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

Conference Room 3, National Development and Reform Commission Building. 10:00 AM.

The heavy, soundproof door was tightly shut, separating the inside from the outside into two separate worlds.

Inside the door, the atmosphere was solemn and heavy.

Around the oval conference table sat more than ten senior officials from the National Energy Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and relevant departments of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The large screen on the wall displays a complex industrial chain map and data model, and the air is filled with the scents of high-end tobacco, strong tea, and the silent power struggle.

This was a high-level coordination meeting regarding the layout and resource allocation of major strategic emerging industry projects in the latter half of the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Each topic involved investment, local interest conflicts, disputes over technological routes, and the allocation of future industrial discourse power.

The attendees were at least at the deputy director-general level, and everyone was focused, carefully choosing their words. Every statement they made could affect the life or death of countless companies and the rise and fall of a region.

Fang Jingxiu sat in the front seat, his dark gray executive jacket was neatly pressed, his shirt collar was tightly closed, and his gaze behind his gold-rimmed glasses was calm and sharp.

The notebook in front of him contained key points, and his fingertips occasionally drew concise and powerful annotations on the paper.

He was one of the key participants in the meeting, and the area he was responsible for and the approval authority he held made him a crucial figure that all parties needed to win over or treat with caution.

He didn't speak much, but every time he did, he addressed the core issues directly, with solid data, clear logic, and an undeniable professionalism and a certain calm strength based on his position.

Secretary Qin stood in the corridor outside the conference room, his back straight, like a pine tree.

He held his encrypted phone, which he had just silenced but was still vibrating wildly in his palm. On the screen was a red-highlighted message from the emergency contact channel in Yongzhou, containing only a few words, but every word was alarming.

His face appeared somewhat pale in the dim light of the corridor, and a fine layer of cold sweat even seeped from his forehead.

He wouldn't dare to go in and interrupt.

Within the system, order is paramount.

In particular, these internal decision-making meetings, chaired by vice-ministerial level leaders and involving major industrial policies, are characterized by strict discipline and rigorous procedures.

Unless the sky falls, interruptions are absolutely not permitted. Fang Jingxiu himself has the concept of rules ingrained in his very being.

He pays attention to his appearance, observes etiquette, and advocates doing everything according to procedures and levels.

Intruding into such a setting would not only disrupt the meeting's rhythm and displease the leadership, but would also damage Fang Jingxiu's carefully cultivated image of composure and restraint.

Secretary Qin had served Fang Jingxiu for many years and knew his boss's temperament all too well. The bigger the matter, the more composed one had to be; the more shocking the event, the more one had to remain calm.

He could only stand outside the door, like an anxious statue, his ears picking up the faint sounds of discussion inside, his heart burning with impatience.

Every few minutes, he would glance down at his phone screen to make sure there were no newer, worse messages.

The meeting had been going on for more than two hours, and at the most heated moments, the air seemed to freeze.

The deputy director of the National Energy Administration, who was chairing the meeting, announced a 20-minute recess to allow everyone to relax, have a smoke, and sort out their thoughts.

As soon as the meeting room door opened, a heavy atmosphere and the cacophony of heated debate poured out, a stark contrast to the normal atmosphere outside.

Officials emerged in twos and threes, most with solemn expressions, and quickly walked toward the smoking area or lounge at the end of the corridor.

Within the system, meeting breaks serve as another form of meeting space, where informal exchanges of opinions, private communication and coordination, and even the prelude to certain transactions often take place quietly in these seemingly relaxed moments.

Fang Jingxiu didn't get up immediately. He closed his notebook, carefully put the pen back in its holder, and followed the flow of people out of the conference room. His face didn't reveal much emotion, only a faint weariness between his brows, a result of prolonged intense concentration.

The smoking area was already filled with smoke.

Several familiar department and bureau chiefs were talking in hushed tones. When they saw Fang Jingxiu approaching, they all nodded in greeting and made room for him.

Fang Jingxiu nodded slightly in response, walked to the window, lit a cigarette, took a deep drag, and slowly exhaled.

My gaze drifted to the hazy sky outside the window, as if using the nicotine and a brief moment of mental clarity to sort through the complex information and unresolved exchanges from the meeting.

Just then, a figure approached quickly and quietly, almost hugging the wall. It was Secretary Qin.

His face was more tense than usual, his lips were pressed into a thin line, and deep in his eyes was an undisguised anxiety.

Instead of waiting at a distance as usual, he walked straight to Fang Jingxiu's side and whispered urgently but clearly in a voice barely audible to the two of them:

"Director, something's happened. We just received an urgent report from Yongzhou: Li Yiran... is dead."

Fang Jingxiu's fingers, which were holding the cigarette, paused almost imperceptibly, and the ash fell silently.

The muscles on his face didn't move at all, not even his eyelashes trembled. Only his pupils behind the glasses contracted to pinpoints in an instant.

Li Yiran, the cousin who injected Li Xiaobao with the fatal injection, is the nephew of the Li family matriarch and one of the key, but fragile, witnesses they currently possess who may point to the Bai family's illegal organ trafficking chain.

He went through the motions of lighting a cigarette, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled the grayish-white smoke.

Amidst the swirling smoke, his profile was as hard and angular as a stone carving, his gaze behind his glasses calmly fixed on the ant-like stream of cars below.

"Explain clearly." His voice was not loud, even lower and calmer than usual, as if he were asking about today's weather.

Secretary Qin spoke even faster, his voice lower, almost a whisper: "The scene was staged as a home invasion robbery and murder, but the method was crude, leaving obvious flaws. More importantly... there were traces."

He paused, his tone growing more serious. "It was very subtle, but highly targeted. Vague eyewitness accounts mentioned that the perpetrator dressed like an official and spoke with a Beijing accent. Fragments of a specially made evidence bag, rarely seen on the market but purchased by some government agencies, were left at the scene. Technical analysis shows that among Li Yiran's last few phone calls before his death, there was an encrypted forwarded number, which traced back to a communication node in Jingjing that was difficult to investigate thoroughly... Also, our people in Yongzhou intercepted a message circulating in a small circle, saying that before Li Yiran died, he revealed to someone that he had been threatened by a big shot in Jingjing because he knew certain things 'above,' and might even have received hush money."

Secretary Qin's words were like icicles, each one piercing Fang Jingxiu's eardrums.

This was not a simple act of silencing witnesses; it was a meticulously planned, insidious scheme that killed two or even more birds with one stone.

The Bai family, or the forces behind them, not only want to eliminate Li Yiran, this potential threat, but also to divert trouble to…

Chen Nuo, or rather, refers to Fang Jingxiu.

Those traces, though not cleverly forged, were insidious enough. In this sensitive period, especially with two high-ranking officials from the Fang family and Fang Jingxiu in the eye of the storm due to Chen Nuo's film and his power struggle with the Bai family, any suspicion of abusing power or silencing witnesses would be enough to stir up a storm, shake his position, and even affect the Fang family.

Once public opinion takes hold, even if no evidence is found, it will bring immeasurable negative impact and investigative pressure to Fang Jingxiu, and may even become excellent ammunition for political enemies to attack him.

The other leaders in the smoking area seemed to notice that Secretary Qin's expression was different. They lowered their voices and glanced over at him.

Fang Jingxiu, however, seemed completely oblivious to this devastating news that would have terrified most people.

He slowly raised his hand, brought the cigarette to his lips, and took another drag. His movements were steady, and even the smoke he exhaled maintained a uniform trajectory.

His gaze remained fixed on the window, his profile as hard and unyielding as a stone carving, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

The silence, lasting only a few seconds, seemed to stretch on indefinitely.

Secretary Qin held his breath, awaiting instructions.

Finally, Fang Jingxiu spoke, his voice low and even more steady than usual, carrying a calmness as if it were none of his business. Only Secretary Qin, who was closest to him, could hear the icy chill beneath that calm tone: "The meeting will last another three or four hours."

He didn't ask for details, nor did he show the slightest surprise or anger. He simply stated a fact.

The meeting wasn't over yet, so he couldn't leave.

"Suppress the hype first," he continued, his tone concise and commanding. "Go contact Shen Rongchuan."

Secretary Qin understood immediately.

Many matters that the director couldn't handle personally, or that required unofficial methods, were often handled by Shen Rongchuan. The director provided him with policy benefits and protection, while he handled the director's menial tasks; they complemented each other without tacit agreement.

"Tell him to throw out a few exciting items." Fang Jingxiu flicked his cigarette ash, his gaze still not meeting Secretary Qin's, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"Isn't the entertainment industry quite active lately? Top celebrities are secretly married and have children, using drugs and soliciting prostitutes, evading taxes... Pick a few serious ones to muddy the waters and divert public and media attention. The accident involving a nobody in Yongzhou shouldn't, and can't, occupy too much public attention."

This is the most typical method of manipulating public opinion.

Use bigger, more eye-catching, explosive news to cover up and dilute the sensitive events that truly need attention.

Media, when capital and power collude, are often nothing more than tools for manipulating public attention.

Wasn't the previous surrogacy scandal in Nanhu Province completely overshadowed by a series of scandals and controversies involving top celebrities?

Secretary Qin quickly wrote it down: "Understood."

Fang Jingxiu took the last drag of his cigarette and precisely stubbed it out in the specially provided cigarette extinguishing sand next to him.

Then, for the first time, he turned his head to look at Secretary Qin, his eyes deep and unwavering, and added the last, and most important, sentence:

"Protect Chen Nuo. Make sure she is completely safe. Any suspicious approach, information, or...accident must be dealt with immediately without seeking permission."

His tone remained calm, but the phrase "no need to ask for instructions" granted Secretary Qin the highest discretionary power to make on-the-spot decisions regarding Chen Nuo's safety.

This means that in protecting Chen Nuo, all necessary means can be used, and even the usual procedures can be temporarily bypassed.

"Yes! Don't worry, Director!" Secretary Qin replied solemnly, cold sweat beading on his back, and a heavy sense of responsibility welling up within him.

Even in the face of such a sudden crisis, the director's first thought was still about Ms. Chen's safety.

Fang Jingxiu nodded, raised his wrist, glanced at his watch, and saw that there were still three minutes left.

Then, he straightened his already impeccably dressed clothes, turned around, and walked steadily toward the conference room, preparing to attend the second half of the meeting.

"I'm going back to the meeting." He said this, turned around, and walked steadily toward the conference room.

His back was straight, and his pace was perfectly steady, as if the emergency report that had just been so dramatic was just an insignificant interlude.

As Secretary Qin watched his retreating figure walk into the conference room, a mixture of indescribable admiration and chill welled up within her.

This is Fang Jingxiu.

He would remain unmoved even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, and his eyes would not blink even if a deer ran past on his left.

When a crisis struck, he didn't frantically try to put out the fires everywhere, but instead quickly assessed the pros and cons and made the calmest and most decisive deployment.

Use methods within the rules to deal with underhanded tactics outside the rules.

This composure, this shrewdness, this willpower to firmly grasp the helm even amidst turbulent waves—these are the very reasons why he was able to rise to a high position at such a young age, and why he was both feared and relied upon by all sides.

The corridor fell silent again, with only the faint sounds of a meeting room discussion emanating from it.

Secretary Qin quickly went to the stairwell and began making phone calls to carry out Fang Jingxiu's instructions.

A silent war, however far more dangerous, has begun. At the eye of the storm, Fang Jingxiu remains calmly seated in the conference room, a room of vital importance to the nation's economy and people's livelihood, participating in discussions about the future of the country's industries.

A personal crisis must never disrupt the operation of official business;

Even the most dangerous hidden arrows must be deflected in the most rule-abiding way.

The ability to keep one's emotions in check and to remain calm in the face of danger are fundamental survival skills.