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

The lights on both sides of the highway resembled a flowing galaxy, casting long streaks of light across the car windows.

The car fell silent again, with only the occasional mechanical female voice from the navigation system reminding passengers of the speed limit ahead of them at 120 km/h.

Fang Jingxiu turned to the side and looked at her.

The dim light from the car's overhead lamp fell on her face, casting fine shadows on her eyelashes, and her cheeks still bore the blush from before.

He suddenly said, "My dad knows about us."

Chen Nuo's smile froze on his face.

She slowly lowered her hand, her fingers twisting together on her knee. The car was so quiet that the faint sound of the air conditioning vents could be heard.

"Then he..." her voice was a little dry, "How so?"

"You're still young, so their acceptance rate is definitely not high." Fang Jingxiu said directly, without beating around the bush or offering comforting lies. "The four words 'marrying someone of equal social standing' are an ironclad rule in the minds of their generation."

Chen Nuo remained silent for a long time.

An industrial park flashed past the window, its massive factory buildings resembling silent behemoths in the night.

"It's okay," Chen Nuo suddenly spoke, her voice deliberately light. "If they really won't let us be together, I'll do what they do in novels: get pregnant, then run away with the baby. I'll come back when the child is five years old and let him call you 'Dad.'"

She was joking.

But Fang Jingxiu's hand gripping the steering wheel tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning white.

"Chen Nuo".

Fang Jingxiu's voice turned serious, interrupting her joke.

As the car entered the Fifth Ring Road, he turned on his turn signal and pulled over to the side of the road in the emergency lane.

With the hazard lights on, the yellow warning lights flashed regularly in the darkness, like some kind of warning signal.

He turned his head and looked at her.

The streetlight beams slanted in through the windshield, casting shadows on his face. The shadowed side obscured his expression, while the bright side revealed a serious look that made her heart skip a beat.

"How old are you?" Fang Jingxiu asked, each word like a hammer blow. "Twenty-two, still a film school graduate, your life has just begun. Pregnant? Running away with a baby? Do you think this is a TV drama?"

Chen Nuo was startled by the sternness in his tone and subconsciously shrank back.

"I..." She opened her mouth, wanting to argue that it was a joke.

"What if we really didn't make it to the end..." Fang Jingxiu continued, his voice not loud, but every word carried weight.

"I will send you abroad to study film, which you want to learn. I will pave the way for your film career and help you plan your future. But definitely not by having you secretly get pregnant and sacrifice your life."

He reached out and took her cold hand in his.

The car's heater was on full blast, but Chen Nuo still felt cold.

She looked into Fang Jingxiu's eyes, those usually calm and composed eyes, which now held worry, seriousness, and a complex emotion she couldn't understand.

"Chen Nuo, listen to me." Fang Jingxiu reached out and took her cold hand. "I don't need you to give so much, you know? You have a long life ahead of you. Even without me, you will meet new people and start new stories."

"But I don't want to meet anyone new," Chen Nuo said, her voice choked with emotion. "I only want you."

"That's what I think now." Fang Jingxiu's voice softened, but his words remained firm. "What about ten years from now? What about twenty years from now? What I want is for you to live the life you want, not to live as someone's appendage, and certainly not to exchange a child for something."

He reached out and took her cold hand in his.

"Chen Nuo, listen carefully." He looked into her eyes, his gaze as deep as a pool. "I don't need you to give so much, I don't need you to use your body, your youth, your whole life to exchange for an uncertain future. You have a long life ahead of you. Even without me, you will meet new people and start new stories."

"But..."

"No buts." Fang Jingxiu released his grip on the steering wheel and took it back. "You are Chen Nuo, a student in the directing department of the film academy, an independent individual with your own ideas. You are not anyone's appendage, nor are you a weak person who needs to use pregnancy to tie down a man."

The car restarted and merged back into the traffic.

This silence lasted even longer, so long that Chen Nuo thought he would remain silent forever.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, "I was just... talking nonsense."

Fang Jingxiu looked at her through the rearview mirror.

The dim light from the car's overhead lamp fell on her face, casting fine shadows from her eyelashes. The flush on her cheeks from emotional excitement had faded, leaving only a calm demeanor of focused thought.

"What you just said may have sounded harsh, but you should take it to heart," he said, his voice particularly clear in the enclosed carriage, "especially regarding your future path."

Chen Nuo raised her head and met his gaze.

The light from the streetlights cut in at an angle through the windshield, casting shadows on his face. In those usually deep and unfathomable eyes, there was no allure at this moment, only a clarity and solemnity akin to that of a mentor.

"In any field, or any area where resources are highly concentrated, there are only a few conventional paths for women to climb the ladder," Fang Jingxiu said calmly, as if he were delivering a situation analysis report. "The first path is through blood ties. You're born into privilege, with family protection and naturally preferential access to resources. You don't have that."

Chen Nuo's heart sank slightly, but he nodded.

"The second way is through marriage. Find a husband with connections, and you can transfer resources and change your status. This is the quickest way, and the path most people choose." Fang Jingxiu paused, his gaze lingering on her face for a moment.

"Liu Sihua has taken this path, and she has done it very well. The Liu family needs the Fang family's military background to consolidate its position, and the Fang family... in some people's eyes, also needs the Liu family's connections in both political and business circles as a supplement. This is the most typical marriage of interests."

He spoke so bluntly, laying bare the pressure he might face regarding an arranged marriage. Chen Nuo's fingers twitched slightly, but she didn't look away.

"The third way," Fang Jingxiu lowered his voice, carrying a worldly-wise detachment, "is to rely on your body. You use your youth and beauty as a bargaining chip, attaching yourself to a powerful man to gain resources or opportunities. This is the most common path, and the easiest way to be sacrificed and abandoned. Because youth and beauty are consumables; there will always be younger, more beautiful successors. Moreover, once you take this path, you'll be forever labeled a plaything or mistress, a label that's hard to shake off, and the true inner circle will never truly accept you."

He looked at her, his eyes sharp: "Of these three paths, you can't take any of them now, and I don't want you to take any of them either."

The green light came on, the car started moving again, and smoothly glided into the hospital gate.

The guards at the gate recognized the license plate and stood at attention, saluting. Fang Jingxiu nodded slightly, and the car drove onto the internal road, heading towards the small building in the VIP ward.

"So, I'm going to carve out a fourth path for you." Fang Jingxiu parked the car in a designated parking space not far from the ward building, turned off the engine, but did not immediately unbuckle his seatbelt.

He turned to her, his whole body turning around to create a focused, enclosed space for conversation.

"This path is called value exchange," he said slowly. "It's not about dependence or taking, but about using your own abilities, talents, and achievements to exchange for the resources, status, and respect you deserve."

The night was quiet, and the car was even quieter.

Chen Nuo could hear the sound of his own heartbeat, and he could also hear the heavy weight of each word he uttered.

"I'll give you resources, a platform, and clear away some unnecessary obstacles, such as the harassment from the Bai family this time, the entry ticket to the Young Directors Program, and the potential CCTV special program in the future." Fang Jingxiu listed them one by one, his tone calm, yet sketching a picture of resources that ordinary people could hardly imagine.

"These are my investments. But what I'm investing in is you. Your directorial talent, your keen observation of this era, and your drive to do something different."

He paused, leaning forward slightly until Chen Nuo could see his own reflection in his pupils: "But investment is risky. I'll set the stage for you, but can you perform well? I'll hand you a ladder, but can you climb up and stand firmly? I'll secure you the opportunity to speak with top figures in the industry, but can you respond appropriately and demonstrate the professionalism they admire? These are all your problems."

This isn't sweet talk; these are the most realistic terms of the cooperation agreement.

There's no such thing as a free lunch. If you want something, you have to exchange it for something of equal value.

Her father taught her about the equivalent exchange in the business world, while Fang Jingxiu taught her about the more complex and cruel exchange of power and talent.

"Your film is your pledge of allegiance, and proof of your worth," Fang Jingxiu continued.

"Once you've filmed well, won awards, and gained influence, you'll have your first solid foothold. When people introduce you, they won't just say, 'This is Director Fang's girlfriend,' but rather, 'This is the young director Chen Nuo, and what his representative works are.' This identity is something you earn yourself, and no one can take it away."

"And then...?" Chen Nuo asked softly, his voice a little tense.

"And then?" Fang Jingxiu leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the quiet hospital building in the night outside the window. "Then, you can choose to continue cultivating your expertise in the arts, accumulating fame and industry standing. Alternatively, you can use this socially influential work and the honors you've received to enter the cultural or propaganda system as a special talent."

He turned back, his eyes gleaming with a shrewd, long-term vision for her: "The system has corresponding policies for attracting exceptional talents who have won major artistic awards and have social influence. Their starting point won't be low. Plus..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Within this system, I can at least have a voice. By then, you will no longer be a rootless duckweed, but a state cadre with official status, a permanent position, and a path to advancement. This path is slow, but steady, and upright."

Chen Nuo was completely stunned.

She had never thought so far ahead, so specifically.

She only wanted to make good movies and prove herself; at most, she thought about the fame and fortune that the movies would bring.

Fang Jingxiu had already planned a possible path for her, from a grassroots creator to a professional cadre within the system.

This is not wishful thinking; the policies, channels, and operational space he mentioned have clearly been understood and weighed.

"But...this will take a long time, right? And what if the movie doesn't succeed?" Chen Nuo couldn't help but ask, his voice a mixture of anticipation for the future and fear of the unknown.

"That's why I said, how I support you is my business, whether you can stand firm is your business." Fang Jingxiu's tone was not accusatory, only a calm statement.

"A successful film is a shortcut. Even if it's not that successful, as long as the work is solid and has highlights, I can find a way to get you into that system at the right time and for the right reason. It's just that the starting point and the subsequent development will be a little different."

He reached out and gently took her hand, which was resting on her knee. His hand was warm and dry, and carried a reassuring strength.

"Chen Nuo, I wasn't just playing around with you from the very beginning," he said calmly, yet each word was clear.

"Given my position and resources, there are countless easier and less responsible ways. I can give you money, a house, and some trivial resources to make you happy, and then maintain a pleasant but not deep relationship. When I feel it's too much trouble, or the family pressure becomes too great, I can easily end it, give you a generous breakup fee, and we can part ways amicably."

He reached out and took her hand, which was resting on the blanket; his palm was warm.

"But I didn't." He looked into her eyes. "I chose the most troublesome option. Bringing you into my circle, shielding you from open and hidden attacks, planning for your long-term future, even... placing you before my father. Do you understand what that means?"

Chen Nuo's heart pounded; she felt as if she had touched the core of his hard exterior.

"This means I'm not looking for a fleeting romance, nor am I keeping a pretty vase," Fang Jingxiu said, emphasizing each word.

"I'm investing in someone I approve of, someone I believe has potential and value, and... someone with whom I'm willing to share future risks and rewards. At the same time," he softened his tone, a rare, almost gentle emotion creeping into it,

"I am also taking this relationship seriously. I hope this relationship can last, but the foundation for a lasting relationship is not a momentary passion, nor is it one-sided protection, but rather that both of us can grow and become better in this relationship, and ultimately be able to stand side by side. You are independent and strong, with your own career and your own sky, which is far more attractive to me than a lover who depends on me and needs my constant care. This relationship is also more likely to withstand the test of time and the storms of life."

He paused, his voice lowering further: "This is also for my own sake. I don't want this relationship to become a burden and source of resentment for each other one day because of family opposition, external pressure, or simply because you feel tired of not being able to keep up with me. I hope that even if the relationship itself changes one day, we will still appreciate each other and be able to support each other... allies, or at least not enemies, so that when we meet at the top, I can say, 'Director Chen, it's been a long time.'"

These words shattered the last vestige of romantic notion about princes and Cinderella in Chen Nuo's heart.

It's realistic to the point of being cruel, yet so sincere that it's irrefutable. This isn't a fairy tale; it's the most responsible and thoughtful answer a mature man can offer amidst complex realities and genuine emotions.

He loved her, but this love included scrutiny, planning, expectation, and even rational predictions about the future.

He wasn't blindly holding her in his palm; rather, he wanted to forge her into wings that could fly with him.

The process will be painful, but only in this way can you fly high and far.

Chen Nuo's tears finally fell, not tears of grievance, but tears of shock, emotion, pressure, and determination.

"I understand, Xiu-ge." She choked back tears, gripped his hand tightly, and nodded vigorously. "I will try my best... to grow my own wings. I won't let you down."

Fang Jingxiu gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. "It's not that you don't want to disappoint me,"

He corrected me, "It's so you won't disappoint yourself. Remember, everything you do is ultimately for yourself."

He checked the time; it was already 5 a.m.

"Alright, that's all. Now, it's time to sleep." His tone returned to its usual assertiveness as he helped her lay the bed flat and tucked her in. "It's almost dawn. I'll be right here. You can sleep for a bit and then go to the department. Get some rest. I'll be back before the doctor's rounds."

Chen Nuo obediently closed her eyes, but tears still silently streamed down her face. She sensed that Fang Jingxiu had turned off the overhead light, leaving only a dim nightlight in the corner.

He walked to the sofa, lay down fully clothed, and soon his even breathing could be heard.

The ward returned to quiet.

The sky outside the window is gradually turning from the deepest inky blue to reveal the faint light of dawn.

Chen Nuo lay awake in the darkness, staring at the ceiling. Fang Jingxiu's words echoed repeatedly in his mind, like a brand, seared into his heart.

It hurts, but it's clear.

That night, Chen Nuo wrote a passage in his notebook:

"The power arena taught me one thing: no one can protect you forever on the path to power. A father can't, and a man certainly can't. True independence is being able to stand tall even when all protective hands have withdrawn, relying on the wings you've grown yourself."

"And the process of growing wings is very painful."

"But it's worth it."