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

Zhou Jingyan's embrace was warm and firm, with a faint, pleasant woody scent, just like him, giving people a sense of calm and reliability.

As he gently embraced her, patting her back, Shen Yao felt the long-lost comfort devoid of any erotic undertones. Her tense nerves and cold body gradually relaxed.

Unbeknownst to many, that deliberately acted dependence had somehow become mixed with a touch of genuine longing and resentment.

"Tell me, Shen Yao, don't be afraid, who bullied you?"

Zhou Jingyan's deep and gentle voice rang out above her head.

finally come.

Going to confront He Tian, ​​enduring cold words and humiliation, and extinguishing the last bit of hope with your own hands—wasn't this all for this moment?

If she hadn't gone through this excruciating pain, how could she have had any reason to rush towards him without a care in the world, and how could she have made herself so miserable that he would feel sorry for her?

She wasn't born an actress. To make a performance authentic, you have to grasp two points: first, expand three parts of emotion into seven parts, filling it with genuine feelings; second, every expression—joy, laughter, anger, and resentment—must be beautiful.

It may sound cruel, but the effect of a beautiful woman shedding tears is vastly different from that of an ordinary person sobbing, and the effect of a beautiful woman being coquettish is vastly different from that of an ordinary person being coquettish.

She was lucky to be born with a stunningly beautiful face, the kind of "first love face" that is most attractive to men.

So, every expression practiced repeatedly in front of the mirror, the angle of every falling tear, the intensity of every sob, all transformed the seven parts of acting into ten parts of reality.

If there were audience members in the audience at this moment, seeing her face, her expression, and hearing her restrained yet broken voice, they would surely be heartbroken for her and shed tears for her.

"Zhou Jingyan..." Shen Yao buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled, "Gone...everything is gone..."

Zhou Jingyan's heart clenched.

He gently draped his suit jacket over her thin shoulders, wrapping her up completely, trying to dispel the chill from her body.

Then, patiently, as if coaxing a frightened child, he gently guided her:

"Tell me slowly, what happened? With me here, no one can bully you anymore."

Under his comforting words, Shen Yao began to speak haltingly.

She first truthfully explained how she worked hard to secure the exchange student opportunity at Yenching University, and how she gained the professor's approval with her excellent grades and projects, believing that victory was in the bag.

Her voice was full of enthusiasm for her studies and aspirations for the future.

Then, her tone suddenly became low, humiliated, and fearful.

She mentioned that when the final list was announced, her name was not on it.

Speaking of He Tian, ​​the freshman who took her place at Yenching University because her father was a professor there.

"I was not reconciled, so I went to ask him why..." Shen Yao's voice began to tremble violently, and her body shrank back in Zhou Jingyan's arms, as if she had recalled something extremely terrifying.

He mocked me, saying that connections are more useful than ability, and that I'm beautiful, so why should I suffer like that...

She paused here, then looked up at Zhou Jingyan with tear-filled eyes, her gaze filled with helplessness and shame. (The most crucial part was artistically embellished.)

"He said that if I'm willing to be his mistress and... please him, he might consider adding my name to the deed..."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingyan's brows furrowed tightly, and a cold rage flashed in his eyes.

Bullying others by abusing one's power is utterly shameless!

Shen Yao continued to escalate the situation, her voice trembling with a breakdown, as she pointed to the still-fading handprint on her face, sobbing uncontrollably:

"I rejected him, I couldn't do it, so he... he hit me. He said I didn't know what was good for me. I don't want you to know, and I don't want anyone else to see, I'm afraid of losing face..."

As she spoke, it was as if she were transported back to that horrific scene; her body trembled uncontrollably, and she buried her face in Zhou Jingyan's chest again, her hands gripping his shirt tightly.

"I've tried so hard for so long... all hope is gone, and he still insults me and beats me like that. Zhou Jingyan, what should I do? I really don't want to live anymore."

Her last few words were filled with utter despair.

This half-truthful, half-fake, and emotionally charged lament laid bare before Zhou Jingyan the tragic experience of a weak woman who struggled to prove her innocence and was bullied, humiliated, and even violently attacked by the sons of powerful and wealthy men.

Zhou Jingyan's face darkened completely, and his arm around her tightened unconsciously.

He half-carried, half-lifted her away from the dimly lit alley and put her into his car parked by the roadside.

"It's too cold outside. Let me find you a place to settle down first." He started the car, his tone steady, trying to give her some sense of security.

Shen Yao did not refuse, but curled up in the passenger seat, wrapped herself tightly in his suit jacket, and was so quiet that it was heartbreaking.

Zhou Jingyan took her to a quiet, secure, and well-known star-rated hotel and booked a suite.

They remained silent the whole way until they entered the room and he helped her sit down on the soft bed. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and have a chance to ask the question that had been bothering him.

"Shen Yao," he said, standing in front of her and leaning slightly forward, trying to make his voice sound gentle and not oppressive.

"Now can you tell me? Why did you suddenly come to Beijing? And why did you end up like this? If you encountered any difficulties in Shanghai, you could have just called me."

Zhou Jingyan always felt that it was too risky for a young girl to go to the unfamiliar capital city alone and almost get into trouble.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yao slightly raised her red and swollen eyes to look at him.

Just one glance.

The mystery of why he inexplicably gave her his contact information when they first met seems to have been solved.

Under the lamplight, her cheeks were still wet with tears, and her eyes were red, making her misty eyes appear particularly large and ethereal, like a lake shrouded in a thin mist.

The eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl sat on the hotel's clean, soft bed, her body sinking into the soft mattress, making her appear even thinner.

Looking up at him with a slightly raised head, she felt a completely unguarded dependence, her eyes pure and vulnerable, creating a beauty that was both easily destroyed and possessive.

A woman's allure may be common, but a girl's innate charm is rare indeed.

She seemed to possess an innate fragility, existing quietly without any effort. Beneath her pure and innocent exterior, it was as if every inch of her bones was silently extending an invitation.

That tension between ignorance and seduction, that helpless posture of complete surrender and being taken advantage of, is itself a silent cry for "Come and bully me."

The impact of this image is overwhelming.

Any sane man witnessing this scene would likely find it difficult to control himself, and would inevitably harbor some inappropriate and wicked thoughts.

Fortunately, Zhou Jingyan was standing in front of her.

He gasped for breath almost imperceptibly for a moment, his heart skipped a beat, and then pounded heavily against his chest.

Zhou Jingyan looked away, not daring to meet those misty eyes again, his Adam's apple bobbing uncontrollably.

Shen Yao took in his subtle reactions, but her face showed an even more helpless and bewildered expression. Her voice was hoarse and soft, as if she had just finished crying: "I don't know either, Mr. Zhou."

She shook her head vigorously, as if trying to recall, her eyes filled with lingering fear and confusion.

"I was so scared. My mind went completely blank. I didn't know anything! I don't know why. I stood downstairs for who knows how long. I didn't know who I could turn to."

"I can only think of you, I can only think of you..."

As she finished speaking, her voice choked with emotion, as if she had used all her strength to muster the courage to utter those words that carried such immense reliance.

Before Zhou Jingyan could fully process the meaning of those words, she seemed unable to control her inner fear and instinct to seek comfort any longer. Suddenly, she stood up from the bedside, wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, and buried her face deeply in his chest.

"Mr. Zhou, only you, only you can save me..."

She was in his arms, like a dodder vine, tightly entwined around him, this seemingly reliable tree.

His arms were once again filled with the warmth and softness of her body.

Zhou Jingyan's body stiffened again.

Once could be considered an accident, twice could be considered comfort in a moment of urgency, but these successive, tight embraces...

He has begun to challenge the distance and rationality he usually maintains with others.

He should have pushed her away immediately.

But feeling the slightly trembling, cold body in his arms, and listening to her tearful outpouring as if he were her only hope in the world.

Zhou Jingyan realized that he seemed to be getting used to her way of seeking security.

Even deep down, a sense of satisfaction arose from the feeling of being needed and relied upon by her.

Only you can save me.

These six words seem to possess a magical power.

A hidden, complex emotion quietly began to grow.

Let's indulge her this one more time.

She is so pitiful.