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

The black Bentley came to a smooth stop outside the Lu family's antique old mansion. As soon as the car was turned off, Shen Jingshu slowly woke up. She rubbed her sleepy eyes, still feeling a bit lazy and tired from just waking up, the weariness in her eyes not yet completely gone.

Lu Jingxing turned his head to look at her, his voice low: "Awake? Do you want to rest a little longer? I'll take you in later."

"No need, I've recovered quite a bit." Shen Jingshu straightened up and straightened her clothes.

Before setting off early in the morning, Lu Jingxing had made a special call to his grandfather at the old house to inform him that he would be bringing Shen Jingshu to visit that day. Ever since receiving the call, the old man had been restless, canceling his chess game with his old friend and sitting on the porch in the front hall, eagerly awaiting the arrival of guests, glancing towards the gate every now and then. Even the butler joked that he hadn't looked forward to guests like this in a long time.

The two got out of the car one after the other, and the butler was already bowing and waiting to lead the way. As soon as Old Master Lu saw Shen Jingshu, he immediately stood up with a smile to greet her, his eyes warm and polite: "Jingshu, my dear girl, you've finally arrived. This old man has been waiting for you for quite a while."

"Grandpa Lu, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Shen Jingshu bowed slightly and handed over the imperial green jade pendant. "This amulet was carved overnight. It contains a sturdy defensive array. Wearing it close to the body can protect you from accidental bloodshed, ward off evil spirits, and resolve most of the usual bumps and bruises."

The old man carefully accepted the warm, cool jade pendant. It felt warm to the touch, its translucent texture brimming with spiritual energy; just holding it brought a sense of peace. He stroked the jade's surface, his face beaming with joy: "A fine piece, truly a rare treasure! Jingxing told me this morning that you stayed up all night for this amulet, exhausting yourself in the process. This sentiment is invaluable."

Lu Jingxing stood aside and added in a low voice, "She barely rested last night, constantly exhausting her mental energy to draw and carve the array. She slept on the car seat the whole way before recovering a little."

Upon hearing this, the old man's face immediately darkened, filled with both heartache and sigh: "Silly child, why rush like this? Your health is the most important thing. We agreed that we only wanted a peace-bringing artifact, so taking a few days or half a day longer won't matter. Why overwork yourself?"

Shen Jingshu smiled calmly, "I took a nap on the way, and I've almost fully recovered. It's nothing serious."

"With this jade pendant protecting me, I feel much more at ease when I go out in the future." The old man invited the two inside for tea. "Don't leave too early today. Have lunch at the old house and try the new pastries made in the kitchen."

Lin Wanqing was still worried about her eldest son, so she drove straight to the Shen family's residence. Even though she had heard that Shen Yifan had been discharged from the hospital and was out of danger, as a mother, she couldn't shake off her concern and needed to see him in person to be completely at ease.

At this moment, in the top-floor CEO's office, Shen Yifan was engrossed in reviewing documents at his desk. During the three days he was in a coma after the car accident, all matters, large and small, of the group had piled up, with stacks of reports, contracts, and proposals awaiting approval filling his entire desk.

Ever since Shen Yifan came of age and took over the Shen family business, Shen Mobai had always been a hands-off manager, indulging in social engagements and rarely concerning himself with company affairs. These past few days, with Shen Mobai temporarily taking charge, his lack of business acumen had resulted in a complete mess. Many processes stalled, collaborations were chaotic, leaving Shen Yifan with a mountain of problems to clean up.

Having awakened his complete memories of his past life and years of experience in managing affairs, Shen Yifan no longer found these complicated official matters troublesome or cumbersome as before. He handled them with ease and clarity.

However, many of his decisions and instructions were unusually radical and bold compared to his previous style, with unconventional and forward-thinking ideas. His vice presidents and secretaries were left bewildered and unable to grasp their deeper meaning.

But everyone could clearly sense that Mr. Shen's aura was now completely different from before. He had shed his former impetuousness and frivolity, and his expression was calm and decisive. He exuded the oppressive aura of a seasoned business leader, far more intimidating than before he was betrayed by Amy and seriously injured in the car accident.

The company's employees were all secretly marveling at how the series of misfortunes—including betrayal by trusted confidants, a disastrous bid, and a serious car accident—had transformed him, forging such a completely different aura and temperament. It was as if this ordeal had thoroughly awakened the young master of the Shen family.

When Lin Wanqing pushed open the door to the president's office and walked in, Shen Yifan merely glanced at her indifferently, his face showing no trace of the warmth and intimacy of a long-awaited reunion.

With the memories of his previous life clearly etched in his heart, he knew all too well that his mother's current glory, relying on the title of Madam Li, was just a fleeting moment.

Before long, the Li family's fortunes will decline and their business will crumble. She will lose all her current support and, having nowhere else to turn, will eventually have to lower herself and come to him for help. Thinking of this, Shen Yifan felt an overwhelming resentment welling up inside him.

He could never accept his mother's decision to divorce and remarry Li Wenqian. In his view, if she had been a little more tolerant and turned a blind eye to her husband's affairs like other wealthy housewives, and held onto her position as the matriarch of the Shen family, they wouldn't have ended up separated from their child.

Shen Yifan had always been clear-headed about his father's affair. In his previous life, after he secured his position as the head of the Shen family and solidified his foundation by marrying into a wealthy family, he also kept mistresses. As long as they didn't touch the core family assets or harm the family's interests, these romantic affairs were normal in wealthy families.

What haunted him even more was an old incident from his past life: when Amy initially joined the Shen family as a top candidate, the first person to see through her impure intentions and hidden schemes was Shen Jingshu. At that time, Shen Jingshu had already discerned Amy's ambition and dismissed her, cutting off her path to power, thus preventing the later catastrophe that engulfed the Shen family. But in this life, fate had reversed; Shen Jingshu was far away in the Li family, and no one was there to clear away the potential threats beforehand, leading him to fall into Wang Jiajia's meticulously laid revenge trap.

Lin Wanqing stood there, looking at her eldest son with surprise in her heart. After waking up from a coma following a car accident, Shen Yifan's aura had been completely transformed. He was calm, stern, and full of pressure, even faintly resembling the cold and hard aura of a superior like Li Beichen. This was a side of Shen Yifan that had never existed before, when he was impetuous and had the air of a spoiled brat.

She strode to the desk, her voice filled with genuine concern: "Yifan, you haven't fully recovered yet. Why didn't you stay in the hospital for a couple more days to observe yourself? Why are you in such a hurry to come back to the company and work so hard?"