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

Zhou family.

Inside the master bedroom.

Zhou Jingyan had already woken up.

The man's already gentle face now showed even more tenderness.

He held the person in his arms firmly with his long arms, and gently brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen around Shen Yao's neck with his fingertips.

"Yaoyao, do you want to get up?"

Shen Yao was so busy yesterday that she didn't have a moment to spare. She had to send out invitations to everyone for her birthday party today and also double-check the venue details. She was so tired that her eyelids were practically glued together.

She impatiently pried his hand away, turned her back to the man, and muttered, "Shut up."

Zhou Jingyan remained silent for a moment, but instead of getting angry, the corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

The man gently cupped the girl's waist with his palm, carefully turned her back over, and pulled her into his arms again.

He pressed his nose against the top of her hair, greedily inhaling the light, cool fragrance, and silently closed his eyes.

……

On the large bed, Zhou Jingyan lowered his eyes to stare at the beautiful sleeping face of the person in his arms. He was no longer sleepy at all, only completely clear-headed.

It's obvious that his principles are completely shattered.

What should a gentleman do so early in the morning?

Zhou Jingyan couldn't take advantage of her while she was asleep, so he lowered his head again and gently kissed her forehead.

This completely enraged Shen Yao.

She abruptly opened her eyes, her watery eyes filled with sleepy anger as she glared at him resentfully.

That sight, in Zhou Jingyan's eyes, only softened his heart. Knowing he was in the wrong, he softened his voice even more:

"Did I disturb you? I didn't mean to."

Seeing his good-natured appearance, Shen Yao's anger subsided considerably, and she even felt a bit teasing.

She blinked, then suddenly reached out, her fingertips lightly brushing against his collar, and asked in a soft voice:

"Jingyan, what's wrong with you?"

She actually reached out and touched it.

Zhou Jingyan's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and he tightened his grip on her arm. He lowered his head to inhale her fragrance, a faint fascination flashing in his eyes.

How delightful it was for Yao Yao to seduce him!

Pity.

Today is her important day; we can't do anything reckless.

"Jingyan, what's my birthday present?" Shen Yao hugged his arm and shook it playfully.

Zhou Jingyan shook his head, smiling but remaining silent:

"I can't tell you yet."

Shen Yao leaned closer to the man, her nose touching his chin:

"Fine, I won't tell you then. But I'll let you in on a secret: I have a gift for you after your birthday party tonight."

The gift... is for him to give himself completely to her, to be handed over to her. That's not too much to ask, is it?

He should grant her wish as the birthday girl, right?

Zhou Jingyan nodded, his eyes filled with indulgence.

"but……"

Shen Yao drawled out the last syllable, looking at him with displeasure.

Zhou Jingyan raised an eyebrow in confusion: "Hmm?"

"You woke me up, you need to be punished."

"What punishment did Yao Yao say?" The man's voice was low and gentle, imbued with his usual tolerance and favoritism.

Shen Yao raised her eyebrows and smiled like a mischievous little fox:

"I want to ride a big horse."

Zhou Jingyan stared into her bright eyes, and without the slightest hesitation, he actually propped himself up and knelt on the bed.

The man's back was broad and strong, and his upper body was slightly tense due to the movement, outlining smooth and powerful lines.

He turned his head, his profile illuminated by the light, his voice filled with indulgent laughter: "Come on up, little darling."

Shen Yao didn't stand on ceremony and straddled him.

My palm rests against Zhou Jingyan's warm back, the contours of his muscles clearly visible beneath.

She gently patted his shoulder and shouted in a deliberately authoritative tone, "Giddy up—"

Zhou Jingyan moved forward a few steps to cooperate, his back steadily supporting her weight, but he didn't rush to move.

The man suddenly straightened up slightly, took her hand that was resting on his shoulder, and ran his fingertips through her fingers. His voice was deep: "Yaoyao, sit tight."

As soon as he finished speaking, he slowly propped himself up, carried her on his back, and crawled around the bed.

His movements were steady and gentle, as if afraid of disturbing her even slightly.

Shen Yao leaned against his back, her forehead touching the short hair at the back of his neck, laughing so hard her whole body was shaking.

Zhou Jingyan suddenly stopped, turned his head, and his lips brushed against her calf. He looked up, his eyes filled with a tender light:

"Are you satisfied, birthday boy?"

Shen Yao looked down at him.

The man's kneeling posture conveyed a submissive willingness to submit; yet his eyes clearly held something else, gazing at her intently and intensely.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, but she stubbornly insisted on her words:

"It's alright."

"Not bad?" Zhou Jingyan chuckled softly, then suddenly lifted her off his back by her knees.

In a dizzying moment, Shen Yaoren was turned over and pinned to the soft mattress by the man.

A kiss ended the horseback riding session.

_

As dusk fell, the lights of Yanjing (Beijing) began to illuminate the city one by one.

Tonight, the city is still bustling with traffic, and the everyday life continues as usual. But in the world of the upper class, all eyes are focused on only one place.

The banquet was held at a lakeside private estate owned by the Wei family.

Before even entering the main gate of the manor, the main road was already lined with black cars. Half of the well-known figures in Yanjing had gathered in this direction tonight.

Besides these, the most eye-catching thing was that Huo Yandong, the old man from the Huo family in Hong Kong, made a special trip to celebrate Shen Yao's birthday.

To show his favoritism, Mr. Fok even booked a private viewing terrace on Victoria Peak in Hong Kong as a branch venue.

Although Shen Yao is not in Hong Kong tonight, her name is echoing throughout the city's night sky.

Besides Huo Yandong, the second person with a significant background is Secretary Yu—a top official in Yanjing who rarely appears in public.

The manor gates were wide open, and two rows of jade-colored palace lanterns stretched along the long path, through the neatly manicured gardens, and all the way to the main building.

The main building's banquet hall has a high ceiling and is spacious, with a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the dome, cascading down thousands of points of light.

Tonight, no one dares to be late.

Not all the people who came were close friends with Shen Yao, but everyone knew that this 25-year-old girl was no longer a junior who depended on anyone.

She held power in her hands, involved in a complex web of interests, had the two elders of the Wei family behind her, and was surrounded by a group of influential men.

As night fell, a stream of dazzling gifts arrived, and flowers filled the entire courtyard from the main hall.

"Help! What happened to my brother?!"

Xie Yuanzhu, dressed in an exquisite little dress, stomped her feet in anger, waving her empty coin purse back and forth in her hand.

"He wouldn't let me give him a gift that was more expensive than his, and he confiscated my allowance! Who is he? I haven't even settled things with my cousin yet, and he's already targeting me?"

She got angrier and angrier as she spoke, her little face puffing up like a steamed bun:

"Don't you know I'm the one who should be being courted? Whoever wins, I'll call Yao Yao 'sister-in-law'!"

Zhao Tang and Su He exchanged a glance.

What did they hear?

This... both cousins ​​like Shen Yao? And it's gotten to the point of "persuading" and "winning her over"?

"Excuse me for a moment."

Maintaining the decorum of a well-bred young lady, Zhao Tang made an excuse and headed towards the restroom.

But as soon as she stepped out of the banquet hall, the young lady couldn't wait to take out her phone and tap the screen rapidly with her fingertips.

Before the message could be sent, Zhao Tang paused.

She stood behind a pillar in the corner and heard two deep voices arguing.

Two strikingly handsome men stood facing each other, one with an arrogant air and the other with a mocking expression. The tension in the air was so intense it seemed about to explode.

"You don't actually think you've succeeded in taking over, do you?"

Xiang Yuchuan let out a sneer, his eyes full of sarcasm.

"I never knew you were so naive, Xiao Weilin. Yao Yao is just soft-hearted. She treated you like a stray dog, and you actually thought you had a home?"

Xiao Weilin's expression suddenly darkened:

"And what about you? What right do you have to stand in front of me and say these things? Shen Yao's ex-boyfriend?"

"At least we were together; I was her first love."

Xiang Yuchuan laughed in anger, the curve of his lips unreadable—was he stabbing Xiao Weilin in the heart, or was he stabbing himself?

He paused, then suddenly turned his head and slowly uttered four words: "You mistress."

What kind of best buddies are they? They'd practically tear each other's hair apart in private!

Zhao Tang covered her mouth, her eyes wide open.

What's going on?

Just as she was about to slip away quietly, a clear voice suddenly came from the corner.

"Where's the senior student?"

Yu Hang appeared on the other side of the corridor pillar at some point, completely unaware of the tense scene before him:

"I brought the person my senior most wanted to see—my mother—with me, and we're on our way to see her."

Xiao Weilin abruptly raised his eyes, coldly glancing at Yu Hang, before suddenly forcing a completely emotionless smile:

"Xiang Yuchuan, the real mistress is right here."

"...What?"

Alarm bells rang in Zhao Tang's mind; her intuition told her that this was no place to stay for long.

She grabbed her skirt, turned and ran, her steps so frantic they were almost erratic, as she circled the pillars and passed through the side hall.

As she rounded the last corner, she lost her footing and nearly bumped into someone.

The man was tall and slender, looking down at his phone. When she bumped into him, both of them stopped in their tracks.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Lu Xiuting raised his eyes, his gaze sweeping across her face, his mind elsewhere, and he simply replied casually:

"fine."

Before he could finish speaking, he had already stepped aside to avoid the danger.

Zhao Tang didn't have time to think much and plunged into the brightly lit banquet hall to wait for the main character to take center stage.

_

Shen Yao sat alone in the dressing room.

The soft light from the mirror lamp illuminated her face.

In the quiet air, a voice suddenly surged up from the depths of memory, rough and unruly, carrying the dampness and crampedness unique to that dilapidated main room in Xishan Village—

"Five thousand? Are you trying to fob me off like a beggar?!"

"My daughter's a college student! Shanghai University! Do you know how important that is? You think you can just touch her for five thousand yuan?"

"Twenty thousand? My daughter is ten times better than his! It'll cost at least—at least fifty thousand! Not a penny less!"

That was the day she escaped from Xishan.

With his ugly, red face, the father put out his cigarette and placed her on the table as if he were discussing a sale of livestock.

That day marked a turning point in Shen Yao's entire life.

She remembers standing inside the door, trembling all over, her nails digging into her palms.

But she didn't turn around.

Shen Yao in the mirror suddenly curved the corners of her mouth slightly.

"I love you, Shen Yao."

This confession wasn't said by any single man.

It was twenty-five-year-old Shen Yao who spoke softly to her own bright black eyes in the mirror in the quiet dressing room.

She spoke to her eighteen-year-old self, and to that girl who was beaten bloody and cowering in a corner with no one to confide in.

Her soul seemed to travel through seven years, returning to the door of that dimly lit main room, taking the trembling little girl's hand, and saying to her:

"You escaped, you went far, and in the future, you will go even further."

In the empty dressing room, Shen Yao slowly stood up.

"Yaoyao, are you done?"

Xue Huaiqing's voice came from outside the door.

Shen Yao took one last look at herself in the mirror.

Her makeup was exquisite, her eyebrows and eyes were beautiful, and there were no tear stains in her eyes, only a dazzling light.

She took a step, pushed open the door, and walked towards that magnificent and dazzling world, no longer looking back at the muddy past.

She always wanted to move forward, always be ambitious.

——【End of text】——