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

Nine o'clock at night, in the apartment.

Chen Nuo nestled on the sofa in the study, hugging his knees, and recounted his conversation with Zhou Huimin that afternoon to Fang Jingxiu, word by word.

Fang Jingxiu sat in the single sofa opposite her, holding a document in his hand, but his gaze remained fixed on her face.

After listening, he put down the documents, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"How do you think you did today?" he asked.

Chen Nuo thought for a moment: "It should be... alright?"

"Not bad?" Fang Jingxiu raised an eyebrow. "Do you know why Zhou Huimin contacted you today?"

Chen Nuo nodded: "She wants to cultivate her own people. She's about to be promoted, and the censorship department needs someone to keep an eye on things for her."

"Anything else?"

Chen Nuo was silent for a while, then slowly said, "She was also testing me. Testing whether I was too stupid, whether someone would use something against me and implicate her; testing whether I was too smart, whether I would turn around and scheme against her."

Fang Jingxiu nodded, a very faint smile on his lips.

"So what was your answer?"

Chen Nuo recalled the conversation from the afternoon, analyzing it word by word:

"When she asked about Tang Hai, I didn't say anything. I just said I didn't know the situation and didn't dare to say anything. This was to tell her that I know my limits and don't say things I shouldn't say."

"She asked me how I got into the Youth Care Foundation. I didn't mention you. I just said I passed the initial screening. This was to tell her that I don't use connections as leverage and that I know how to keep a low profile."

"She asked me what my boss values ​​most when selecting people. I said reliability, and then I explained that being able to get things done, being able to take responsibility, knowing how to conduct oneself, and knowing who one's people are. This was to tell her that I know the rules and know my place."

After she finished speaking, she looked at Fang Jingxiu, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes: "Am I right to say this?"

Fang Jingxiu looked at her, his gaze filled with complex emotions.

I felt gratified, proud, and a little heartbroken.

"Do you know why Vivian Chow smiled at the end?" he asked.

Chen Nuo shook his head.

"Because she saw a reflection of her younger self in you," Fang Jingxiu said. "You're shrewd, but know how to hide it; you have connections, but know how to use them; you're ambitious, but know how to wait."

He stood up, walked to her side, and sat down on the sofa next to her. He reached out and gently tucked a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

"You answered very well today," he said. "So well that Vivian Chow not only wants to use you, but will also start to value you."

Looking at him, Chen Nuo finally felt a weight lift from her heart, a weight that had been hanging over her all afternoon.

She nestled into his arms, buried her face in his chest, and took a deep breath of his reassuring scent.

"Brother Xiu," she said sullenly, "I'm so tired today."

Fang Jingxiu held her close, his hand slowly and steadily stroking her back.

"Knowing you're tired means you've grown up," he said. "When you're not tired, it's because you've been overprotected. When you're tired, it's because you're walking on your own."

Chen Nuo nestled in Fang Jingxiu's arms, her cheek pressed against his chest, and could clearly feel his steady and powerful heartbeat.

The sound of her heartbeat, like some ancient rhythm, finally allowed her nerves to slowly relax from the silent struggle of the afternoon.

But there was still a problem in her mind, like a tiny thorn, not painful, but always there.

"Brother Xiu," she said sullenly, "I have a question for you."

"Mmm." His hand was still slowly stroking her back, like soothing a tired little animal.

"If you were in my shoes today," she looked up into his eyes, "what would you do?"

Fang Jingxiu paused for a moment.

He didn't answer immediately, but just looked at her.

The light from the table lamp shone from the side, cutting out distinct lines of light and shadow on his face, making his eyes appear exceptionally deep.

"You mean, dealing with someone like Tang Hai?" he asked.

Chen Nuo nodded.

Fang Jingxiu was silent for a few seconds before speaking.

"On my first day at the company," he said, "I will start planning how to silently and quietly eliminate all potential competitors."

Chen Nuo's heart skipped a beat.

Fang Jingxiu looked into her eyes without looking away or softening.

"It's not about waiting for them to make a move before retaliating," he continued. "It's about treating them as potential enemies from the very beginning. Observe them, understand them, find their weaknesses. Before they even make a move, make sure they're utterly defeated."

The study was extremely quiet, with only the slight sound of the air conditioner blowing air.

Looking at him, Chen Nuo suddenly realized that the gentleness, patience, and tolerance she had taken for granted in this man were not the whole picture of him.

Or rather, that was just the way he wanted to show her.

"When I was competing for the position of deputy director," he said, his tone still calm, "I had an opponent. He was six years older than me, had been with the National Development and Reform Commission for twelve years, had a wider network of connections, and more seniority than me. Everyone, from top to bottom, thought he had a better chance of winning."

He paused for a moment, his gaze passing over Chen Nuo and landing on a certain point in the void.

"I've got something on him."

Chen Nuo held his breath.

"It's not a big deal," Fang Jingxiu said casually. "His wife had received shopping cards from a company, totaling only a few thousand yuan. Normally, she might just write a self-criticism and let it go. But at the time, it was her probationary period, so any stain would be magnified."

He looked at Chen Nuo, his gaze devoid of any emotion: "I didn't report him. I simply ensured that information appeared before the right person at the right time. Without my name or any trace of me, he was naturally eliminated."

Chen Nuo remained silent.

She recalled her cautious answers and carefully crafted words in front of Vivian Chow that afternoon. She thought that already showed her cunning.

But compared to the man in front of her, she was like a blank sheet of paper.

"Do you think I'm too ruthless?" Fang Jingxiu suddenly asked.

Chen Nuo looked at him and shook his head.

It's not that I can't, it's that I don't know.

Fang Jingxiu seemed to understand her silence.

He reached out and gently brushed away the stray hairs from her forehead, his movements so tender they were a stark contrast to his earlier words.

"Chen Nuo," he said, "everyone has two sides. You can be gentle to one person, but you might have to be ruthless to another. That's the rule of survival, not a moral issue."

He paused, his voice deepening slightly:

"How can you climb to the top of the mountain without stepping on the bones of others?"

"Vice Chairman Pan," Fang Jingxiu said, "you should have heard of this name."

Chen Nuo nodded.

Pan, a vice-ministerial level leader in the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, was dismissed from his post two months ago and is reportedly under disciplinary review and investigation.

"It took him thirty years to get to that position." Fang Jingxiu's voice was calm, as if he were recounting a piece of history. "He started from the grassroots, taking one step at a time, achieving outstanding political achievements and being well-liked. Five years ago, he had the opportunity to advance further and join the leadership of a ministry. At that time, his main competitor was his former colleague, who was later transferred to another department."

He paused.

"That opponent is problematic. Vice Commissioner Pan has evidence. If he had handed over the evidence back then, that person might be in jail by now."

"He didn't hand it over?" Chen Nuo asked.

"I didn't hand it over," Fang Jingxiu said. "Because that opponent has a very special family situation. His elderly mother is over eighty years old, his wife has been bedridden for many years, and his son has just been admitted to university. Vice Chairman Pan softened his heart and felt that people have it tough, with elderly parents and young children to support, so he let him off the hook, and they can go their separate ways from now on."

As Chen Nuo listened, a vague sense of unease crept into his heart.

"And then?" she asked.

"Later," Fang Jingxiu's voice turned colder, "that rival held onto another position for several years. Although he didn't advance any further, he didn't fall either. Last year, this rival uncovered everything about me that was under Vice Commissioner Pan's jurisdiction."

He looked down at Chen Nuo, his gaze heavy with something weighty.

"He passed the materials up the chain of command, very subtly, but with a very clear message."

"And then?" Chen Nuo's voice was a little tense.

"Then, Deputy Commissioner Pan was dismissed from his post and is under investigation. His son, who had only been working for a year, was marginalized by his workplace because of this. Upon hearing the news, his elderly mother suffered a heart attack and died on the spot."

Fang Jingxiu's voice remained calm throughout, but every word struck Chen Nuo's heart like an ice bead.

"Now, looking at his elderly mother's grave, his wife, and his son, does he regret that soft-hearted decision he made five years ago?" Fang Jingxiu said. "I don't know. But I know that if it were me, I wouldn't let this happen."

He lowered his head and placed a very light kiss on Chen Nuo's forehead.

"To the enemy," he said, "you should strike them dead, so that they can never recover. If you show them mercy today, tomorrow when they recover, they will become the sword that pierces your heart."

Chen Nuo remained silent for a long time.

Fang Jingxiu did not disturb her, but simply held her quietly, his hand still slowly stroking her back.

"Chen Nuo," he said, "I'm telling you this today not to turn you into a cold-blooded person. I want you to know that this world, especially the officialdom, has its own rules. You can choose not to follow them, but you must know what the consequences of not following them are."

Chen Nuo nodded.

Fang Jingxiu looked at her and suddenly smiled.

The smile was faint, yet it carried a rare tenderness.

"And," he said, "especially with women, you have to be even more ruthless."

Chen Nuo was taken aback: "Why?"

"Because it's inherently harder for women than for men in this industry," Fang Jingxiu said. "If a man makes the same mistake, it might be called paying tuition; if a woman makes the same mistake, it's called a lack of ability. If a man achieves the same result, it's called having guts; if a woman achieves the same result, it's called being lucky."

His voice turned somber.

"Therefore, if you want to move up, you must be more clear-headed, more cautious, and more ruthless than others. Not ruthless towards others, but ruthless towards yourself, so ruthless that you don't allow yourself to make low-level mistakes, so ruthless that you don't allow yourself to be soft-hearted."

He looked into her eyes and spoke, word by word:

Being a little ruthless is a way to protect yourself.

As Chen Nuo listened, it felt as if something was slowly and firmly building up into a wall in his heart.

"Brother Xiu," she called softly.

"Um?"

"Thank you." She buried her face in his chest, her voice a little muffled. "Thank you for telling me all this."

Fang Jingxiu lowered his head and kissed the top of her head.

"I'm telling you this not to turn you into me, but to give you the right to choose."

He paused, his voice low as if coming from the depths of his chest: "Choose an easier path than mine, and protect the people you want to protect."