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

After his speech, Li Wenqian officially announced the start of the banquet.

As the melodious waltz began to play, Li Wenqian bowed slightly and extended his hand to Lin Wanqing.

The two had practiced this opening dance for several days in advance and were already very skilled at it.

Lin Wanqing's fingertips curled slightly, inevitably a little nervous, but when she met Li Wenqian's gentle and determined gaze, the panic in her heart instantly subsided, and she gently placed her hand in his palm.

The man stood tall and straight, his steps steady, as he led her in a graceful spin in the center of the dance floor.

Lin Wanqing's skirt swayed gently, her eyes and brows were gentle and graceful. The two stood side by side, complementing each other perfectly. When the dance ended, the whole room erupted in applause, and the guests raised their glasses, praising the two as a perfect match.

After the opening dance ended, Li Wenqian, holding Lin Wanqing's hand and accompanied by Shen Jingshu, visited familiar business partners and long-standing family friends one by one.

Shen Jingshu, dressed in a light blue dress, stood gracefully behind the two, holding a glass of juice in her hand.

Only when Li Wenqian introduced her to elders and distinguished guests would she step forward, nod slightly, and greet them politely, displaying impeccable manners and composure.

After a round of social engagements, both mother and daughter looked exhausted. They rarely wore high heels, and after standing for so long, their legs and feet were already aching and sore.

Li Wenqian saw this and felt sorry for them. Knowing that it was their first time attending such an event, he told them to find a place to rest or go upstairs to rest, while he stayed behind to continue socializing.

Lin Wanqing and Shen Jingshu had just found a quiet rest area to sit down when Shen Xinyi seized the opportunity and quickly pulled Shen Yichen over.

Upon seeing her youngest daughter, Lin Wanqing immediately smiled and said, "Xinyi, you're here."

"Yes, Mom, I arrived a while ago, but I couldn't find you earlier."

Shen Xinyi smiled and responded, her gaze falling on Shen Jingshu, her tone revealing an undisguised sourness, "Sister, you look so beautiful today. If I didn't know better, I would think you were the star of the show."

Shen Jingshu sensed the sarcasm in her words and, too lazy to argue, simply looked away, unwilling to say anything more.

Lin Wanqing seemed completely oblivious to the sarcasm in her words. Instead, she nodded calmly and said gently, "Jing Shu should dress up properly today. She is the eldest daughter of the Li family. Dressing appropriately will prevent her from disgracing the Li family."

Shen Jingshu felt a warmth in her heart and looked at her mother. Her mother was simple-minded and without any ulterior motives; this straightforward protection made her feel even warmer.

Shen Xinyi's smile froze instantly, her expression cracked almost imperceptibly, and the jealousy in her eyes deepened.

Shen Jingshu could tell that Shen Xinyi wanted to talk to Lin Wanqing, so she wisely didn't want to disturb her and said softly, "Mom, since my sister is here, why don't you talk to her? I'm a little tired. I rarely wear high heels, and my feet are sore. I want to go upstairs and rest for a while."

Lin Wanqing immediately looked concerned and quickly asked, "Where do you feel unwell? Do you want Mom to come upstairs with you?"

"No need, I can go up by myself, and I'll come down after resting for a while."

Since everyone in the Li family was on her side, Lin Wanqing felt at ease and nodded in agreement.

Watching Shen Jingshu turn and leave, Shen Xinyi secretly rejoiced.

She had always wanted to stay close to Lin Wanqing. She had seen Li Wenqian's attention and favoritism towards Shen Jingshu, and she had already made up her mind to use her mother's connections to make a name for herself at this banquet.

After Shen Jingshu left, Shen Xinyi stayed close to Lin Wanqing.

The ladies in Beijing's social circle were all shrewd and perceptive. They had already realized that the new matriarch of the Li family was deeply favored by Li Wenqian. Each family had been instructed to bring their daughters forward, hoping to use the opportunity to greet her and build a relationship.

Lin Wanqing was not good at socializing, and he inevitably felt a little awkward and uncomfortable when faced with a series of guests.

Although those ladies looked down on her humble origins, they all wore kind smiles and were polite and considerate.

All eyes fell on Shen Xinyi, who was standing next to Lin Wanqing, and everyone looked puzzled.

Isn't this Shen Jingshu, the eldest daughter of the Li family, who was on stage just now? How come another girl has suddenly appeared?

Everyone waited for Lin Wanqing to introduce herself, but Lin Wanqing was simple-minded and didn't understand the look in everyone's eyes at all, and didn't know how to start.

Shen Xinyi, however, spoke first, a sweet smile on her face, and introduced herself: "Ladies and misses, my name is Shen Xinyi, and this is my mother."

These words surprised everyone even more.

The head of the Li family only introduced Shen Jingshu, one of his daughters. Why is there also a Shen Xinyi? I didn't see her on the stage.

Seeing this, Lin Wanqing quickly explained awkwardly, "Xinyi lives with her father, only Jingshu lives with me in the Li family."

Everyone suddenly realized what was going on, and their gazes toward Shen Xinyi instantly became more meaningful, carrying a hint of detachment and understanding.

Shen Xinyi was completely unaware of the situation, only wanting to seize the opportunity to befriend these wealthy and powerful people, and enthusiastically stepped forward to strike up a conversation.

Out of respect for Lin Wanqing, the crowd refrained from exposing her true intentions and exchanged a few perfunctory pleasantries with her.

Shen Xinyi, on the contrary, was smug, feeling that she was more favored by her mother than Shen Jingshu, and that her mother was willing to introduce her to these high-society figures.

In her mind, she instantly regained some ground—so what if she didn't become the rightful stepdaughter of the Li family? She could still use the Li family's reputation to pave her own way. As long as the Li family didn't fall, she would take advantage of it for as long as she could.

On the other hand, Shen Yifan's situation has also completely changed.

The scions and elders from prominent families who had just ignored him were now taking the initiative to approach him and chat, constantly inquiring about his relationship with Lin Wanqing.

Shen Yifan readily agreed, saying that he had an excellent relationship with his mother, and that his mother doted on all of them.

These family heads were all shrewd individuals, calculating that having more connections meant having more opportunities. Shen Yifan was, after all, the son of the matriarch of the Li family, and they might be able to use him in the future. Their attitude immediately became much more enthusiastic.

Shen Yifei met many leading figures in the medical field at the banquet, but no one introduced him to them, and he didn't dare to approach them rashly. He could only stand alone to the side, watching with envy.

Shen Yichen had already hidden in a secluded corner and was engrossed in playing the game.

Shen Xinyi had told him not to follow her because she thought he was in the way, saying that the other side was full of women. He was happy to have some peace and quiet, so he simply found a quiet place to pass the time.

Shen Yifei felt dejected as he watched Li Yubai, the third young master of the Li family, speak eloquently and calmly in front of a group of highly respected medical luminaries. His eyes were filled with undisguised envy.

He couldn't help but wonder if he could have such a distinguished background, and if he could also easily gain the favor and guidance of these industry giants, and have a broader platform, just like Li Yubai.

Everyone in the Li family was busy entertaining guests and maintaining relationships in the banquet hall, except for Shen Jingshu, who quietly avoided the noise and went upstairs.

Upstairs, another gaze was fixed on her figure; that person was Lu Jingxing.

In fact, from the moment Shen Jingshu appeared downstairs, she keenly sensed that a gaze had been fixed on her.

After cultivating, her five senses far surpassed those of ordinary people. Although she could not see the appearance of the person who came, she could clearly sense that the gaze came from the second floor.

She already guessed that Lu Jingxing was the only person on the second floor at that moment.

He had always disliked the noise of banquets, so Li Wenqian specially arranged for him to rest on the second floor. At first, Li Hanting accompanied him, but when Li Hanting saw some familiar friends downstairs, he went down to socialize, leaving Lu Jingxing alone upstairs.

Shen Jingshu didn't think much of it and just wanted to go back to her room to rest. She slowly walked up the stairs, and just as she reached the corner, she ran into Lu Jingxing.

She was slightly taken aback, somewhat puzzled. Logically, he should have stayed on the second-floor balcony, not appeared in the Li family's exclusive rest area.

But she didn't voice her doubts. Instead, she composed herself, nodded politely, and greeted him softly, "President Lu."

Lu Jingxing lowered his eyes and quietly looked at the girl standing in front of him. A light blue dress accentuated her graceful figure, and her delicate features made her appear more radiant and beautiful than usual.

He couldn't explain why his gaze kept uncontrollably following her figure upstairs, unwilling to look away for even a moment.