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

When I opened the door, the living room was filled with the aroma of rice porridge.

Chen Jianguo sat on the sofa, dressed in clean home clothes, holding today's "Yongzhou Daily" in his hand. The newspaper obscured his face, but the steady hand he took as he turned the pages completely put Chen Nuo's mind at ease, which had been hanging in suspense all night.

"Dad!" She didn't even change her shoes before rushing into her father's arms.

Chen Jianguo put down his newspaper, reached out and caught his daughter, his palm broad and warm, and gently patted her back: "Were you frightened?"

"I was so scared..." Chen Nuo's voice was muffled in his father's arms, choked with sobs of relief. "I thought..."

"You thought your dad wouldn't make it out?" Chen Jianguo laughed, his laughter tinged with weariness, but also with a certain world-weary composure. "Don't worry, your dad isn't that easy to fall."

Chen Nuo lifted his head from his arms and carefully examined his father. His face was still a little pale, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes, but his eyes were clear and his spirits were not bad.

"Dad," she asked softly, "inside...they didn't give you any trouble, did they?"

"Difficult?" Chen Jianguo shook his head. "Nobody's making things difficult for me. They're providing me with good food and drink, just questioning me. They ask about my financial transactions, my relationship with Zhou Wenbin, the inside story of the building materials market expansion project..."

He paused, looking at his daughter: "But I didn't say anything. I knew someone would come to save me."

Chen Nuo's eyes reddened: "You mean Brother Xiu..."

"Besides Fang Jingxiu, who else could it be?" Chen Jianguo sighed, patted the sofa next to him, and said, "Sit down and tell Dad how he saved me."

Chen Nuo sat down next to his father and recounted his experiences over the past two days in detail, from Fang Jingxiu's late-night flight to Yongzhou, to reviewing case files at the Discipline Inspection Commission in the morning, to the negotiations with the Zhou brothers at noon, and finally, the thank-you dinner.

She spoke in great detail, and Chen Jianguo listened attentively.

"That's it," Chen Nuo said finally, "a meal, a few phone calls, and you're back."

Chen Jianguo remained silent for a long time.

Then he slowly said, "Nono, now you know why Daddy has always wanted you to get close to Fang Jingxiu, right?"

Chen Nuo nodded: "Understood."

Chen Jianguo smiled bitterly, "If Fang Jingxiu hadn't intervened this time, even if I had given up all my assets, I might not have gotten out. Zhou Wenbin's network of connections is incredibly complex. For an ordinary person to touch him? It's difficult."

Chen Nuo clenched his fist: "I want to be like him!"

"To become someone like Fang Jingxiu?" Chen Jianguo looked at her, his eyes deep. "Then you need to be smart. He's paved the way for you now. While you're with him, you need to absorb all his resources—his connections, his vision, his way of thinking. You need to create a Fang Jingxiu version of Chen Nuo."

He held his daughter's hand, his tone solemn: "This requires twice the effort of ordinary people. You must use his support to reach his level and witness the rise and fall of the Jingjing officialdom. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Chen Nuo nodded vigorously.

She lowered her head, looked at the loose pinky ring on her index finger, and gently twirled the ring.

Chen Jianguo's gaze fell on the ring, and his eyes flickered: "This is... his pinky ring?"

"Yes," Chen Nuo said softly. "He said he wanted me to keep it for him."

Chen Jianguo stared at the ring for a long time, a slow smile spreading across his face: "That's good. It means he's truly let go of his ex-girlfriend."

"Ex-girlfriend?" Chen Nuo looked up abruptly. "Dad, do you know about his ex-girlfriend?"

"I know a little," Chen Jianguo said. "Back when Fang Jingxiu was just a junior section chief, he had a girlfriend named An Qi. She was very beautiful and smart, but too ambitious. Fang Jingxiu didn't have much of a background at the time, and the Fang family deliberately didn't give him any resources, so he couldn't give her the resources she wanted. She then got together with another political commissar and later rose all the way to become the vice president of the cultural tourism group."

Chen Nuo's heart clenched: "Then... Brother Xiu..."

"He's probably been hurt," Chen Jianguo sighed. "Men often have unresolved issues with their first love. Especially someone like Fang Jingxiu, he'll feel that he wasn't strong enough to support her, which is why she left. So now, with you..."

"He will support me completely," Chen Nuo replied, his voice slightly hoarse.

"Yes." Chen Jianguo looked at his daughter. "This is his way of getting over his troubles. So Nuonuo, you should cherish this opportunity. It's actually a good thing that he has an ex-girlfriend."

"Good news?"

"Hmm." Chen Jianguo smiled. "One generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade. An Qi taught him how to love someone, how to protect someone. What he's doing for you now, that meticulous care, that selfless dedication, is probably what he wanted to give An Qi back then but couldn't."

Chen Nuo remained silent.

She remembered what Fang Jingxiu had said: some roads are not easy to walk.

I also remembered what he said this morning: it's a man's duty to cover for his girlfriend.

It turns out that behind these words lies a story from the past.

"Dad," she asked softly, "do you think... he and I can make it to the end?"

Chen Jianguo did not answer immediately.

He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the winter street scene outside.

After a long silence, he finally spoke: "Nono, your father has been in business for twenty years and has seen too much. Marriages in officialdom are never just a matter between two people; they are political matters. Fang Jingxiu is the only son of the Fang family, and his marriage is related to the political fate of the entire family."

He turned to his daughter and said, "So,

Chen Nuo remained silent.

He turned to his daughter and said, "So, if you want to be with him in the end, feelings alone aren't enough. You need to have the resources to stand by his side: career, ability, background. You need to make the Fang family feel that you're worthy of him."

Chen Nuo clenched his fist, the pinky ring on his index finger digging painfully into his palm.

"I will," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I will stand with him."

Looking at the light in his daughter's eyes, Chen Jianguo nodded with satisfaction: "That's good. Director Li's support plan after the New Year is your first step. Do your best and don't let him down."

"Um."

"And also," Chen Jianguo added, "that ring, keep it safe. It's his promise."

Chen Nuo looked down at the silver ring on her index finger. There were tiny scratches on the inside of the ring band, marks left from long-term wear.

She imagined what it would be like for Fang Jingxiu to wear this ring for five years, from twenty-four to twenty-nine years old, from naivety to maturity, from disappointment to acceptance.

Now, it's in her hands.

This is his past, and it is also their future.

"Dad," Chen Nuo suddenly remembered something, "Brother Xiu gave me a file folder and asked me to keep it safe."

"What document bag?"

Chen Nuo took the brown paper bag out of his bag. Chen Jianguo took it, opened it, glanced at it, and his expression immediately changed.

Inside weren't documents, but several photos showing Fang Jingxiu's network of connections in Yongzhou, including each person's position, contact information, and the types of resources they might use. There was also a brief diagram of political and business relationships.

This is not ordinary data; it is a map of power.

He even paved the way for Chen Nuo in Yongzhou.

"He even gave you this..." Chen Jianguo murmured.

"What's wrong?" Chen Nuo asked.

"It's nothing." Chen Jianguo handed the file bag back to her, his eyes filled with complex emotions. "Keep it safe. This is his trust, and it's also your source of confidence."

Chen Nuo took the file bag and held it in his arms as if it were a precious treasure.

Lin Xiuying came out of the kitchen carrying a pot of hot porridge: "What are you two chatting about? Come and eat."

The three sat around the dining table.

Steaming hot white porridge, served with several side dishes.

It was a very simple breakfast, but Chen Nuo ate it with great relish. This was the first meal after surviving the ordeal, and the first meal after the family was reunited.

"Mom," she suddenly said, "on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Brother Xiu said he's coming to Ningbo to see me."

Lin Xiuying was taken aback: "Coming to see you? Or...?"

"He came to see me," Chen Nuo said confidently. "He said that Director Li's support plan was launched on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and he came to check on it."

Lin Xiuying and Chen Jianguo exchanged a glance, both seeing the same emotion in each other's eyes: relief, but also worry.

"Then you must prepare well," Lin Xiuying said. "Don't let them down."

"Mm." Chen Nuo nodded.

She lowered her head and sipped her porridge slowly.

But in her mind, she was already thinking about what to wear to see him on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, what to say, and whether to prepare a gift for him.

As I thought about it, the corners of my mouth unconsciously turned up.

Chen Jianguo saw this but didn't say anything. He simply picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and put it in his daughter's bowl.

The sunlight outside the window gradually brightened, shining through the glass into the living room and casting a warm glow on the floor.

The new year is almost here.

The pinky ring on Chen Nuo's finger gleamed with a warm luster in the sunlight.