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

Chapter 20 is about mothers, about mothers.

The party, which lasted for several hours, finally came to a close amidst applause and cheers.

Shen Yao sat in front of the mirror and slowly removed the heavy stage makeup from her face.

The students and staff around were still enthusiastically discussing the details of the party, and the name "Shen Yao" was undoubtedly one of the most frequently mentioned words.

"Shen Yao, you were amazing today! You were so calm during the typhoon, it didn't feel like you were a freshman!"

"Yes, you and Chen Mo have such great chemistry, the effect is really good!"

"I just heard a lot of people talking about you. They're all saying you're our school's newest beauty queen!"

Shen Yao listened to the praise with a humble smile and thanked each person.

Just then, the phone screen on the vanity lit up; it was a message from Yu Chuan:

After you change your clothes and come out from backstage, I'll be waiting for you at our usual spot.

Conciseness is his consistent style.

Shen Yao quickly changed back into her everyday clothes, a simple wool dress with a coat over it.

She didn't take her hair down yet, only tidying up the stray hairs a little. The updo made her look more capable and mature than usual.

She said goodbye to her busy classmates and walked out alone through the side door backstage.

The cool night breeze brushed against her face, clearing her head, which had been feverish from being under the spotlight for so long.

When I arrived at the familiar spot, the black sports car was indeed parked quietly in the shadows.

She opened the car door and got in. The car was well-heated, carrying Xiang Yuchuan's usual faint scent of tobacco and perfume.

"Is it over?" Xiang Yuchuan turned to look at her, his gaze lingering on her still-piled hair for a moment, his eyes deep.

"Hmm." Shen Yao nodded, her face showing a hint of fatigue and relaxation after a successful performance. "Why did you leave before it was over?"

"It's too noisy," Xiang Yuchuan replied casually, then picked up a delicate little gift box from the side and handed it to her, "Here, thank you for your hard work as the host."

Shen Yao took the box and opened it.

Inside was an exquisitely designed bracelet, inlaid with tiny diamonds that shimmered under the car's interior lights.

She smiled.

Since they started dating, she has indeed collected quite a lot of jewelry, including necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and more. Her jewelry box is almost overflowing with them.

For her, the value of these items lay more in the label "given to Yuchuan" and the material security they represented.

A look of surprise and sweetness immediately appeared on her face. She picked up the bracelet and compared it to her wrist, her voice soft and sweet:

"So beautiful! Thank you, Yuchuan, you have such good taste." She skillfully offered emotional support.

Xiang Yuchuan looked at her happy face, and then at her beautifully shaped neck and profile, which were fully exposed by her updo.

Having removed her heavy stage makeup, her current look is light and her updo makes her look less innocent and more charming and feminine, especially in the dim light inside the car, giving her a unique allure.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and he suddenly leaned over, placing one hand on the back of her neck and kissing her lips without a word.

When the kiss ended, Xiang Yuchuan stepped back slightly, his breathing a little heavy. His fingers unconsciously caressed the delicate skin on the back of her neck, and he looked at her with deep eyes.

Shen Yao's cheeks flushed, her eyes glistening with tears. She lowered her head shyly and whispered, "Let's go back."

"Okay." Xiang Yuchuan's voice was a little hoarse as he started the car.

After a while, as if he suddenly remembered something, he abruptly turned the steering wheel and veered in a completely different direction from returning to the dormitory.

"Huh?" Shen Yao was startled by the sudden turn and looked at him in surprise. "What's wrong? Aren't you going back to the dorm?"

Xiang Yuchuan clicked his tongue, a hint of annoyance on his face: "You hosted for so long tonight, didn't you eat anything? Aren't you hungry?"

Shen Yao was stunned for a moment.

She was indeed hungry. She had only eaten a little something before the party to stay in shape, and after the party she was busy cleaning up, so her stomach was completely empty.

But she was so tired that her eyelids were drooping, and all she wanted to do was go back to her dorm to take a shower and collapse on the bed. She had no appetite at all.

She even rolled her eyes inwardly: Young master, all I want to do now is get off work. I don't want to put on any more of this sentimental act with you.

But she couldn't say that.

A slightly confused yet sweet smile quickly spread across her face, and she said softly:

"Oh dear, I didn't even realize it until you said it. I think I'm a little hungry. I was so happy to see you that I completely forgot about it."

That's half true and half false. Being hungry is true, forgetting is false, and being happy? Hehe.

Xiang Yuchuan's expression softened considerably upon hearing this, even showing a hint of smugness: "I knew you'd forgotten. Let me take you to get something to eat."

He drove to a Cantonese tea restaurant that stayed open late, with a quiet and elegant ambiance.

At this time, there weren't many people left. Xiang Yuchuan, familiar with the place, ordered a few light porridge dishes and side dishes, then pushed the menu to Shen Yao: "See if you want anything else to eat."

Shen Yao wasn't really in the mood to order, so she just casually added a plate of shrimp dumplings.

While waiting for the food, she forced herself to chat with Xiang Yuchuan about the fun things that happened at the party, but the fatigue still overwhelmed her, and her eyes became somewhat unfocused.

Seeing that she was obviously tired but still trying to stay awake, Xiang Yuchuan, unusually, did not demand that she be energetic as usual.

He simply ladled a bowl of hot porridge for her and pushed it in front of her, saying, "Eat some while it's hot."

This rare display of consideration, devoid of any commanding tone, made Shen Yao pause slightly.

She looked up at Xiang Yuchuan, but he just kept his head down and drank his porridge.

Shen Yao lowered her head and sipped the warm porridge slowly. Her stomach gradually warmed up, and her tense nerves relaxed a little.

The meal was unusually quiet, yet strangely peaceful.

After they finished eating, Xiang Yuchuan drove her back to her dorm. When they arrived downstairs, he didn't say anything more, just looked at her and said, "Go upstairs, get some rest."

"Okay, drive carefully." Shen Yao nodded and turned to walk into the dormitory building.

In the stillness of the night, only the even breathing of the roommates could be heard in the dormitory.

As the hustle and bustle of the day faded away, Shen Yao lay in the darkness, wide awake.

She quietly pulled out a slightly worn photograph from under her pillow.

The photo shows a young woman with gentle eyes and a shy smile, who bears a striking resemblance to her.

This is her mother, Qin Yueqiu.

By the faint moonlight filtering through the window, Shen Yao's fingers gently traced the soft outline of her mother in the photograph, her thoughts drifting back to the small mountain village she had desperately wanted to escape.

Qin Yueqiu was a famous beauty in that small town, and also a "good woman" in the conventional sense.

She is gentle, thrifty, and kind. She can manage household chores, do laundry and cook, and speaks softly to everyone.

Back then, her alcoholic father, Shen Dazhu, managed to forcefully plant her mother, such a beautiful flower, in his muddy mess by using relentless pestering and a bit of brute force.

But the result?

The happiness after marriage was as fleeting as an illusion.

Shen Dazhu soon revealed his true colors: he became an alcoholic and a gambler, and would beat and kick his mother whenever things didn't go his way.

The woman, as meek as a lamb, gradually lost the light in her eyes and withered away amidst the daily violence and insults.

Shen Yao's childhood was spent amidst her father's roars and her mother's sobs.

That's probably when she started to hate.

This hatred was so immense that it made her hate this group from the bottom of her heart.

I hate their violence, I hate their selfishness, and I hate even more their sense of entitlement and trampling on women.

She also questioned herself countless times.

What did a "good woman" like my mother, who is gentle, kind, and submissive, actually get in return?

A husband rotten to the core? A quagmire with no hope in sight? And countless illnesses and a life cut short?

Is this what happens to a "good woman"?

Shen Yao clutched the photo tightly.

Her mother is very good to her.

In that mountain village where sons were generally favored over daughters, her mother never looked down on her for being a "money-losing burden."

When she timidly expressed her desire to go to school and not want to get married early like other girls, it was her mother, her mother, this usually gentle woman, who for the first and only time mustered up her meager courage.

Despite enduring Shen Dazhu's punches and the villagers' gossip, she protected her and fought for her chance to go to school.

Shen Yao understood her mother's weakness.

In that closed and ignorant environment, a woman who was uneducated, economically disadvantaged, and had a docile personality could be crushed by worldly views and public opinion.

She dared not escape, nor did she know where she could escape to.

Her tragedy was inevitable due to that environment.

But understanding does not equate to agreement.

Shen Yao gently stroked her mother's young face in the photo, her eyes, so similar to hers, still filled with longing for the future.

She silently said to herself:

Mom, did you see that?

Your daughter didn't follow in your footsteps.

Gentleness, kindness, tolerance... these "good qualities" cannot save us.

I will climb up in my own way, climb to a very, very high place.

I want to make all those who have looked down on us and hurt us look up at us with disdain.

I will live better than anyone else.

Mom, don't worry.