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

As Shen Jingshu watched Li Hanting's retreating figure go upstairs, memories of her past life quietly surfaced in her mind.

She remembered that in her previous life, not long after her mother married into the Li family, Li Hanting had an accident.

She couldn't remember the specific reasons anymore. At that time, she was only thinking about how to help the Shen family and never inquired much about the Li family. She only occasionally heard others mention it, but it was fragmented and vague.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Shen Jingshu stood up and said gently to Lin Wanqing and Li Wenqian, "Uncle Li, Mom, I'm going upstairs to rest too. You should go to sleep early as well."

"Okay, go ahead." Li Wenqian nodded gently.

Shen Jingshu turned around and stepped onto the second-floor stairs. Just as she reached her room, a soft "click" sound came from the door beside her.

The door was opened, and standing in the doorway was Li Hanting.

He had just finished washing up, his black hair still dripping with water, his bangs slightly damp, and he had changed into a black bathrobe. He looked less cold and sharp and more relaxed and at home.

Upon seeing Shen Jingshu, a hint of surprise flashed across his eyes. He hadn't expected that his stepsister would live next door.

On second thought, I realized that I was often away on cases and rarely stayed in this room, so it wasn't surprising.

Shen Jingshu spoke first, calling out softly, "Big Brother."

As soon as she finished speaking, she turned the doorknob, pushed open the door, and walked into her room with natural and nimble movements.

Li Hanting watched her retreating figure as she closed the door, without giving it much thought, and turned to beckon the maid beside him.

His room had been unoccupied for a long time, and the hairdryer had long since broken. He came out to find the housekeeper and go to another room to get a new one.

Separated by a wall, Shen Jingshu sat on the bed, her fingertips gently swiping across her phone screen, which displayed the basic information of several young masters of the Li family.

As she recalled the face of Li Hanting she had just seen, and then thought of what she had discovered at the Li family these past few days, her heart sank slightly.

These past few days, she took the opportunity to clear her head and explored every corner of the Li family compound, finally realizing that something was wrong—the Li family had been cursed, a sinister curse specifically designed to drain the family's fortune.

Fortunately, most of the Li family ancestors were soldiers who defended the country. Li Wenqian was also a retired soldier with a strong sense of justice. In addition, Li Hanting, as a leader of the police station, had been investigating major cases and fighting against violence for many years, doing everything he could for justice. Over the generations, the family had accumulated a great deal of merit.

It is thanks to the accumulated merits of their ancestors and the steadfast adherence of their descendants that the Li family has not had their fortune completely drained by the curse and has barely managed to survive until now.

Shen Jingshu's fingertips paused on the phone screen, her eyes gradually becoming deep.

This curse is insidious and clearly someone did it deliberately to destroy the entire Li family.

And Li Hanting's accident in his previous life was probably also related to this curse.

However, now that she is in the Li family in this life, and everyone in the Li family respects her and her mother, she might as well lend a hand to the Shen family.

After all, what despair and pain would a police chief, who is radiant with merit, feel if he were to suffer a severe injury after losing both legs and become a cripple?

As for the curse of the Shen family, although Shen Jingshu has found the key point of the formation, with her current level of cultivation, it is still somewhat difficult for her to break the curse, and she is very likely to suffer a backlash.

She must seize every second to intensify her cultivation and strive to acquire the power to break the curse as soon as possible.

At that moment, she thought of that man again—Lu Jingxing.

Ah, if only I could see him a few more times.

If she could absorb and refine the rich imperial purple aura emanating from him a few more times, her cultivation would surely advance by leaps and bounds.

By then, breaking the Li family's profound curse will not be so difficult. After all, the person who cast the curse must be a formidable figure.

Now that she has joined the Li family, there is plenty of time in the future, and she can slowly look for opportunities.

Based on her experience of cultivating with her master in her previous life, the curse of the Li family will not reach its peak for at least three years, at which time the entire fortune of the Li family will be completely devoured.

She estimated that she would be able to break the curse after a year of dedicated cultivation.

Meanwhile, in the next room.

After drying his hair, Li Hanting lay on the bed, but his thoughts inexplicably drifted back to the daytime.

He suddenly remembered the mysterious, never-seen metaphysical master in the live broadcast room.

For some reason, I always felt that the vague figure was somewhat similar to my stepsister, Shen Jingshu.

But then he shook his head self-deprecatingly.

He had never heard of anyone in the Shen family being proficient in metaphysics. Although he had not checked the information in detail before, he had browsed through it in general.

The most favored daughter in the Shen family is the youngest daughter, Shen Xinyi, while Shen Jingshu is just an unimportant, introverted, and taciturn person.

When he first met Shen Jingshu tonight, he found her to be calm, composed, and exuding a powerful aura, completely different from the description in the files.

It seems that the so-called survey data is not entirely reliable.

The next morning, when Shen Jingshu came downstairs, there were already three people sitting at the table.

Li Wenqian sat in the main seat, with his mother Lin Wanqing on his left and Li Hanting on his right.

She greeted Uncle Li, Mom, and Big Brother softly, then skillfully pulled out the stool next to her mother and sat down.

Once everyone was present, they began to eat breakfast. The Li family had strict rules, and the table was quiet and silent; no one spoke.

After the meal, everyone returned to the living room and sat down. Li Wenqian asked Li Hanting, "How long do you plan to take this vacation?"

"It will only take about a week," Li Hanting said calmly. "After attending the banquet hosted by my family, I will return to the station."

"Okay." Li Wenqian nodded. "Then you stay home today. I have some business to attend to at the company. Get to know Aunt Lin and Jing Shu well."

"Okay, Dad," Li Hanting replied.

After Li Wenqian left, only three people remained in the living room. Lin Wanqing still maintained a somewhat polite and reserved demeanor when facing Li Hanting.

Seeing this, Li Hanting took the initiative to ease the atmosphere: "Aunt Lin, we're all family now, no need to be so formal. If you don't mind, please treat me like your own child. Speaking of which, I'm about the same age as your eldest son."

"Really?" Lin Wanqing quickly replied, a hint of warmth flashing in her eyes. "That's because you're being modest. Your excellence is our blessing."

As they spoke, Li Hanting turned his gaze to Shen Jingshu, his tone softening slightly: "Jingshu, is there anywhere you'd like to go today? How about I take you out for a stroll?"

Shen Jingshu thought to herself: She and Li Hanting were eight years apart in age, one a college student and the other a deputy director of the police station, what common topics did they have?

Moreover, he had cultivated for many years before his rebirth, and his age was far greater than his, yet he now possessed the appearance of a nineteen-year-old.

Just as she was about to refuse, Lin Wanqing readily agreed, "Jing Shu, you've been staying home with me these past few days, it's time to go out for a walk. Since your brother suggested it, let him take you out for a stroll. Young people can talk about things, it's a good opportunity to strengthen your relationship."

Having said that, Shen Jingshu had no room to refuse and could only helplessly reply, "Alright then, I'll trouble you, brother."

"No trouble at all." Li Hanting stood up. "I'm free today anyway, let's go."

Shen Jingshu got into Li Hanting's car. He drove a rugged SUV with sharp lines and a cold, ruthless look, just like his own temperament.

The car slowly descended the winding mountain road. Neither of them spoke a word the entire way, and the only sound in the car was the soft hum of the engine.