Although Ye Shuxian's words were quite cold, Nie Zhenbang didn't care at all. A husband who she thought was honest had suddenly sprouted a son after more than a decade - a son she didn't even give birth to. Such an event would be hard for any woman to accept. In his past life, Nie Zhenbang's room was arranged by Nie Guowei, not the bedroom next to the study, but the miscellany room on the west side. Now, having a room next to the study demonstrated that his recent performance had gained Ye Shuxian's acceptance. Although she still had objections, in time, this situation would naturally change gradually.
In a sense, Ye Shuxian genuinely lived up to her name, choosing her husband's future over his personal affairs without making a big fuss. That was enough.
After having a good sleep, Nie Zhenbang woke up the next morning to find a popular outfit of jeans and a sailor shirt outside his room, along with a pair of sneakers.
At this moment, a hint of a smile appeared on Nie Zhenbang's face. Just like in his past life, Ye Shuxian had fulfilled her responsibilities as a stepmother in these small details, despite her displeasure. After all, he was her husband's child. And besides, the child had lost his mother, so Ye Shuxian had done everything she could. The only pity was that in his past life, because of his disability, self-deprecation, and bitter resentment towards his father, Nie Zhenbang had in turn grown to resent Ye Shuxian, and their relationship was not good.
He quickly took a cold shower, changed into the new clothes, and called out to the room: "Auntie, thank you. Jiamin invited me out to play. I won't be home for lunch."
Once Nie Zhenbang left, Ye Shuxian emerged from her room. Watching his receding figure, she sported a complex expression. Sighing, she proceeded to clean the room.
Yu Ying School was a popular gathering spot for young rascals in Jingcheng. By the time Nie Zhenbang got there, the school year had just begun. From a distance, he saw Nie Jiamin standing with several others who were hanging around, looking him up and down with slanting eyes.
"Jiamin, so this is your second uncle's illegitimate child? Quite a dashing appearance indeed! Why is it that illegitimate children always look better than those born properly? Could the thrill of an illicit affair genuinely promote the optimization of genes?" a bespectacled young man joked on the side.
The bespectacled young man stood about 1.73 meters tall, extremely skinny with sharp eyes, and showed signs of becoming rather unscrupulous as he grew up.
Upon hearing this, Nie Jiamin was unhappy, "Liu Kun, watch your mouth! Mind how you talk about illegitimate children, or I'll beat you up. Can't you talk properly? If not, shut up."
Liu Kun was the son of the West City District Secretary; his grandfather had been a revolutionary martyr. His familial background made him quite an important figure within their circle. Surprised by Nie Jiamin's outburst, Liu Kun relented, "All right, all right. I can see that all you military committee guys are like this; Ye Yuejun, you, and Yang Anbang, you all have some nerve. Only you guys can say this sort of thing – we can't. After all, we are in different classes."
At that moment, Nie Zhenbang also arrived in front of Nie Jiamin.
Looking at the few people standing beside him - Liu Kun, son of the West City District Secretary; Li Hua, son of Chief of Staff Li from Jingcheng City Military District; and the robust boy called Wen Li, of the influential Li family. All those who were close to Nie Jiamin in his previous life seemed to have gathered.
"Jiamin, what's up with you? Judging by your aura, you're up to something. Spill it, what's your plan? I'm in," Nie Zhenbang said with an air of nonchalance. Having lived past forty-or-so in his last life, he should have been fed up with hanging around these brats. However, if he wanted to make a name for himself in this life, he needed to establish a reputation among them. That's just reality.
He had hoped to do other things, but without any connections or resources, a cold-blooded and unloved illegitimate child like him couldn't accomplish anything. He needed to win these people over to move on to the next step.
As soon as he opened his mouth, he spoke fluent Beijing dialect, seemed very familiar with the circle's lingo, and oozed the charisma of someone who had been a part of it for years. His demeanor shocked everyone there.
Nie Jiamin was also somewhat surprised. Looking at Nie Zhenbang, he said, "Well done, Nie Zhenbang, you speak Jingcheng dialect quite fluently. It must be your mother who taught you. It seems like you've planned this beforehand. Even without this matter, I bet you'd come find me anyway. Fine, we're relatives after all. You're quite a man, I won't blame you for not giving you a chance. Today, if you win, you will officially join the circle. What do you say?"
That's exactly what Nie Zhenbang was aiming for. These spoiled brats, although not very impressive, have a great sense of propriety. They don't rely on family connections and don't bully others with their power. This is the principle within the circle, it's unclear who set it. Perhaps it was the old third generation or even earlier. But no one has violated it. To violate it means you don't want to be in the circle - from then on, you'd be a target for everyone, with no one respecting you. In his previous life, he led a secluded life, focused on studying, and was not familiar with the people in this circle, which resulted in his lack of sufficient connections. In the end, he met a tragic end. In this life, Nie Zhenbang is determined to completely change this situation.
Heh heh, just with you guys? All of you come at me," Nie Zhenbang deliberately showed disdain. Only by doing so, could he utterly shock this group of people.
As expected, upon hearing this, the others couldn't sit still, one after another, they stood up and came forward.
"Grandson, you're bragging now."
"You little squirt, if I, Brother Kun, don't teach you a lesson today, you won't understand why flowers are red."
"Kid, think it over. Don't say that we ganged up on you later."
Nie Zhenbang immediately assumed the starting stance of Shape-Intent Fist. He disdainfully said, "Hmph, just with you few, all of you come at me. If I lose, consider it that my skills are not refined."
On the side, Li Wen0 also laughed and said: "Brother, you have guts. Win or lose, I, Li Wen0, recognize you as my brother."
While they were preparing to fight, two other groups were watching them at the side. On the fifth floor of the teaching building, more than a dozen people were gathered in the corridor. One person was holding a military telescope watching this scene. After a while, he put down the telescope and said, "Well, that Nie Jiamin, that kid, is really unscrupulous. Bullying the few with the many. Nie Zhenbang, the third brother of the Nie family, is quite interesting."
On the other side, in a pavilion less than 200 meters away from Nie Jiamin and others, there were also more than a dozen people gathered, watching this scene with disdain. "Nie Jiamin is too talkative. Isn't he just an illegitimate child? What can happen if he is beaten? Maybe his aunt will even thank him."
Seeing Nie Zhenbang get into position, Nie Jiamin's expression also became serious. This guy has really been trained. Immediately, Nie Jiamin stopped blabbering and roared: "Brothers, let's go together."
The others nearby immediately roared and rushed over. Liu Kun, the kid, casually pulled out a brick from the flower bed beside them and charged at Nie Zhenbang with a whistling sound.
Speaking of fights, these young masters of Jingcheng have never been shy about them. Nie Jiamin and Li's special group are considered among the tougher ones in the circle. Even Yang Anbang and Zhou Chen had to give way to them. However, Nie Jiamin's group was sent flying one after another.
Nie Zhenbang started the Shape-Intent Fist, with a straightforward routine. Facing a group of people without any martial arts foundation, Nie Zhenbang didn't give them any chances. Almost every move knocked one down. In just about two minutes, Nie Zhenbang had settled the situation. Looking at Liu Kun and others wailing on the ground, Nie Zhenbang crouched in front of Nie Jiamin, gently extended his hand, and smiled, "Jiamin, what do you think? Is my third brother's skill up to par?"