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

Meanwhile, Lin Wanqing arrived at the restaurant where she had arranged to meet Shen Xinyi and her siblings.

When she arrived, before the others had appeared, she went into the reserved private room and sat quietly to wait.

About half an hour later, Shen Xinyi came in with her three older brothers.

The youngest daughter spotted her mother sitting in the main seat at a glance, immediately ran forward, hugged Lin Wanqing tightly, and whispered sweet nothings:

"Mom, I miss you so much! It's only been a few days, but it feels like years have passed. I've never been away from my mom for so long."

"Mom, have you missed me?"

Lin Wanqing gently patted her back, her smile warm: "Mom misses you too, my darling daughter."

"Hmph, I don't believe it. Mom has my sister with her now, why would she think of me?"

"Silly child, Mom hasn't been feeling well lately and has been resting. I was just starting to feel a little better, and as soon as you called, I came right over."

As Lin Wanqing spoke, she turned her gaze to her three sons beside her and called out in turn, "Yifan, Yifei, Yichen."

The three of them respectfully replied, "Mom."

"Please sit down."

After everyone was seated, Shen Yifan spoke first, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny:

"Mom, why are you all alone? Where's Shen Jingshu?"

"She has something to do and can't come."

"What could possibly be wrong with her? I heard she's been skipping school lately and spending all her time enjoying a life of leisure at the Li family's house."

Lin Wanqing was momentarily speechless after being cornered by his eldest son, and unable to offer much explanation, he could only try to smooth things over:

"Forget it, you guys don't really like associating with her anyway, so it's fine if you don't come. I'll bring her to see you next time."

She turned to look at Shen Xinyi, her tone softening: "Xinyi, Mom has already ordered your favorite dishes. See if you'd like to add anything else."

Shen Xinyi glanced at the menu and said sweetly, "No need, Mom. You ordered all my favorite dishes. Mom is the best."

Lin Wanqing then looked at her three sons, who replied in unison, "No need, Mom. We can have whatever Xinyi likes to eat."

While waiting for the food to be served, Shen Xinyi stayed close to Lin Wanqing, asking her every question about whether she was doing well at the Li family.

Lin Wanqing felt a warmth in her heart, thinking that her daughter had finally become sensible and considerate, so she told her the truth that she was fine and that she didn't need to worry.

But what she didn't know was that when Shen Xinyi and her two siblings heard this, they weren't happy for their mother at all; instead, they were secretly plotting:

The mother lived a good life in the Li family, but never thought of helping her own children.

Sure enough, once she became Mrs. Li, her mindset changed.

Despite harboring resentment in his heart, he remained respectful and filial on the surface, showing no sign of anything amiss.

Looking at her children, Lin Wanqing felt a mix of emotions.

If Shen Mobai hadn't said he was an only child and wanted to have more children to make the family more lively, she wouldn't have had so many children.

After all, they were her own flesh and blood; how could she possibly ignore them?

Lin Wanqing looked at the children and whispered some instructions:

"Mom is at the Li family's house now and won't be able to take care of you as often as before. You all need to learn to take good care of yourselves. Yi Fan, you're the eldest brother, so please look after your younger siblings. And Xin Yi, you've always been frail, so please be careful to stay warm during seasonal changes and don't catch a cold."

"Okay, Mom."

"If you ever encounter any difficulties in the future, feel free to come to your mother. I will do everything I can to help you. Although I have left the Shen family, I will always keep you in my heart, so don't worry about that."

"Okay, Mom."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xinyi's eyes immediately lit up, and she couldn't wait to speak:

"Mom, could you give us a few invitations? I heard that Uncle Li is holding a banquet at the Li family home in three days to formally introduce you to people in his circle. We'd like to go and broaden our horizons."

She paused, then quickly added:

"Besides, everyone attending the banquet is a powerful and influential person. It will be a good opportunity for you to build connections, which will also benefit the family business. What do you think?"

In fact, Lin Wanqing's first reaction upon hearing this was reluctance.

This is her second marriage. She only agreed to bring one daughter into the Li family. If she brings all her children to the banquet now, what would that look like?

She didn't dare to think about the consequences if she angered the Li family and they thought she was greedy and had an ugly way of doing things, even trying to push her children into the entertainment circle.

Shen Yifei, who was studying medicine and was always very perceptive, immediately noticed his mother's predicament and quickly stepped in to help:

"Mom, if it's really too difficult, then forget it. We don't necessarily have to go. It's just that we feel that if we could go, it would be of some help to my brother's network of contacts."

Lin Wanqing looked at her eldest son, Shen Yifan.

Although he sat there without saying a word, how could she not see the longing in his eyes—he was the son she had raised with her own hands, and she understood him with just a glance.

Despite her inner turmoil, she eventually softened.

"I'll go back and ask if I can get a few more invitations. If I can, I'll call you again."

She paused, then quickly added, "I'm just asking around, I can't guarantee it will work out, so don't get your hopes up too high."

In fact, her current situation in the Li family is already awkward.

Since they moved in, none of the Li family's biological sons have shown up.

Even though Li Wenqian kept saying that the children all agreed to their marriage, his constant absence still made Lin Wanqing feel uneasy.

She knew very well that her stepsons mostly rejected her, their sudden stepmother.

The dinner party at Lin Wanqing's place seemed to have a harmonious atmosphere, but in reality, everyone had their own thoughts.

Shen Xinyi was quite dissatisfied with her mother's refusal.

She felt that she rarely spoke up, yet her mother was still making excuses. She couldn't help but wonder: Did my mother stop caring about me as much now that Shen Jingshu was here? No, she had to appease her mother.

In his previous life, the head of the Li family doted on his mother. Even when they first entered the Li family, his stepsons treated her with respect and care. Although their attitude cooled later, they never lacked for food, clothing, or shelter. As long as they pleased their mother, they would naturally receive material benefits.

Thanks to Shen Xinyi's silver tongue and the three brothers' protectiveness, the meal was never awkward.

After dinner, Lin Wanqing remembered the gift she had prepared for her daughter, took it out and handed it to her: "Xinyi, this is what Mom prepared for you. I don't know if you'll like it. Open it and take a look."

Shen Xinyi was full of anticipation, originally thinking it would be a bag from a high-end luxury brand.

Upon opening it, she was as expected; it was indeed the limited edition she had been longing for but couldn't bear to buy.

It wasn't her absolute favorite, but it was alright. She immediately put on a surprised expression, tilting her head back and laughing, "Ah! Mom, isn't this the bag I've been eyeing for so long but couldn't bring myself to buy? You actually bought it for me! That's wonderful, thank you, Mom!"

As she spoke, she quickly kissed Lin Wanqing on the cheek, then muttered in a deliberately low voice, "Well... I ran into my sister at the mall the other day. She had just come out of this store. My brothers wanted to drag her shopping so she could buy me a bag, but she ignored us and just walked away."

The private room was quiet, so these words were clearly heard by everyone.

Lin Wanqing's heart tightened, and her first thought was, "Shen Jingshu wouldn't really do that, would she?"

In the past, Shen Jingshu would always find a way to buy anything Shen Xinyi wanted for her, spoiling her even more than her own mother. Why is it like this this time?

But then she thought about it again, and remembered Shen Jingshu's distant attitude when they met today, as well as her recent changes, and she felt a little unsure.

She could only quickly smooth things over, patting Shen Xinyi's hand: "Xinyi, your sister definitely didn't mean it. She was probably in a hurry to get home and have dinner with me that day and didn't have time. Next time, if you like something, just tell Mom, and Mom will buy it for you next time."

"Okay, thank you, Mom. You're the best." Shen Xinyi smiled sweetly, easily winning over her mother with just a few words.

Finally, the four Shen siblings watched Lin Wanqing get into the car sent by the Li family, each with their own thoughts. This brief reunion was ultimately just a performance where everyone got what they wanted.