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

When Chen Nuo opened the door, the living room light was still on. Fang Jingxiu was sitting on the sofa with a laptop on his lap, the screen filled with densely packed spreadsheets. He was wearing a dark gray loungewear set, the collar slightly open, and his hair was still damp.

"You're back?" He didn't look up; his fingers were still typing something on the keyboard.

Chen Nuo walked over and sat down beside him. She didn't say anything, but simply leaned on his shoulder and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Fang Jingxiu paused for a moment, then closed the laptop and placed it aside. He reached out and put his arm around her shoulder, patting it gently. "What's wrong?"

Her mind was filled with the scene she had witnessed that day. "Brother Xiu," she began, her voice muffled, coming from the crook of his shoulder, "I saw a migrant worker today. His name is Li Qiang."

Fang Jingxiu didn't say anything, but continued to gently pat her shoulder.

Chen Nuo recounted the story bit by bit. Li Qiang had worked on the construction site for six months, doing the work of three people but only earning half a person's wages. He was imprisoned, his fate unknown, and there was no news of him. Meanwhile, his wife was in a hospital ward, clinging to her last breath, waiting for someone who might never come.

A family, separated by a door, yet worlds apart. One awaits rescue, the other awaits vindication. One is on the verge of collapse, the other has long been powerless to control their own destiny.

"He didn't do anything wrong." Chen Nuo's voice began to tremble. "He just wanted his wages back. Was he wrong? Why label him as maliciously demanding unpaid wages?"

Her tears fell, landing on Fang Jingxiu's collar and quickly spreading into a small wet patch.

Fang Jingxiu remained silent. His hand paused, resting on Chen Nuo's shoulder. "Chen Nuo, now that you've entered officialdom, you must crush your compassion, then swallow it along with your tears. Understand?"

Chen Nuo was stunned. She looked up at him. His expression was calm. "But Brother Xiu, do you still remember your first declaration when you joined the system?"

Of course he remembered. "To establish a moral compass for Heaven and Earth, to secure a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations." He remembered that when he first entered politics, he wrote these four sentences on the first page of his notebook and read them every day.

He remembered standing by the window and laughing for a long time after he first used his power to help an ordinary person. He remembered that he once thought that as long as he climbed up, he could change something.

Now he's climbed up. But he hasn't changed anything. The world is still dirty, those who deserve to suffer are still suffering, and those who deserve to be punished are still drinking.

His own hands had held pens, documents, and steering wheels. They had also held the hands of his loved ones. But they couldn't hold the hands of those struggling in the mire.

Chen Nuo continued, "Brother Xiu, when I was in college, my teachers taught us that to become a director, you must first learn law. They said the law is just, the system is fair, and society is kind. I believed that back then. I thought that as long as I followed the rules and the law, I could help people. But today I realize that rules are made by people, laws are enforced by people, and justice is bought by people. Black can be called white, and white can be called black. As long as you have money, power, and connections..."

Her voice began to tremble, and her eyes reddened again.

"But what I saw today was that the law protects those who sit and drink, those who have Moutai in their hands. When Li Qiang knelt on the ground and kowtowed, no one pulled him up, no one looked at him, no one felt sorry for him. They thought he was a dog, a joke. And I stood there, unable to do anything. I could only watch. I could only listen. I could only hand over that document, and then go with them to drink, to toast, to pour drinks for those who bullied him."

She looked up at Fang Jingxiu, and tears finally fell.

"Brother Xiu, if this is what officialdom is like, I don't believe you chose to enter politics in the first place to use power to oppress the people."

Fang Jingxiu reached out and gently wiped away her tears. The movement was very light and slow. "Chen Nuo, are you finished?"

She nodded.

"Okay. Then I'll go." He leaned back on the sofa, looking at the ceiling. "Chen Nuo, do you know why depression is incurable?"

Chen Nuo was stunned, not understanding why he suddenly changed the subject. "Why?"

"In the UK, there was a woman whose child suffered from depression. After taking medication, the child's condition not only didn't improve, but worsened, and the child became dependent on it. Her sister, an executive at a top pharmaceutical company, privately told her that drugs to cure depression and many terminal illnesses had long existed. However, after being acquired by the pharmaceutical company, their production was prohibited, and they were kept secret. This is because these diseases represent a long-term, huge profit chain. What would they profit from if the illness was cured?"

Chen Nuo's hands slowly clenched.

Fang Jingxiu turned to look at her. "It's the same in this matter. Sun Xintong compensated Li Qiang, which means he has to compensate the other workers. If one person compensates, everyone has to. Is he willing to do that? No, he isn't. So he pinned the accusation of maliciously demanding unpaid wages on Li Qiang. Anyway, malicious non-payment of wages isn't listed in the law, but malicious demanding of unpaid wages is. Who dares to openly violate the law?"

"So that means the money won't reach the workers?"

Fang Jingxiu didn't answer directly. "Chen Nuo, if you had 100 million yuan in cash, and after paying salaries and taxes, half of it would be deducted, would you be willing to accept that?"

Chen Nuo remained silent. The truth was, no one would be willing.

Fang Jingxiu looked at her expression, reached out, and took her hand. "Chen Nuo, I don't want you to accept these things. I want you to remember them. Remember what you see today, remember what you can't do today, remember what you are powerless to change today. Then, when you have the power, the ability, and the strength one day, you can change it."

"Can it be changed?"

"I don't know. But you'll never know if you don't try."

Chen Nuo remained silent for a long time. Suddenly, she reached out, grabbed Fang Jingxiu's arm, and shook it forcefully. "Brother Xiu, I don't have the ability right now, but you... can you help him? You have a way. Please help him, I beg you."

Fang Jingxiu was being shaken back and forth by her. He kept saying "No, no," but the corners of his mouth were already starting to turn up.

His wife begged him.

She gripped his arm, shook his hand, her eyes filled with expectation. She had never begged him like this before. Never.

cool.

Fang Jingxiu was secretly pleased, but he had to pretend to be troubled. "This is a difficult matter." He reached out and hugged Chen Nuo, stopping her from shaking. "Sister Chen Nuo, stop, stop, I need to think things through."

Chen Nuo stopped and looked at him expectantly.

Fang Jingxiu looked at her and sighed. "Fine, fine. I'll help you one last time."

Who told me, Fang Jingxiu, to bear not only the responsibility for the people, but also the burden of my wife's leg?