Jingcheng

Under the dazzling neon lights, the prosperity of Jingcheng shines. The hosting of the Olympics has given this ancient city an astonishing charm. As the national political, cultural, and international exchange center, this city with a construction history of 3000 years and history as capital for 850 years, has become a sacred place in the hearts of the people nationwide.

The bar district in the east of Jingcheng, a place that rivals the famous Beicheng bar district. At this moment, not far from the Beijing Old House Bar in a small bar nearby, under the dim street lamp, a middle-aged man is staggering down the street, casting a long shadow.

It's the middle of summer, wearing cheap ten-buck street stall shorts, colorful like beach shorts, and the fabric is very average. You can't expect much from something that only costs ten yuan. He is wearing a vest on his upper body. It's white, and there's a flower printed on the left chest. The headline is quite intimidating, Huaxia Military Commission. Below is the word 'August 1'. The middle-aged man is unkempt, stubbly. But his face hints at a handsome figure. When he was young, the man must have been an attractive lad. However, from how he is limping, the former heartthrob appears to be a cripple now.

The alcohol in his hand is the cheapest Red Star Erguotou. Under the dim street lamp, the middle-aged man staggers onto the street, occasionally stopping to gulp down a couple of mouthfuls.

On the street, all of a sudden, an Aston Martin roars past, closely followed by a Ferrari F430. Both cars are convertibles. There are four or five men and women screaming and howling in the cars. Onlookers sigh at the sight of these children of wealthy families in the capital, maintaining their usual arrogance.

"At that moment, the two cars suddenly make a U-turn and directly drive against the traffic towards the middle-aged man. As if this is not an issue at all. The plates on the cars are equally intimidating, it's a Jingcheng Military District license plate. No wonder these people dare to be so arrogant.

The young man in the driver's seat of the Aston Martin gets out of the car, wearing a casual Versace T-shirt. Very short buzz cut. Two young girls are with him, one of them is in a strapless mini skirt. Underneath the thin strap, it's like a hollow, and the black bra can be clearly seen. Her ears are full of piercings, hanging with no fewer than ten earrings; the other one is wearing a small tank top and a pair of jean shorts. Her figure is equally irresistible. What is even more unique is that she has a lip ring. Paired with this outfit, she looks quite wild.

As soon as the man gets out of the car, the two women also follow, one on his left and one on his right, nonchalantly clinging to his arms.

"Oh! Isn't this our famous Prince Nie in Jingcheng? Why aren't you at Dynasty Hotel? Why aren't you at the State Guesthouse? On this kind of street, tsk tsk, drinking Red Star Erguotou that only costs three dollars a bottle. Your taste is indeed extraordinary." The young man's face shows not a shred of respect but instead a hint of mockery. He walks arrogantly towards the middle-aged man.

At this moment, a fat man with a beautiful woman also gets out of the Ferrari. The fat man is from Jinzhou where the coal industry prevails. Coal bosses are rich. A few years ago, there was an anecdote. The coal bosses from Jinzhou, carrying sacks of cash, went to Beijing and Hucheng to buy houses. Instead of buying houses one at a time, they bought by blocks. The extent of their booming wealth is very much apparent.

The fat man's surname is Yan, and his given name is Hua. He shares the same surname as Yan Laoxi, a well-known Local Emperor from Jinzhou. The fat man's family is a famous coal business in Jinzhou, owning several coal mines, and a coking plant. His family sent him to study in Jingcheng. The purpose wasn't to make him a specialist. Yan's father only had one goal, acknowledging the political power in Jingcheng, letting the fat man use their wealth to open roads and get to know the children of high officials and dignitaries. The fat man shouldered the responsibility well. Relying on the large amount of cash in hand, he also got to know a lot of people in the circle of princes, and Yan spent hundreds of millions of Yuan, finally getting results. This young man before him was an example, and he was truly of noble pedigree.

"Young Yang, this is the waste you're talking about? The illegitimate son of the Nie family. The one in Jingcheng who is known as the Comet?" The fat man often hangs out with the young man, naturally, he also heard some stories from within the circle, and among them, the most often mentioned is this Prince Nie.

At this moment, the middle-aged man just staggers and sits on the flowerbed, not at all bothered by Yang Zhi's ridicule. As if they weren't talking about him at all. He completely ignores Yang Zhi like he's just thin air, shaking his head and seemingly immersed in the drunken numbness. Glug, he takes another gulp of Erguotou.

This move infuriated Yang Zhi, and a flash of anger crossed his face. He kicked out promptly, solidly planting his foot on the chest of the middle-aged man, sending the older man sprawling on the ground. Looking at the middle-aged man now curled up in a ball of pain, Yang Zhi raged, "Nie Zhenbang, you're really fucking enjoying this, aren't you?"

"Huage, what did this old guy do to offend Master Yang? How dare anyone disrespect Master Yang like this, isn't this asking for a slap?" The beauty beside Yan the Fatty asked, quite curiously, walking on eggshells as the scene unfolded.

Yang Zhi is usually polite and refined. He always sees himself as a nobleman. And being a nobleman means having the elegance and demeanor of a nobleman. Thus, despite being from a prominent family, he hardly causes trouble in Jingcheng, aside from his penchant for women. He has a rather good reputation. But today, he is raging uncontrollably against a drunkard. This sparked much curiosity in the mistress.

Yan Hua looked at the middle-aged man, who was now collapsed in the flowers but still firmly clutching his bottle of liquor. A shade of pity crossed his face as he murmured, "Speaking of this man, you have to mention his family background. He... he's from the Nie family. In the past, the Nie family was very famous in Jingcheng."

"Famous? How so?" The beautiful woman, possessing an instinctive knack for pressing on with questions, continued discussing with the fat Yan.

Yan, glancing at Yang Zhi, whispered, "The Nie family... a family of founding generals. That drunkard's grandfather was a well-known battle hardened general. This man, not being acknowledged by the Nie clan patriarch, is a bastard. His old man didn't dare to bring him home. Then the man returned, naturally sought a wife of comparable status, and this matter was forgotten. But then, for some reason, this bastard surfaced, only to be crippled. Limping around as he walks.

From the very beginning, the patriarch of the Nie family viewed this whole situation with immense dissatisfaction, considering it a disgrace to the Nie family. And this child became the symbol of this disgrace. However, given the Nie family's influence, they decided it wouldn't hurt to support an idle person."

After listening, the beauty pouted and expressed confusion: "What does that have to do with him? He isn't the decision-maker here."

"Nie Zhenbang, you are living quite comfortably, aren't you? Still able to afford liquor. It must be thanks to my little aunt, huh? Tell me, you can't even walk properly, yet you still hang on. My little aunt got married last year because of you. Can you bear to see her dragging this burden? Why don't you just die." Yang Zhi kicked the middle-aged man on the ground non-stop while cursing him.

Upon hearing the words 'little aunt,' the middle-aged man's murky eyes clearly lit up for a moment, revealing a hint of pain, before instantly returning to a dazed and unawake look. He lay in the flowers, unmoving, regardless of how much Yang Zhi beat him or how the flowers and branches clung onto his body and face. He lay there as if he were dead.

At this time, the fatty also stepped forward: "Master Yang, stop hitting him. Look, he isn't reacting at all, he couldn't have died, could he?"

Yang Zhi also paused at this moment, spat fiercely on the ground and retorted angrily, "He won't die. Even if everyone else in the world were to die, he wouldn't."

With that, he looked at Nie Zhenbang, who lay there like a dead dog, and cursed: "Nie Zhenbang, if you were a real man with a conscience, you wouldn't have caused my little aunt such misery. Someone like you is harmful to others just by living. Think about it. You should find a place to end it yourself. I will arrange for the collection of your corpse."