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

In a flash, Shen Yao's mind raced.

Instead of shaking off Wang Zhi's hand, she pretended to stumble from his push, letting out a soft gasp. Her face instantly filled with panic and helplessness, her eyes quickly reddening as if she were about to cry. Her voice trembled with a sob: "Wang, please don't do this, I'm really going to get angry."

Her vulnerable, helpless, and bullied appearance contrasted sharply with her usual resilient image, creating a powerful impact.

Sure enough, Xiang Yuchuan stopped in his tracks. His previously lazy gaze instantly fell on the hand that Wang Zhi was using to hold Shen Yao's wrist, and his brows furrowed.

"Hey buddy, what are you doing?" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a chill that echoed clearly in the quiet shop.

Wang Zhi was startled by the sudden voice and subconsciously let go of her hand. When he turned around and saw Xiang Yuchuan, his face immediately turned ugly. He clearly recognized this popular figure at school, and his imposing manner instantly diminished. "Senior Xiang... I... I didn't do anything. I just said a few words to Shen Yao."

Xiang Yuchuan completely ignored him, walked straight to Shen Yao's side, his gaze sweeping over her reddened eyes and wrists before he looked up at Wang Zhi: "Can't you see she doesn't want to? Get lost."

Wang Zhi's face flushed red and then turned pale. He mumbled a few words, but in the end, he didn't dare to say anything more and slunk away quickly.

The shop became completely quiet.

Shen Yao seemed still shaken, breathing slightly heavily, and whispered with her head down, "Thank you, Senior Xiang."

Xiang Yuchuan looked at her slightly trembling shoulders and her head lowered, revealing the beautiful line of her neck. He was silent for a moment before speaking, his tone softening but still carrying his usual languidness: "Are you alright?"

Shen Yao seemed to have mustered up her courage to raise her head, her eyes still red, like a frightened little rabbit, her watery eyes looking at him, and she shook her head.

She seemed to want to straighten up, but her legs "accidentally" gave way, and she let out a soft cry as her body tilted slightly towards Yuchuan.

Xiang Yuchuan almost instinctively reached out and supported her arm.

The man's warm, powerful hand penetrated the thin fabric of the shop assistant's uniform and reached Shen Yao's skin.

As if burned, Shen Yao immediately steadied herself, quickly and shyly withdrawing her arm. Two blushes rose on her cheeks, and even her ears turned red: "I-I'm sorry. Thank you, senior."

This time, her panic and shyness were mostly genuine. It wasn't because she was attracted to him, but because of this first carefully planned and successful physical contact.

Xiang Yuchuan looked at his empty palms, then at the girl in front of him whose neck was flushed red and whose eyes were darting away, not daring to look at him. Finally, a different kind of light flashed in her usually indifferent eyes.

That does seem interesting.

He smirked. "Just ignore people like that next time. Closing down?"

"Mmm," Shen Yao responded softly, still not daring to look up.

"Let's go, it's on the way, I'll take you back to your dorm." Xiang Yuchuan's tone sounded casual.

The path from the coffee shop to the girls' dormitory wasn't far, but the campus path at night had a uniquely ambiguous atmosphere. Shen Yao kept her head down, walking half a step away from Xiang Yuchuan.

Xiang Yuchuan walked with his hands in his pockets, his steps leisurely, but his gaze kept falling on the girl beside him. She was really thin and frail; she seemed to be shivering slightly in the night breeze.

Along the way, many students returning late saw them. Xiang Yuchuan was already a popular figure at school, with a very high level of recognition, and Shen Yao, who followed closely beside him, also attracted a lot of attention because of her recently famous beauty and her pitiful appearance at this moment.

Shen Yao lowered her head even further, as if uncomfortable with the attention. Xiang Yuchuan, however, seemed completely unconcerned.

We finally arrived at the dormitory building.

Shen Yao stopped and looked up: "Senior Xiang, thank you for bringing me back. I'm really grateful to you today."

Looking at her pitiful appearance, Xiang Yuchuan curled the corners of his lips, his tone as casual as ever, but his eyes became more serious:

"Shen Yao, right?" he asked, knowing the answer already.

"Mmm," Shen Yao replied softly.

"I've got my eye on you." Xiang Yuchuan said bluntly, without any beating around the bush, looking directly at her with an air of unwavering confidence. "Try me."

It's not an inquiry, it's more like a notification.

Shen Yao's eyes widened suddenly, as if she was startled by this unexpected directness. She couldn't utter a word for a long time, and finally just hurriedly said, "Goodbye, senior!" before turning around and running into the dormitory building.

Xiang Yuchuan watched her figure disappear into the stairwell but didn't chase after her. He lit a cigarette, leaned against a tree trunk below the dormitory building, and slowly took a drag.

He did notice Shen Yao the first time he saw her in the film association's screening room.

That kind of beauty was very much to his liking. A clean, slightly fragile purity, especially the part of her neck that was revealed when she lowered her head, with its beautiful lines and dazzlingly white skin.

But while he enjoyed playing around with Yuchuan, he wasn't completely indiscriminate in his choices.

He had encountered people like Shen Yao before, but most of them were either faking it or quickly became as boring as everyone else.

But Shen Yao is a little different.

She seemed genuinely concerned about his "playboy" reputation, or perhaps she was simply a well-behaved girl focused solely on her studies. He observed her for almost a month, and every time she saw him, her eyes were clear, without a trace of greed or feigned attraction.

If it were just a fling, he might have used more direct methods long ago. But precisely because Shen Yao perfectly matched his aesthetic preferences during this period, he became more patient.

Until tonight, seeing her panicked, helpless, and on the verge of tears when she was being harassed, it instantly aroused his protective and possessive instincts as a male.

She's the one. That's what he thought to himself.

This time, he wanted to be a little more serious, at least to enjoy the process of "pursuing" this different type of girl before the novelty wore off.

As for whether Shen Yao will agree?

He exhaled a smoke ring towards Yu Chuan. He had never failed to win over someone he set his sights on. He had plenty of time and patience to gradually lower her guard and make her willingly come to his side.

He stubbed out his cigarette, turned and left towards Yuchuan, in a good mood.

In the shadows at the corner of the dormitory building, Shen Yao didn't go upstairs immediately. She quietly watched his departing figure.

The fish has taken the bait.