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

The plane landed at the airport at 6 p.m.

Fang Jingxiu stepped off the gangway. The winter wind in Jingjing was biting, making the hem of his overcoat flutter loudly. He pulled up his collar and strode towards the exit.

At the arrivals gate, a man in his fifties, wearing a dark blue jacket, was waiting. Upon seeing him, a smile immediately spread across his face: "Jingxiu!"

"Uncle Zhao," Fang Jingxiu nodded.

Old Zhao was his father's driver for thirty years and also an elder who watched Fang Jingxiu grow up.

He took the luggage bag from Fang Jingxiu and looked him up and down with a smile: "You've lost weight. Was the food bad in Yongzhou?"

"It's alright." Fang Jingxiu rubbed his temples, noticing faint dark circles under his eyes. "I just didn't sleep well."

This is the truth.

Yongzhou has barely slept a full night in the past few days. He has to work on Chen Jianguo's matter, manage various relationships, and on top of that night with Chen Nuo... he is indeed exhausted.

Old Zhao keenly noticed the weariness in his tone, but didn't ask any further questions, only saying, "There's ginseng tea in the car, have some to perk yourself up."

The two walked towards the parking lot. Fang Jingxiu asked, "Uncle Zhao, is my dad back?"

"Not yet," Old Zhao said. "Zhenguo is still in the army. He said he'll be home before eight o'clock tonight. Your mother is waiting at home; she said your fiancée is coming too."

Fang Jingxiu paused slightly: "Fiancée?"

"Yes, the Liu family's daughter." Old Zhao gave him a meaningful look. "She arrived this afternoon, chatting and arranging flowers with your mother."

Fang Jingxiu's face darkened.

Liu Sihua.

She certainly knows how to pick her timing.

Seeing his unpleasant expression, Old Zhao lowered his voice and said, "Jingxiu, if I may say something, your mother really values ​​this marriage with the Liu family. If you're truly unwilling, you should make plans soon."

Fang Jingxiu didn't speak, he just nodded.

After getting on the bus, Lao Zhao handed him a thermos. Fang Jingxiu unscrewed it, and a strong aroma of ginseng tea wafted out. He took a few sips, leaned back in his seat, and closed his eyes to rest.

The car drove onto the airport expressway.

As dusk settles over Jingjing City outside the window, the neon lights of the skyscrapers merge into a sea of ​​light.

Old Zhao glanced at him in the rearview mirror, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke: "Jingxiu, your Uncle Zhao has known your father for thirty years, and I understand some things clearly. This marriage with the Liu family is, in the end, a political alliance. Your mother values ​​the Liu family's network of connections, while the Liu family values ​​your future."

He spoke very frankly.

Fang Jingxiu opened his eyes: "I know."

"Good to know," Old Zhao said. "But to be frank, these days, arranged marriages aren't as effective as they used to be. When your father married your mother, it was a marriage between two families of equal social standing, where both sides benefited from each other's influence. But now..."

He paused for a moment: "You already have enough ability to move up the ladder; you don't necessarily need to rely on marriage."

Fang Jingxiu looked at the lights flashing past the window without saying a word.

Old Zhao continued, "Your dad's position is definitely going to be changed next year. Then you'll be a director-level cadre, a director-level cadre at thirty... So many people will be envious. You need to think carefully about whether marriage is icing on the cake or a ticking time bomb."

That's a very practical statement.

Fang Jingxiu remained silent for a long time before saying, "Uncle Zhao, I know what I'm doing."

"That's good." Old Zhao smiled. "You've been smart since you were little, Uncle Zhao believes in you."

The car drove into the Xishan villa area. The guards at the gate saw the license plate and immediately saluted to let it pass.

The Fang family home was brightly lit. Old Zhao parked the car in the garage, and Fang Jingxiu got out carrying a luggage bag.

Entering the living room, I saw Liu Sihua sitting on the sofa, helping Lin Wanqing arrange flowers. A large bunch of white plum blossoms sat on the coffee table, their cool fragrance filling the warm room.

"Xiu-ge'er's back!" Lin Wanqing saw her son, immediately put down the flower branch she was holding, and greeted him with a smile, "Are you tired?"

"Mom," Fang Jingxiu handed the luggage bag to the maid, looked at Liu Sihua, and nodded, "Sihua."

"Brother Jingxiu." Liu Sihua stood up, her cheeks slightly flushed. "You're back."

She wore a beige knitted dress today, with her long hair flowing down her shoulders and her makeup exquisite; she clearly dressed up carefully.

"Sihua came this afternoon to keep me company while I arranged flowers and chatted." Lin Wanqing held her son's hand. "You silly child, you went to Ningbo without telling me, making Sihua worry."

Fang Jingxiu withdrew his hand without showing any emotion: "It's a private matter, there's no need to bother others."

This was said politely, but also distantly.

Liu Sihua's smile froze for a moment, but she quickly recovered: "Brother Jingxiu is right, I was just being nosy."

"How could it be meddling?" Lin Wanqing smoothed things over. "Sihua is just concerned about you."

Fang Jingxiu didn't reply, but simply said, "Mom, I'm a little tired. I'll go upstairs and take a shower first. Call me when dinner is ready."

"Go on, go on," Lin Wanqing waved her hand. "Get some rest."

Fang Jingxiu turned and went upstairs.

Back in his room, he closed the door, leaned against it, and let out a long sigh of relief.

The room was very clean, obviously cleaned daily. The bookshelves were full of books, mostly on politics and economics, with a few on military theory as well.

He walked to the window and looked at the night view of the Western Hills. The mountains rose and fell in the distance, and the lights of the villa area twinkled nearby.

He took out his phone and sent Chen Nuo a message: "I'm home."

Almost instantly, he replied: "Brother Xiu! [Heart] Are you tired? Have you been getting enough rest?"

Fang Jingxiu looked at the heart-shaped emoji and couldn't help but smile.

He replied, "I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm watching TV with my parents! Dad's feeling much better, and he even said he'd cook for you himself to thank you when you come to Ningbo!"

Fang Jingxiu smiled: "Tell him not to be so polite."

"No! Dad said I must thank him! He also said..." Chen Nuo paused, "and that he wants to meet you."

Fang Jingxiu stared at the words and remained silent for a few seconds.

Meeting the parents.

It was bound to happen sooner or later, but I didn't expect it to come so quickly.

He replied, "Okay, I'll go to Yongzhou after the New Year to visit you in person, Uncle and Aunt."

Chen Nuo replied with a happy emoji.

Fang Jingxiu put away his phone and went into the bathroom.

Hot water poured down, washing away all the fatigue.

He closed his eyes, and Chen Nuo's face appeared in his mind—her smiling face, her crying face, her peaceful sleeping face, and... her face when she was beneath him.

Chen Nuo.

He opened his eyes and looked at his foggy reflection in the mirror.

The ring mark on my left little finger is still there, and the skin is a shade whiter than the surrounding skin.

Five years have passed, and this is the first time I've taken off that pinky ring.