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

"dad."

"Um."

Do you think Ning Zetong will come again?

"Yes. But not now. He lost face in front of the old man today, so he needs time to recover. He'll come back when he's calmed down, or when his boss urges him."

There's not much time left.

Fang Zhenguo picked up the teacup, but didn't drink it; he just held it in his hand, feeling its warmth. He stared at the teacup for a long time.

"What are you planning to do about this?"

"When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it."

"Bring it on, and we'll deal with it? Bring it on, and we'll dam it?" He repeated, his tone clearly sarcastic. "They're in the shadows, you're in the open. You don't know when they'll come, from which direction, or how many of them they'll send. How are you going to defend yourself? What will you use to defend yourself?"

Fang Jingxiu remained silent.

Do you know who's behind your back?

"They should know roughly."

"Should be roughly? Knowing is knowing, not knowing is not knowing. What does 'should be roughly' mean?"

Fang Jingxiu did not answer.

"Is there a solution?"

"There should be."

Fang Zhenguo almost laughed out of anger. "Should be? Are you determined to stick to 'should be' tonight?"

Fang Jingxiu's lips curved slightly. "Dad, there are some things I can't say right now. If I do, they won't work."

"Never mind." Fang Zhenguo leaned back on the sofa. "You're all grown up now, you know your limits."

The living room was quiet for a few seconds.

"Jingxiu, the Fang family must not get involved in this matter."

Fang Jingxiu looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"The Fang family has gotten to where it is today not by taking sides, but by not taking sides. Your grandfather's generation survived gunfire because they were tough. My generation survived because we didn't get involved. Your generation..."

Fang Zhenguo paused for a moment, then said, "You relied on yourself. But that doesn't mean you can't leverage other people's resources. The Liu family might be a turning point."

"Dad, I have a girlfriend."

"I know you have a girlfriend. But can that girl help the Fang family get through this?" Fang Zhenguo leaned forward.

"Listen to me. The Fang family must not get involved in this matter. In officialdom, the worst thing you can do is help your own people. The Discipline Inspection Commission is targeting you not because you made any big mistake, but because of your position. Whoever is in that position, they will be watching. But if we have the Liu family as our backing, the situation will be different. The Liu family has people in the Discipline Inspection Commission, people in the ministry, and people in the local area. They can help you avoid a lot of trouble."

"I have a girlfriend." Fang Jingxiu repeated his words, emphasizing each syllable. "I want to be a good man who remains chaste."

Fang Zhenguo glared at him. "Don't try to intimidate me with your grandpa's influence."

Fang Jingxiu looked completely innocent. "I didn't."

"You do have it." Fang Zhenguo's tone softened, tinged with helplessness. "What I said in the ancestral hall just now was just to cheer your grandfather up. He's getting old, and his health is deteriorating day by day. The doctor said that giving him a goal might help him live a few more years. In his whole life, what your grandfather cared about most was the continuation of the Fang family line. He didn't say it, but he always hoped that you would get married soon and give him a great-grandson. I went along with him because it was to give him something to look forward to. As long as there's something to look forward to, he'll live. If there's no more something to look forward to, he'll be gone."

He knew his father was telling the truth. The doctor said the old man's body was like an old car that had run hundreds of thousands of kilometers, and it could break down at any moment.

But the old man himself didn't care. He said he had lived enough, that he had lived a full life, and that every extra day was a bonus. But Fang Zhenguo did care.

"Dad, we can't have any contact with the Liu family."

Fang Zhenguo raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Fang Jingxiu took out his phone directly from the inside pocket of his suit, scrolled through it a few times, and handed it to Fang Zhenguo. The screen displayed a news article with the headline "Central Plains Figures: Female Master's Student Abducted Thirty Years Ago Has Finally Found Her Family."

Fang Zhenguo frowned as he looked at the news article.

"Thirty years ago, a female master's student was abducted. What did a master's degree mean back then? The entire Central Plains could only produce a handful a year. Her future was dazzlingly bright. And what happened? She was abducted by a trafficking group under the Bai family and sold to the mountains for a few thousand yuan. She was locked in a pigsty for more than ten years. When she was released, her nearsightedness of several thousand degrees made it impossible for her to see clearly. She tried to run away, but was caught, beaten, locked up, and humiliated. Later, she had two children, developed schizophrenia, and couldn't even remember who she was."

Fang Jingxiu continued, "The ridiculous thing is that her husband appeared on the 'Touching History of Central China' program. He was named the 'Person Who Moved Us the Year.' Why was he so moving? Because he took this woman in. He gave her a home and a place to stay. Life is so absurd. If it weren't for him, this female master's student would never have had any contact with this man in her entire life."

Fang Zhenguo placed his phone on the coffee table. "What does the Liu family have to do with this?"

"Dad, do you remember when Liu Yang was competing for the ministerial position? At that time, Pan Yue clearly had the biggest advantage, the most popularity, the most seniority, and the widest network. In the end, it was Liu Yang who got the position."

Of course he remembered. That year, Liu Yang and Pan Yue were competing for the position of Executive Vice Minister of the First Ministry. Pan Yue had worked in the system for twenty years, rising step by step from the grassroots, and everyone was optimistic about him.

What about Liu Yang? He's been working in government offices for over a decade, but he hasn't achieved anything remarkable or made any significant contributions.

When the final list was announced, everyone was stunned. Liu Yang was promoted, and Pan Yue was removed. At the time, rumors circulated in the industry that someone from higher up had specifically named Liu Yang.

But nobody knows exactly who it is.

Fang Jingxiu continued, "Liu Yang reached an agreement with the Bai family. He acted as their protector, and in return, they helped him rise to power. Over the years, none of the Bai family's projects that involved unsavory characters could be approved without Liu Yang's approval. This included his appearance on the 'Zhongzhou People' program, where he was named the 'New Person of the Year.' The award citation read, 'He sheltered a lost female graduate student for thirty years, warming a lost soul with his simple love.'"

How did you find this information?

"Chen Nuo investigated. While investigating the 'Preliminary Verification Opinions on the Flow of Funds for the Digital Transformation Project in Zhongzhou Province,' she followed the clues and found the Liu family."

Fang Zhenguo stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to Fang Jingxiu.

"Jingxiu, if we really get involved with the Liu family, we'll attract attention. If our political enemies find out about this, we'll all suffer. Won't people think that our Fang family is also involved?"

Fang Jingxiu didn't need to answer, because Fang Zhenguo already had the answer himself.

Fang Zhenguo turned around and looked at him. "Jingxiu, can our Fang family withstand investigation after investigation?"

Fang Jingxiu looked at him but did not answer. Fang Zhenguo did not wait for his reply either.

Silence is the answer, and it's unbearable. Nobody can afford it. It's not that the Fang family has a problem; it's that the person in that position can't afford it.

Fang Zhenguo picked up his phone and scrolled to a number in his contacts that he had saved for over a decade but hadn't called. The First Secretary of the National Defense Commission...

For over a decade, they've rarely been in contact. It's not that their feelings have faded, it's that they can't stay in touch. In officialdom, being close to someone means choosing sides.

Choosing sides makes you an enemy. Not everyone's enemy, but the enemy of the other side.

He pressed the dial button. The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Old Fang, Happy New Year."

"Old Zhao, Happy New Year. I need your help with something."

Fang Zhenguo walked to the study and closed the door.