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

Xiao Weilin is a dog.

This was the only clear thought in Shen Yao's mind.

Have you ever owned a dog named "Wei Lin"?

It always barks and barks at you with its teeth barked.

Shen Yao raised it.

Even though they really want to snuggle up and rub against your palm at times like this, they insist on barking and biting fiercely.

The owner finally lost his patience. Looking at the dog lying on him, he slapped it, leaving red marks on its back with his fingernails.

The puppy was disoriented by the sudden touch, but as soon as it came to its senses, it made a move to bite her.

It bared its teeth and swore it would never yield again!

But at that moment, its owner's hand was gently stroking the top of its head.

It couldn't resist any longer; its tail wagged uncontrollably, and it whimpered ingratiatingly, "Master... Master..."

It was only obedient for a short while before it suddenly woke up again.

This person is not its owner!

It is an independent and dignified dog!

She grabbed the collar around its neck, her voice as cold as ice: "Be quiet, Wei Lin."

It was trembling with rage, wishing it could pounce on her and bite her throat off.

But the next second, the owner gently scratched its ear with his fingertip.

Its tail started wagging again, completely pathetic...

In the midst of the chaos, Xiao Weilin's eyes remained fixed on Shen Yao, never wavering even at the most out-of-control moment.

After an unknown period of time, the storm finally subsided.

Shen Yao didn't even bother to clean up. Without a second thought, she pushed away the heavy body on her body, pulled the messy blanket over herself, turned over, and with her back to the mess, she fell asleep almost instantly.

Her breathing was steady, and her face was serene, as if the fierce battle that had just taken place had nothing to do with her.

Xiao Weilin was left lying on the side, looking like a stray dog ​​that had just been severely punished, looking disheveled.

The "gift" was still tightly fastened around her neck, leaving clear marks. Her back was covered in stinging, crisscrossing bloodstains, and her face seemed to still bear the marks of being slapped.

He lay awake all night, staring at the blurry light and shadow on the ceiling.

The physical excitement gradually faded, leaving only a cold emptiness and a sense of humiliation that felt like one's dignity had been utterly trampled upon, yet strangely addictive.

Shen Yao.

He kept pondering the name in his mind.

The morning sunlight streamed through the gaps in the heavy curtains, casting a narrow strip of light across the messy bed.

Shen Yao's eyelids twitched, and she slowly opened them.

The moment she regained consciousness, the aches and discomforts throughout her body made her furrow her brow slightly.

She was about to move when she keenly felt a burning gaze, almost piercing through her, fixed firmly on her.

She turned her head and met a pair of beautiful eyes that were bloodshot.

Xiao Weilin was not asleep. He lay on his side next to her, propped up on a pillow with his elbow and his head with his palm, staring at her for who knows how long.

His complexion was terrible, with obvious dark circles under his eyes, and he exuded a hangover-like exhaustion and an almost obsessive focus.

Upon seeing Shen Yao wake up, Xiao Weilin's eyes flickered with a complex expression, as if he had made up his mind.

He raised a hand and scratched his already messy hair in frustration, speaking in a hoarse voice with an almost resigned tone:

"Shen Yao, let's talk."

Xiao Weilin paused, avoiding her gaze, his voice low and stiff.

"Be my girlfriend. And from now on... don't try any more of those dirty tricks."

The way he said those words carried an awkwardness and compromise, as if he were bestowing a handout.

He seemed convinced that all of Shen Yao's previous "seductions," provocations, and even her madness last night were ultimately aimed at forcing him to acknowledge the relationship and to obtain this "status."

Shen Yao's reaction once again completely surprised him.

She showed no trace of cunning or smugness at her successful scheme; her face was completely bloodless, almost transparently pale.

The girl propped herself up slightly, and the silk quilt slipped down, revealing the clearly visible, ambiguous, and somewhat ferocious bite marks on her neck, collarbone, and even arms, silently telling the story of the intensity of the previous night.

She looked up at Xiao Weilin, her eyes showing no joy, only a deep weariness.

"No. You're not my boyfriend. I'm sorry, Xiao Weilin."

Xiao Weilin was stunned, and then a surge of anger at being mocked suddenly rose up.

His voice was filled with sarcasm and disbelief:

"Shen Yao, are you still pretending? Is this funny? You've gone to so much trouble just to get this, right? Now you're playing hard to get with me?"

He thought Shen Yao was being coy, using rejection to elevate her own status.

Shen Yao's eyes quickly reddened, a layer of moisture rising up and gathering into teardrops, hanging precariously on her long eyelashes.

She looked at Xiao Weilin, her eyes filled with pain, her voice choked with sobs:

"I'm not joking, Xiao Weilin. In my heart, there is only Yuchuan. I only like him."

All reason, all hope, shattered the moment that name was uttered from her lips that had kissed him.

Anger, the humiliation of being insulted, and a jealousy that he himself was unwilling to admit overwhelmed him like a tsunami.

With bloodshot eyes, Xiao Weilin forcefully pushed Shen Yao, who had just managed to sit up, back onto the bed, gripping her slender shoulders tightly with such force that he almost crushed her bones.

"Shen Yao! Say that again?!"

Xiao Weilin leaned down, his face almost touching hers, his breathing heavy and hot, his voice trembling with extreme anger.

"You mean... what you did last night... you were fucking playing me?! Huh?!"

Under extreme emotional turmoil, he spoke recklessly, attacking her with the most hurtful words, trying to use humiliation to cover up the unexpected, bleeding wounds in his heart and the strange feeling he had when she mentioned Xiang Yuchuan.

"The way you acted last night! You kissed me, seduced me, and now you're telling me you only like Xiang Yuchuan? What do you take me for? A tool for your lust? Huh?!"

Shen Yao was pinned to the bed by him, her shoulder throbbing with pain, as she listened to his vile and offensive insults.

She did not resist, letting her tears fall silently, wetting her temples.

Only after his cursing subsided did she begin to sob softly, as if she could no longer bear it.

Just when Xiao Weilin thought she would only be weak and cry, she suddenly raised her head and looked directly at him with her teary yet unusually clear eyes.

"Yes... I did give you that collar... but what about you?"

Her voice trembled, piercing his anger bit by bit.

"Why have you looked at me like that from the very beginning? As if everything I do is wrong, everything I say is ridiculous... You keep pushing me and mocking me, just to see me break down, to see me become this pathetic state I am now, isn't that what you want to see?"

Her tears flowed even more fiercely, but her tone gradually shifted from aggrieved to a sorrowful mockery.

"I admit, I wanted to make you feel bad too, to let you experience what it's like to be teased and looked down upon, but have you ever thought about why I've become like this?"

The girl choked back tears, each word like a meticulously sharpened blade, wrapped in tears, piercing him with precision:

"It's all your fault, it's you who turned me into someone I hate. Are you satisfied now?"

The room fell into a sudden, deathly silence, with only her low sobs trembling in the air.

This was like a silent accusation, subtly pushing the blame and guilt back onto Xiao Weilin, who was now completely flustered and being manipulated by her.

Xiao Weilin seemed to be frozen in place, looking down in disbelief at Shen Yao beneath him, who was trembling and crying with tears streaming down her face.

Her crying wasn't the affected sobbing, but a whimper overflowing from the depths of her throat, carrying with it despair and immense grievance.

Each sob seemed to be uttered with all her might; her shoulders heaved violently, and tears streamed down her face like a broken string, soaking her disheveled hair and staining the pillow with a dark hue.

His pale face was now filled with genuine pain, a sense of devastation born from being driven to the brink of despair that almost pierced his vision.

She cried so genuinely.

It was this very truth that once again left Xiao Weilin suspended in mid-air, unable to go up or down.

His heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by an invisible hand, as if he wanted to rip it out and stuff it into her chest—only if their hearts collided could he understand what she was thinking at that moment.

Was Shen Yao toying with him, or did she truly love Xiang Yuchuan?

Did his words really hurt her so much? Did he expect her to retaliate against him like this?

Her retaliatory flattery last night, her rejection this morning, and her statement that she "only likes Xiang Yuchuan"—were these not just a game of playing hard to get, but rather came from the heart?

The thought brought with it a catastrophic absurdity that nearly engulfed him.

As far as Xiao Weilin's eyes fell, all he could see was the girl's undisguised pain, washed away by her tears.

Little did he know that Shen Yao's previous scheming tricks were merely a casual way of dealing with him, deliberately letting him see through her act. Only now was she truly putting in her best effort to put on this performance.

Because he had repeatedly seen through her clumsy acting in the previous instances, her skill level had suddenly improved, making her seem more sincere and heartfelt than those actresses.

The poor young master Xiao's Adam's apple bobbed laboriously, his voice dry and hoarse, trembling without him even realizing it, as he asked the question:

"So...you regret it? Last night...with me?"