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

On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the temperature in Musaili dropped to minus twenty degrees Celsius.

Chen Nuo, wrapped in a thick military overcoat, stood behind the monitor watching Liu Qingsong film a night scene with a Mars rover. The biting wind felt like knives on her face, forcing her to pull her scarf down below her eyes.

"Cut!" Liu Qingsong shouted, standing up from the director's chair. "That take is good! We're done!"

Sparse applause rang out from the audience.

It's not that they weren't welcoming, it's just that it was so cold that everyone just wanted to get back inside and warm up.

Chen Nuo packed up her script and was about to leave with the crowd when Liu Qingsong called her back.

"Xiao Chen, come here for a second."

Her heart skipped a beat; she had a bad feeling.

The two walked to the back of the prop vehicle, which was relatively sheltered from the wind. Liu Qingsong lit a cigarette, and the smoke was instantly blown away by the cold wind.

"There's something I need to trouble you with," Liu Qingsong said bluntly. "Our film has a crucial approval document stuck with the National Development and Reform Commission for two months. If it drags on any longer, post-production won't be completed in time, and the release date will be in jeopardy."

Chen Nuo's heart sank little by little.

She roughly guessed what Liu Qingsong was going to say.

"You want me to..." she asked tentatively.

"Director Fang," Liu Qingsong said, "I asked around, and this matter falls under his jurisdiction. You're familiar with him; just pass on a message and put in a good word."

Chen Nuo's fingertips tightened inside the pocket of his military overcoat.

How should she bring it up?

She said Fang Jingxiu hadn't spoken to her for many days?

Their relationship was not as close as Liu Qingsong thought.

"Director Liu," she said, choosing her words carefully, "Brother Xiu is in Jingjing, and he's very busy at the end of the year. I... might not be able to join the conversation."

That's the truth, but it's also an excuse.

Liu Qingsong glanced at her, his eyes conveying a knowing look that said, "Don't try that on me."

"Busy as I am, I still need to eat," he said. "Tomorrow night, Director Fang is coming to the next town on a business trip, and I've invited him to dinner. You'll come with me."

Chen Nuo's heart skipped a beat.

Is he coming?

Coming to Qinghai?

"Why..." her voice trembled slightly, "to come here?"

Liu Qingsong laughed, a laugh tinged with the teasing of someone with experience: "You little girl, you're trying to find someone, aren't you? Your face is all red."

Chen Nuo's face did indeed turn red, half from the cold and half from panic.

"Director Fang didn't come here specifically for this," Liu Qingsong flicked his cigarette ash. "He was on his way to Ge'an to discuss a new energy project and just happened to be passing by. I asked someone to help me arrange this meal."

He paused for a moment, then said, "So you absolutely must be there tomorrow. This isn't a discussion; it's work."

Chen Nuo's brain was working at lightning speed.

She wanted to desert her post.

"But Director Liu, don't we have a daytime scene to shoot tomorrow? We can't leave..."

"The daytime filming will be rescheduled." Liu Qingsong's tone left no room for argument. "We need to get this done first. If we can't get the permit, filming will be a waste of time."

"But--"

"Alright," Liu Qingsong interrupted her, throwing his cigarette butt on the ground and stomping it out. "It's getting late, go back and get some beauty sleep. Tomorrow afternoon at four o'clock, I'll take you to Ge'an."

After he finished speaking, he patted Chen Nuo on the shoulder, turned around and left.

Chen Nuo was left standing alone in the cold wind, his hands and feet icy cold.

It's not because of the cold.

It's because of fear.

She was afraid to see Fang Jingxiu.

She was afraid of seeing his cold eyes, afraid of hearing his distant tone, afraid that he would treat her like an insignificant stranger in front of Liu Qingsong.

She was even more afraid that the defenses she had painstakingly built up would crumble the moment she saw him.

Chen Nuo slowly walked back to her dormitory.