Power and Wealth

Chapter 2004

Evening.

Outside the clubhouse.

Chen family’s Little Sixth came out with his group, looking quite frustrated. Glancing at the tea stains on his clothes, he yanked off his shirt and tossed it on the ground. Not stopping there, he stomped on it furiously, venting his anger. It was summer, after all, so he wasn’t afraid of catching a chill.

“Wear mine,” a boy behind him offered, starting to take off his shirt. Among this group, Chen’s Little Sixth was the leader.

“Forget it. No need.” Chen grumbled. “These past few days have been damn unlucky. Nothing’s going right. What did I do to deserve this? I was trying to eat a meal, and something like this happens.”

“Cool down, Sixth Brother,” someone said. “Let’s go to a bar.”

“To hell with that, I’m not in the mood,” Little Sixth growled.

One particularly tactless boy asked, “Sixth Brother, why didn’t you just beat that guy up back there?”

Chen’s Little Sixth glared at him. “Why don’t you go beat him up? Go on then, go now!”

That boy, being used to acting tough, rolled up his sleeves and said, “I’ve been wanting to hit that guy. Dared to spill tea all over you? Must have a death wish.”

Chen was speechless. “Are you stupid or just pretending?”

“Huh? What do you mean?” the boy blinked, confused.

“You don’t know who Dong Xuebing is?” Little Sixth snapped.

The boy scratched his head. “That ‘Brother Dong’ that Sister Ling mentioned? No, never heard of him.” He did know who Fang Shui Ling was—she was the Prime Minister’s beloved granddaughter and the pampered princess of the Fang family—but he genuinely didn’t know who Dong Xuebing was. Thinking about it now, he grew puzzled and asked, “Wait, Sixth Brother, that guy spilled tea on you, and your family’s always been close with Sister Ling’s, right? Technically, we were in the right. We even dared to brush off Sister Ling’s authority for a bit, so why would we back down for some Dong Xuebing guy? Who the hell is he?”

Teenagers, after all, weren’t the most mature. Having been accustomed to wielding family power, they didn’t always grasp the more profound implications. So now the boy finally realized something was off.

They could ignore Sister Ling?

Then why back off for someone named Dong Xuebing?

Could his background be even stronger than Sister Ling’s and Sixth Brother’s?

He couldn’t wrap his head around it. After all, Sixth Brother wasn’t like him, a peripheral family member. The Chen family valued Little Sixth highly and gave him considerable leeway. In the time they’d been hanging out, he had never seen Sixth Brother back down or admit defeat. So why, the moment he heard “Dong Xuebing,” did he go completely silent and walk away? Why didn’t any of the others speak up either?

It didn’t make sense.

Admit defeat?

Was there someone who could make them back off?

And let’s not forget, they were in the right. That guy spilled tea first. They’d have grounds to keep their heads high anywhere. Even if they weren’t, even if they beat up someone Sister Ling invited, so what? That guy wasn’t close to her. At worst, they’d apologize later, get scolded, maybe have their parents make a few calls—it’d blow over.

But now?

They just walked off?

That guy didn’t even pay for the ruined shirt!

Who the hell was this Dong Xuebing?

An older youth looked at him and said, “You don’t know who he is? Your family never mentioned him?”

“Nope. Why would they talk to me about Dong Xuebing?” the boy replied, a bit embarrassed. “And anyway, I haven’t gone home in years. I live with my uncle.”

His situation was a bit unique. His family background was decent, but he didn’t hold a high status in it.

Chen’s Little Sixth said bluntly, “If you don’t know, then shut your mouth. No one’s treating you like a mute.”

“He had his reasons,” the older youth said, turning to the clueless boy. “You seriously don’t know who Dong Xuebing is? And you’re trying to hang around in Beijing? One day, you’ll pay for being this ignorant. Just wait until you hit a wall, then you’ll understand.”

He paused and then said, “You know Sister Huilan, right?”

“Of course! The eldest daughter of the Xie family,” the boy replied.

“Well, Dong Xuebing is Sister Huilan’s husband,” the young man said flatly.

“What? Is Sister Huilan married? Wow, I didn’t even know that!” the boy exclaimed. He was out of the loop.

“But the Xie and Fang families are about equal, right? Why do we have to give face to a son-in-law? He’s not even an Xie by blood!”

Chen’s Little Sixth: “…”

The others fell silent too. They were beyond exasperated.

The older youth rubbed his forehead and patiently explained, “Some people can’t be judged by family background alone. You haven’t heard what Dong Xuebing’s done?”

“I haven’t. I’m clueless,” the boy admitted with a bitter smile.

The older one said, “You at least know Aunt Fang Wenping, right?”

“Of course! Aunt Fang is terrifying. I remember being told as a kid: of all the younger generation, never mess with Sister Huilan, and of all the older ones, never provoke Aunt Fang. My family drilled that into me.”

“Then that explains it. I won’t go into too much detail, but know that Sister Huilan’s husband is just as hard to deal with as her and Aunt Fang.”

“Huh?” The boy was stunned. “That can’t be.”

“He’s even harder to deal with than Aunt Fang,” the young man emphasized. “In all of Beijing’s noble circles, only a few are truly feared—people you can count on one hand. Three of them are Aunt Fang, Sister Huilan, and Dong Xuebing. And Sister Huilan and Dong Xuebing are married. Offend one, and you offend both. Oh, and in case you’re behind, Sister Ling is about to marry the eldest son of the Xie family, so Aunt Fang, Sister Huilan, and Dong Xuebing will all be one big family. You understand now? What does it mean to provoke those three ruthless people? If not, then stop running your mouth.”