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

However, Shen Xinyi's target was never Lu Jingxing, the current head of the Lu family.

She was reborn and knew better than anyone that Lu Jingxing's life was short; he would die suddenly in three years at most. Trying to attach herself to someone who wouldn't live more than a few years was a complete waste of time.

The one she truly valued was Lu Ze, from a collateral branch of the Lu family.

In his previous life, Lu Ze was the luckiest dark horse among all the heirs.

After Lu Jingxing's death, the Lu family business was in turmoil. In the end, Lu Ze stood out and was chosen by the old master Lu as the new successor.

Instead of focusing on Lu Jingxing, who is destined to die young, it's better to get under Lu Ze's control as soon as possible and pave the way for your own future.

Moreover, Lu Jingxing has never been interested in women, and he is much older than her, so there's no way for him to make a move.

But Lu Ze was completely different.

He just graduated from university this year and has already begun to get involved in the family business, gradually learning how to manage it.

As a branch of the Lu family, this line already possessed considerable assets, and Lu Ze had successively secured several major projects, demonstrating exceptional intelligence and business acumen. It was precisely this ability that enabled him to successfully take over the Lu family after Lu Jingxing's passing.

Shen Xinyi had a well-thought-out plan: as long as she could firmly grasp Lu Ze, she would naturally rise to the top of the Lu family and enjoy wealth and luxury in the future.

On the day of the banquet, all the young masters of the Li family were present, which was also the first time that Shen Jingshu met all the members of the Li family in their entirety.

She had already met the eldest son, Li Hanting, a few days ago; the second son, Li Beichen, and the third son, Li Yubai, were twins. Li Beichen, only twenty-five years old, had extraordinary talent in business and took charge of the Li Group at a young age. He was decisive and had a sharp aura; the third son, Li Yubai, was a recognized genius in the medical field. He had risen to fame in the international medical field at a young age and was highly regarded by the industry; the fourth son, Li Suian, was the most low-key, but he was a top student at Peking University, specializing in the field of computer science, and was an absolute technical genius.

It must be said that the Li family genes are truly outstanding. The four young masters are all tall and handsome, with different temperaments, and none of them are outstanding individuals.

Meanwhile, the four Shen siblings were already dressed and ready. Shen Yifan, Shen Yifei, and Shen Yichen were all impeccably tailored in sharp suits, exuding composure and poise; Shen Xinyi had specially chosen an exquisite gown and meticulously prepared herself, eager to make a name for herself at the banquet. Once everything was in place, Shen Yifan drove his younger siblings to the Li family villa.

The Li family's banquet was held in the villa's private, luxurious banquet hall.

At the villa's entrance, the butler led a group of servants in a respectful wait, while security personnel stood ready and maintained a high level of vigilance. From the lawn outside the villa, a professional team meticulously arranged everything, from the floral arrangements and lighting to the furnishings, all exuding the grandeur and luxury of a top-tier mansion.

All the guests present followed the rules, taking out their invitations and having them verified by the butler and staff before being allowed to enter. Luxury cars lined up neatly at the entrance, all belonging to the city's top wealthy families.

Inside the banquet hall, guests gradually filled the room. The Li family's business partners, family friends, and representatives from various prominent families in the capital were all present, and the Lu family also sent someone to attend.

Lu Ze and Lu Manman, siblings from a collateral branch of the Lu family, walked slowly into the banquet hall accompanied by their parents, becoming quite eye-catching in the crowd.

Everyone present knew perfectly well that Lu Jingxing, the current head of the Lu family, had been predicted by the Xuanmen Lingxu Master in his early years to be destined not to live past the age of thirty.

The Lu family was already aware of this, and Old Master Lu had begun planning for the family's future long ago.

Rumors circulated privately that Old Master Lu planned to adopt one of the collateral branches to take over the Lu family's vast fortune in the future. Among the collateral branch descendants, Lu Ze was the most popular choice.

For this reason, in recent years, whenever a top family in Beijing's elite circles holds a banquet, they will specifically send an invitation to Lu Ze.

In everyone's opinion, it was essential to establish a good relationship with this Lu family's tacitly approved next-generation heir beforehand, and no formality should be overlooked.

Everyone assumed that the Lu family would only send Lu Ze's branch to offer congratulations at the Li family banquet.

Although there were rumors that Lu Jingxing and Li Hanting, the eldest son of the Li family, had a close personal relationship, judging from today's scene, it seems that the Lu family member who usually keeps to himself will not show up.

After all these years, Lu Jingxing has almost never attended any public banquets. The only time he appeared in public was at the 80th birthday banquet of his grandfather.

As for the Gu family, since Gu's parents were still abroad, the current head of the family, Gu Yunzhou, brought his younger brother, Gu Ming, to the banquet. Other second-tier families also sent their heads in person as a sign of respect.

The four Shen siblings were stunned into standing still when they stepped into the banquet hall.

The exquisite and meticulous decoration, the luxurious and grand layout, all exude the grandeur and style of a top-tier wealthy family. It is indeed worthy of being the work of one of Beijing's top wealthy families.

Shen Yifan suppressed his excitement and scanned the entire room, where he saw many wealthy and powerful people whom he would never have the chance to meet or even reach in his daily life.

Even those already renowned figures in the capital came in person to congratulate the Li family, which shows just how prestigious the Li family's status is in the capital.

Shen Yifei searched for Li Yubai, the third young master of the Li family, in the crowd. As a medical student, he had long admired this renowned medical genius. The two had met a few times in industry settings before.

He had no interest in business networking and was only interested in getting to know this leading figure in the industry.

Shen Yichen, on the other hand, stood nonchalantly to the side. His older brother, Shen Yifan, had specifically instructed him to take good care of his younger sister, Shen Xinyi, so he followed closely behind her.

Shen Xinyi completely ignored her third brother who was with her, her eyes quickly scanning the entire room as she searched for her target.

The banquet was packed with guests, most of whom were unfamiliar faces she had never seen before. She only recognized Lu Ze, who would become famous and successful a few years later, and couldn't tell which Lu Ze was the young man she was looking for.

Time passed slowly, and the banquet was about to officially begin.

Li Hanting stood at the entrance of the banquet hall with his three younger brothers, welcoming the elders and close friends who came to offer their congratulations.

Li Wenqian stayed upstairs with Lin Wanqing while the stylist did the final makeup and styling of her dress.

Shen Jingshu started trying on dresses early in the morning and then meticulously did her makeup and dressing up in the afternoon. Looking at herself in her finest attire in the mirror, a hint of satisfaction appeared in her eyes.

When Shen Jingshu walked out of the dressing room, Li Wenqian and Lin Wanqing's eyes lit up.

"Jing Shu, you look so beautiful today."

Shen Jingshu stepped forward, affectionately took Lin Wanqing's hand, and said softly with a smile, "Mom, you and Uncle Li are the main characters today, and Mom is the most beautiful."

Lin Wanqing felt a warmth in her heart, somewhat surprised. Her once introverted and taciturn eldest daughter had now become so eloquent.

Looking at the sensible, well-mannered, and beautiful Shen Jingshu, Li Wenqian was even more satisfied. This child was obedient, perceptive, and extremely beautiful, just like the ideal daughter in his heart.

"Alright, it's about time. We should go down now."

Li Wenqian gestured for Lin Wanqing to take his arm. Lin Wanqing smiled slightly, stepped forward, and gently hooked her arm around his.

Shen Jingshu obediently followed behind the two of them. This was the original plan, but Li Wenqian suddenly changed his mind.

He turned to look at Shen Jingshu, his tone gentle yet solemn: "Jingshu, come, walk with us and let everyone see that I, Li Wenqian, have a daughter, and such an outstanding and beautiful one at that."

Upon hearing this, both Lin Wanqing and Shen Jingshu were slightly taken aback, filled with surprise.

Shen Jingshu quickly came to her senses, a gentle smile spreading across her face. She stepped forward and firmly took Li Wenqian's other arm.

And so, Li Wenqian walked in the middle, with the gentle Lin Wanqing on his left and the dignified Shen Jingshu on his right, and the three of them walked together toward the banquet hall downstairs.