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

For the next three days, nothing was gained.

As if they had planned it all along, the girls hid whenever they saw the inspection team. In the cafeteria, they ate with their heads down, none of them speaking. When they met in the corridor, they walked close to the wall, their eyes fixed on the ground.

Chen Nuo tried to find Yueyue, but every time she got close, Yueyue would run away. Not far away, but into the classroom, into the dormitory, into any place Chen Nuo couldn't go.

She tried talking to other girls, but some pretended not to hear, some shook their heads and said they didn't know, and some just started crying without saying a word. Chen Nuo knew they were afraid, but she didn't know what they were afraid of.

Is he afraid of Wang Longjie, or afraid of them? Or is he afraid that if he speaks out, he won't even be able to eat now?

Chen Wei also noticed something was wrong. "Xiao Chen, these children have probably been coached."

Chen Nuo nodded. "I know. But whether the person who taught them was Wang Longjie or someone else, I don't know."

"Without evidence, we can't take any action. We shouldn't alert them. If they escape, it'll be harder to catch them later. Besides, Ning Zetong and Luo Zhendong are only here to cooperate, not to help us."

On the fourth day, the inspection team was about to leave. They had one hour left before departing. Chen Wei suggested that they take one last look at the girls' dormitory before leaving.

The group walked in front, with Wang Longjie leading the way, Chen Wei following beside him, Ning Zetong and Luo Zhendong in the middle, and Chen Nuo at the very back, holding a notebook in her hand.

The dormitory building is a three-story building with light yellow paint on the exterior walls and spacious, bright corridors.

Wang Longjie explained as he walked. "Each dormitory room is equipped with air conditioning and a water heater. We have dedicated life teachers who are on duty 24 hours a day. The children here eat well, live well, and study well."

"Mr. Wang, you're very kind."

"It's only right. These children all come from poor backgrounds, so we should help them whenever we can."

A group of people walked down the second-floor corridor towards the third floor. Chen Nuo walked at the very back, her gaze sweeping over the doors of each dormitory room. As she reached the corner between the second and third floors, she felt someone tug at the hem of her dress.

She stopped and turned around.

In the shadows around the corner stood a girl, wearing a faded school uniform, but her eyes were different; they held fear and despair. "Sister, save me."

Chen Nuo's heart clenched. She glanced back down the corridor; Wang Longjie and the others had already gone up to the third floor, and no one had noticed that she was lagging behind.

She crouched down, bringing her eyes level with the girl's, took out a voice recorder from her pocket, and pressed the record button. "Tell your sister what happened? Don't be afraid, tell me slowly."

Her lips moved several times before she finally uttered a sound. "My name is Meimei."

Tell your sister what happened.

"We...we were often taken to the county town by Principal Wang. He said it was to collect scholarships, but once we got there, we were locked in hotel rooms. And then...and then they would..." Her voice trailed off, the rest of her words swallowed by sobs.

"who are they?"

"I don't know them. They're all uncles, in their thirties or forties. Sometimes there are two, sometimes three. They lock the door and don't let us go out. Principal Wang said that if we don't behave, they won't let us go to school anymore, and they'll send the video to our families."

Chen Nuoqiang suppressed his emotions and tried to keep his voice calm. "Meimei, have you called the police?"

Meimei shook her head. "He said it wouldn't do any good even if we called the police. The police station is his home." Her voice trembled. "He also said that if we called the police, you could forget about going to school. Your families are poor, and no one wants you except here. If you go back, you'll be sold anyway. At least here, you have food to eat."

"Meimei, do you know where those videos he mentioned are?"

Meimei nodded. "It's on his computer. And on his phone. He often shows it to us, saying that if anyone misbehaves, he'll send it out."

Chen Nuo was about to continue asking...

Wang Longjie turned from the end of the corridor, followed by Chen Wei, Ning Zetong, and Luo Zhendong. His smile was natural and kind, like that of an old principal who had worked hard all his life.

"Director Chen, why are you all alone?" Wang Longjie's gaze swept over Meimei behind Chen Nuo, his eyes like the forked tongue of a snake.

Chen Nuo did not hide. "Chief Chen, new discovery. I request that Wang Longjie be arrested and brought to justice."

Chen Wei looked at her with a hint of surprise in her eyes. Ning Zetong frowned but didn't say anything. Wang Longjie was stunned, then smiled.

"Director Chen, what do you mean by this? I, Wang Longjie, have been doing charity work for over a decade, saving hundreds of children. You're arresting me just because of a 'new discovery'? Where's the evidence?"

Chen Nuo took out a voice recorder from his pocket and pressed the play button.

Meimei's voice echoed in the corridor, "We were often taken to the county town by Principal Wang... supposedly to collect student grants... Once we got there, we were locked in hotel rooms... and then they would..." Her voice was soft, trembling with sobs.

Wang Longjie's face changed. "This is a fabrication!" His voice rose. "Director Chen, you're framing her! You've only known this child for a few days! You believe everything she says? Did you teach her to say those things? Did you give her benefits?"

His gaze turned to Meimei. "Meimei, tell your uncle, did someone force you to say this? Don't be afraid, your uncle is here, no one dares to bully you."

Meimei's body was trembling uncontrollably.

Chen Nuo did not back down. "President Wang, you say I'm framing you. Then let me ask you, I've only known these children for two weeks. What ability do I have to make them fabricate such a lie to frame you in such a short time? You previously said these children were innocent and naive, unable to even lie. So, have they changed, or are you mistaken?"

Wang Longjie opened his mouth, but no words came out.

Chen Nuo continued, "Even if they wanted to frame someone, why not frame Inspector Ning? Why not Captain Luo? Why specifically target Principal Wang, who is the kindest, closest, and best to them? What are they after? Do they want to avoid studying? Go hungry? Or are they after being locked up in your hotel room by you?"

Wang Longjie's eyes were trembling.

Chen Nuo lowered his voice. "President Wang, you also come from the countryside. You should know that in rural areas, a girl's innocence is more important than her life. Would they risk their innocence to frame you? Would they gamble their entire reputation with you?"

"What you're saying is all speculation. You have no evidence. The recording is fabricated, and the testimony was bribed. What grounds do you have to arrest me?"

He turned to Chen Wei. "Chief Chen, your people fabricated evidence to frame Baizhou City's best entrepreneur. How do you intend to settle this score?"

Chen Wei didn't speak. She looked at Chen Nuo, waiting.

Chen Nuo lowered her head, looking at Meimei in her arms. "Meimei, if you have any more evidence, produce it now. Otherwise, neither will I be able to leave today, and neither will you."

Meimei's body trembled. Then she moved.

Meimei turned around, her back to everyone, and lifted the back of her shirt. The corridor was so quiet you could hear a heartbeat. Her back was exposed, not a clean patch of skin, but a dense mass of scars. New wounds overlapped with old ones: freckles, round burns from oil drips, cigarette burns, and smoking marks.

Some of the scabs have turned white and are from many years ago. Others are still scabbing over, and you can see the tender, bright red flesh beneath the scabs. There isn't a single patch of healthy skin on the entire back; it's like a piece of paper that has been repeatedly altered and erased, and finally crumpled into a ball.

Ning Ze turned his head away. Luo Zhendong also looked away. Both men, who had spent decades navigating the treacherous waters of officialdom and witnessed countless dark moments, averted their gazes.

It wasn't because they couldn't bear to, but because they knew that behind these scars lay countless nights of screams, countless pleas for mercy being ignored, and countless girls whose lives had been ruined.

Wang Longjie rushed forward in a fit of rage. He took a step forward and reached for Meimei's hair. Chen Nuo quickly pulled Meimei into her arms and used her back to block his outstretched hand.

"Wang Longjie!" She pulled out her identification from her pocket and held it up in front of him. "I am Chen Nuo, Deputy Director of the Final Review Division of the Zhongzhou City Film and Television System. I have the right to protect the victim. Now, together with Director Chen of the Film and Television System, Inspector Ning, Chief Inspector of the First Inspection Bureau, and Captain Luo of the First Detachment of the Public Security System, I formally request that you be brought back to the review division for investigation!"

Wang Longjie's hand froze in mid-air. His face contorted in pain.

Luo Zhendong waved to the two officers behind him. "Take them away."

Two police officers stepped forward, one on each side, and grabbed Wang Longjie's arms. He stared at Meimei in Chen Nuo's arms.

"Meimei," he suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse. "Your parents are still waiting for you to come home for the New Year. Your younger brother will be starting junior high next year."