Chapter 1: The Legend of Netease

  Capital City

  Under the dazzling neon lights, the prosperity of the capital city is illuminated. The opening of the Olympic Games has brought out an astonishing charm from this ancient city. As the national political and cultural center and international exchange center, this city with a 3,000-year history of building and 850 years of being the capital has become a holy land in the hearts of people across the country.

  In the bar district east of the city, this is a place comparable to Beijing's famous North Bar Street. At this moment, outside a small bar not far from Beijing Old House Bar, under the dim streetlights, a middle-aged man was staggering along the main street, dragging a long shadow behind him.

  At this time, it was summer, a pair of shorts worth 10 yuan, with colorful patterns, similar to beach pants. The fabric was also very poor, thinking that for 10 yuan, what good things could be expected? He wore a white vest on top, with a flower printed on the left chest. The hairstyle was scary, with the words "Huaxia Military Commission" and "August 1st" below. The middle-aged man was unkempt, with a messy beard. However, between his eyebrows, one could still see his handsome appearance. When he was young, the man must have been a stylish and handsome guy. But from the way the man walked with a limp, it turned out that this old handsome guy was actually a cripple, a disabled person.

  The liquor in his hand was the cheapest Hongxing Erguotou, under the dim streetlights, a middle-aged man staggered and stumbled onto the main street. From time to time, he stopped and tilted his head back to take two mouthfuls.

  On the main street, suddenly, an Aston Martin sports car whizzed by, followed by a Ferrari F430. The cars were all convertibles. Four or five men and women in the cars screamed as they sped past. Onlookers on the sidewalk couldn't help but sigh. The young masters of this city's wealthy families are still as arrogant as ever.

  At this moment, the two cars suddenly turned around and drove in reverse towards the middle-aged man. It seemed that this was not a big deal at all. The license plate on the front of the car was also quite intimidating, it was a Beijing Military Region license plate. No wonder these people dared to be so arrogant.

  On the Aston Martin, a young man in the driver's seat got out, wearing a Versace casual short-sleeved T-shirt. Very short hair. Next to him were two young girls, one of whom was wearing a suspender skirt, with a thin gauze suspender underneath, like a hollowed-out black bra that could be clearly seen. The chest was undulating. Waist and hips were curved. Ears were full of ear holes; hanging more than ten earrings; the other one, a short vest, a pair of denim shorts. The figure was equally tempting. What's more distinctive is that the woman had a lip ring on her mouth. Matching this outfit looked very wild.

  As soon as the man got off the car, the two women also followed him down, one on each side, and casually put their arms around his arm.

  "Hey! Isn't this our famous Nie Taizi from Beijing? Why aren't you at the Wang Dynasty Hotel? Why not go to the State Guest House? And yet, here you are on the streets, drinking 3 yuan a bottle of Red Star Erguotou. Truly, your taste is extraordinary!" The young man's face showed no respect, but rather a hint of mockery. He swaggered up to the middle-aged man.

  At this time, a fat man on Ferrari came down with a beautiful woman. The fat man was from Jinzhou, and Jinzhou produced coal. Coal bosses had money, and in recent years, there were rumors that coal bosses from Jinzhou would carry bags of cash to Beijing and Shanghai to buy houses. While others bought one suite at a time, they bought an entire unit at once.

  Pangzi's surname is Yan, and his name is Yan Hua. He shares the same surname as Yan Laoxi, a notorious "土皇帝" (local tyrant) from Jinzhou in those days. Pangzi's family was also well-known in Jinzhou for being coal bosses, owning several coal mines and even a coking plant. His family sent him to Beijing to study. The purpose wasn't to make Pangzi an expert on beasts or anything like that. Yan Lao (Pangzi's father) had only one goal: it wasn't because there were many officials in Beijing... but rather to let Pangzi take the lead, get familiar with some young masters and ladies. Pangzi didn't disappoint his old man. Relying on the large amount of cash he had, he got to know quite a few people from the "young master" circle. After spending hundreds of millions of yuan, Yan Pangzi finally achieved something. The young man in front of him was it - and what's more, he was genuinely from a good family background.

  The ancestors of the young man's family were very prominent, and his ancestors were famous founding pioneers. Although the Yang family was not well-known at the beginning of the country's founding, after the reform and opening-up, the two generations of the Yang family's masters, namely the young man's father and General Yang, had a long-term vision. During several changes, they stood in line accurately, and now the Yang family is considered a top-level family in the capital city.

  "Yang Shao, is this the good-for-nothing you were talking about? The illegitimate son of the Nie family. The one known as the Sweeping Star in the capital?" Chubby Chang often hung out with young men and naturally heard some rumors within their circle, among which the most frequently mentioned was this Nie Taizi.

  Yang Shaoming is also known as Yang Zhi, and he is the fourth generation of the Yang family. Although his grandfather has retired, his prestige remains. The current leadership still has to give him some face. Among the three brothers of his father's generation, his father, Yang Anguo, is now a Central Committee member and Secretary of the Jiangbei Provincial Party Committee, and if he takes another step further, he will be a Politburo figure. His second uncle, Yang Anbang, although not in politics, operates one of the world's top 500 enterprises, and his power is no less than that of his father. His youngest uncle, Yang Anjun, is now a major general and commander of a certain group army in the Jiangbei Military Region, a major general at just forty years old, with boundless prospects. It can be said that the Yang family is now at its peak.

  Yang Zhi smiled lightly, as a well-known figure in the imperial prince circle of Beijing, Yang Zhi was always showing off his superiority.

  With an air of pride, looking down on everything, and a calm demeanor. Everything is in its proper place. Yang Zhi thought. This is the kind of bearing that a young master from a wealthy family should have. A red second-generation heir, isn't just those so-called rich second generation or official second generation. Only after three generations can one be considered aristocracy, Yang Zhi thought. As for himself now, he counts as aristocracy.

  At this moment, the middle-aged man sat down on the edge of the flower bed by the road, completely ignoring Yang Zhi's ridicule. As if he wasn't talking about him at all. He thoroughly treated Yang Zhi as air, shaking his head and swaying back and forth. It seemed like he was indulging in the intoxication of alcohol, gurgling again, and another mouthful of Erguotou liquor went down.

  This move made Yang Zhi very angry, his face flashed with anger, and he immediately kicked him up, really kicking the middle-aged man's chest, directly kicking the middle-aged uncle to the ground. Looking at the middle-aged man who was curled up in a ball due to pain, Yang Zhi shouted: "Nie Zhenbang, you're really enjoying it, aren't you?"

  "Hua Ge, how did this old guy offend Zhi Shao? Someone like him dares to ignore Zhi Shao, isn't that asking for trouble?" The beautiful woman next to Yan Chui Zi asked in a low voice, full of curiosity.

  Yang Zhi is a man who is usually refined and courteous. He always carries himself with the elegance and poise of a noble. So, although Yang Zhi comes from a prestigious family, in this capital city, apart from his fondness for beautiful women, he never engages in any improper behavior. He has a pretty good reputation. But today, he lost his temper so badly at a drunkard. The beauty found it quite curious too.

  Yan Hua looked at the middle-aged man who had fallen into the flower bushes but still refused to let go of the wine bottle, and a hint of sympathy flashed across his face. He said in a low voice, "Speaking of this person, one can't help but mention the family behind him. Heh heh, the Nie family. In those days, the Nie family was renowned in the capital."

  "What's so famous about it?" The beauty had a strong desire to get to the bottom of things, and continued to discuss with Yan Paozi.

  Fatso looked at Yang Zhi and whispered, "The Nie family. A founding general's family. This drunkard's grandfather was a famous warlord back in the day. After the Great Revolution, he even held important positions in the military commission. He was a genuine leader of the party and state. Yang Shao is the fourth generation, but this guy is the third generation. He's from the same level as Yang Shao's father. I heard that when the drunkard's father was sent to Yanbei during the Cultural Revolution, he had an affair with a female educated youth and had him out of wedlock. This marriage didn't get the approval of the Nie family patriarch, so naturally, he was a illegitimate child. His old man didn't dare bring him back home either. Later on, when the man returned, he found a suitable wife from a good family background. The matter was forgotten like that. But later on, for some reason, this illegitimate son was found, but he had become disabled. He walks with a limp."

  From the very beginning, Old Master Nie was extremely dissatisfied, thinking that this was a shame to the Nie family, and this child was even more a symbol of shame to the Nie family. However, since he had come, with the power of the Nie family, it wasn't impossible to raise an idle person.

  However, since this Nie prince entered the NIE family, the NIE family had problems in standing teams. If it weren't for the old master of the NIE family being alive, they would have collapsed. After that, the old master of the NIE family was hit and passed away, and the NIE family still stood incorrectly in another team stand. The entire NIE family ended like this. And all of this, the people of the NIE family thought was caused by the drunkard's return. So, the drunkard became a notorious jinx in the capital city. Hehe, Prince NIE. This is just a phrase used to mock him within their circle.

  The beauty pouted and said with some confusion: "This seems to have nothing to do with him, he's not the one in charge."

  "Nie Zhenbang, you're living a pretty good life, aren't you? You still have money to drink. It's probably my little sister who gave it to you again. You say, you can't even walk steadily, but you're still clinging to life. My little sister married out last year because of you, and you're so heartless that you let her drag on like this. Why don't you just go die?" Yang Zhi kicked the middle-aged man on the ground non-stop, while continuously insulting him.

  A middle-aged man, upon hearing the words "little sister", had a murky gaze that suddenly brightened, flashing a hint of pain, before instantly returning to its dull state. He lay motionless in the flower bushes, not even flinching as Yang Zhi beat him, with flowers tangled on his body and face, looking as if he were dead.

  At this time, Fatso also followed up: "Zhi Shao, stop fighting, look, he's not moving at all, could he be dead?"

  Yang Zhi was also panicked, Nie Zhenbang was driven out of the Nie family, although the Nie family is now declining, the highest official is only a deputy provincial level. However, the Nie family has deep roots. In the circle, the old master's door students and former officials are still there. If Nie Zhenbang dies, it will cause some trouble for himself, and it's not small trouble.

  Yang Zhi stopped at this moment and spat fiercely. He said angrily: "He can't die. Everyone in the world is dead, but he can't die."

  "Look at you, NIE Zhenbang, like a dead dog. You're not even a man, you don't have any conscience. You shouldn't make my little sister suffer so much. People like you are just harming others by being alive. Think about it carefully and go find a place to end your life. I'll come collect your corpse."