Chapter 65: One Battle for Fame, One Battle for Trouble

  Corner under neon lights.

  Behind a bustling street lined with neon lights and green wine, a small rental house that was not demolished due to its geographical location, the crisscrossing of illegal buildings made the already narrow road more congested, the dim light contrasting sharply with the prosperous street dozens of meters away.

  The most visible items in the trash heap are not food waste, but used "little angels", worn-out sexy underwear and condoms mixed with bodily fluids. This is both a preferred area for many sex workers who rent houses in the red-light district to live, as well as a "workplace" for some freelancers.

  Zhang Shidong's car couldn't drive in, so it stopped by the roadside. He followed Ah Guang into the alley under the dim light, taking slow and cautious steps. The first window was brightly lit inside, with the curtains not drawn. A casual glance could see men and women entwined together in the small room.

  The second house's door hung a dark red lantern, through the shining light of the TV inside the house, a woman wearing revealing clothes was leaning against the headboard, listlessly fiddling with her phone while watching TV.

  The third household was filled with loud music, and a man shaking his head in front of the computer screen shouted loudly, saying something like "I am MC".

  Here, no one will mind how late you sleep, and no one will think you're too noisy. Even if they don't understand, at least there will be a bit of respect, regardless of what you do.

  When Ah Guang said this, there was a kind of desolate satisfaction on his face. The fact that his inferiority complex did not evolve into resentment towards society was largely due to the comfort he found at night. Here, he was an ordinary normal person, no one would laugh at his disability, and no one would laugh at his profession.

  An old, strange, and irregular private house, in order to make more land available for use, the entire rental area did not have a single courtyard, all places were covered with houses. Ah Guang lived in a suite, entering through a five or six meter long corridor, with some miscellaneous items and simple kitchen utensils placed along the right wall. The first room on the left was lit up, with the sound of TV, gasping sounds, and a woman's moans coming from inside. The door wasn't closed, and upon hearing the outside door open, all sounds except for the TV stopped. Zhang Shidong took a glance, in the seven or eight square meter room, there was a big bed, with two bodies merged together under a thick blanket. The man turned his head and greeted Ah Guang, without any intention of hiding anything from him. In their opinion, having an open door allowed the cool breeze from the corridor to come in. As for Ah Guang, every night he would walk back and forth in front of his room at most twice, coming in to wash his face, brush his teeth, and use the public restroom before returning.

  "Light brother, you're back."

  When Zhang Shidong saw him, he seemed a bit embarrassed, fortunately Zhang Shidong followed Ah Guang and only passed by his door.

  At the end of the corridor, on the left side again, Ah Guang opened an old-fashioned lock and entered a room that was exactly the same as the previous one, except that the position of the window and the direction inside the house were completely opposite.

  "How's that? Pretty pathetic, huh?" Ah Guang self-deprecatingly chuckled.

  "No, I think it's fine, at least in this space, you are the only master." Zhang Shidong shook his head.

  Not having chatted for two sentences, just after lighting a cigarette, the male neighbor in front who was previously chatting with someone walked in wearing a large pants and a floral vest, holding a pack of cigarettes. It's clear that he has a good relationship with Ah Guang. Seeing the guest coming over to offer him a cigarette, seeing the cigarette on the table is Zhonghua, he didn't dare to take one out to hand over.

  "Come on, brother, have a smoke."

  The other party obviously took Zhang Shidong as Ah Guang's nobleman, lit a cigarette and sat down, constantly talking about Ah Guang's good words. After finishing one cigarette, he sat for about five minutes and left in time.

  The lowest level of living in a society, an ordinary man who is ordinary to the point of being unremarkable, yet excels in social experience and etiquette, skillfully controlling the conversation with strangers without making them feel bored, while also showing his strong support for Ah Guang as a friend.

  When he left, Ah Guang's eyes lit up. The guest was not in a hurry, but the host was already anxious and looked forward to what Zhang Shidong had said earlier.

  "Take off your shirt and roll up your pants."

  When Ah Guang saw the silver needle in Zhang Shidong's hand inserted into his body, he realized that it could be cured now? Is it possible? Wasn't it determined long ago in the hospital?

  A wave of numbness made Ah Guang feel a wave of comfort, and then with a cool feeling flowing through his body, he leaned against the headboard, dazed and confused, and soon fell asleep.

  Zhang Shidong put away the needle and looked at his brother's face, which had been ravaged by time. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, the calluses on his hands, and the scars on his body all told a story.

  At a young age, with an attitude of rebellion and nonconformity, the more parents didn't want them to do something, the more they wanted to do it. The less society recognized their path, the more they wanted to take it. From the start of fighting against older students who bullied their classmates, Zhang Shidong and Chen Guang began to make a name for themselves in school. Their young and arrogant psychology made them indulge in the pleasure of being worshiped by others. From upperclassmen to outside the campus, from ordinary small-time hooligans to real gangsters, the two, who had just come of age, established their own reputation. Finally, in a fierce battle at Station Front Street, after being betrayed and surrounded by dozens of people, the two managed to grab a knife from the ground and escape with injuries, achieving the glorious result of knocking down over a dozen opponents.

  One battle makes you famous, one battle gets you into trouble.

  The other party had the intention to suppress it, but because the matter was too big and two tendons were cut off, Zhang Jun's heart was not strong enough. For the first time in his life, Zhang Jun jumped over that line. He was busy with this matter, and finally, both parties worked hard to settle the matter. Zhang Shidong left to join the army, and Chen Guang dropped out of school.

  I still remember that at the time, Ah Guang grabbed the first knife and for this his shoulder was left with a lifelong scar that could not be erased. Without this first knife, both of them would definitely have been turned over. If it weren't for that one time, there wouldn't be today.

  Reflecting on himself and then looking at Ah Guang, the disparity in their lives was so great that even Zhang Shidong couldn't help but sigh, leaving behind a note before standing up and departing.

  ………

  Inside the 9191 bar, Lu Feng was holding a cigarette and slapping Mao Wei, who was crouching on the ground. Next to them, Guan Guan was hugging two sexy beauties, almost to the point of indecency, a scene not suitable for minors.

  "Dead fatty, we two brothers followed you for several years, but as soon as you hugged the thick legs, you forgot about your brothers. How's that? Kong Xin will be eating mantou for the rest of his life! Your uncle is now reporting to the CPPCC too, how's that? Ping Jiang, can't play anymore?"

  Mo Wei was now only left with fear and pleading for mercy, hoping the other party would spare him. The video of Kong Xin being tied up and running naked on Pingjiang Street at midnight had gone viral online. Only a few people knew the root cause of the downfall of the Kong family father and son, and Mo Wei happened to be one of them. Zhao Mei Ru took advantage of the situation and made her move, but the real reason was that Kong Xin had made a move against Zhang Shi Dong. Kong Xue Dong thought he had found a wedge to pry open the opponent's camp, but unexpectedly, the door was opened, only to spring back shut, knocking down Kong Xue Dong's faction entirely.

  "Alright, Lu Feng, give me a straightforward answer. What can I do to leave? In the future, wherever you are, I'll retreat three houses away." Mo Wei, who had been constantly experiencing the warmth and coldness of human relationships, also grew up a lot and knew that this matter couldn't be resolved peacefully. So he simply raised his head and said, "A dead pig isn't afraid of boiling water."

  The private room door was pushed open, and Zhang Shidong pushed the door in: "Take out the bathing center, restaurant, and the internet cafe at the intersection. Also, let your uncle reveal to me the inside story of a case from a few years ago, and this matter will be considered settled."

  Mo Wei's chubby face shook slightly, and he also brought out his strength: "Good, no problem."

  Zhang Shidong nodded, took a bottle of beer and walked out of the private room, standing at the railing on the second floor looking down. As soon as the midnight party started at 11 pm, the atmosphere on site reached its peak. The live DJ, along with three well-built and energetic lead dancers, got the crowd moving to the music from the very first song.

  A Guang's past experience of having his tendons cut was shrouded in mystery, and the housekeeper was also unaware of the details, only knowing that A Guang had apparently offended a powerful figure from across the river, who had connections in Pingjiang. Mo Dongfeng, then vice director of the Municipal Bureau, had even made a special phone call to inquire about it. Now, with time having passed, if one wanted to get to the bottom of things, the most ideal person to ask would naturally be Mo Dongfeng.

  "Huh?"

  Near the small round table by the stage, a familiar figure appeared in sight - Xiao Mei, a colleague from the office. Zhang Shidong casually put his arm on the railing, leaned forward, drinking beer and watching that fashionably dressed girl, already deep autumn, still wearing an ultra-short skirt, a very sexy black chiffon blouse, happily accompanying her boyfriend to dance together, drink together, and shout together.

  He didn't intend to greet her, but what happened next made him have to pay attention to the situation of this girl who was on good terms with him.

  During the dance, Xiaomei's handsome boyfriend took out a pill from his pocket and put it into Xiaomei's wine glass. As it dissolved, the man's slightly gloomy expression and the lewd smile on the face of a thin man sitting next to him reflected each other.

  Zhang Shidong was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes revealed a look of anger. Xiaomei would often sweetly imagine her future with her boyfriend, they didn't need a house, just rent a small one, and the wedding wouldn't be too extravagant, just a simple meal with close friends and family would be fine...

  Xiao Mei and Xiao Yun are completely different types. Xiao Mei is a fashionable girl on the outside but conservative at heart, very cute and dedicated. She always mentions her boyfriend in conversations, saying things like how he saves money to buy clothes for her and cooks delicious food for her every day. In her own eyes, her boyfriend is the pride of her life, while in the eyes of others, such as Xiao Yun, he's just a useless pretty boy who relies on Xiao Mei's meager salary despite being quite old.

  Zhang Shidong thought for a moment, carrying the beer and walking down the stairs. Neither soft nor hard approaches were suitable. Not letting that pill be exposed would still lead to today's situation. Fighting wasn't quite fitting for colleagues and ordinary friends' identities. He pulled over a small hoodlum who was watching the scene, the other party came to Zhang Shidong with a smile all over his face: "Boss Dong."

  "Go and swap the wine in front of that girl with something else, no matter what method you use, just don't let anyone at the table notice, then go find someone to test what's in the wine."

  The other party nodded repeatedly, Dong Ye was indeed formidable, and he could actually see that I used to be a porter.

  Then, the inconspicuous little rascal wearing a waiter's jacket quickly grabbed a wine glass identical to Xiaomei's and, as he brushed past her, cleverly pretended to lose his balance, spilling the wine all over Xiaomei's boyfriend. As everyone's attention shifted, the wine glass floated from his hand onto the table, and with a flick of his wrist, Xiaomei's wine glass ended up in his hand.

  PS: The miserable 2K party flew into the flower cluster, and the inspirational brother 3K party made a brilliant debut. Everyone, how about giving a recommendation ticket?