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

It was the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month, a Friday at 12:10 PM.

Fang Jingxiu closed the last document, signed his name and the date on the first page, leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh of relief.

ended.

The third draft of the National Development and Reform Commission's annual summary report, the list of key projects for approval, the work plan for the first quarter of next year... all the tough nuts to crack at the end of the year have finally been cracked today.

After tomorrow, we can have a good New Year.

He stood up and walked to the window to stretch his shoulders and neck. Outside the window was the traffic on Anning Street, and further away was the square. The winter sun shone through the glass, casting a warm glow on the dark wooden floor.

My phone screen lit up briefly; it was a spam message.

He recalled the message Chen Nuo had sent him last night: "Brother Xiu, will your work be finished tomorrow? Want to have dinner together tonight? I know a really good private restaurant [looking forward to it]"

His reply was, "I'll think about it."

Now it's time to give an answer.

Fang Jingxiu closed the office door and flipped the "Do Not Disturb" sign to the side for dining out.

The corridor was carpeted in dark gray, absorbing all footsteps. The office doors on both sides were tightly closed, and occasionally a secretary would hurry by with documents, giving a slight nod when she saw Fang Jingxiu: "Director Fang."

"Mm." Fang Jingxiu nodded in response, continuing his steps.

Secretary Qin was already waiting at the elevator entrance, holding a black folder in her hand: "Director Fang, I've put the meeting materials for the New Energy Group at 2:30 this afternoon on your desk."

"Give it to me before the afternoon meeting." Fang Jingxiu pressed the down button.

The elevator doors opened, and several people were already inside. Upon seeing Fang Jingxiu, they all stepped aside, saying, "Director Fang."

"Hello everyone." Fang Jingxiu stepped into the elevator and stood at the very back.

The elevator slowly descended, and no one spoke.

That's just how the "elevator culture" works within the system.

Don't listen to what you shouldn't hear, don't ask what you shouldn't ask, and keeping quiet is basic etiquette.

Secretary Qin stood behind Fang Jingxiu and reported in a low voice, "The cafeteria has your favorite steamed fish today, and I asked the chef to reserve a portion."

Fang Jingxiu hummed in agreement.

The elevator reached the first floor, and everyone filed out.

The cafeteria is in the annex building, a five-minute walk away.

When I ran into colleagues from other departments on the way, we inevitably had some pleasantries.

"Director Fang, you've been working hard on the new energy business lately."

"Of course."

"I heard your department is going to be nominated for outstanding employees again this year?"

"It's not decided yet."

Fang Jingxiu responded to each one, his tone neither warm nor cold, maintaining just the right distance.

This is the proper distance within the system: getting too close can easily cause trouble, while staying too far away can make one appear arrogant. He had worked in this building for eight years and was well aware of this.

The cafeteria is large and divided into several areas.

Ordinary staff members were seated in the main hall, while those at the division chief level and above had their own small dining room. When Fang Jingxiu and Secretary Qin entered, the room was already quite full.

"Little Fang is here?" An elderly man with gray hair smiled and waved. "Come, sit here."

He is Liu, the deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission, who is in charge of energy.

Fang Jingxiu walked over: "Director Liu."

Secretary Qin also greeted him, "Director Liu."

"Sit down, sit down." Deputy Director Liu gestured for him to sit down. "I just wanted to tell you something. The ministry is organizing a research trip to Guangdong for new energy projects in the second half of the year. Get ready to lead the team."

"Good leader."

"Have Secretary Qin prepare the materials as soon as possible. This research is very important and may influence the policy direction next year."

"clear."

After chatting about work for a while, Deputy Director Liu finished his meal and left.

Fang Jingxiu and Secretary Qin then began to eat.

The plate contained a standard work lunch: steamed sea bass, garlic broccoli, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, rice, and a small bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup. It wasn't particularly lavish, but it was nutritionally balanced and tasted good.

While eating, Secretary Qin said in a low voice, "The new policy came down today. X, Du, was changed from death penalty to 15 days. It seems that more and more people are getting into the industry."

Fang Jingxiu picked up a piece of fish but didn't say anything.

"Also, the Discipline Inspection Commission has already launched an investigation into Yang Jianguo from the Shaoyun branch." Secretary Qin paused, "He's probably going to be in serious trouble."

"Mm," Fang Jingxiu responded and continued eating.

Just then, his personal cell phone, which was on the table, vibrated.

Fang Jingxiu paused.

He has two phones.

The work phone is on 24 hours a day, but it's mostly kept and answered by Secretary Qin. Fewer than ten people know the number of his personal phone, and it rarely rings.

He picked up his phone and unlocked it.

It was a WeChat message from Chen Nuo.

a photo.

In the photo, she has her eyes closed, her lips pouting, and her expression is both aggrieved and adorable.

He pointed to the plate in front of him.

It must have been food she cooked herself; the plate contained a standard culinary disaster: suspiciously colored stir-fried vegetables, a few pieces that looked like chicken, and a clump of rice.

The following message follows:

"Brother Xiu, I'm done... I didn't poison you, I really did it seriously..."

Then another one:

"This chicken died so unjustly, because I did this to it..."

Fang Jingxiu stared at his phone screen, the corners of his lips curving upwards involuntarily.

In the photo, Chen Nuo is without makeup, wearing a light gray sweatshirt, her hair tied in a bun with a few wisps falling across her forehead. Her pouting expression makes her look like a wronged kitten, making you want to reach out and pat her head.

He inexplicably long-pressed the image and clicked save.

"Boss," Secretary Qin's voice rang out from the side, tinged with amusement, "What are you looking at so happily?"

Fang Jingxiu quickly adjusted his expression, put away his phone, and glanced at Secretary Qin: "Meddlesome."

Secretary Qin had been with Fang Jingxiu for five years and knew him very well.

That fleeting smile just now was definitely not work-related. There's probably only one person who could elicit that expression from this department head.

"Is this Miss Chen Nuo?" Secretary Qin asked in a low voice with a smile.

Fang Jingxiu neither admitted nor denied it, but simply continued eating.

But Secretary Qin had already figured it out.

He glanced around to make sure no one was paying attention before continuing, "Boss, what's wrong with Miss Chen Nuo? She's beautiful, sensible, young, and she's interested in you. If you keep putting on airs, she might get snatched up by some of the young men at her school. You'll have no one to blame but yourself then."

Fang Jingxiu picked up a piece of broccoli and said in a flat tone, "She's too young."

"Younger?" Secretary Qin raised an eyebrow. "Minister Li from the Planning Department next door has a girlfriend who's only twenty, two years younger than Miss Chen, and they're doing just fine, aren't they?"

"It's different." Fang Jingxiu put down his chopsticks. "It's delaying the girl's time."

"How is that a delay?" Secretary Qin was unusually talkative. "Miss Chen likes you, and you like her too. Don't deny it, I can see it. Isn't it mutual affection?"

Fang Jingxiu remained silent.

Secretary Qin pressed on, saying, "If you ask me, boss, when it comes to relationships, sometimes you have to be a little impulsive. If you keep acting so reserved, it'll be too late to regret it once the young lady's heart has cooled."

He paused, then lowered his voice: "I've heard that there are quite a few guys pursuing Miss Chen at the film academy. Rich kids, celebrity kids, and those with powerful families—there are tons of them... If you don't hurry, you might really lose her to someone else. If she didn't know she wasn't interested in me, I'd be interested in pursuing her myself."

This was half a joke, half a serious statement.

Fang Jingxiu picked up the soup bowl, took a sip, and didn't reply.

But Secretary Qin noticed that his fingers tightened slightly as he held the spoon.

"Besides," Secretary Qin continued, "how do you know you're holding her back? When it comes to feelings, only the person experiencing it truly knows. Maybe Miss Chen is willing to be with you. If you keep hesitating like this, you're the one truly holding her back. You're preventing her from meeting the right person."

That's a bit harsh.

These words struck Fang Jingxiu like a heavy hammer blow.

He recalled his father's words from the previous night: "You are the only son of the Fang family, and your marriage is related to the fate of the entire family."

Then I remembered Chen Nuo's eyes, clear and bright, full of trust and reliance when he looked at him.

Fang Jingxiu glanced at Secretary Qin.

Secretary Qin immediately fell silent, realizing he had said too much.

Fang Jingxiu wasn't angry; he just remained silent for a while before saying, "Let's eat."