The largest gossip newspaper in Capital City published slanderous news about Ye Tianchen.
When Ye Tianchen read that content, he knew someone was framing him. However, who it was and why they would do such a thing puzzled him.
It seemed that since he had joined the military and now returned, he hadn't offended anyone. Could it be the Qin family again?
This was indeed a possibility. The Qin family, being a second-tier family in Capital City, had caused the Qi family to break off an engagement and had even sent two assassins last night to kidnap his mother and sister. This was all to unfairly compete with his father, Ye Hong, for a government position.
If they were capable of such deeds, it wouldn't be surprising that the Qin family had someone publish such slanderous news about him.
Ye Tianchen stepped out of the villa and, as he walked, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. It was just a common brand, nothing high-end, just Red River. After lighting it, he took a drag.
Unknowingly, he reached a crossroad. This area in Capital City was expansive and housed many high-ranking officials and nobles. Within the villa district, there was a teahouse called Beifeng Pavilion. The idle young heirs of the district often chose to go there for idle chatter and to seek some thrill.
Walking into Beifeng Pavilion, a beautiful waitress greeted him with a smile and asked Ye Tianchen,
"How many, young master?"
"Just one, find me a spot where I can hear everyone chatting and boasting!"
Ye Tianchen pulled out a stack of bills, at least one thousand yuan, and handed it over as a tip to the beautiful waitress.
The beautiful waitress took the tip, her smile growing even brighter. Making money by meeting such generous customers, of course, she would greet them with a smile. It wouldn't make sense to keep a gloomy face after being handed such a large tip; that would truly be clueless.
When Ye Tianchen sat down, he looked around and truly felt that the thousand yuan tip was well spent.
Sitting on the second floor of Beifeng Pavilion, a bamboo mat curtain shielded him, allowing him to clearly hear the discussions in the hall.
"Did you hear? The Qi family went to the Ye family to break off the engagement!"
"I already knew that, that prodigal son from the Ye family was dismissed by the military, wasn't he?"
"Dismissed by the military? Really?"
"Yes, didn't you see the paper this morning? This guy was engaged in real combat and encountered fierce bandits. To survive, he betrayed his comrades and even knelt before the bandits, begging for his life, just to save his own skin!"
The second floor of Beifeng Pavilion had already gathered some rich second-generation kids. They typically idled about, seeking thrills or flirting with women, and gossiping.
When Ye Tianchen heard their conversation, he showed no sign of emotional fluctuation and quietly sipped his tea. He was here to listen and see if any clues would emerge about who was framing him.
"This...this guy is also a descendant of the Ye family. Doing such things, it's really shameful!"
"There's nothing shameful about it. The biggest shame has already happened. He was caught peeping at Capital City's number one beauty taking a bath, his parents personally apologized to the Liu family, and he was kneeling right beside them; then the Qi family came to break off the engagement, and now news has leaked that he betrayed his comrades and knelt down to save his life. The Ye family is really in a tough spot."
"Hmph, what's the Ye family anyway? It's been on a decline for a long time!"
At that moment, a young man around twenty, wearing a branded suit and quite skinny, with a hint of a scornful smile, ascended to the second floor.
Ye Tianchen glanced at the young man and frowned. He had no recollection of this young man. Interestingly, while the other heirs discussed gossip without any targeting, this guy spoke with disdain and contempt as if he held deep grudges against the Ye family.
"Oh, who do we have here? It turns out to be Second Young Master Luo, what wind brought you here?" another young man stood up and asked with a smile.
Luo Tao, the Second Young Master of the Luo family.
The Luo family was also a prominent family in Capital City, barely touching the first-tier families. They said so because, apart from Grandmaster Luo in the Military Committee, the rest of the Luo family's descendants hadn't embarked on a political path, perhaps due to their lack of competitiveness.
"I specifically came to enjoy the Ye family's disgrace. Daring to compete with my brother for a woman, Ye Tianchen is really tired of living!"
Luo Tao sat down on the couch unceremoniously and declared loudly.
The others, seeing Luo Tao's arrogance, just shook their heads and laughed.
Everyone knew Luo Tao, the Second Young Master of the Luo family, was a simpleton, relying on his family's power to act domineeringly, yet unaware of the "hidden dragons and crouching tigers" in Capital City.
In this place, other second-generation heirs were also arrogant, but not as overt, because they understood that in Capital City, anything could happen. Some hidden major families and forces were not known to everyone; to deal with someone, one must strike secretly, never outrightly exposing themselves.
"Hehe, Ye Tianchen competing with your brother for a woman, where did that come from?" someone asked with a snigger, intentionally probing.
Luo Tao glanced at everyone present, took a sip of tea, and then spat it all out onto the ground before he began to speak:
"My brother has always been after the gorgeous special forces soldier Han Jie, and yet this bastard dared to come back alive behind my brother's woman. That's practically begging for death. It was already polite of the Luo family not to kill him outright; we merely published the truth in the newspaper as a small warning!"
At this point, things became clear. It turned out that the eldest son of the Luo family was upset that Ye Tianchen was getting close to Han Jie, even more so after hearing that Han Jie had taken a bullet for Ye Tianchen. Annoyed, he spent money to publish slanderous articles about Ye Tianchen, aiming to bring down the Ye family and ensure Ye Tianchen couldn't hold his head up high.
"Keep your voice down, kid. If the Ye family hears this, there could be trouble," someone kindly cautioned.
"Oh really? I'd like to see what kind of trouble could happen? The Ye family is already on the decline; the Luo family just needs to lift a finger to ensure they can never recover. As for that little bastard Ye Tianchen, whether it's a one-on-one fight or a group brawl, my brother could crush him with one finger!"
Luo Tao's voice grew louder and more arrogant as he spoke, a clear sign of his absolute disdain and scorn for the Ye family emanating from his heart.
"That's also true. Although Ye Tianchen is a special forces soldier, he definitely isn't as skilled as your brother, who is a member of the Falcon Unit. He really brings honor to the Luo family!" someone said with a smile.
Hearing this, a smirk appeared at the corner of Ye Tianchen's mouth, no wonder the people of the Luo family were so arrogant. Firstly, they bullied the Ye family who no longer held power. Secondly, the elder son of the Luo family was a member of the Falcon Unit, which was indeed a matter of pride.
The Falcon Unit, the strongest individual soldier unit in China. Every member of this unit is one in ten thousand, trained for a whole year, and only becomes an official member after passing a series of rigorous tests.
Capital City is a place with many large families, and very few of their children and grandchildren can become members of the Falcon Unit.
That's because most of these second-generation children are flowers raised in a greenhouse, unable to withstand such brutal training.
Though there are rumors that the eldest son of the Luo family joined the Falcon Unit because of his own skills and Grandmaster Luo's connections, of course, these are just rumors. Nobody dares to openly discuss it since the Luo family has always been very dominant, and no one wants to provoke unnecessary trouble.
"My Luo family can crush the Ye family with a single foot, and my brother could grind Ye Tianchen to death with just his toe. It'd be best if the entire Ye family died, leaving us in peace."
Luo Tao's claims became more and more outrageous and arrogant, mainly because he had always been domineering.
"Watch your morals, kid. Wishing an entire family dead might just earn you a slap in the face!"
"A slap? Who dares to slap my, Luo Tao's, mouth? I..."
Slap!
A loud slap echoed around the room, and to everyone's astonishment, Luo Tao flew out, crashing through the second-floor window and falling down.
By the time everyone came to their senses, they only saw a figure descending the stairs...
Ye Tianchen put on the hood of his coat, gave Luo Tao a hard slap, and then walked away.
He had mainly considered two things for not showing himself from the beginning. Firstly, the Ye family's current power indeed couldn't compare to the Luo family, and a direct conflict wouldn't be good for the Ye family. Ye Tianchen didn't want to cause more trouble for his parents and sister. Secondly, Ye Tianchen was preparing to weed out the instigator, that is, Luo Tao's brother. Whether he is the young master of the Luo family or a member of the Falcon Unit, since he dared to provoke him, he must be taught a lesson.
After rebirth, Ye Tianchen was no longer a pushover!
Midnight, twelve o'clock.
Ye Tianchen hadn't gone home all day and waited until this moment to head to Heaven and Earth.
This was a place where one could lose oneself in endless pleasures, the largest entertainment venue in Capital City where anything imaginable was possible. With food, drink, gambling, and drugs all available, the venue was packed every night, a gathering place for the elite.
Ye Tianchen, still with a cigarette in his mouth, entered Heaven and Earth. A cigarette was his best companion.
During the apocalypse, whenever Ye Tianchen was about to move out or even battle powerhouses, he would smoke. Smoking was an indispensable and enjoyable indulgence for him.
At that moment, in a luxurious private room on the third floor of Heaven and Earth, a man sat with a gloomy expression on his face, a murderous look in his eyes, surrounded by two friends, also scions of great Capital City families.
That man was Luo Lei, the eldest son of the Luo family. Just an hour ago, he received a call from home. His younger brother, Luo Tao, had been hit, a slap had knocked him off the second floor. His left leg was broken but not severely; however, the slap had fractured his right cheek, all his teeth were knocked out, and it had even damaged the nerves in his brain, potentially leaving him vegetative.
Poor, foolish Luo Tao, being slapped into vegetation by Ye Tianchen's one slap.
"Whoever hit my brother, I want him dead!"
Bang!
Luo Lei angrily crushed the glass cup in his right hand and spoke fiercely.
[PS: Here's the first update for today. Another update coming around eight o'clock tonight. Please keep saving and recommending, really need your support, brothers and sisters, thank you immensely!]