Revised

Even though he had been prepared, Zhang Xianyang, seated in the back, was still thrown against the seatback by the impact. He let out a muffled groan, and Li Zhuang immediately turned around and asked, "How are you, Third Young Master?"

"I'm fine. My back just hurts a little." As he spoke, Zhang Xianyang asked Zhang Han, who was driving, "What about the front? Will we have to repair the car when we get back?"

"No." Zhang Han shook his head and laughed. "Zhang Feng didn't dare cut corners this time. We'll probably just need to touch up the paint when we get back."

"After all, it's built on a tank frame. It shouldn't be that delicate." Li Zhuang then asked, "Third Young Master, are we going back to school or home?"

Zhang Xianyang thought in silence for a moment, then sighed. "Let's go home."

Otherwise, Dad would keep worrying. Besides, he had just faced a kidnapping threat and a deliberate car crash. It was perfectly normal that he wasn't in the mood to study and wanted to go home for some family pampering, right?

Zhang Xianyang blinked innocently at the thought. The Photon Brain in his head gave a dissatisfied snort. In the end, he just wanted to avoid studying. Meow my ass. Just wait until tonight—I'll deal with you then.

Meanwhile, at the scene of the accident, in the patch of wasteland beneath the roadside overgrown with withered grass that Zhang Xianyang had casually pointed at while speaking, a young man in khaki work clothes patted his chest with lingering fear and muttered, "Fuck, that nearly scared me pissless. So that's the Old District Zhang Family. Fucking awesome."

Another young man, manning a sniper rifle, said, "That rocket launcher I saw extend from the car just now looked more advanced than the ones in our unit."

"I heard the Old Zhang Family does business with foreign gangs. Looks like it's true."

"Who would've thought this dump was hiding such talent?"

"If he could've rammed the truck aside from the start, why did he stop and put on that whole show?"

The boys looked at one another. Finally, one who looked rather scruffy muttered, "Maybe he just... couldn't swallow that insult?"

"...I think I'm starting to like him more and more."

As they spoke, the boys turned to the man lying quietly beside them without saying a word and asked, "Boss, they don't need us to play the hero rescuing the beauty. What do we do now? We can't even get close to them."

The man they called "Boss" rubbed his head, cursed under his breath, and said, "Head back first."

Author's note: A new character makes a grand entrance~~~

Thanks to Ten Years of Brocade Guards for the landmine.

Revised

When Zhang Xianyang returned home, he found more than a dozen people crammed into the usually spacious living room. The servants moved through the crowd from time to time with tea and fruit, while his eldest brother, second brother, and eldest cousin sat below, chatting with everyone. His father and second uncle were nowhere to be seen.

Zhang Xianyang raised his brows in surprise, then stepped forward and obediently greeted them. "Greetings, uncles and elders."

Everyone turned around. Gao Yunsheng, the Fourth Elder and one of the Zhang Family's closest allies, smiled and said, "It's Little Third. Shouldn't you be at school today? Why are you home already?"

Zhang Xianyang gave Wang Qi, the Third Elder seated in the hall, a meaningful glance and replied with a smile, "I was planning to go to school, but I ran into a stray dog barking wildly on the road. It put me in a bad mood."

Second Elder Zhao Chunyi stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and smiled meaningfully. "That only means your training isn't good enough, Little Third. As the old saying goes, do not rejoice over external things, nor grieve over personal loss. If a person is constantly influenced by the outside world and changes their judgment because of it, then they won't amount to much."

Zhang Xianyang bowed slightly and answered respectfully, "Thank you for your guidance, Second Grandfather."

Zhao Chunyi waved a hand and continued unhurriedly, "Still, the Old District really has become more chaotic than before these past two years. There are always a few stray cats and dogs that crawl out from who knows where, grab a chicken feather and treat it like an imperial edict, leaping about and making a nuisance of themselves."

"Especially some of the younger generation these days. They don't know how to respect their elders or care for the young. They yell and throw their weight around even in front of their elders. They think we're all useless old bones and probably spend every day plotting to force us out of our positions."

Gao Yunsheng added, "Actually, this is easy to solve. As the saying goes, dogs rely on their masters' power. If the master settles down, the cats and dogs he keeps will naturally behave themselves."

Zhang Xianyang listened with a smile as the two elders traded barbed remarks, while secretly studying Wang Qi's expression. The old man was still smiling as warmly as a spring breeze, without the slightest change in his expression. His self-control was truly impressive.

Zhang Xianyang raised a brow and walked over to Zhang Muyang, just about to sit down, when Wang Qi smiled and said, "Why are you making such a fuss over such a small matter? Boys should be bolder. Don't lose your head over every little thing. Those of us in the underworld need capable hands to earn respect. Don't study until you become all soft and weak, without a trace of a man's toughness. You'd be worse than someone who squats to piss."

After saying that, he laughed smugly.

Standing over him, Zhang Xianyang looked quietly at Wang Qi on the sofa and chuckled. "Yes, Uncle Wang the Third is absolutely right. Those of us in the underworld naturally need to be formidable. But if someone isn't capable and still tries to throw his weight around like others do... it's been a long time since the Old District saw such a stupid junior. As the saying goes, family learning runs deep. Uncle Wang the Third should discipline your nephew properly. Don't let him become a laughingstock and disgrace the Old Wang Family."

The atmosphere in the hall immediately turned grave. The Old District was not a large place, and everyone present belonged to the same circle. The commotion Zhang Xianyang had caused on West District Highway had not been small. Who didn't have a good idea of what had happened? Everyone had long expected that the Old Zhang Family would not let this go, but it was still surprising that Zhang Xianyang himself had brought it up.

The smile on Wang Qi's face faded slightly. He studied Zhang Xianyang without a word for a long while before slowly saying, "Zhaoyi has always had a rather impatient temper. He's young, inexperienced, and not very thorough in his actions. I originally advised him to find a chance to get closer to you all. I didn't expect him to scare you so badly, Little Third, and cause such a huge commotion. This uncle was at fault."

"Oh, so that's how it is. Then Little Third was the one being unreasonable." Zhang Xianyang snorted softly and frowned. "Although the Wang Family's private matters are not for a junior like me to comment on, since this matter involved me, I have no choice but to say a few more words. The Old District has always been a place that values rules and loyalty. Seniority is respected, and everyone fulfills their proper duties. Those below cannot overstep, while those above cannot cause trouble without cause. Nor may members of the gang harass ordinary people for no reason. In truth, I'm only a first-year high school student this year, an ordinary student. I don't involve myself in underworld affairs, so Wang Zhaoyi had no reason to seek me out. But if we speak of status, I have the cheek to accept the brothers calling me Third Young Master, and Father occasionally listens to a word or two from me. Wang Zhaoyi must have had his reasons for coming after me. But whatever his objections, he should not have bypassed his own immediate superior. Now that he has overstepped so flagrantly, even with Uncle Wang the Third backing him, I'm afraid there's no way to justify it."

Wang Qi's expression changed drastically. Wang Zhaoyi was nominally his nephew, but which of the gang elders in the Old District who knew anything at all did not know that Wang Zhaoyi was actually the illegitimate son born from Wang Qi's affair with his elder brother's wife? Zhang Xianyang's words made it clear that he had no regard for Wang Qi whatsoever.

At that thought, Wang Qi frowned uneasily. "I think you're overreacting, Little Third. Young people today are different from people of our time. They don't care much for all these rules and rankings. You've studied for so many years—surely you can't be unable to accept even something like this?"

After a pause, Wang Qi added pointedly, "Besides, you, Zhang the Third, are nothing more than a—"

Bang! Zhang Muyang slammed the cup in his hand onto the coffee table and said coldly, "Uncle Wang the Third—you are an elder, so I respectfully call you Uncle Wang the Third. We of the Old Zhang Family do not meddle in the Wang Family's private affairs. But no one gets to speak carelessly about members of the Old Zhang Family."

The others all chimed in somewhat awkwardly. "Exactly. Wang the Third, you're an elder. Why are you arguing with Yangyang, a junior? What your nephew did this time was indeed inappropriate. Just pick a day and have him bring a cup of tea to apologize. Why bring up all that irrelevant old history?"

"Isn't that so? Zhang the Eldest isn't even home. If he finds out that you've been making things difficult for the Zhang Family's younger generation behind his back, you'll be in for it!"

Wang Qi had been in the wrong to begin with. Now that everyone was persuading him, he merely snorted resentfully and took the opportunity to back down.

Zhang Muyang casually waved Zhang Xianyang over to sit beside him, deliberately changing the subject. "Didn't you go to the garment factory? How are things progressing there?"

Having lived another life, Zhang Xianyang naturally understood what Wang Qi had been about to say, so he had no interest in pursuing it further. Following Zhang Muyang's lead, he smiled and said, "The clothes I designed have almost all been rushed into production. The brand flagship stores across the province have also finished renovations. Once every store is stocked, they'll officially open at the beginning of next month."

After hearing this, Gao Yunsheng praised him with a smile. "Our Little Third is still the most impressive. He already knows how to make money at such a young age."

Hearing Gao Yunsheng's words, Zhang Xianyang immediately remembered something and slapped his forehead. "Look at my memory. I had a set of clothes custom-made for each of you uncles and elders too, and I brought them back. I might as well give them to you now, so I won't have to send someone on another trip later."

As he spoke, he instructed a servant standing nearby to bring in the clothes from the trunk outside.

Taking into account the work environments, habits, and cultural refinement of his uncles and elders, Zhang Xianyang had chosen traditional Chinese silk fabrics for their clothing. Even the styles were Tang suits with the strongest Chinese character. The base fabrics came in solemn, steady colors such as black, white, indigo, and navy blue. He had even specially hired embroidery masters to stitch patterns of pines, bamboo, cypress trees, roaming dragons, and auspicious clouds onto them. The stitches were fine, the cuts tailored perfectly, and each garment had been custom-made according to the wearer's build and bearing. Their names had also been embroidered in vine patterns at the hems or cuffs. The moment the old men unfolded the clothes, their eyes lit up. Some of the more impatient ones immediately changed into them and praised them lavishly. "It takes someone educated to make clothes like these. Look at what Little Third came up with—comfortable without looking shabby or slovenly. Not bad, not bad."

Gao Yunsheng wore a cloud-white, front-buttoned Tang suit embroidered with black bamboo. He stood before the mirror and looked himself over again and again, feeling that the outfit gave him something of an elegant, immortal air. At first glance, he even looked a little like a well-read scholar. Gao Yunsheng nodded in satisfaction and said, "The style is good, but the craftsmanship is still a little rough. Clothes like these should be handmade by an old, experienced tailor to have the proper spirit. Machine-made work is still lacking by a degree or two."

Zhang Xianyang's eyes lit up. He immediately thought of the high-end custom clothing handmade in Italy that would be frantically sought after by the upper class in later years. He got up and sidled over to Gao Yunsheng, eagerly massaging his shoulders as he gave a sly grin. "Uncle Gao the Fourth, can we discuss something?"

"No kindness without an ulterior motive." Gao Yunsheng shook his head. Without waiting for Zhang Xianyang to speak, he said directly, "Us old antiques have different habits from you when it comes to clothes. We only like garments measured, tailored, and sewn by hand by old tailors. Old Huang's family has been tailors in the Old District for generations. They say they even embroidered dragon robes for the last emperor back in the day. Their craftsmanship is beyond question; they're just a bit slow. When I get home, I'll have my butler give you his number."