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

Shen Yao returned to her apartment, slammed the door shut, and leaned against the cold door, panting heavily.

She walked to the desk, slumped down, and covered her face with her hands.

Should we go? Shen Yao? Do we really want to go back to those days?

Go back to that world that doesn't belong to you, and walk a tightrope like a clown in front of those chosen ones, just to get a slim chance?

He Tian's repulsive face and his flippant words kept flashing through her mind.

The feeling of humiliation gnawed at her heart like a venomous snake.

After thinking for an unknown amount of time, the last trace of hesitation and struggle in her eyes disappeared.

Shen Yao opened her phone and operated the ticket purchasing software with unusual determination.

Looking at the e-ticket information that popped up on her phone screen, Shen Yao's heart was pounding, and a sense of resolute determination filled her chest.

She will no longer have any naivety or illusions.

Shen Yao walked to the mirror and looked at herself in the mirror, her face pale but her eyes unusually bright.

Every gift comes with a hidden price. If she doesn't even have the courage to put a price on herself, what right does she have to complain about the unfairness of fate?

She raised her hand and slapped herself hard and mercilessly.

The crisp sound echoed in the quiet room.

A clear five-finger mark quickly appeared on my cheek, burning with pain.

This slap jolted her awake from her last unrealistic delusions and shattered her ridiculous fantasy that she could succeed by relying on "effort" and "fairness".

It also shattered that pitiful longing she had for "normal life".

Shen Yao, the road you are about to take is the dirtiest, most dangerous, but also the fastest.

Either climb up by stepping on everyone else's shoulders, or you'll fall and be shattered to pieces.

There is no middle option.

She took out the notebook. Each name in the notebook represented a point that could change her fate, a goal she needed to "conquer".

The pen tip scratches across the paper, making a rustling sound, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue, or like the beating of a war drum.

Finally, she burned the notebook herself and put away the ring that Xiang Yuchuan had given her.

The night outside the window was dark, and the outline of the capital city seemed to appear and disappear in the distance.

That place was the center of power, a vortex of desire, and the final battlefield she was about to enter.

The plane taxied on the runway and finally came to a smooth stop at Beijing Capital International Airport.

Shen Yao put on her baseball cap, pulled up her mask to completely cover her overly conspicuous face, and followed the crowd down the gangway.

She only asked the school for two days off; time was tight and could not be wasted.

Every human being has psychological weaknesses, and she needs to accurately identify and exploit these weaknesses.

Stepping out of the terminal, the dry, slightly dusty air of Beijing hit me.

She looked up at the vast, ancient yet modern metropolis before her—towering skyscrapers, a constant stream of vehicles, and a crowd of people hurrying by, dressed smartly.

Everything here was exactly the same as the capital city she had imagined, a place where power and wealth converged, even more magnificent and more snobbish.

This is it; she's determined to stay.

Shen Yao hailed a taxi and gave the address of a mid-range hotel in a bustling area that she had booked in advance.

In her hotel room, Shen Yao began her elaborate dressing process.

She took out foundation and carefully applied it to her cheeks, trying to cover up the clear handprint she had left yesterday.

She changed into a soft, simple white dress with a knee-length hem, which made her look even more slender and frail.

To achieve a realistic effect, she had barely eaten anything for the past two days, and her face naturally showed an unhealthy paleness and weakness, while her eyes were tired and fragile due to lack of sleep.

With everything ready, she took out her phone and confirmed Zhou Jingyan's company address once again.

If there's anyone most likely to help her, and help without expecting anything in return—Shen Yao is 50% certain it's Zhou Jingyan.

She chose to set off in the late afternoon, a time that avoided rush hour and created a poignant atmosphere of being "desperate and in dire need of help."

Shen Yao stood on the sidewalk opposite that impressive office building, like a lost child, waiting quietly and patiently.

Several seemingly kind men approached her and asked if she needed help, but she refused them all.

She had to make sure that her "helplessness" was only shown to her one and only target, Zhou Jingyan.

A black sedan drove by silently, slowed down a short distance away, and finally stopped.

The rear window slowly rolled down a crack, and Xue Huaiqing's gaze fell on the figure through the window.

The girl's head was slightly lowered, her profile appearing thin and clear in the deepening night, exuding a loneliness that seemed out of place with the surrounding hustle and bustle.

He didn't look at it for very long.

"Director Xue, what's wrong?" Another man in the car noticed his momentary distraction.

"It's nothing," Xue Huaiqing said calmly, withdrawing his gaze. "It reminded me of something from the past."

The man immediately smiled and flattered, "Director Xue, you are young and promising. I have long seen that you are no ordinary person."

The man followed Xue Huaiqing's gaze and caught sight of the somewhat anxious girl outside the window. He vaguely felt that the girl's expression resembled that of Xue Huaiqing when he was a novice many years ago.

But he dared not bring up any old stories, only vaguely praising, "That girl was quite pretty."

Xue Huaiqing neither agreed nor disagreed, but smiled and said, "Let's go."

As dusk settled and the city lights began to illuminate the night, the sky gradually darkened.

White-collar workers in suits and ties walked out of the office building one after another.

Shen Yao gripped her phone tightly. The screen displayed the number she knew by heart, yet had never dialed: Zhou Jingyan's phone number.

She took a deep breath, as if to onlookers she was inhaling all her courage, and then quickly walked to a relatively quiet and deserted corner on the street.

The dim lighting and low visibility here perfectly matched her need for "privacy" and "insecurity".

Zhou Jingyan... I hope you still remember me.

I hope you really are a good person, just as you seem.

This is the best choice for her.

She pressed the green dial button.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The receiver emitted a steady, predictable tone, each sound like a hammer blow to Shen Yao's heart.

She held her breath.

Waiting for a response on the other end of the phone, and also waiting for the verdict of fate.

The call was connected.

A gentle, steady male voice, tinged with a hint of doubt, came from the receiver:

"Feed? Hello, who is this?"

I answered, and didn't even hang up immediately because it was an unfamiliar number.

Moreover, the voice belonged to Zhou Jingyan himself.

What made her almost unable to stop herself from smiling was—

"Are you Miss Shen Yao?"

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Jingyan's voice rang out again, tinged with doubt and speculation.

Heaven took pity on her? No, it was Shen Yao's fate to survive!

She felt a thrilling excitement at the accuracy of her judgment.

The success rate of this performance instantly soared to 100%; there was absolutely no way she could fail.

Zhou Jingyan, you really are...

Shen Yao instantly retrieved, integrated, and verified her previous analysis of Zhou Jingyan's personality.

Despite his high position, he pursued an almost idealistic sense of dignity and justice; he despised the naked desires and unbridled behavior of Qin Fang and Xiao Weilin, and admired the gentlemanly demeanor of Fang Yunci.

He has a very strong sense of responsibility and...

White Knight complex.

Zhou Jingyan seems to idealize love and relationships, and has an almost instinctive protective instinct and sense of responsibility towards those he considers "weak" and "those who need to be saved."

And she, Shen Yao.

A beautiful, young, and delicate girl who had a dramatic encounter with him, seemingly pure and innocent yet deeply trapped in a "dilemma".

It perfectly matched all his fantasies about "the person being saved".

Zhou Jingyan...does he want to be a savior?

Let Shen Yao be the "destined woman" who is in dire straits and waiting for you to save her, okay?