Reborn as a Noble's Son

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Li Fen was very excited. To be addressed as sister-in-law by the mayor was a first for her. Now, she thought of the future. With a classmate of the mayor watching over them, would she still need to worry about her husband’s future? Even if it wasn’t a literal skyrocketing rise, at least, a bright future would be absolute.

Thinking about this, Li Fen showed the brightest smile on her face. It was not a hypocritical smile, but a sincere one from the bottom of her heart.

“Mayor Nie… please, come in and have a seat. You are a highly esteemed guest who is not easy to invite over.” Li Fen hesitated for a moment and eventually called him the mayor.

However, Nie Zhenbang laughed and said, “Sister-in-law, don’t be formal. Xuyang and I have known each other for many years. Now it’s a family dinner, just call me Zhenbang. The title of mayor is only used when I’m at work.”

Huang Xuyang also felt the sincerity in Nie Zhenbang’s words. Only he knew the real relationship between them. Although he called them old classmates, the number of times they actually met was pitifully few.

Nie Zhenbang’s attitude moved Huang Xuyang deeply. Now, he laughed and said, “Mr. Mayor… I mean, Zhenbang. Let’s go in. It’s just a simple home-cooked meal. I hope you won’t despise it.”

Huang Xuyang’s house was like a typical household in the south of the Yangtze River, with a small courtyard in the middle. In contrast to those who bought houses specifically for enjoyment, it was clear from the aged marks around the house that Huang Xuyang’s current living conditions were not good.

In the yard, there were ropes strung up with a lot of clothes hanging on them. Huang Xuyang explained, “We rented the house next door to some outsiders to help with household expenses. Fen lost her job last year. Our household is really…”

Every family has its difficulties. In his memory, Huang Xuyang was from a rural area in Jiangbei Province. Living alone in Liangxi City, naturally, the standard for choosing a partner wouldn’t be that high. This house was probably left by Li Fen’s parents.

Walking into the main room, there were two side rooms on each side of the main hall, with a kitchen and bathroom nearby. The dinner table was set up in the middle of the hall. There were ten dishes – local delicacies from Liangxi. Needless to say, Huang Xuyang’s wife, Li Fen’s cooking skills were extraordinary.

Although privately, it was the sentiment that mattered. However, in reality, Nie Zhenbang was still the main focus. After all, his social status remained unchanged.

Just because the leader was polite, it did not mean they could act recklessly. Seeing that everyone was watching him, Nie Zhenbang just smiled and said, “Let’s start. Looking at these beautiful, aromatic dishes made by my sister-in-law, my appetite is rather stimulated.”

At Nie Zhenbang’s signal, Huang Xuyang also brought out a bottle of wine. It wasn’t a fine wine, but it demonstrated his sincerity.

After three rounds of drinks, the atmosphere among everyone relaxed considerably. Li Fen, emboldened by the alcohol, laughed and said, “Zhenbang, now that’s settled. Zhenbang, our Xuyang is your old classmate. We will have to rely on you in the future.”

Li Fen’s words made Huang Xuyang a bit embarrassed. He tugged at Li Fen’s sleeve and whispered, “Fen, why would you say something like that? You don’t need to worry about my work.”

Nie Zhenbang, however, just laughed and watched Huang Xuyang and his wife. Honestly, this kind of mundane married life was something he had never experienced. In his past life, he was alone. In this life, since the beginning, he has never lacked money. And An Na, Dong Wan, and Li Lixue were all women of unique talents who did not need to be concerned with these trivial matters.

He understood Li Fen’s attitude very well. It was a typical mindset of ordinary people, establishing connections and pulling strings, which was very common in the system.

“Alright, alright, Xuyang, don’t make a long face. Sister-in-law is right. Since I am also working in Liangxi, I should naturally look after my old classmates in the future. However, sister-in-law, the precondition is that Xuyang should be competent himself. What do you think?” Nie Zhenbang, too, said with a smile.

Off to the side, Yang Qingshan also chimed in with a smile, “Sister-in-law, I don’t think you know yet, but Brother Huang is now the boss’s secretary.”

Li Fen felt a bit awkward at this moment, as if her scheme had been unraveled. Upon hearing Yang Qingshan’s words, she looked surprised but then said joyfully, “Brother Qingshan, really? That’s great news. I knew that he would make something of himself. He finally came into his own, a late bloomer.”

The group started to bond over food and drink. Yang Qingshan had already earned their trust and acceptance, so he naturally wasn’t an issue. Huang Xuyang was also starting to let loose.

They were enjoying a harmonious moment when an arrogant voice echoed from outside. A bunch of people stormed in rudely, kicking the door open. A dozen or so young men, wielding clubs and knives, glared menacingly as they entered. Also, the tenants who were cooking in the courtyard were reprimanded by them.

“Get lost, you lot! We’re not renting this place anymore. Start packing up your stuff. If it all burns down, don’t say we didn’t warn you,” they shouted.

“Huang Xuyang, have you made up your mind about the house? Are you selling or not? Secretary Huang, cadre Huang. We’ve given you plenty of respect. It’s about time you made up your mind. After all, the boss above has spoken. You must sell the house, whether you like it or not. If you don’t agree, you could try reporting us. Aren’t you the chief secretary of the municipal government? You could talk to the mayor or the secretary.” The leader of the group, a man in his late twenties, stood out. Despite the mild weather in April, they were all in short sleeves. You could see their tattoos and showy attire—a sure sign they weren’t upstanding citizens.

Nie Zhenbang frowned at this scene. Huang Xuyang was a government official and his wife a laid-off factory worker; why would they cross paths with these street thugs? Could it be that Huang Xuyang was hiding something?

Nie Zhenbang looked sternly at Huang Xuyang and asked, “Xuyang, who are these people? How did you get mixed up with them?”

Upon hearing Nie Zhenbang’s words, Huang Xuyang immediately understood what he was getting at. He gave a bitter smile and explained, “Mayor, it’s not that I want to get involved with them. These people were hired by a company called Wealth Circle, who for the past two months, have been aggressively buying up houses in old town areas of Xishan District. They are buying entire streets, claiming it’s for real estate development. But their offer was too low. So… I didn’t sell. That’s why they’re targeting me.”

Upon hearing Huang Xuyang’s explanation, Nie Zhenbang relaxed a bit. As long as the problem wasn’t with Huang Xuyang himself, that was all that mattered.

He had never heard of the Wealth Circle Company before. And their buying up houses street by street seemed somewhat suspicious.

After contemplating for a moment, Nie Zhenbang said in a deep voice, “What’s going on with you people? Are you trying to strong-arm people into selling their properties? Buying a house should be a willing transaction. If someone refuses to sell, why are you persisting?”

As soon as Nie Zhenbang finished speaking, the leader next to him looked as if he had been struck. He glared at Nie Zhenbang angrily and said, “Kid, mind your own business. Be careful, or you might bring disaster upon yourself. ‘Loose lips sink ships’, and that applies especially to people like you.”

Without giving Nie Zhenbang another thought, he turned to Huang Xuyang and Li Fen, “Huang Xuyang, in consideration of your status as a city government employee, we’ve shown you some respect. But aren’t you just an ordinary secretary in the secretariat of the city government? You’ve worked eight years and still remain an ordinary secretary, so don’t get cocky. Now, tell us the truth. Are you selling or not?”

Huang Xuyang looked distressed. Normally, he wouldn’t want to appear petty in front of the authorities, but he knew the financial condition of his household better than anyone else. Gritting his teeth, Huang Xuyang stepped forward and said, “It’s not that I won’t sell. It’s just that the price offered by Wealth Circle Company is too low. My property is at least four hundred square meters, and you’re only offering fifteen thousand yuan. With that amount, I can’t even afford a twenty-square-meter place on the market. How would you expect me to sell at this price?”

At the end of his speech, the man leading the group smirked maliciously, looked at Huang Xuyang and asked, “So you’re saying…you won’t sell?”

He didn’t wait for Huang Xuyang to respond but ordered his followers, “Guys, since this old man doesn’t know better, let’s teach him a lesson. He seems to think we’re afraid of a measly secretary. Our boss, apart from having connections in the city, also has ties in the province. So why should we be scared of a small secretary from the city government? Go ahead and drive out these tenants. Smash everything in this house that can be smashed.”

The followers, all young men in their late teens to early twenties, greatly influenced by the Hong Kong and Taiwan film industries at the time, were romanticized by notions of mafia loyalty and brotherhood. Excited by the order, they shouted and rushed to carry it out.

Nie Zhenbang couldn’t stand idle any longer. Regardless of what type of company Wealth Circle was, this alone was proof they were up to no good. Nie Zhenbang stepped forward, shouting angrily, “Stop! Who gave you the audacity to do this? Is there no respect for law anymore?” (