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

Shen Yao practically floated home.

It was already very late at night, and only a dim floor lamp was on in the living room, casting a hazy light.

Pushing open the door, she was surprised to find Xiang Yuchuan at home.

He was sitting alone on the sofa, staring blankly at the night outside the window, lost in thought, a heavy atmosphere surrounding him.

Normally, if Shen Yao saw him like this, she would definitely avoid him.

But today is different.

The immense sense of accomplishment and the joy of being recognized washed over her long-strained heart like a warm tide, making her eager to find someone to share this happiness with.

But...who should I turn to?

She has no blood relatives in this world.

My mother has passed away; my nominal father doesn't count.

Those so-called friends? Many of them are nothing more than casual acquaintances or relationships based on mutual benefit.

Who would feel genuine joy and pride for her pure progress and success, with the eyes of a true family member?

Looking around the luxurious yet cold apartment, she gazed at the person on the sofa—a person with whom she had a complicated relationship, but who was the only "person beside her" she could hold onto at this moment.

Let's go with him.

She rushed to the sofa and, before Xiang Yuchuan could react, threw herself into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, tilting her head back, her eyes sparkling with brilliance.

"Xiang Yuchuan, Xiang Yuchuan! I have to tell you, our project finally finished today! Everyone praised me for being amazing. Even the senior student who didn't like me before offered to help me and introduced me to Professor Li. Professor Li, do you know? He might write me a letter of recommendation! There's hope for my exchange student application now, I..."

She chattered away, her words flying by, her cheeks flushed with excitement, radiating a vibrant, pure light.

At this moment, she was just a nineteen-year-old girl longing for affirmation.

Xiang Yuchuan was stunned by Shen Yao's sudden, enthusiastic hug and rapid-fire words.

He instinctively reached out to support her waist to prevent her from falling.

Looking down at the face so close to his chest, smiling so innocently and even a little silly, and listening to her incoherent yet genuinely joyful sharing, Xiang Yuchuan felt as if something had struck his heart hard.

The defenses he had built around his heart, the indifference he had deliberately maintained, his dark suspicions...

At this moment, everything seemed so vulnerable in the face of her happiness.

He cursed inwardly, "What a spineless coward!"

He found himself unable to ignore her smile, unable to push away her soft body, and unable to control the uncontrollable upward curve of his own lips that wanted to follow hers.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end it only turned into a barely audible sigh. His arms tightened unconsciously, holding the person in his arms even tighter.

Shen Yao talked for most of the day, only stopping slightly breathless after she had poured out everything she wanted to say.

For a moment, only her slightly rapid breathing and the faint sounds of the city night outside the window filled the living room.

Xiang Yuchuan listened quietly without interrupting her.

After she finished speaking, he reached for the kettle on the coffee table, poured a glass of warm water, and handed it to her. His voice was calm, only slightly lower than usual.

"After talking so much, are you thirsty? Have some water."

Shen Yao then belatedly realized that her mouth was dry. She took the water glass and said, "Thank you. I'm done."

She lowered her head and sipped the water slowly.

The warm liquid slid down her throat, slightly easing her agitation and calming her mind a bit.

Xiang Yuchuan didn't look at her, his gaze returning to the deep night outside the window, his fingers unconsciously stroking the cold rim of the wine glass.

Shen Yao's joy was genuine; it was the kind of heartfelt happiness that comes from being recognized for one's own efforts, and it couldn't be faked.

Xiang Yuchuan could clearly sense this.

It was precisely this "realism" that made him feel inexplicably irritable and wavering.

If she really had ulterior motives, why would she be so happy about such a trivial matter?

Is he really overthinking things?

The thought had barely crossed his mind when he forcibly suppressed it.

The investigation results from that side haven't come out yet, and everything is still unknown.

He remained silent for a moment, and finally just gave a faint "hmm" in response to her long and excited sharing.

The two sat side by side on the sofa, one looking down to drink water, the other gazing out the window.

A strange silence filled the air, unlike the previous cold war, or the intimacy of the past.

Finally, Shen Yao broke the silence, putting down her water glass: "It's getting late, why don't you go and rest?"

Xiang Yuchuan then turned his head, his gaze falling on her face and lingering for a few seconds.

Then he stood up: "Yeah, you should go to bed early too."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the bedroom without looking at her again.

Back in her room, after closing the door, Shen Yao went to her desk, opened the bottom drawer with a lock, and carefully took out the photo from between the pages of a thick old book.

She gently stroked her mother's cheek in the photo with her fingers, her eyes revealing vulnerability and longing.

Looking at the photo, she lowered her voice to a whisper, as if telling a secret that only she and her daughter could share, and repeated the events of the evening in detail with a touch of pride.

"Mom, did you see that? Your daughter is amazing now, isn't she? It turns out that without flattery or scheming, you can be respected like this just by your own abilities... This feeling is wonderful."

Her voice was choked with emotion, but it quickly became firm again.

"I will definitely go to Yenching University! I will live a very, very good life, better than anyone else!"

After saying that, she pressed the photo to her chest, closed her eyes, as if she could draw a little warmth and strength from it.

After a long while, she carefully hid the photo again and locked the drawer.

What happened in the living room just now was merely an emotional breakdown after suppressing my emotions for too long; it was a fleeting moment of elation for a lonely soul under the impact of immense joy.

When the sun rises, everything returns to reality.

Between her and him lay an insurmountable chasm, and that fleeting warmth was fragile beyond repair.

Xiang Yuchuan was ultimately not her family, nor was he her final destination.