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

She opened the door.

Chen Wei stood in the doorway, wearing a dark blue trench coat and holding a manila envelope. Her hair was a little messy, and she had heavy dark circles under her eyes, looking like she had just rushed over from the office. Her gaze moved from Chen Nuo's face to his damp hair. "Xiao Chen, I thought you were asleep. Why haven't you responded after pressing the buttons for so long?"

Chen Nuo's face flushed slightly. "Chief Chen, I'm sorry, I was taking a shower just now. I just finished and didn't hear you."

Chen Wei nodded and glanced at her watch. "Can I go inside and sit down? My legs are getting tired of standing all day."

"Of course, of course, Chief of Staff Chen, please, please." Chen Nuo stepped aside and hurriedly pushed the door open wider.

Chen Wei walked in, her gaze sweeping across the living room. The lights were on, and a cup of tea, still steaming, sat on the coffee table. A dark gray suit jacket was draped over the armrest beside it.

Chen Nuo stood to the side, looking somewhat flustered. Her hand unconsciously gripped the belt of her bathrobe, her gaze unsure of where to look.

Chen Wei assumed she was afraid of tomorrow. She placed the file folder on the coffee table and patted the seat next to her. "Xiao Chen, sit down. Don't stand."

Chen Nuo sat down next to her, and Chen Wei took her hand and patted the back of it. "It's okay, we're not afraid."

"I came in a hurry today to bring you evidence to overturn the situation." She picked up the manila envelope and placed it in front of Chen Nuo. "Inside is a revised map of the flow of extras in Baizhou Film and Television's student aid program, which I had someone re-examine."

Chen Nuo stared at the file folder, her heart racing.

"Let me explain the key points to note in detail." Chen Wei turned to the first page and pointed to one of the points. "Look here, Baifu High School is specifically for students with good grades and good looks. They are considered top-notch and are tested by teachers before being sent to the education bureau leaders."

Chen Nuo looked at her.

"This girl was subjected to three years of treatment by her high school teacher... Although she was later admitted to a 985 university, she was always traumatized and committed suicide at the beginning of this year."

Chen Nuo took the document and opened it. Page after page, densely packed with numbers and signatures. Her fingers slowly glided across the pages, her fingertips growing cold. Each page represented a name, a number, a chain of crimes. "Chief Chen, where did you get these?"

"Xiao Chen, you don't need to know where I got these things. You just need to know that these things are real. So real that no one can overturn the case." Her eyes held a sense of relief, but also a hint of determination.

"I've walked this path for twenty years. I've seen too many people go in, and too many people come out. Those who have survived to this day are not the most capable, but the most patient. I've endured for twenty years, and I don't want to endure anymore."

In the bedroom, Fang Jingxiu leaned against the headboard, the blanket pulled up to his waist. His upper body was bare, and several red marks below his collarbone were from fingernails—Chen Nuo's. He listened to Chen Wei's voice outside, one sentence after another, showing no sign of stopping.

He frowned, then frowned again, and then sighed deeply.

I need to explain in more detail.

He glanced down at himself, then looked up at the bedroom door. His younger brother was suffocating, his younger sister was dying of thirst, and his grandmother was practically withered away.

No, he has to go out and stop it.

He sat up in bed, picked up the shirt he had just worn, which was stained in several places by Chen Nuo's water droplets, and had faint marks left by her fingernails on his chest. He put it on, deliberately leaving the buttons undone, the collar wide open, revealing his collarbone and chest muscles.

He was wearing the same pants as before, the zipper was zipped up, but the belt was undone, hanging loosely around his waist. He looked like he had just gotten out of bed, thrown on some clothes, and gone out to get some water.

He glanced at himself in the mirror to make sure the scratches were clearly visible. Then he slowly pushed open the bedroom door and walked out.

The footsteps were very light, but exceptionally clear in the quiet living room. Chen Wei and Chen Nuo turned their heads simultaneously to look in the direction from which the sound came.

Fang Jingxiu stood at the junction of the corridor and the living room, one hand in his pocket and the other rubbing his eyes, as if he had just woken up.

Chen Nuo immediately sprang up from the sofa, as if she'd been electrocuted. "Fang...Fang Si!" her voice rose eight octaves, "You...you're still awake?"

"Chief Chen is here?" His voice was neither loud nor soft, with a slightly hoarse quality, as if he had just woken up. "You two talk. I'm just here for a drink of water."

He walked to the coffee table, picked up the kettle, and poured himself a glass of water. As he poured, the collar of his shirt opened wider with the movement of his arm, revealing several clear red scratches below his collarbone.

Chen Wei saw it. Her gaze lingered on the scratches for a moment, then moved away.

Was Fang Si doing this intentionally or accidentally? No, it was intentional. Fang Jingxiu is never careless.

Chen Wei looked at Fang Jingxiu, then at Chen Nuo. Her gaze darted back and forth between the two men once, twice, three times, before finally settling back on the documents in front of her. "Xiao Chen, where was I?"

Fang Jingxiu, carrying a water glass, didn't return to the bedroom. He sat down on the sofa armrest, crossed his legs, looked at Chen Wei, and smiled. "Chief Chen, it's so late, thank you for delivering documents."

"It's not hard work. Fang Si has it much harder. It took him more than five hours to drive here from Zhongzhou, right? And when he arrived, he still had to discuss the case with Xiao Chen. He's really busy every day."

Fang Jingxiu nodded, his face serious. "Yes. This case is quite complicated, and time is tight, so we have to race against time."

Chen Wei silently did the math in her mind. Racing against time, to this extent, it truly was a race against every second. "That's right. Fang Si is always dedicated."

"Chief Chen just said he wanted to explain this document to my cousin in detail? Why don't you continue, I'll listen in. The Central Economic Audit Office also needs to understand the situation regarding this case."

She immediately understood what he meant, stood up, closed the document, and put it in the file folder. "It's too late today, let's talk about it tomorrow. Xiao Chen, you and Fang Si should discuss this document thoroughly tonight. I'm leaving now."

Chen Nuo stood up. "Chief Chen, let me see you out."

"No need. You can continue your conversation." She walked to the door and opened it. Fang Jingxiu also stood up and followed behind Chen Nuo, one hand in his pocket, looking very casual.

"Thank you for your hard work, Chief of Staff Chen." He smiled.

"It's not hard work. Fang Si is probably having a much harder time." She paused, her gaze sweeping from his face to his collarbone, and from his collarbone to the scratch mark. "Being a director, a cousin, and also having to do... physical labor. It's really not easy."

Fang Jingxiu remained expressionless. "It's alright. I can handle it."

Chen Wei gritted her teeth, a smile still on her face. "Okay. That's good. Take care of yourself, Fang Si." She turned and walked out.

The door closed behind her. She muttered four words under her breath, "I'm truly fed up." She vowed never to deliver documents at night again. At least, not when Fang Jingxiu came to Baizhou.

The moment the door closed, Chen Nuo turned around and glared at Fang Jingxiu. "Fang Jingxiu! You did this on purpose!"

Fang Jingxiu leaned back on the sofa armrest, hands in his pockets, looking completely innocent. "What do you mean, 'on purpose'? I was really thirsty just now."

"Thirsty? Come out and get some water. Is it really necessary to leave your shirt unbuttoned? Is it really necessary to show...show that part?"

Fang Jingxiu looked down at the scratches on his chest, touched them, and looked completely innocent. "Chen Nuo, this is my room. Do you think I'd button my clothes all the way up to the top button when I get dressed in my own room? Am I that old-fashioned?"

She walked over and threw the file folder at his chest. "You did this on purpose! You're trying to get revenge on me."

"If I wanted revenge on you, I wouldn't have just come out to get some water."

"Then what else can you do?"

Fang Jingxiu lowered his head and whispered something in her ear.

【Easter Eggs】

You have to understand that this case is not easy to solve. If we hadn't been pushed to the limit and Fang Jingxiu hadn't forced his way in to investigate, it would have been difficult to resolve this crucial issue.