Shen Lingqing thought that the Liu family was either brave enough to meet her and her mother personally, or was just stupid enough to a.s.sume that the Shen family was oblivious to their despicable ways.
Liu Zhongyi was the younger brother of Liu Jinfei’s father, Liu Chengyu. The man had two children with different women. First was his eldest child, Liu Zhongji, from his wife and an illegitimate daughter from one of his mistresses, Liu Xiaotong.
Liu Zhongji looked uncomfortable standing behind his father. He was already twenty-seven years old by now and working at the Liu Corporation as the VP of Marketing and Sales.
Meanwhile, his half-sister, Liu Xiaotong, was twenty years old. By the looks of it, she was being spoiled rotten by her father as she’d been flaunting their wealth left and right. Right now, she was glaring furiously towards Shen Lingqing, who wasn’t even paying attention in her presence.
Before Madam Shen and Shen Lingqing arrived, Liu Xiaotong basked in several praises she was receiving as the most beautiful woman of the night, but all of that ceased at once when Shen Lingqing stepped into the banquet hall with her mother.
Shen Lingqing had overshadowed her, effectively taking everyone’s attention from her just by simply existing. The guests were enthralled with her ethereal, cold beauty, and Liu Xiaotong could only curse the demon princess in her heart.
Whether Shen Lingqing was ignoring everyone’s stare or not, it only made Liu Xiaotong infuriated by her presence. She had heard rumors about Shen Lingqing being the perfect replica of the demon king, but no one had mentioned that Shen Lingqing was this beautiful.
The popular actresses and models attending the banquet were also incomparable to the brightness of Shen Lingqing’s presence. It was a shame that she had chosen to become a businesswoman and hid herself in conference rooms rather than to grace the public with her beautiful face.
If Liu Xiaotong was to stand next to Shen Lingqing, she was sure that no person would acknowledge her presence at all. After all, they would all be staring shamelessly at the demon princess.
Despite all of that, the demon princess didn’t care what Liu Xiaotong and the other guests were thinking. If she had a choice, she would rather go back to Savory Alley and do more work than socializing with some brats and spoiled young masters here.
Qiao Lian had run a background check on Liu Jinfei before he signed a contract with them. With that, Shen Lingqing found out the details about his family’s sudden death from a car accident when he was twelve years old. It included how his uncle, Liu Zhongyi, took over the company under the pretense that he was just going to be the legal guardian of the young Liu Jinfei back then.
However, as expected, the man was greedy enough to drive the young Liu Jinfei away, blaming the child for the untimely death of his parents. Shen Lingqing’s hold on her flute tightened as she thought of how despicable this man was to put Liu Jinfei in such a traumatic situation.
No innocent child should suffer and be blamed like that. Liu Zhongyi should know how traumatic the accident was to his nephew, and yet he took advantage of it and forced the child to sink deeper into despair.
Shen Lingqing’s eyes darkened. Sc.u.m like this didn’t deserve to be in her mother’s presence. He was sullying their night by being here with his children. Did he come here to see and test the waters, whether Shen Lingqing would stand up for his nephew or not?
“President Liu.” Madam Shen gave him a curt nod, but her eyes had a mischievous glint on them. Neither she nor her daughter had expected that the Liu family would seek them tonight themselves.
Shen Lingqing wondered what was on her mother’s mind right then. She could only hope that her mother wouldn’t cause a scene tonight. Usually, it was her Aunt Feiyan who would keep her mother in check during such occasions, but Shen Lingqing hadn’t seen her aunt and her cousin since their arrival.
“I’m surprised to see Miss Shen today.” The old man regarded Shen Lingqing. “I heard that you’ve recently joined your father’s company.”
Shen Lingqing’s eye twitched. She didn’t like how this old man looked at her, and it seemed her mother felt the same way. The mischievousness in Lu Xinyi’s eyes was replaced by a serious glint on them. It was like a mother tiger, waiting for the right time to pounce to protect her cub.
“It’s only expected that I join the company, President Liu.” Shen Lingqing refused to be intimidated by this old man. She then gave her mother’s hand a light squeeze, telling her mother that she’s fine.
Lu Xinyi then looked at her daughter and then at the old man standing in front of them… before scoffing.
“I also heard that you have taken our Jinfei under your wing. Please take good care of him.”
“Why, of course, President Liu. I made sure that my people are well and protected. I don’t like them worrying about trivial matters while at work. That’s something I could easily deal with.”
Her words meant: ‘Since Liu Jinfei cannot deal with you, you have to face me yourself.’
Liu Zhongyi was taken aback by her blunt words. It was a blatant threat coming from the Shen princess. It was as if he dared to cross the line, he shouldn’t blame her for being impolite and ruthless.
The amus.e.m.e.nt on Lu Xinyi’s face returned upon hearing what her daughter said and how the old man’s face blanched from her Qingqing’s threat. Ah, people should know better; her daughter’s temperament was very much like that of Shen Yi. To hurt Shen Lingqing’s people was to offend the demon princess.
“T-then, that’s good to hear, Miss Shen. Please send my regards to my nephew,” Liu Zhongyi said before pulling his daughter away, who had been glaring at the demon princess.