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

Shen Jingshu couldn't help but chuckle as she looked at the old man's childlike demeanor.

Her appearance was somewhat similar to that of her master, Xuanjizi. However, in the past, her master always won against her, leaving her helpless.

At this moment, the sight of Old Master Lu inexplicably reminded her of her master in another world, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

"Okay, Grandpa Lu, I'll keep you company, but you'll have to be considerate of me," Shen Jingshu replied with a smile.

"Don't worry, girl, Grandpa will definitely let you win, unlike that brat who has no manners at all." The old man glanced at Lu Jingxing smugly and set up the chessboard with great interest.

In the following rounds, Shen Jingshu intentionally let the old man win, sometimes losing and sometimes winning, striking the perfect balance to make him beam with joy. His hearty laughter could be heard from time to time in the courtyard.

Before they knew it, it was lunchtime. The butler stepped forward and respectfully reported, "Master, lunch is ready."

"Come on, girl, let's go eat. You must be starving after playing chess with me all morning." The old man got up, affectionately took Shen Jingshu's wrist, and walked towards the dining room.

Although it was just a simple home-cooked meal, the dishes on the table were quite plentiful, with a good balance of meat and vegetables, and a perfect combination of color, aroma, and taste, clearly indicating that they were carefully prepared.

The old man sat in the main seat, with Lu Jingxing and Shen Jingshu sitting on his left and right sides respectively.

"Don't be shy, girl. Take whatever you want to eat. Don't be shy here with Grandpa." The old man took the first bite and warmly invited her to eat.

"Okay, thank you, Grandpa Lu. Then I won't be polite."

Shen Jingshu picked up her chopsticks, first taking a bite of the shredded pork with sweet bean sauce in front of her, then tasting the spicy chicken next to her, and finally focusing her attention on the spicy blood curd, which she ate with great relish.

Lu Jingxing had been observing her discreetly, and noticing her preference for these two strongly flavored dishes, he silently made a mental note of it.

The old man saw this scene, glanced at his grandson beside him, and understood.

No wonder this kid called early this morning to ask the kitchen to add two more Sichuan dishes; it turns out he had already found out Shen Jingshu's tastes.

He is old and usually eats a light diet, so these two spicy and fragrant dishes on the table were clearly prepared especially for Shen Jingshu.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was harmonious. The three ate quietly, and occasionally the old man would casually ask a few questions about everyday life. Lu Jingxing would chime in at the right time, creating a warm and harmonious scene.

After lunch, the two got up to say goodbye to the old man.

Looking at the two standing side by side, a hint of reluctance flashed in Old Master Lu's eyes, but he still waved his hand gently: "Go ahead, just come and visit this old man often." He lived here alone, and although he had a housekeeper to accompany him, he was still all alone and inevitably lonely.

Seeing this, Shen Jingshu quickly promised, "Grandpa Lu, don't worry, I will definitely come to see you with Jingxing when I have time."

"Alright, alright, good children, don't worry about me, I'm doing quite well here." The old man waved his hand with a smile.

Before leaving, Shen Jingshu took out a neatly folded amulet from her bag and handed it over: "Grandpa Lu, nice to meet you. This is an amulet I got from a temple. It's not worth much, please don't mind."

"No problem, no problem at all. I'm just glad you meant well." The old man happily accepted it and casually put it into his inner pocket.

Lu Jingxing chuckled to himself. This girl was just like him, saying she "got it from the temple," even using the exact same excuse.

The old man then gestured to the butler beside him, who brought over a brocade box and handed it to Shen Jingshu: "Girl, this is a gift from your grandfather to greet you. Don't refuse it, keep it safe."

Shen Jingshu glanced at Lu Jingxing, and seeing him nod slightly, she solemnly accepted the gift: "Thank you, Grandpa Lu."

The two walked out the gate, where a car was already waiting. After getting in, Shen Jingshu handed the brocade box to Lu Jingxing, saying directly, "Grandpa Lu gave this to you, you should keep it, it's too precious."

Lu Jingxing said, "Open it and see what's inside. Aren't I curious? You can see too."

Shen Jingshu was indeed curious, so she opened the box.

Inside the box lay a bracelet, which turned out to be a top-grade imperial green jadeite of the glass type, with a rich and clear color and excellent translucency, making it priceless.

"This...this is far too valuable!" Shen Jingshu was startled and quickly tried to return it, saying, "You should keep it."

"This is a family heirloom of the Lu family, passed down only to Lu family daughters-in-law," Lu Jingxing explained. "It belonged to my grandmother, passed down to my mother, and after my mother passed away, it returned to my grandfather. He had previously said that he would pass it on to my future wife."

Shen Jingshu was at a loss for what to do; this gift was far too generous.

"Then you can have it." Shen Jingshu quickly pushed the brocade box back, her tone serious, "I'm afraid I might accidentally break it. I can't bear the responsibility of such a precious family heirloom."

"Since Grandpa has already given it to you, just keep it for now," Lu Jingxing said firmly. "We're a couple now, so we need to be polite. Next time you see Grandpa, wear the bracelet so you don't give yourself away."

Shen Jingshu hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Then... okay, I'll keep it for now."

She closed the brocade box and carefully placed it aside.

The car drove steadily along the winding mountain road. The clear sky suddenly darkened, and in an instant, dark clouds covered the area.

A strong wind swept down with dark clouds, and soon a torrential downpour began. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed across the dark sky, dazzlingly bright.

Lu Jingxing thought that ordinary girls would be frightened when they heard thunder and lightning, but when he turned his head, he saw that Shen Jingshu was calm and completely unaffected.

Only when she looked out the window at the thunderbolt that struck the distant mountains did a glint suddenly appear in her eyes—the thunderbolt had clearly struck the mountain peak deep within the winding mountain road with pinpoint accuracy.

Lightning-struck wood!

Shen Jingshu was overjoyed. That was a priceless treasure in the cultivation world, possessing the righteous energy of heavenly thunder, capable of suppressing evil spirits and warding off calamities, with endless wondrous uses.

Her fingers flew across the paper, forming a divination slip that clearly indicated the location of the lightning strike: the area behind the Li family's house.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at Lu Jingxing, her mind racing, trying to find an excuse to go to the back of the Li family's mountain.

But he swallowed the words back—he couldn't very well say outright that he was going to collect lightning-struck wood.

That's it.

Shen Jingshu sighed inwardly and decided to suppress her thoughts: I will go up the mountain alone to search again when it is late at night and everyone is quiet.

Lu Jingxing turned his head to look at the little girl beside him, his heart filled with doubt.

What ordinary girl wouldn't be frightened by thunder and lightning?

But she showed no fear whatsoever; instead, her eyes held an undisguised joy and excitement, though it was unclear what she was secretly delighted about.

The car drove all the way to the Li family's gate, and the torrential rain continued to pour down. The driver thoughtfully fetched an umbrella and handed it to Shen Jingshu.

She took the umbrella and thanked him softly, then turned to say goodbye to Lu Jingxing before stepping into the rain and walking step by step toward the villa.

Lu Jingxing sat in the car, quietly watching the slender figure until it completely disappeared into the depths of the rain curtain, before slowly withdrawing his gaze and calmly signaling to the driver: Drive.