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

At the dinner table, Shen Jingshu took out the jade artifacts she had personally carved and distributed them to the members of the Li family.

She used the remaining high-quality material from the imperial green jadeite rough to carve four protective magical artifacts. The one she handed to Lin Wanqing was a pair of exquisite imperial jadeite earrings, with a defensive array she had personally set up inside the jade, enough to shield the wearer from a fatal danger.

Li Wenqian received a heavy, warm imperial green thumb ring, which could calm his mind and ward off evil spirits, making it very suitable for his situation of frequently socializing and entering all sorts of complicated occasions.

Considering that Li Hanting often travels to handle affairs and the risks are unpredictable, Shen Jingshu specially carved a protective Buddha amulet, which was strung with a red rope for easy wearing close to the body; while the young Li Beichen received a simple jade amulet for peace.

Upon hearing that these jade artifacts were all painstakingly handcrafted by Shen Jingshu and possessed the power to bring peace and safety, the three men of the Li family were overjoyed, their eyes brimming with genuine delight. They carefully put them away and immediately planned to wear them close to their bodies.

Lin Wanqing, however, didn't take the "warding off evil and disaster" claim too seriously. She simply regarded them as exquisite and valuable jade jewelry, and secretly chuckled at the way the father and three sons treasured them. But since her daughter cared about her family, and this sentiment was genuine, she smiled and accepted the earrings, casually saying that she would wear them when she went out later.

Shen Jingshu nodded slightly. The ritual implements had been delivered; whether they wore them or not, used them or not, was their own choice. She had done her part, and that was enough.

After dinner, Shen Jingshu was getting ready to go out to meet Lu Jingxing and deliver the protective jade pendant that was custom-made for Old Master Lu when Lin Wanqing stopped her.

"Yifan has already left the hospital and returned to the company. He's on his way today, so come with me to visit your older brother."

"I have an appointment today, something to take care of. Let's talk another day," Shen Jingshu said calmly, without the slightest hint of relenting.

Lin Wanqing paused for a moment, then offered a compromise: "Then give me the gift you prepared, and I'll take it to you."

"A gift? What gift? I didn't prepare one." Shen Jingshu raised an eyebrow slightly, her expression frank.

Lin Wanqing couldn't help but be surprised, her tone carrying a hint of confusion and slight reproach: "You even prepared thoughtful gifts for the Li family father and son, who are not related by blood, so why didn't you prepare anything for your own brother and sister?"

Shen Jingshu lowered her eyes and straightened her cuffs, her tone neither humble nor arrogant, each word clear: "I've always reciprocated kindness in return. My eldest brother, second brother, and Uncle Li have all treated me sincerely, truly considering me family, so naturally I'm willing to expend my energy carving protective jade ornaments for them. As for the Shen family, isn't there my thoughtful younger sister, Shen Xinyi, who takes care of everything?"

She paused, all those past harsh words surfacing in her mind, a cool smile curving her lips: "Back in the Shen family, they didn't like me, they only liked Shen Xinyi, their younger sister. Why should I bother to curry favor with them?"

Lin Wanqing was speechless for a moment. Looking at her eldest daughter, whose mentality had completely changed, she finally realized that Shen Jingshu had truly and completely broken her defenses against the Shen family and would never again give in to or accommodate them as before.

"Blood ties are blood ties, and hearts are hearts." Shen Jingshu picked up her backpack. "I can't be late for my appointments, so I'm leaving now. As for the Shen family, there's no need to try to persuade me anymore."

After saying that, she turned and left, driving to the place she had arranged to meet Lu Jingxing.

Watching Shen Jingshu's swift departure, Lin Wanqing sighed heavily, her eyes filled with an indescribable sense of loss and confusion.

She recalled how, back in the Shen family, this daughter's eyes were filled with undisguised adoration and dependence, and the sibling relationship seemed so close. How could her personality and temperament have completely changed in such a short time, becoming so cold and distant towards her blood relatives from the original Shen family?

A thought popped into his head uncontrollably: Could it be that after living in the Li family for so long, witnessing the grandeur and pomp of the top elites, he has become arrogant and started to look down on the ordinary bloodline of the Shen family?

"In the end, we're all family, born of the same mother. Blood is thicker than water, how can we really become estranged?" Lin Wanqing murmured to herself, secretly resolving to find a suitable opportunity to sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk with Shen Jingshu. In her mind, blood relatives should support and protect each other, and should never fall to the point of becoming strangers.

On the other side, Shen Jingshu had just stepped out of the Li family villa when she spotted the black luxury car parked by the roadside. Lu Jingxing leaned against the side of the car, slowly and deliberately twirling a string of sandalwood prayer beads between his fingers. His aura was cool and calm, but the moment his gaze fell on her, it instantly lost some of its aloofness, and he looked straight at her.

"You're here." He straightened up, his voice deep and warm.

"Hmm, have you been waiting long?" Shen Jingshu walked forward slowly.

Lu Jingxing didn't answer. He turned sideways and gentlemanly opened the passenger door, waiting for her to bend down and settle in before gently closing the door, then walking back to the driver's seat and starting the car. The car was quiet and secluded, without any unnecessary conversation, yet there was no awkwardness or stagnation, only a relaxed and harmonious atmosphere flowing gently through it.

Shen Jingshu took out the protective jade pendant, which she had carved overnight, from her bag and handed it over.

Lu Jingxing raised his hand but did not take it. He looked at her gently and said, "You should deliver it to Grandpa yourself. He will be happier if you do it by hand."

"Alright, after all, he paid the fee according to the rules back then." Shen Jingshu did not refuse any further and put the jade pendant back into her pouch.

The car smoothly drove onto the main road, and the traffic outside the window slowly receded. The night before, she had exhausted her spiritual energy by drawing arrays, polishing, and carving this protective Buddha amulet, resulting in a severe depletion of her spiritual power. Meanwhile, the pure and abundant purple aura emanating from Lu Jingxing was like a warm current, spontaneously swirling and flowing towards her, gently nourishing her depleted energy.

Waves of fatigue washed over her, and Shen Jingshu decided to stop pushing herself. She turned slightly to the side, leaned back in her chair, closed her eyes, and soon her breathing became even as she quietly fell asleep.

Lu Jingxing caught a glimpse of the girl's peaceful sleeping face and the faint dark circles under her eyes, and a wave of tender heartache and regret washed over him.

He wasn't in a rush and could have taken his time to refine it. It was this girl who was serious and trustworthy, and she insisted on working late into the night, which made her look exhausted.

He paused for a moment, then subconsciously slowed down the car, adjusted the air conditioning to the most comfortable temperature, and even made a hushed sound when breathing, hoping that she could sleep peacefully for a while longer.

He knew that Xuanmen cultivators always had to expend their own essence, energy, and even some of their merits to carve such personal protective artifacts. She must have put a lot of effort into this jade pendant for the old man.