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

The atmosphere inside the carriage was surprisingly harmonious, without the slightest awkwardness.

Shen Jingshu maintained a humble yet confident demeanor, quiet and composed, which made Li Hanting take a few more glances at her.

Most of his friends in his circle have younger sisters of similar age, who are all spoiled, picky, and extremely pampered.

But Shen Jingshu was completely different. She was calm and reserved, never making a fuss, and was very comfortable to be around, which made him feel more respect for her.

Li Hanting drove Shen Jingshu around the bustling city of Beijing. Shen Jingshu had been to most of these places in her previous life, but she did not show the slightest impatience. She simply followed quietly by his side.

Li Hanting would occasionally ask her about her recent situation, which university she was studying at, whether she got along well with her classmates, and what kind of gifts she liked. He would frankly say that since it was their first meeting, he didn't have time to prepare a gift.

Shen Jingshu was somewhat surprised, not expecting this seemingly cold and aloof man to be so thoughtful. But then she thought it made sense; criminal investigators naturally need to be meticulous and observant.

She quickly said, "Brother, there's no need to prepare a gift for me. I don't care much about these things." After a pause, a hint of expectation flashed in her eyes. "If you really want to show your appreciation, you could just treat me to a nice meal."

Since her rebirth, she has paid special attention to food in the human world. In her previous life, she followed her master in cultivation, living a life of hardship for many years and rarely having the chance to eat delicious food. Her master's cooking skills were also poor, and when she cooked herself, she was too lazy to prepare anything when she was busy.

Now that I've been given a second chance at life, I've developed a craving for hearty, everyday food.

Upon hearing this, Li Hanting's lips curled up almost imperceptibly: "Alright, then I'll take you to eat. Are you hungry?"

"A little."

"I'm sorry, it was my oversight."

Li Hanting said no more and drove straight to a private club. The waiter at the door recognized the eldest son of the Li family at a glance and hurriedly bowed respectfully to greet him.

As soon as the two entered the hall, they unexpectedly ran into Lu Jingxing.

Lu Jingxing immediately spotted Shen Jingshu behind Li Hanting, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, followed by a playful smile.

Hey, isn't this the mysterious little girl from that night?

I had originally thought I would only see him again at the Li family banquet, but I never expected to run into him here.

When Li Hanting saw Lu Jingxing, he smiled familiarly and patted him on the shoulder: "Jingxing, what are you doing here?"

"Come over and let's talk about something."

"How did the talks go?"

"That's about it." Lu Jingxing replied casually, his gaze returning to Shen Jingshu. "Are you here for dinner?"

He has always had a habit of discussing business separately, never dining with his business partners, and leaving as soon as the meeting is over.

"Yes, come and eat."

Li Hanting then remembered Shen Jingshu beside him and quickly introduced her, "Oh right, I forgot to introduce you, this is my sister."

"Sister?" Lu Jingxing raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, you know my dad remarried. This is my stepsister, Shen Jingshu."

Li Hanting then turned to Shen Jingshu and said in a gentle tone, "Jingshu, this is Lu Jingxing. You can call him Brother Lu. He is the current head of the Lu family. You should have heard of him."

Shen Jingshu looked up at Lu Jingxing, her expression calm. She simply nodded slightly and did not address him as "Brother Lu" as Li Hanting had done. Instead, she spoke in a distant yet polite tone: "President Lu."

After all, Li Hanting was just being polite, so she naturally couldn't just go along with it and call him Brother Lu.

Anyone with eyes can see that Lu Jingxing is cold-hearted and aloof, exuding an aura that keeps strangers at bay.

This reminded Shen Jingshu of the night she stopped the car. She still found it surprising. He must have been in a very good mood that day to make an exception and let her hitch a ride.

When Lu Jingxing heard her polite and distant "President Lu", a fleeting, almost imperceptible emotion flashed in his eyes, but his face remained calm.

"Jing Shu and I are here for dinner. If you're free, feel free to join us."

Li Hanting's words were purely polite small talk. Everyone in the entire capital knew that Lu Jingxing was never interested in women, and almost no woman ever approached him within three meters.

He was prepared to be rejected after he finished speaking, but to his surprise, Lu Jingxing agreed immediately.

"Great! I haven't eaten either. It's been a long time since we last met. Let's chat."

Li Hanting was momentarily stunned, but after realizing what was happening, he didn't think much of it and immediately nodded: "Okay, let's go together then."

The three of them walked together toward Li Hanting's private room.

This group of people all have their own private rooms in the private club, which is convenient for entertaining relatives and friends and discussing business.

After taking their seats, Li Hanting, as the host, sat in the main seat, with Lu Jingxing to his left and Shen Jingshu on the other side, able to look Lu Jingxing in the eye when she looked up.

The waiter quickly brought over the menu, and Li Hanting handed it to Lu Jingxing first. Given his status and position, it was natural for him to order first.

After they were seated, Li Hanting handed the menu to Lu Jingxing, indicating that he should order first.

To everyone's surprise, Lu Jingxing didn't take the order. He glanced at the menu indifferently, then pushed it back to Shen Jingshu, saying casually, "You order first."

This action made Li Hanting's heart tighten slightly.

With his keen intuition honed over years of criminal investigation, something felt off. Could these two have known each other for a long time?

His gaze swept back and forth between the two men without making a sound, trying to find clues from their micro-expressions.

However, Lu Jingxing remained calm, and Shen Jingshu also remained composed, with neither of them showing any intention of speaking first.

Since that's the case, let her break the deadlock.

Shen Jingshu picked up the menu, chuckled, and said to Li Hanting, "Brother, I met President Lu once before. Last time, I was very grateful for President Lu's help."

"Oh?"

Li Hanting raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible inquiry, "When did our CEO Lu become so helpful? This isn't like the CEO I know."

In his memory, Lu Jingxing had always been cold-hearted and aloof, and distant from everyone.

Rumor has it that a woman once stripped naked and climbed into his bed, only to be thrown out by his bodyguards, who then completely changed the furnishings of the room. Would someone like that really help a girl? It's truly bizarre.

Lu Jingxing picked up the teacup on the table, took a small sip, and said casually, "It's nothing major, just something that happened on the way. I happened to give Miss Shen a ride that night."

He paused, looked at Shen Jingshu, and said in a tone that seemed to be a subtle reminder, "But Miss Shen, it's a bit too dangerous for you to be out alone so late."

"Um?"

Upon hearing this, Li Hanting frowned immediately and turned to Shen Jingshu, "Jingshu, why are you out at night? Didn't you call the family driver to pick you up?"

Shen Jingshu lowered her eyes, her tone carrying just the right amount of apology and helplessness: "I happened to be out in a hurry that day, and a heartless driver abandoned me on the side of the road, and to make matters worse, my phone was dead. Speaking of which, I really have to thank President Lu for helping me that night."

"It was nothing," Lu Jingxing said casually, turning his gaze to Li Hanting, "For Hanting's sake."

"I see." Li Hanting suddenly realized, and imagined a whole drama unfolding in his mind.

He was certain that Shen Jingshu must have mentioned the Li family's name at the time, and Lu Jingxing had given her a ride out of consideration for him.

This is normal, since the only people Lu Jingxing would make an exception for are his close old friends.