as if she instinctively wanted to believe every word Shen Jingshu said.

Shen Jingshu softly instructed, "Very few people know my identity, so I hope Sister Baizhi will keep it a secret and not mention it to anyone."

"Don't worry, I won't say a word about it to anyone." Bai Zhi immediately agreed, but then she sensed something was wrong.

She has always been insightful, intelligent, and sensitive.

Shen Jingshu's sudden and unsolicited revelation of her secret identity was certainly not just casual conversation; she must have discovered something hidden and wanted to warn me.

Bai Zhi's expression gradually turned serious, and she asked softly, "Jing Shu, do you... sense that there's something wrong with me or with our Bai family?"