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

She could clearly feel Qin Fang's gaze coming from her left.

Although he acted like everyone else, pretending it was their first meeting and chatting and laughing.

But in the occasional glances he cast at her, besides curiosity about Xiang Yuchuan's identity as his girlfriend, there was still a primal, hard-to-disguise interest in a man for a beautiful woman.

Just then, a young man with dyed blue hair and trendy clothes approached with a glass of whiskey, grinning as he tried to hand it to Xiang Yuchuan.

"Young Master Xiang, come on, shall we have a drink?"

Xiang Yuchuan was wearing loose cargo pants, his long legs casually crossed, and he leaned back lazily on the sofa.

He glanced at the wine glass offered to him, waved his hand dismissively, his tone casual yet firm:

"I'm not drinking, you guys have fun."

The blue-haired young man was taken aback, then exclaimed exaggeratedly:

"What the hell? Xiang Yuchuan, are you still yourself? You weren't like this before! What? Have you changed? Or...?"

He was speaking when his eyes unconsciously glanced at Shen Yao, who was sitting next to Xiang Yuchuan, as if he understood something.

He didn't say anything more, nor did he dare look at Shen Yao again, for fear of arousing any inappropriate thoughts.

Xiang Yuchuan followed his gaze to Shen Yao, a faint smile playing on his lips, and readily admitted:

"Okay, I'm not drinking anymore. I still have to take Yao Yao home later, it's not convenient, and I don't want to reek of alcohol."

"Aww~"

"Holy crap! Xiang Yuchuan, you're spoiling me way too much!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, is this still the Xiang Yuchuan we know?"

"Sister-in-law! What kind of spell have you cast on our brother?"

In an instant, shouts and teasing filled the air, and everyone glanced back and forth between Xiang Yuchuan and Shen Yao with ambiguous and envious eyes.

Qin Fang was taking a sip of wine from his female companion's hand when he heard this. His eyes flickered, and he asked casually, as if it were nothing more than a casual remark:

"Wow, how long have you been together? Your relationship is so good!"

Xiang Yuchuan leaned back lazily on the sofa, his arm naturally resting on the back of Shen Yao's arm, forming a protective posture, and replied, "It's been almost half a year, hasn't it?"

It's been almost half a year.

As soon as the time was announced, the private room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into an even louder commotion.

These playboys, used to their ways, all knew that for people in their circle, a girlfriend who could maintain a stable relationship for more than half a year and was willing to change her lifestyle for the other person, such as giving up drinking and picking them up, was a much more valuable "girlfriend."

This is almost equivalent to a semi-public, seriously taken couple.

"Brother Xiang, when are you coming back? The brothers miss you so much!"

"Yeah, without you, it doesn't feel fun at all!"

Xiang Yuchuan smiled, but his gaze was fixed on Shen Yao:

"Well... that's not up to me. It depends on Yao Yao's plans."

These words further confirmed Shen Yao's special place in his heart.

Hearing the noise around her, Shen Yao smiled shyly at the right moment.

However, she simply couldn't ignore the icy, bone-chilling gaze coming from her right, a gaze that seemed to want to peel her skin off and tear her apart.

Unable to bear it any longer, she suddenly raised her head and fearlessly met Xiao Weilin's beautiful eyes, which were filled with white on the bottom, and glared back fiercely.

His eyes were filled with offended shame and questioning.

What are you looking at! What's so interesting!

Xiao Weilin was clearly not expected that Shen Yao would suddenly "retaliate," and was taken aback by her bright, fiery gaze.

The way she glared at him didn't seem like fear; instead, she resembled a cat that had been provoked, baring her teeth and claws but without any real threat, unexpectedly diluting some of the anger in his heart.

He twitched the corners of his mouth, returning a forced, insincere smile.

Shen Yao was disgusted by his expression, so she immediately turned her head away and stopped looking at him, focusing on drinking her juice.

As she turned her head, Xiao Weilin looked at her slender, fair neck and profile, and the irritation and some inexplicable destructive urge that had just been suppressed in his heart resurfaced.

This woman... is such an eyesore.

He squeezed the wine glass.

The atmosphere in the private room grew increasingly lively, fueled by alcohol and music.

Several young men took turns performing, howling and wailing, which drew laughter from the audience.

A rather handsome young man, whose eyes kept unconsciously glancing at Shen Yao, took advantage of a break in the song request session to boldly say to Xiang Yuchuan:

"Brother Xiang, how about your wife sings a song too? Let us enjoy it!"

These words immediately drew a chorus of agreement.

Everyone stared at Shen Yao expectantly.

Whether a stunning beauty like her sings well or not is completely unimportant; just watching her stand there holding the microphone is enough to please the eye.

Xiang Yuchuan has now learned to respect Shen Yao's wishes in front of her.

Instead of taking on everything as before, he turned his head and asked Shen Yao in a low voice:

"Yaoyao, do you want to sing? If you don't want to sing, just refuse, it's okay."

Shen Yao originally thought that singing a song wouldn't hurt, as it would be a good opportunity to showcase herself.

She was about to nod when she gently adjusted her skirt, preparing to stand up—

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't you guys have any common sense?"

Qin Fang's voice lazily interrupted, his legs crossed, a wine glass swirling in his hand, a cynical smile on his face.

"It's Miss Shen's first time here. How can we expect her to perform right away? That's so impolite."

He quickly dismissed the suggestion to sing, then patted the girl in the sexy halter dress sitting next to him, his tone casual:

"Honey, I remember you sing really well, don't you? Go and entertain the audience."

When the girl saw Qin Fang's captivating eyes, his handsome face so close to hers, two blushes instantly rose on her cheeks, and she nodded hastily.

"Okay, Mr. Qin, I'll go right away."

Qin Fang was very satisfied with her sensible attitude.

In the dim, hazy light, he turned his gaze to Shen Yao, a meaningful smile playing on his lips, and raised his chin slightly:

"Let her go."

As the music started, the girl walked to the center of the private room and picked up the microphone.

Surprisingly, her singing voice was incredibly beautiful and melodious, with a clear tone and full of emotion, clearly demonstrating her skill and genuine love for singing.

Shen Yao leaned back on the sofa, tilted her head slightly, and listened attentively, her eyes revealing genuine appreciation.

She remembered that Qin Fang owned an entertainment company and had access to a lot of resources.

Looking at the girl on stage, who was trying her best to show herself and whose eyes were full of longing, Shen Yao suddenly felt a strange bitterness and a sense of sympathy.

Is he just another pathetic person trying to squeeze into that glamorous circle?

What forced her to wear such clothes, to work as a hostess here, and to wait for a slim chance?

When the music ended, applause broke out.

The girl bowed shyly.

During this brief moment of silence, Shen Yao spoke.

She rarely spoke after she came in. Her voice had a natural, gentle, and clear quality, like a mountain spring dripping onto jade. It instantly attracted everyone's attention, and even the noise paused for a moment.

She looked at Qin Fang, her tone sincere and full of admiration:

"Mr. Qin, she sings so beautifully."