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

Lin Wanqing barely came to her senses and shook her head: "It's nothing."

After a pause, she couldn't help but ask softly, "Do you know when Master will be back?"

"At the usual time, Master should be home soon." The butler had barely finished speaking when the steady sound of a car engine came from the villa's gate. He immediately bowed and said, "Madam, it should be Master returning."

"Okay, you can go now." Lin Wanqing waved her hand, a hint of nervousness creeping into her eyes.

Outside the door, Li Wenqian got out of the car and casually handed his handbag to the waiting butler as he entered. The butler leaned closer and whispered, "Master, Madam went out today and has been preoccupied ever since. She's been waiting for you all day, as if something important has come up. I heard that it was the eldest son of the Shen family who brought her back today."

Li Wenqian's gaze darkened slightly, and he instantly understood.

The Shen family's impending bankruptcy and mounting debts are common knowledge in Beijing's upper echelons. He had intended to keep it from Lin Wanqing, not wanting her to be troubled by these unpleasant matters. Now it seems that Shen Yifan must have been desperate and turned to Lin Wanqing for help.

Without making a sound, he shed his travel-worn appearance, changed into his home shoes and socks, and calmly strode into the living room.

When Lin Wanqing saw him return, she immediately got up to greet him, suppressing the unease in her heart: "You're back."

Seeing her uneasy expression, Li Wenqian asked gently, "The housekeeper said you've been waiting for me?"

"Yes, I do have something I want to tell you."

"Come with me to the study."

Li Wenqian took the lead and Lin Wanqing followed closely behind. The two entered the quiet and private study one after the other.

After taking her seat, the enclosed space intensified Lin Wanqing's tension. She knew that several hundred million yuan was no small sum, and such an outrageous request for help would put anyone in a difficult position. Her fingertips unconsciously clenched slightly.

Li Wenqian took in her unease and anxiety, and reassured her gently, "Sit down. We are husband and wife, so you can speak frankly about anything. There's no need to be so reserved."

Reassured by his words, Lin Wanqing took a deep breath and finally mustered the courage to speak: "Wenqian, Yifan asked me to meet him today."

Li Wenqian remained calm: "He's your son. It's perfectly normal for him to want to meet you. What's wrong? Did something unpleasant happen?"

"It's not exactly unpleasant." Lin Wanqing shook her head, hesitated for a long time, and then spoke frankly, "Wenqian, you should know about the Shen family's affairs, right?"

"I know." Li Wenqian nodded slightly, his tone calm and even. "The Shen family has been embroiled in a series of troubles recently, with public opinion swirling around them and their financial chains breaking down. The fact that they've caused such a commotion is known to everyone in the entire capital."

Hearing that he already knew, Lin Wanqing's heart tightened, and she quickly looked up at him earnestly: "Then can you help Yifan?"

"He's always been a strong-willed person. After taking over Shen's Group, he worked tirelessly, wanting to prove himself with achievements. But this time, he really couldn't hold on any longer. He said that if Shen's Group couldn't overcome this crisis, it would have no choice but to go bankrupt and be liquidated."

Her voice was pleading, her heart filled with concern for her son: "I know that the Shen family has no chance of turning things around unless someone injects hundreds of millions of dollars into it. Wenqian, I'm begging you, can you lend the Shen family a hand? Help Yifan, help the Shen family?"

Li Wenqian looked quietly at her earnest and protective expression, remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly spoke, each word clear and insightful.

"Late Qing Dynasty, I understand your desire to protect your son. But I am first and foremost a businessman, and only secondly your husband."

His tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable stance: "In business, value and return are paramount. Hundreds of millions in cash flow is not a small sum like tens or millions. Tell me, what value does the Shen family, currently teetering on the brink of collapse, riddled with problems, and with a ruined reputation, possess that would warrant the Li family investing hundreds of millions to support them?"

"Last time, Shen Yifan made reckless decisions and caused a huge blunder. I already helped him cover the losses to a small extent because of you. I told you then that the Shen family's foundation was in disarray, and Shen Yifan's temperament and ability were insufficient to support such a large group. Sooner or later, there would be big problems."

Li Wenqian's gaze was calm as he cut to the chase: "It was his own stubbornness and short-sightedness that dragged the Shen family down. The Li family should not have to pay for this mess."

Lin Wanqing knew perfectly well that she had no grounds to force Li Wenqian to provide financial assistance. On one side was her current husband, who had been her partner through thick and thin and provided her with a stable home; on the other side was her biological son, who was pleading with her. Caught in the middle, she was torn and filled with anguish.

Li Wenqian stared intently at her dejected expression and slowly said, "Wanqing, before we registered our marriage, I had someone thoroughly investigate the Shen family and also carefully learn about your children. I didn't mention this before because I was afraid it would create a rift between us, but today I'll just tell you the truth. In my opinion, among your children, only Jing Shu still has any sense of propriety and a bottom line. The others don't have any genuine concern for you; they only want to use your status to curry favor with the Li family and seek personal gain."

"How can you speak of my children like that?" Lin Wanqing retorted instinctively, her tone stubborn. "They are all my flesh and blood, connected by blood. How could they be heartless and ungrateful to me? Shen Jingshu is usually the most distant and indifferent to me, while Yifan and Xinyi have always been close and affectionate towards me."

Li Wenqian shook his head slightly, unwilling to argue further. Some people harbor scheming and cold-heartedness; further discussion was pointless, and time would tell. His tone deepened as he concluded, "This matter concerning the Shen family ends here. I will not use a single penny of Li family funds to provide assistance, and I do not wish to hear from you again any further questions about the Shen family seeking help. If there's nothing else, go back to your room and rest."

Lin Wanqing had actually anticipated this outcome. She knew deep down that Li Wenqian was first and foremost a businessman controlling a vast business empire, and only secondly her husband; hundreds of millions in cash flow couldn't be easily bought with favors. Unable to argue any further, she walked dejectedly out of the study, went straight to her bedroom, closed the door, and made a phone call. The content of the conversation inside the bedroom remained unknown to outsiders.

Meanwhile, at the Shen family's old residence, the servants could clearly hear Shen Yifan's furious roar through the study door. Accompanied by the ear-piercing sounds of porcelain shattering on the ground and ornaments being smashed hard on the table, he had nowhere to vent his resentment and smashed the study into a mess.

Ever since news broke that the Shen family's cash flow had dried up and it was on the verge of bankruptcy, the servants throughout the Shen household were filled with anxiety. Servants in wealthy families have their own exclusive social circles, and the rumors had already spread throughout their inner circle. Everyone knew that the Shen family's collapse was inevitable. Once the Shen family declared bankruptcy and liquidation, unpaid wages and the dismissal of servants were unavoidable consequences.

Over time, the servants lost all motivation to work, showing up listlessly every day with gloomy faces, secretly planning their future, and inquiring about new employers in advance, preparing for unemployment.