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

When Shen Yao dragged her almost broken body to stand on the bustling streets of Shanghai, she lost the ability to think for a full three minutes.

It wasn't inferiority; it was an almost savage longing that surged from the soles of my feet to the top of my head.

Everything before her eyes was a completely different world from the impoverished mountain village where she had lived for eighteen years.

The towering buildings reflected a blinding light in the sunlight.

The streets were bustling with traffic; those beautiful cars she had only ever seen in old magazines were as common as beetles here.

Men and women came and went, dressed smartly and walking quickly, with a kind of confidence she had never seen before.

Even the air was filled with a mixture of perfume, exhaust fumes, and a certain restless, energetic atmosphere.

She looked down at herself.

The faded old shirt, the worn-out jeans with faded knees, the canvas shoes with the soles coming unglued, and the rustic cloth bag slung over his shoulder all seemed out of place with his surroundings.

The rain and the stains left by her running around made her look more like a little beggar.

But Shen Yao straightened her back unconsciously.

She did not come from a place of shame.

She came to conquer.

One day, she will trample all this glitz and glamour, all this extravagance and debauchery, under her feet.

It's not envy, it's a determination to have it.

Her immediate priority was to survive and get into Shanghai University; the money in her pocket wasn't even enough to stay in the cheapest hotel for a few days.

She needs money and needs to find a part-time job immediately.

Shen Yao walked aimlessly along the street, her eyes scanning the shops along the way.

Restaurants, bubble tea shops, convenience stores...

Her goal was clear: a part-time job, and ideally, the boss would be a man.

Shen Yao was self-aware.

Her face would probably be less appealing to girls her age most of the time, but it would be most effective in front of men.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, her legs and feet were sore and numb, so she stopped in front of a rather elegant-looking coffee shop.

Through the bright floor-to-ceiling windows, you can see the warm-toned decor inside, with small groups of guests chatting quietly.

The key point is that behind the bar stood a man in his thirties, wearing frameless glasses and a well-fitting shirt, wiping coffee cups with his head down. His profile looked clean and gentle.

This is it, Shen Yao quickly concluded.

The owner of this kind of artsy shop is likely to have a bit of a bourgeois taste and be prone to sympathizing with beautiful women in distress.

Moreover, the store manager doesn't look like a greasy man who's been hustling at the bottom of society; he should have some manners and principles, and he's not too unsightly.

She took a deep breath but didn't go in immediately. Instead, she quickly walked to a deserted alley and took out a bottle of the cheapest mineral water she had bought at the train station from her cloth bag.

She didn't drink it, but instead unscrewed the cap, carefully poured some into her palm, and then gently patted it on her face, neck, and even eyelashes.

The cold water droplets mixed with the already damp rain made her look even more disheveled.

She rubbed her eyes hard again until they turned red, making it look like she had just cried or was holding back tears.

After doing all this, she looked at the blurry reflection of a car window at the alley entrance.

A pale, fragile, and pitiful image of a fallen girl—perfect.

She clenched her fist, feeling her heart beating steadily in her chest.

There was no tension, only a calm and excited feeling of about to step into the battlefield.

Pushing open the heavy glass door of the coffee shop, the wind chimes on the door made a crisp "ding-a-ling" sound.

A gust of wind, carrying the rich aroma of coffee and the cool air from the air conditioner, swept over her, causing Shen Yao, who was soaked and chilled to the bone, to shiver slightly. This subtle movement only added to her sense of helplessness.

The manager behind the bar looked up, and when his gaze fell on her, he clearly paused for a moment.

Shen Yao displayed a perfectly timed look of panic and shyness, unsure of what to do with her hands and feet.

She moved slowly to the bar, her voice trembling as if afraid of disturbing the tranquility:

"Excuse me, do you need any part-time workers here?"

The store manager, Chen Yuan, was indeed amazed.

He had seen many beautiful girls, but the one in front of him was different.

Her beauty was non-aggressive, a kind of fragility born from the ravages of wind and rain. Her skin was almost translucent white, and her lips were pale and slightly pursed due to the cold and tension.

The most deadly thing is those eyes, with extremely dark pupils, as if veiled by a layer of Jiangnan water vapor, looking at you with a wet gaze, filled with unease and pleading, easily arousing a man's most primal protective instincts.

Her clothes were old and even a little dirty, but they couldn't hide her slender and beautiful figure.

Chen Yuan put down his cup, his tone unconsciously softening considerably:

"Part-time? Our shop is indeed hiring, mainly for evening and weekend shifts. Are you a student?"

"Yes." Shen Yao nodded vigorously, as if she had grasped a lifeline, and hurriedly and carefully took out the admission notice, which was wrapped in layers of plastic bags, from the tattered cloth bag.

She unfolded her book and pointed to the words "Shanghai University." "I'm a freshman this year, and I came early. I want to find a job to earn some living expenses."

Chen Yuan looked at the admission notice stamped with a red seal, then at the girl in front of him, who was soaking wet but had a stubborn look in her eyes, and felt a surge of sympathy for her.

A top student from Shanghai University, reduced to this state...

"How did it get like this?" he couldn't help but ask.

Shen Yao lowered her eyelashes, and when she raised them again, her eyes were even redder, and her voice was choked with suppressed sobs:

"I don't have many relatives left. I finally got into university, and I even scraped together the travel expenses. I just arrived in Shanghai, and then my wallet was stolen..."

A lie that is only partially true is the hardest to detect.

She really didn't have any relatives; the father who was knocked unconscious didn't count at all. The travel expenses were indeed "collected" from her; she got some more from Shen Dazhu.

As for the stolen wallet, that was purely a tactic to gain sympathy.

As expected, Chen Yuan's face showed a look of understanding and pity.

It's so pitiful that a beautiful girl with no one to rely on came to the big city to study alone and suffered such a misfortune.

"Don't rush me," Chen Yuan's voice softened. "Our shop's part-time jobs are paid hourly, 25 yuan per hour, including one meal. The main tasks are taking orders, serving coffee, and cleaning. Can you do it?"

Twenty-five yuan! Shen Yao quickly calculated in her mind; this was better than she had expected.

She nodded immediately, her eyes filled with gratitude and eagerness:

"I can do it! I can do anything! Thank you, thank you so much!"

She even gave a slight bow, her movements somewhat flustered, yet they only made her seem more sincere.

Chen Yuan looked at the section of her fair, delicate neck exposed by her bow, and his heart stirred. His tone softened further:

"When can you start work? You need to settle down first, right?"

"I can do it today!" Shen Yao said hurriedly. "I'll just find the cheapest place to stay first."

Chen Yuan hesitated for a moment.

He was really worried about letting a girl like that stay in those poorly maintained guesthouses.

"How about this, there's a small storage room in the back of the shop, where we usually store odds and ends. It's small, but it can be tidied up and someone can live there. If you don't mind, you can stay there temporarily, which will also help me watch the shop."

Shen Yao suddenly looked up, and the light that flashed in her eyes momentarily stunned Chen Yuan.

"Really? Manager, you're such a kind person!" It saved her money.

"Just call me Brother Chen." Chen Yuan smiled, feeling that he had done a good deed. "Come on, let me show you around first."

He walked around the bar and led Shen Yao to the back room.

Watching the girl follow behind him, her slender figure and cautious steps filled Chen Yuan with a strange sense of satisfaction.

He felt like a knight rescuing a princess in distress.