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

The guests gradually dispersed, and the huge banquet hall quieted down.

The four Shen siblings stepped forward, said goodbye to Lin Wanqing, and prepared to leave.

Lin Wanqing reminded them to be careful on the road and pay attention to safety. Shen Yifan originally wanted to go and say hello to Li Wenqian, but Lin Wanqing quickly stopped him, saying that Li Wenqian was still busy greeting guests and there was no need to disturb him. The four of them then drove away from the Li family without lingering any longer.

On the way back, the four siblings each had their own thoughts.

The person who is most smug tonight is Shen Xinyi.

She got to know many wealthy wives and young ladies from prominent families by following Lin Wanqing. Even those who looked down on her were kind and polite to her out of respect for the Li family.

What delighted her even more was that she not only connected with Lu Ze's younger sister, Lu Manman, but also met Lu Ze's mother.

She had already made up her mind, thinking about finding a suitable excuse to ask Lu Manman out shopping tomorrow, and taking the opportunity to find out more about Lu Ze and gradually get closer to him.

Meanwhile, the Lu family was also on their way back.

Madam Lu looked at her son, Lu Ze, beside her and spoke first, her tone a mix of probing and satisfaction: "Ze, what do you think of Shen Jingshu, the Li family's stepdaughter, tonight?"

Lu Ze recalled Shen Jingshu at the banquet. When he first saw her, he was struck by her outstanding appearance and proper manners, without a trace of pettiness.

Having been in the business world for many years, how could he not understand his mother's thoughts? His mother had been painstakingly choosing a marriage partner for him, and this question clearly indicated that she had her eye on Shen Jingshu.

He had no aversion to Shen Jingshu. Not only was she his type, but more importantly, she was deeply loved by Li Wenqian. Although she was his stepdaughter, her mother was the current matriarch of the Li family, and the young masters of the Li family treated her very well.

If he could form a marriage alliance with the Li family, it would undoubtedly be a great help to his struggle for the inheritance of the Lu family.

Lu Ze remained calm and replied truthfully, "Mom, I think Miss Shen is quite nice."

"I knew you'd be satisfied."

Madam Lu raised her eyebrows, her tone becoming increasingly delighted, "I just inquired with Madam Li, and Jing Shu doesn't have a boyfriend yet. Moreover, she's a student at Peking University, the same school as you."

"real?"

Lu Ze was somewhat surprised and wondered to himself how he had never seen her before, despite being at Peking University for so long.

On second thought, he understood. Kyoto University's campus is vast, the two are from different departments, and she is his junior, so it's normal that he hadn't met her before.

Lu Manman, standing to the side, kept her head down, engrossed in texting and chatting with Shen Xinyi. The two were chatting enthusiastically and had already made plans to go shopping together the next day.

She paid no attention to her mother's and brother's conversation, treating it as just ordinary family chatter.

Mr. Lu sat to the side, remaining silent and not interrupting.

He has always trusted his wife's judgment and respected his son's decision; this matter should be left to the mother and son to decide.

Seeing that her son was satisfied, Madam Lu already had a plan in mind. She smiled and said, "Alright, I'll invite Madam Li out for tea in a couple of days and bring up this marriage proposal to her properly, and see what the Li family thinks."

"Alright, it's all up to Mother." Lu Ze agreed.

Meanwhile, Lu Jingxing, who had just returned home that night, immediately called his grandfather and told him that he would bring someone back to the old house to see him the next day.

The old man was filled with curiosity and wondered why his grandson, who had always been indifferent to women and devoted himself to the family business, would suddenly bring people to his door. He couldn't help but ask who they were.

Lu Jingxing refused to say it outright, only telling the old man to wait patiently and that he would personally bring the person over.

The old man was always insightful and didn't insist on digging deeper. He simply agreed that he would prepare proper hospitality for his guests.

On the Li family's side, after seeing off the last group of guests, the banquet hall gradually became quiet.

Li Hanting looked around but couldn't find Shen Jingshu. Just as he was about to ask, Lin Wanqing stepped forward and explained softly, "Jingshu is exhausted today. She wore high heels and got blisters on her feet. She went back to her room to rest a long time ago."

Upon hearing this, Li Hanting looked ashamed: "It was my oversight; I should have told her earlier that she didn't have to force herself to wear high heels for social occasions."

"It's nothing, just a little scratch, it's nothing serious," Lin Wanqing comforted her gently.

Li Hanting nodded: "You and Dad have worked hard tonight, so please go upstairs and rest early."

After Li Wenqian accompanied Lin Wanqing upstairs, Li Hanting turned to look at his three younger brothers beside him.

Li Yubai spoke first: "I have some urgent matters to attend to in my research lab, so I won't be staying at the old house tonight. I'll be leaving now."

Li Beichen also spoke up, his tone calm: "I have urgent business to attend to at the company, so I won't stay any longer."

The youngest, Li Suian, fiddled with his phone, his tone light: "Big brother, I have plans tonight, so I won't be staying at home."

"Go ahead." Li Hanting nodded slightly, not forgetting to remind him, "You've all had quite a bit tonight, so please don't drive and be careful."

"And what about you, brother?" they asked in unison.

"I'm staying here tonight. I'm on vacation recently, and I usually stay home unless I have something to do."

"it is good."

Just as they were about to turn and leave, Li Hanting suddenly called out to them, "By the way, you've all met Aunt Lin and Jing Shu. We didn't have time to prepare anything before, so remember to bring a gift next time. I don't want outsiders to say that our Li family has neglected its own family."

"Understood, brother, we will remember."

"Then we'll be going now."

After the three Li brothers left one after another, the old house became much quieter.

Li Hanting instructed the housekeeper and servants that it was too late to clean up overnight, and the remaining work could be left for the next day.

After giving his instructions, he turned and went upstairs to rest.

On the other side, Shen Jingshu returned to her room upstairs. After washing up, she did not rest, but instead sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate and cultivate.

Having spent a long time with Lu Jingxing, she had secretly absorbed a lot of his purple energy, and now she urgently needed to calm her mind and refine it to transform it into her own cultivation.

After sitting quietly all night, as the first hint of dawn appeared on the horizon, Shen Jingshu finally refined the last wisp of purple energy.

She slowly opened her eyes, a clear light flashing in them. She felt that her cultivation had improved by another level, and her senses had become more acute. She could clearly see the wisps of black energy lingering above the Li family, as well as a wisp of the heavy merit energy left by her ancestors.

Despite not having slept all night, she felt no fatigue at all; on the contrary, she was full of energy.

She got up and went into the bathroom to get ready. Thinking that she was going to meet the elders of the Lu family today, she specially chose a gentle and elegant outfit and put on light makeup, making her look even more dignified and graceful.

When she came downstairs, no one else in the house had gotten up yet. The housekeeper was surprised to see her come down so early: "Miss Jing Shu, you were out socializing so late yesterday, why didn't you sleep in a little longer?"

"It's alright, Butler Li. I have something to do and need to go out today."

"Then at least have breakfast before you leave. I'll have the kitchen prepare it immediately."

"Alright, a simple preparation will suffice."

A moment later, the maid brought out sandwiches and warm milk. Shen Jingshu ate her breakfast slowly and deliberately, finishing in just ten minutes.