Notes on Climbing the Social Ladder

[“The rise of a country woman into the world of the rich and powerful, every step taken on the edge of a blade.”]

My name is Chen Xiaojuan. I finished primary school and came here from the mountains.

They call me a viper, a filthy bug in the mud, a piece of trash that the lunatic from the Lu family picked up off the roadside. They’re right. I married Lu Zheng, the most powerful man in Jiangcheng. He locked me in his villa and chained my ankle. He says I’m his canary, but I know that in his heart, I’m worth less than a dog.

I tried to seduce his younger brother, drugged his secretary, and stole his business secrets to sell to his rivals. He squeezed my throat and asked if I wanted to die. I smiled and told him, “You’d better kill me. Otherwise, one day I’ll make you kneel and watch me take that seat in the Lu family.”

My name is Chen Xiaojuan. I have a rural household registration, no education, no connections, and nothing to my name.

But I have a worthless life, a belly full of schemes, a body that drives men mad, and a wolf’s heart that can never be tamed.

I crawled out of the mud with no intention of living cleanly. This gilded cage can’t keep me trapped, and this high-and-mighty man can’t tame me. Every one of them is a rung on my ladder. I’ll crush them underfoot if I have to, but I’ll keep climbing.

This is my ascent journal:

The confession of a bad woman.