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

Xiao Weixun, far away in Italy, remained silent for several seconds after the phone call was disconnected, and finally could only manage a speechless twitch of his lips.

Sister Shen Yao, could you please wait until he finishes speaking?

Ugh, that's going too far.

Shen Yao hung up the phone, but did not leave immediately.

She stood by the flower bed, the evening breeze gently lifting her skirt, the light from her phone screen reflecting in her eyes.

Shen Yao suddenly had an absurd intuition.

She suspected that all the pigs she had eaten in her life had been reincarnated and come back to take revenge on her.

Plans can never keep up with the unpredictable changes brought about by those scoundrels.

The "bitch" she was referring to was Leung Hei-hang.

There was no one else.

She had actually had doubts while she was in Italy.

The main thing is that such a smart person died so suddenly, which makes people wonder if he was really dead.

Shen Yao deliberately put on that act in front of Xiao Weixun, using ambiguous tone and intimate posture, intending to force a certain boy hiding in the shadows to reveal his true colors.

Unfortunately, he did not show up.

Given Liang Xiheng's petty nature, she simply couldn't tolerate her discussing that kind of topic with Xiao Weixun.

His failure to speak out left Shen Yao uncertain.

The little girl delivered the flowers at just the right moment, like someone handing her a thread at the perfect instant.

Let's try one more time.

I don't know if he'll come out this time.

Shen Yao put her phone back in her bag.

If it's confirmed that he's alive, no matter what his reason for doing this, Liang Xiheng, you just wait and see!

Shen Yao turned and walked back.

Lu Xiuting stood at the end of the corridor, watching her approach, and finally spoke just as she was about to pass by:

"Are you still going to get involved in this?"

Shen Yao didn't stop, she just turned her head to look at him:

"Never mind."

She really didn't have much to ask.

The knots in her heart had been untied one by one by Liang Zheng and herself, and she carried on Liang Xiheng's questions without missing a single one.

The rest is Xue Huaiqing's business, and also Liang Xiheng's own business, whose fate is unknown, just like Schrödinger's.

Injustice has its head, and debt has its owner.

As long as the two of them are still alive, how could Liang Zhenghe possibly walk out alive? Even if he were to miraculously survive, the people behind Liang Sen would probably reappear and take his life again.

"I'm sorry, but as for who is behind Liang Zhenghe and what Liang Sen's background is, I really can't ask for you."

Lu Xiuting once again showed that hesitant expression, his lips moved slightly, as if there were words swirling on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed them back.

Shen Yao pretended not to see it as usual, but her phone vibrated, and Zhou Jingyan's voice came through the receiver:

"Yaoyao, is it over there?"

Shen Yao turned around, just in time to avoid the fleeting gloom in Lu Xiuting's eyes.

She raised her voice, leaving all the sharp gazes behind her: "It's over. You've arrived?"

Zhou Jingyan chuckled lightly: "The princess's carriage is ready, awaiting your arrival."

Shen Yao hung up the phone and walked straight to the door.

She didn't intentionally want to sever ties with Lu Xiuting so clearly; it's just that Lu Xiuting is the kind of pure love warrior you often see online, and deep down he can't accept her fickle nature.

But that's just the kind of person she is.

This habit is unchangeable, and I have no intention of changing it.

She could only let him gradually come to terms with the truth.

If he can't accept it, then they can maintain this distant yet close relationship; if he's willing to take a step back, then she wouldn't mind if he took the initiative to make amends.

Shen Yao pushed open the door, and the night breeze rushed in.

Zhou Jingyan was leaning against the car, his figure casting a long shadow under the streetlight. When he saw her come out, a faint smile appeared on his face.

Shen Yao raised her hand to wave at him when a calm voice came from behind her: "Anything else planned for tonight?"

Shen Yao turned her head to the side, raising her eyebrows in slight surprise.

Lu Xiuting actually followed them out.

His face remained calm, but the gaze that enveloped her was heavy, occasionally drifting over her shoulder to Zhou Jingyan behind her.

Zhou Jingyan had already seen them.

He leaned against the car, his relaxed posture tensing slightly the moment Lu Xiuting stepped out.

The two men's gazes met precisely in mid-air.

One stood beside the car, the other on the steps, separated by the entire night, and by Shen Yao alone.

The night breeze passed between the two, making a slight rustling sound as their clothes swayed, giving them a casual appearance.

Standing at the center of this meeting of gazes, Shen Yao suddenly felt that the wind tonight was just the right temperature.

Lu Xiuting was the first to look away, skipping over Zhou Jingyan and landing directly on Shen Yao's face: "You haven't answered my question yet."

What should I answer?

Anything else planned for tonight?

Shen Yao felt like she was about to burst out laughing.

They came to pick me up in person, so of course they must have something to say.

She maintained the peaceful demeanor one would use when discussing business with an ex-boyfriend. It was fine when business wasn't involved, but the moment personal matters came up, she radiated awkwardness.

"I have to go now," Shen Yao said decisively, as if she wanted to write "goodbye" on her face.

Lu Xiuting looked at her, as if she wanted to run away, and smiled faintly, unhurriedly:

"Perfect timing, I have a relationship problem I'd like to ask you for advice."

"Mr. Zhou, you're here too?"

"Why don't we go together?"

When the man said this, it was as if he had just noticed Zhou Jingyan. He glanced over at him indifferently and gave him a polite greeting.

Zhou Jingyan showed no anger whatsoever, nodded slightly, and said in a neutral tone, "Director Lu, it might not be convenient today. My mother is also here."

His voice was gentle, but his words were firmly veiled.

A subtle glint flashed in Lu Xiuting's eyes, but Zhou Jingyan, being good-natured, remained calm.

He always treated Shen Yao with a motherly tolerance, believing that "even being able to eat with chopsticks deserves praise." He also gradually realized that the messy men around her were no pushovers.

Zhou Jingyan took the initiative to extend his hand, and Lu Xiuting paused for a moment before raising his hand to shake it back.

Logically speaking, Shen Yao should be the one in the most awkward situation.

But she stood there smiling the whole time, her hands behind her back, watching a play that had nothing to do with her.

Lu Xiuting and Zhou Jingyan glanced at her simultaneously.

To be honest, I'm a little itchy.

Is it that they genuinely don't know, or are they pretending not to know?

Lu Xiuting couldn't stand seeing his ex-girlfriend, especially since she had rejected him once, yet he looked so smug.

Perhaps because of this, he spoke up:

"President Shen, I've helped you a lot with this matter, haven't I? Why are you always in such a hurry to leave after we finish discussing business?"

Shen Yao blinked, her face completely innocent: "It's just a coincidence that I always have plans with someone. I'm so sorry, thank you for your help."

His tone was genuinely polite.

Lu Xiuting wasn't annoyed: "There's no such thing as a free lunch. Chairman Shen, what benefits are you planning to give me?"

"What I want... you should know."

These words may have been meant for her, or they may have been meant for Zhou Jingyan; in any case, they were not explicitly stated, and the speaker maintained a composed and steady demeanor.

Shen Yao was not happy.

She is unhappy now, and she has the right to be unhappy.

The more men there are, the higher the margin for error.

She lowered her eyes and replied in a flat tone, "I'm not quite sure. You can tell me next time."

After saying that, she ended the conversation casually and decisively, then opened Zhou Jingyan's car door right in front of him.

After getting on the bus, Shen Yao didn't look out the window again.

She flipped down the sun visor and examined her face in the small mirror.

The light shone on the girl's face, which was completely focused on what was none of her business. She ignored the gazes that Zhou Jingyan and Lu Xiuting cast at her.

The cruel schemes and thoughts in her heart were completely hidden from her pure and innocent face.

Others would only think: This woman is heartless.

A faint hint of bitterness flashed across Zhou Jingyan's face, but his heart remained largely unmoved. He simply turned his head to inform him:

"We'll be going now, we'll talk again next time."

In contrast, Lu Xiuting stood on the steps with a smile on his lips, but beneath that smile lay a turbulent, indescribable undercurrent.

The car slowly drove away, its taillights casting two red arcs in the night.

Lu Xiuting's thin lips were tightly pressed together, and the veins on his temples throbbed several times, showing that he was enduring something.