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

pain.

Heart-wrenching pain.

He understood, he understood completely.

It's not that he doesn't care, or that he's tired of it.

On the contrary, he had truly fallen in love with Shen Yao, perhaps even more so than he thought.

Otherwise, he wouldn't feel such overwhelming despair and pain right now, he wouldn't feel heartbroken at the thought of those nights of whispering sweet nothings and being intimate with her, and he wouldn't feel nauseous at the thought that she might never have been sincere with him!

Those details he had deliberately ignored, those moments he had tried to numb himself with "it's just a game," had now become the sharpest blades, repeatedly torturing his heart.

A strong feeling of nausea suddenly struck.

Xiang Yuchuan suddenly bent over, unable to stop gagging, his face instantly turning ashen, large beads of cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

He felt cold all over, and an unbearable sticky and nauseous feeling spread through his limbs.

Those psychological barriers about intimacy that he had forcibly forgotten resurfaced in a more violent and distorted way after suffering such a huge emotional betrayal and shock.

"Yuchuan, what's wrong?"

"son!"

Xiang Junqi and Grandpa Xiang were startled by Xiang Yuchuan's sudden and violent reaction, and rushed forward to support him.

Xiang Yuchuan was trembling all over, his eyes were unfocused, and his breathing was rapid, as if he was enduring great pain.

"Quickly, call the doctor!" the old man urged urgently.

Soon, a middle-aged doctor in a white coat, with a gentle demeanor, rushed over carrying a medicine box.

This is the Xiang family's doctor, who has watched Xiang Yuchuan grow up and knows his condition very well.

Dr. Chen quickly examined Xiang Yuchuan's condition and then asked a few questions in a low voice.

Xiang Yuchuan simply closed his eyes in pain, curled up on the sofa, his body trembling slightly, unable to answer.

Dr. Chen frowned, his expression becoming somewhat serious and embarrassed.

He gestured for Xiang Junqi and the old man to come aside, lowered his voice, and spoke with a hint of reluctance:

"Young Master's condition...it seems...it's a relapse of his psychological problems."

"Psychological problems?" Xiang Junqi's heart tightened.

"Yes." Dr. Chen chose his words carefully. "Didn't the young master have a rather severe case of mysophobia when it came to physical contact, especially with women? It seems that this barrier was broken down after he got together with that Miss Shen."

Xiang Junqi and the old man exchanged a glance, their expressions growing even more unpleasant.

They were certainly aware of Xiang Yuchuan's problem, which was one of the reasons they hadn't been too strict with him about his girlfriends before, thinking he couldn't pull off anything special.

did not expect……

Dr. Chen sighed and continued to explain:

"He may have had strong negative emotions that triggered his subconscious defense mechanisms. This made him associate his contact with Ms. Shen with the 'deception' and 'filth' he was feeling. As a result, he had a strong physical rejection reaction, nausea, trembling, and cold sweats. These are all typical symptoms of a relapse of psychogenic obsessive-compulsive disorder, and they may be more severe than before."

After hearing this, Xiang Junqi and the old man turned pale, both angry and heartbroken.

They were angry because Xiang Yuchuan was so pathetic, ruining himself for a woman; they were also heartbroken because they both knew how painful it was when this kind of psychological disorder flared up.

He stomped his cane heavily on the old man, his voice hoarse and cold:

"Arrange it immediately! Send him to the army! The sooner the better. Use the toughest and most grueling training to cleanse his head of all that nonsense!"

Xiang Junqi looked at his suffering son and finally nodded heavily.

At this moment, Xiang Yuchuan was completely immersed in his own world of pain.

He felt that his body and soul were corrupted, and the memories that once brought him the ultimate pleasure had now become the most disgusting nightmares, tormenting him repeatedly.

Shen Yao...

You lied to me...

The phone screen lit up, and a new message popped up from "Xiang Yuchuan".

Shen Yao was sitting at her desk organizing documents when she casually clicked on the app.

Let's break up.

She instinctively replied with a question mark: 【?】

The message sending success icon flashed briefly, followed by a glaring red exclamation mark and a system message popping up on the screen:

[Message not sent successfully. Please add the recipient as a friend first.]

Deleted?

She was now completely certain that this was neither a joke nor a momentary impulse.

Xiang Yuchuan is serious.

Shen Yao had to admit that she was, after all, a living, breathing human being with flesh and blood.

The past six months with Xiang Yuchuan, regardless of the initial intentions, all those genuine interactions, his clumsy yet sincere affection, the material comforts, and the intimate memories... all truly existed.

When the moment actually came, she couldn't remain completely indifferent.

She allowed herself to immerse herself in that sudden, empty sadness, sitting there for a full five minutes.

Then she calmed down and began to analyze the situation rapidly.

What was the reason for the breakup?

It's simply that the carefully maintained facade has finally been shattered.

He must have become suspicious in Shanghai, and after returning to Beijing, he finally saw through the unspoken "understanding" between her and the Xiang family.

The Xiang family's private investigators are indeed professional and exceptionally efficient.

Unfortunately, the principle that Shen Yao believed in most when walking through the world was to always have a way out for herself.

She had been extra careful when she first contacted that detective.

The investigation requests she submitted were carefully worded, a mix of truth and falsehood, offering both credible fragments of information and cleverly concealing her most vulnerable secrets.

When the detailed information, far exceeding what was reasonable, was finally delivered to her, Shen Yao smiled silently through her hat brim and mask.

How could an ordinary private investigator possibly handle such meticulous details?

This is clearly a "generous" gift from the core of power.

At that moment, she understood that in the distant capital, there were one or even several pairs of calmer and sharper eyes watching Xiang Yuchuan.

Instead of stopping her, they went along with it, tacitly approving and even indulging her approach.

A silent conspiracy was thus achieved.

She gained a stepping stone to another world, and the Xiang family was happy to use her as a tool to teach the spoiled heir a compulsory lesson called "the wickedness of the human heart".

Shen Yao stood up and slowly strolled around the spacious and luxurious apartment.

This place is filled with traces of her life with Xiang Yuchuan.

The dolls he gave me, the sofa we picked out together, the traces he left in the kitchen when he occasionally felt like cooking...

This "home" where she had lived for more than half a year now seemed so unfamiliar and cold.

She walked to the window and looked down at the endless stream of cars.

She still has over 100,000 yuan in pocket money that Xiang Yuchuan gave her in her bank card, the car he gave her is parked in the garage, and she also owns this apartment that he transferred to her name.

Materially speaking, her "investment" returns over the past six months have been astonishing, enough to allow her to live quite comfortably in Shanghai.

Should we stop now?

With this money, I can finish university peacefully, find a good job through my own efforts, and live a simple and stable life, free from anxiety and scheming.

and then?

Is she willing to accept this?

No one taught her how to choose.

No one loved her or told her which path was right.

She has to rely on herself to navigate this cold world, feeling her way across the river.

Confusion overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.

Walking a tightrope is thrilling, but one wrong step can lead to utter ruin.

This time she was well-prepared, but what about next time?

Shen Yao stood by the window for a long time, until night completely enveloped the city.