Guide to Rising to Power as a Wife in Beijing's Elite Circle

Chapter 102 Love is a Verb

Nine o'clock in the evening, in the apartment study.

After reviewing the last document, Fang Jingxiu closed his laptop and rubbed his temples. He habitually reached for the cigarette pack on the table, but his fingers paused the moment they touched it.

Chen Nuo sat on the other side of the desk, engrossed in writing a script outline. She wore glasses, her brows were slightly furrowed, and she had a pen cap between her teeth, a habitual gesture when she was thinking.

Fang Jingxiu looked at her focused profile, then glanced at the cigarette case in her hand.

Smoking is not allowed in the house if there are women in the household.

This is a rule of the Fang family, and also his own upbringing: smoking is not allowed in indoor spaces where women are present.

Even if the other person is his girlfriend, even if this is his home.

He stood up and picked up the cigarette case and lighter.

Chen Nuo didn't even look up: "Where are you going?"

"Go have a smoke," Fang Jingxiu said.

"Oh, okay." She waved her hand dismissively. "Go on, go on."

Fang Jingxiu scoffed, "You heartless little brat."

He turned and walked out of the study, closing the door behind him.

At the end of the corridor was a men's smoking area with glass on three sides, offering a view of the night scene. Fang Jingxiu walked in, leaned against the glass wall, and knocked a cigarette out of his pack.

The metal lighter clicked, and the flame leaped. He tilted his head slightly to light his cigarette, his jawline standing out sharply in the dim light of the wall lamp.

The sleeves of the dark gray cashmere sweater were rolled up to the elbows, revealing the smooth lines of the forearms, and the Breguet watch on the left wrist gleamed with a cold, hard metallic luster in the firelight.

Even in a relaxing moment like smoking, his posture still carried the composure cultivated over the years, with his back straight, shoulders and neck relaxed, and his smoking movements unhurried, as if performing some kind of ritual.

He did this countless times: during breaks at the National Development and Reform Commission meetings, after social drinking parties, and at the office window while working overtime late at night.

But at this moment, in this ordinary apartment corridor, he suddenly felt that smoking had become different.

Because someone is waiting for him to go back.

The cigarette was halfway burned when my phone rang.

"Brother Xiu, tomorrow's the Lantern Festival," Shen Rongchuan said with a smile. "Want to play some ball? Or have dinner together tonight?"

Fang Jingxiu exhaled a puff of smoke: "I'm spending time with my girlfriend tomorrow."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Then Shen Rongchuan's voice rose eight octaves: "Girlfriend?! Where did you get a girlfriend?!"

"It fell from the sky," Fang Jingxiu said casually.

"Come on!" Shen Rongchuan laughed and scolded, "If you have a girlfriend, you should bring her out to meet everyone! What's the point of hiding her like this? Who is your wife to have managed to win over our Director Fang!"

Fang Jingxiu laughed: "She's timid."

"I don't care!" Shen Rongchuan said. "Seven o'clock tomorrow night, same place. You have to treat us. If you're dating someone and didn't tell us, you'll have to drink three cups as punishment!"

"Let me ask her," Fang Jingxiu said. "If she's willing to go, send me the time and place."

Okay! Looking forward to your good news!

After hanging up the phone, Fang Jingxiu finished his cigarette and stood in the corridor for a while until the smell of smoke on his body had dissipated before returning to his apartment.

He pushed open the door, stood in the entryway, and suddenly froze.

On the entryway cabinet, where there used to be only his car keys and watch storage box, there is now a pink StellaLou keychain, which belongs to Chen Nuo.

Next to his black alligator-strapped watch sat her small silver round-faced women's watch.

In the shoe cabinet, next to his black leather shoes, sneakers, and casual shoes, her white canvas shoes, beige ankle boots, and pink fluffy slippers were neatly arranged.

The living room has changed even more.

On the dark gray modular sofa in Minotti, Italy, two purple StellaLou dolls are nestled, one wearing a strawberry hair clip and the other with a velvet bow.

Besides his usual "Caijing" magazine and internal reference materials, there were also several copies of "Film Art" and "Director's Handbook" on the coffee table, with colorful sticky notes tucked between the pages.

The once empty corner of the TV cabinet now holds a floor lamp she found at 798 Art Zone. It's shaped like a little figure holding a film camera, and the lampshade is a warm yellow.

Fang Jingxiu stood still and looked around.

This home, once dominated by black, white, and gray tones and where every object was meticulously arranged like a museum piece, now bears the marks of invasion everywhere.

The cashmere shawl she used last night was draped over the sofa armrest, a new jar of honey appeared on the sideboard with a label she had handwritten as "exclusively for a certain silly Xiu-ge," and even the fridge magnets, which she had taken from scratch, were all Polaroid photos of herself.

The most outrageous thing was that the fiddle-leaf fig he had been trying to keep alive for three and a half years had suddenly been replaced by two pots of gardenias in full bloom. The white petals trembled in the night breeze, and wisps of fragrance drifted in.

Originally, it was a standard Italian minimalist style, with a black, white, and gray color scheme, clean-lined furniture, and a spacious feel, like a showroom.

He never felt there was anything wrong with it; it was just a place to sleep anyway.

But it's different now.

Life is a verb.

Those who love you make life blossom.

His life used to consist of nouns: work, socializing, sleeping. Monotonous, repetitive, like a black and white photograph.

Now his life is all about verbs: waiting for her to get off work, having dinner with her, watching her curl up on the sofa watching TV and giggling, and even... watching those boring soap operas that he would never touch.

Surprisingly, I also felt fulfilled.

Fang Jingxiu chuckled softly, then raised his hand to press his brow.

It's just that it hurts my kidneys.

He shook his head, changed into slippers, and went into the study.

Chen Nuo is still working.

She was wearing that green dinosaur pajama set, a onesie with spines on the back, a dinosaur head hat, and a tail that dragged on the ground.

She sat cross-legged on the chair, huddled in her pajamas, with only half her face showing, frowning as she stared at the computer screen.

Fang Jingxiu walked over, stood behind her, and gently covered her eyes with his hands.

"Guess who I am?"

Chen Nuo stopped typing. She sighed, her tone helpless: "Brother Xiu, stop messing around."

Fang Jingxiu released her hand, moved to face her, squatted down, and looked her in the eye: "Girlfriend, pay attention to me."

Chen Nuo peeked out from under the dinosaur hat and blinked: "What's wrong?"

"I'm back from my smoke," Fang Jingxiu said. "You don't even care if I'm cold."

Chen Nuo smiled and reached out to pinch his cheek: "Are you cold?"

"It's cold." Fang Jingxiu said seriously, "I need my girlfriend to kiss me to warm me up."

Chen Nuo blushed and pushed his hand away: "Stop fooling around, I'm having a burst of inspiration right now, at a crucial moment."

Fang Jingxiu wasn't annoyed. He sat down on the carpet in front of her and looked up at her: "My busy girlfriend, please do me your favor."

He was dressed in a custom-made white shirt and black trousers, yet he sat on the carpet without any regard for his image, looking up at her with a hint of grievance in his eyes, which made Chen Nuo burst out laughing.

She leaned down and quickly kissed him on the lips: "Alright, that's enough."

The dinosaur hat swayed with her movements, and Fang Jingxiu couldn't resist reaching out to pinch the corner of her pajamas.

It feels soft to the touch, just like her.

"Shen Rongchuan is organizing a game tomorrow, some ball and some dinner." He slid his fingers to her cheek, his thumb gently stroking the skin under her eye. "Want to go?"

Chen Nuo stopped typing.

She slowly turned around, her dinosaur tail brushing against his trousers: "...Will they be embarrassed?"

Fang Jingxiu knew what she was thinking. Their first meeting was at Shen Rongchuan's birthday party, where Zhao Mingkai arranged a gift and a beautiful woman was there as part of an exchange of benefits.

The second time they met, she was already Fang's girlfriend.

"It's fine if you don't want to go." He teased her deliberately, his tone nonchalant. "If they ask, I'll just say my girlfriend doesn't like them because they're too noisy."

"I'm going!" Chen Nuo immediately grabbed his wrist, her eyes wide. "I'm going, I'm going!"

Fang Jingxiu raised an eyebrow: "Really going?"

"I'm really going!" She nodded vigorously, her dinosaur hat swaying again. "But... Xiu-ge, you need to give me a crash course beforehand. What do they like to talk about? What are their taboos? What should I wear? Should I bring a gift?"

Before he could finish speaking, Fang Jingxiu had already bent down and picked her up from the swivel chair.

"Oops, I didn't save my plan..."

He held her with one arm, and with the other hand, he pressed Ctrl+S. Only after seeing the screen display a message indicating successful saving did he stop, satisfied: "Saved."

"Put me down! I'm wearing slippers!"

"What kind of slippers do you want?" Fang Jingxiu carried her towards the master bedroom, deliberately weighing her in his arms. "Have you lost weight recently? Is the food on set not good?"

Chen Nuo wrapped her arms around his neck, her tail dragging on the ground: "It's because Brother Xiu has been too..."

"Too much?" He stopped at the door of the master bedroom and looked down at her.

Chen Nuo buried her face in his shoulder, her voice muffled: "...You've been through so much."

Fang Jingxiu laughed out loud, the vibrations from his chest reaching her.

After entering the bedroom, he didn't turn on the main light, but only switched on the Foscarini spherical wall lamp by the bedside. The warm yellow light, like melting honey, thickened the air.

"These pajamas." He placed Chen Nuo on the edge of the bed, knelt on one knee, reached out and pinched the end of the dinosaur's tail, and gently tugged it. "They look so stupid."

Its tail was made of springs, and when he pulled and released it, it swayed in the air, leaving afterimages.

"You're the stupid one!" Chen Nuo lunged at the tail, grabbing it.

Fang Jingxiu caught her and carried her to the bathroom.

"I've already taken a shower!"

"It smells like class now." He said without changing his expression, pushing open the frosted glass bathroom door with one hand. "Brother Xiu will help you clean up."

……

"Fang Jingxiu, I'm angry! Stop hitting me!"

……

"Brother Xiu, move a little...please."

……

Amidst the hum of the hairdryer, Chen Nuo, half-asleep, heard him say:

"Oh, right."

"Um...?"

"Shen Rongchuan asked me to treat you." Fang Jingxiu turned off the hairdryer and ran his fingers through her half-dry long hair. "I said okay."

Chen Nuo rolled over and snuggled into his arms: "Then I want to eat the expensive stuff."

"How expensive?"

"The kind that will eat you out of house and home."