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

Fang Jingxiu pushed open the bedroom door. The room was dark. The curtains were drawn, and only the small nightlight by the bedside was on, casting a dim light. The blankets were pulled back, and the pillow was askew. No one was there.

His gaze swept across the room, pausing briefly on the bathroom door. The door wasn't closed tightly, leaving a crack through which warm yellow light shone, accompanied by the soft sound of running water.

He walked over and pushed open the door.

The bathroom was filled with mist, the light softened by the steam, like a veil. The bathtub was full of water, with a few rose petals floating on the surface, and wisps of steam rising gently.

Chen Nuo leaned back in the bathtub, her arms resting on the rims on either side, her head tilted slightly back, her wet hair cascading over her shoulders, water droplets sliding down her neck. She wore a black sheer dress, so thin it seemed nonexistent, clinging to her body and outlining every curve.

He leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, and raised an eyebrow. "Tempt me?"

Chen Nuo opened her eyes. Water droplets clung to her eyelashes, her eyes were wet and slightly red-rimmed, as if she had been crying or had been exposed to the steam. She slowly turned her head to look at Fang Jingxiu, her gaze hazy and ambiguous, making one's heart itch.

"Does Your Majesty not permit me to do this?"

Fang Jingxiu looked at her, his gaze darkening. He had to admit that Chen Nuo had the talent, but he wasn't that kind of person.

Her body was the kind of pure, sensual beauty that wasn't bony or voluptuous, but rather perfectly proportioned, with all the right amount of flesh in the right places—any more would be too fat, any less would be too thin, just right.

She had a slender waist, wide hips, deep collarbones, and shoulder blades shaped like butterfly wings. The air was thick with moisture, the thin gauze partially transparent; he saw everything, yet it seemed he saw nothing at all.

Fang Jingxiu lowered his eyes and smiled. He remembered how she always managed to come up with new tricks. Sometimes she would insist on developing new moves, and since he had a meeting the next day, he would have to beg her to be lenient—no, to be lenient with his head.

People say that women in their thirties are like wolves and tigers, but she's only in her twenties and she's already this fierce. Won't she break herself apart in the future? He thought about how he would have to protect his younger brother Xiu when he slept, and he found it all quite amusing.

Seeing that he didn't move, Chen Nuo slowly stood up from the bathtub. Water slid off her body, the thin gauze clinging to her skin, becoming completely transparent. She wasn't afraid of him seeing; she was afraid he wouldn't see. Barefoot, she walked step by step to him, water droplets glistening between her toes.

She raised her hand, her wet fingertips touching the chest of his shirt, slowly tracing down, past the buttons, across the fabric, leaving a damp trail. Her nails were neatly trimmed, her fingertips slightly cool; through the shirt, he could feel the lines of her fingertips. Wherever she touched, a patch of wetness appeared, as if a seed of fire had been planted in her heart.

As he reached her lower abdomen, Fang Jingxiu grabbed her wrist. His palm was warm, his knuckles distinct, holding her slender wrist. His Adam's apple bobbed, and the tips of his ears turned bright red.

"Mr. Fang, you've finally made a move?" She paused, her lips curving into a deeper smile. "I thought you'd become gay while I was away from Zhongzhou these past two months."

Fang Jingxiu's eyes narrowed slightly. He offered no explanation, no rebuttal, but simply grasped her wrist, gently flipped it, and tucked her hand behind her back. With his other hand, he gripped her waist, turning her so that her back was to him.

His chest pressed against her back, and he could feel the moisture from her body soaking his shirt. He lowered his head, his lips brushing against her earlobe, his breath warm and soft like a feather. "It seems Sister Chen Nuo misses Brother Xiu and Brother Xiu too."

His lips slid from the earlobe to the earlobe, took it in, and gently sucked. Chen Nuo's body trembled slightly as she leaned against him.

His lips moved from his earlobe to his neck, falling slowly and densely, like spring rain pattering on a lake, fine and lingering.

In the steamy bathroom, the sounds of water, breathing, and the rustling of clothes mingled together, making it impossible to tell whose heart was beating faster. Halfway through what they were doing, the doorbell rang.

Ding dong - ding dong - ding dong -

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet hotel corridor. Chen Nuo's body stiffened, jolting awake from her daze. She nudged Fang Jingxiu, her voice slightly panicked. "Someone's here."

Fang Jingxiu didn't even lift his eyelids, continuing with the Battle of Red Cliffs, his voice muffled. "Ignore him."

Ding-dong—ding-dong—the doorbell rang again, even more urgently than before.

Chen Nuo's phone rang, its sharp ringtone piercing the ambiguous air. Her heart sank, and she forcefully pushed Fang Jingxiu's shoulder. "Get up! It must be Chief Chen! She must be here to talk to me about work! Get out of here!"

Fang Jingxiu looked up at her. A thin layer of sweat glistened on his forehead, and his eyes still held lingering emotions, but his expression remained calm. "Chen Nuo, stopping halfway through a journey can easily lead to kidney problems. What are you going to do then?"

Chen Nuo glared at him, her face flushed with anxiety. "Fang Jingxiu! She's right outside the door! How am I supposed to see her after this?"

The doorbell rang again. This time it wasn't a ding-dong, but a continuous ringing, as if someone was pressing it incessantly.

Chen Nuo panicked, forcefully pushed him away, rolled off the bed, grabbed the bathrobe draped over the back of the chair, hurriedly put it on, and tied the belt. She glanced down at herself, making sure there was nothing inappropriate to reveal, before taking a deep breath and walking towards the door.

Fang Jingxiu lay alone on the bed, watching her figure disappear through the bedroom door. He looked down at himself and sighed. He reached out, pulled the blanket over himself, turned around, and faced away from the door.

"Heartless woman," he muttered, his voice muffled by the pillow. "She eats her own fill and doesn't care about the cook."