The Guide to Rising to Power: The Ultimate Schemes of a Green Tea Beauty

Shen Yao curled up on the carpet in the corner, the blood on her forehead had half congealed, her cheeks were still burning, and the place in her lower abdomen where she had been kicked felt dull and tight.

She watched as Xiao Weilin's fists pounded solidly into Shen Daqiang's body and face.

The dull thuds, Shen Daqiang's pig-like screams, and his intermittent pleas for mercy blended into a violent melody in the cramped room.

Shen Yao could even use these breaks to silently memorize a few English words and recall the knowledge points that the Yenching University professor had repeatedly emphasized in the past few days.

But as he carried it on his back, he couldn't calm down. A dark, malevolent voice surged up from the depths of his heart—"Let him die."

Let this so-called father die here today.

She even felt a morbid pleasure. Watching the abuser being suppressed and defeated by even more violent methods, she tasted a fleeting satisfaction. Shen Daqiang's pain and wretchedness at this moment were slowly filling her heart, which had long been emptied by hatred.

Just as Shen Daqiang's breath was waning and he was about to cause a death, Shen Yao shuddered and awoke from the bloodthirsty pleasure.

No, Shen Daqiang can't die yet!

He was still useful. If he dies, the play can't continue.

This calm, almost ruthless thought instantly overwhelmed all other emotions.

That mad dog Xiao Weilin doesn't know his own strength. If someone dies, he might end up in jail himself!

Shen Yao staggered to her feet and stumbled towards Xiao Weilin, who was still throwing punches. She seemed to hug him tightly with both hands.

"Xiao Weilin! Stop hitting him... Stop right now! He's my dad!"

Her voice trembled, choked with sobs, "What if you really beat him to death? You'll go to jail... Xiao Weilin, please stop!"

She tilted her head back, letting him see her disheveled state.

Xiao Weilin's fist, which he was about to throw, suddenly froze.

He turned his head sharply and bumped into Shen Yao's face, which was inches away from his.

She gazed at him through teary eyes, her gaze brimming with tears that reflected his out-of-control state. There was no blame, no anger. All her fear stemmed from the thought that "he might fall because of her."

For some reason, the raging fire in his heart burned even more fiercely.

"You got off easy!"

Xiao Weilin cursed under his breath, not even glancing at Shen Daqiang, who lay on the ground like a dead man, before suddenly raising his foot and delivering a vicious kick to Shen Daqiang's ribs.

"Uh..." Shen Daqiang let out a weak groan, his head lolled to the side, and he completely lost consciousness. Liquid gushed out from his head, staining a small patch of carpet red.

"You!" Shen Yao's tears fell even harder, as if she was worried about Xiao Weilin.

Xiao Weilin ignored the trash on the ground. He scooped up Shen Yao, who was still struggling and crying, and walked forcefully out of the room.

"Let me go, Xiao Weilin! Let me go! My dad... my dad..."

Shen Yao struggled in his arms, her voice trembling with tears. Her gaze quickly swept over the unconscious Shen Daqiang on the ground, and she felt a little relieved after confirming that he was still breathing.

Xiao Weilin completely ignored her "protests," picked her up, strode out of the room, and slammed the already rickety door shut.

Outside the door, the hotel manager was standing guard with trepidation. When he saw the blood on Xiao Weilin's body and the way he carried Shen Yao out, he was so frightened that he was afraid to breathe.

Xiao Weilin glanced at him coldly and said:

"If you dare utter a single word about what happened today, I'll make sure your hotel goes out of business."

After saying that, he picked up Shen Yao and walked towards the elevator without looking back.

This young master Xiao is notoriously difficult to deal with, and the manager, trembling with fear, nodded and bowed repeatedly: "Yes, yes, don't worry, I understand, I understand!"

After Xiao Weilin's figure disappeared at the elevator entrance, the manager shakily pushed open the door and saw the mess inside and Shen Daqiang lying on the ground. His legs went weak!

"Is...is the person...dead?"

His voice trembled, and he was on the verge of tears. If someone died, his hotel would be finished!

He mustered his courage and approached, checking Shen Daqiang's breathing. Thankfully, he was still breathing! Although he was seriously injured, at least he wasn't dead.

The manager breathed a sigh of relief and almost collapsed to the ground. He quickly took out his phone to call an ambulance.

At this moment, Shen Daqiang on the ground seemed to regain consciousness, letting out a weak groan while still cursing:

"...Call the police...I'm calling the police...arrest...arrest that little bastard..."

The manager rolled his eyes upon hearing this and didn't bother to respond.

Call the police? Call what? Call the police and say that you broke into your hotel room and assaulted your daughter, and then were beaten up by the righteous second young master of the Xiao family?

He saw with his own eyes how badly that pretty girl was beaten! If the police are called, who will be the one to suffer? Does he still want to go against the Xiao family?

The manager kicked Shen Daqiang impatiently: "Save your breath! Hurry up, I'm taking you to the hospital, don't die here!"

While calling an ambulance, he cursed Shen Daqiang in his mind, but at the same time, he felt sympathy and awe for the girl who was taken away by Xiao Weilin.

This girl is incredibly unlucky to have such a father. But... to have offended Young Master Xiao, he's probably no pushover either.

Xiao Weilin drove in silence all the way to a hospital under the Xiao family's name, where he found a familiar doctor and arranged for Shen Yao to undergo a thorough examination.

As the doctor treated her wound, Shen Yao frowned slightly in pain, but she bit her lip and didn't make a sound.

Xiao Weilin washed the blood off his body, put his hands in his pockets, leaned against the wall outside the clinic, and looked on expressionlessly.

The examination results showed that, apart from superficial injuries and a mild concussion, there were no more serious internal injuries. The doctor prescribed medication and told Shen Yao to rest well.

Xiao Weilin finally breathed a sigh of relief, but his face was still grim.

After the doctor left, only the two of them remained in the VIP ward.

He walked to the bedside, looked down at Shen Yao who was leaning against the headboard, her face pale, and broke the silence with a slight smirk:

"Shen Yao, weren't you so capable? Didn't you say you wanted me to be your dog?"

"Looks like I overestimated you. What? You can't even protect yourself without a man? You've gotten yourself into this state?"

His words were harsh and unpleasant, as if he was deliberately trying to provoke her.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yao slowly raised her head and looked at him.

A fragile, gentle smile appeared on her face, like a cracked white flower struggling to bloom after a storm, giving off a breathtaking feeling.

Xiao Weilin was taken aback by her smile.

Shen Yao raised her hand, the one without the IV drip, with some difficulty and stretched it out towards him.

Xiao Weilin had no idea what she was trying to do, but his body reacted faster than his brain. Almost instinctively, with a little awkwardness, he took a small step forward, closer to the bedside.

"What are you doing? You have needles in your hand, don't move around."

Shen Yao ignored his warning. She gently placed her hand on his arm that was hanging at his side, and then, as if using all her strength, she straightened up slightly, stretched out her arms, wrapped them around his waist, and gently and carefully rested her head on his chest.

"If only... things could stay like this forever."

"I'm so happy to see you, you..."

"I also like..." Xiao Weilin suddenly stopped. He had almost misheard her saying that she liked him, and nearly blurted out something nonsensical.

Then, he heard her bury her face in his chest, her voice muffled and thickly nasal:

"Xiao Weilin... thank you."

Xiao Weilin had rehearsed countless sarcastic and questioning words in his mind about that inexplicable "help" text message, about why she had made herself so miserable... but now he couldn't utter a single word.

All the sounds were stuck in a rut, making his chest feel tight.

The body in her arms was like a cruel mirror, suddenly reflecting her own image—the one who had once spoken harshly to her, argued with her, and wished she could be pushed far away.

A stinging emotion quietly crept into his heart, tightening ever more. Was it guilt? Or...regret?

He suddenly realized that what he had done before might have been a bit too much for this seemingly strong but actually helpless girl.

This thought left Xiao Weilin somewhat at a loss. He felt like a child who had done something wrong but didn't know how to make amends, and could only stand there, stunned.

He looked down at her face, and Shen Yao happened to look up, their eyes meeting.

For some reason, Xiao Weilin was drawn to Shen Yao, feeling that every part of her—her eyes, nose, and lips—was so exquisite and charming, and the more he looked at her, the more an irresistible impulse welled up in his heart.

He raised the back of his hand and gently touched his forehead, then slowly moved closer, and their foreheads gently touched.

Shen Yao seemed stunned and did not react for a moment.

Xiao Weilin gently cupped her face in his hand, his lips drawing closer with an unprecedented tenderness. It began with an extremely gentle probe, lingering and caressing her lips, but that brief, soft touch made his heart tighten suddenly.

Immediately afterward, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he could no longer resist lowering his head to kiss her deeply. The moment his tongue entered her mouth, he was the first to taste a tingling, numbing sensation—a strange, sweet shiver that spread from the tip of his tongue to every part of his body.

Unfortunately, this wonderful feeling didn't last long. Just as Shen Yao was about to refuse, Xiao Weilin, mindful of her injuries, obediently stepped back.

In a regular ward of another hospital.

Shen Daqiang lay on the hospital bed with a bruised and swollen face, still cursing and swearing, shouting that he would call the police and make the person who beat him "reap what he sows".

The nurse had just finished changing his dressing and left when the ward door was pushed open from the outside.

Sun Shao-ping walked in with a cold face, followed by two burly men with expressionless faces.

Upon seeing this commotion, Shen Daqiang was initially taken aback, then roared, his voice trembling with fear, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Sun Shao-ping didn't even bother to look at him, and simply waved to the two people behind him, his tone icy: "Take him away."

"You dare! I've called the police! Help! Kidnapping!" Shen Daqiang screamed in terror, struggling to get out of bed.

One of the men in black stepped forward and ruthlessly yanked him off the hospital bed. Shen Daqiang fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

"Who are you people? Let me go!" Shen Daqiang struggled in terror.

Sun Shao-ping frowned in annoyance; it was so noisy.

Just thinking about the specific details reported by his subordinates about what happened in the hotel room—how Shen Yao was beaten until her head was bleeding, how arrogant and domineering Shen Daqiang was…

Shen Yao is such a beautiful, sensible, and hardworking girl, how did she end up with such a scoundrel of a father? He's utterly despicable!

He didn't bother arguing with Shen Daqiang and signaled his men to lift the man up and stuff him into a black van parked at the back entrance of the hospital.

The car drove smoothly through the night. Sun Shao-ping took out his phone and dialed a number.

The call connected, and Fang Yunci's usual gentle and calm voice came from the other end: "Shaoping, is the matter settled?"

"The person has been brought out."

Sun Shao-ping reported, his voice laced with barely suppressed anger, "My men have found out. The hotel says Miss Shen Yao is badly injured; she has a cut on her forehead, a swollen face, and is bleeding. She was beaten by her father… Station Chief, that bastard is a complete scoundrel!"

There was a deathly silence on the other end of the phone. Sun Shao-ping could even hear his own breathing.

The silence lasted for a full half minute, so long that it made Sun Shao-ping a little uneasy; he almost thought the signal had been lost.

Just as Sun Shao-ping was about to speak again, Fang Yun-ci's voice finally rang out again. His tone was still steady, and he could not even hear any emotional fluctuations. But Sun Shao-ping felt a chill creep up his spine for no reason.

"Bring him here."

Fang Yunci only said these five words before hanging up the phone.

Sun Shao-ping held the phone that was ringing with a busy tone and subconsciously swallowed.

He had followed Fang Yunci for many years and, as a confidant, knew this "perfect man's" temperament all too well. The calmer the situation, the more likely it was the calm before the storm.

He glanced at Shen Daqiang, who was bound hand and foot, gagged, and struggling in terror in the back seat of the carriage, and a look of pity and schadenfreude flashed in his eyes.