Asking for the Throne

The winters in Yan City are long and cold, but even under the cover of night, there are still many lonely men and women who come to the One-Way Bar to seek fleeting encounters. As the name suggests, One-Way is a place exclusively for single men and women, allowing only individuals to enter. If coming in pairs, they must be of the same gender.

Xia Xiang sat alone in a corner, the dim lighting making it hard to see his face. However, his solitude and melancholy attracted the attention of many members of the opposite sex. Waiters kept bringing him notes from women, each with a different message: "Handsome, the night is long, and I can't sleep. Would you like to get drunk and have fun with me?" "Can we be friends? I'm at table three, and I'm a decent person, not one of those who charge. Don't misunderstand." "Your lonely figure reminds me of my first love, and it makes my heart flutter. Would you like to spend the night with me? I'm at table eight." "If you're alone, come over and chat. If we hit it off, we can take it further. Table thirteen."

Without exception, all the messages were filled with temptation and innuendo. Xia Xiang casually read a few, crumpled them up, and tossed them into the ashtray.

Xia Xiang's mood had plummeted to rock bottom. He was in no mood for a casual encounter, and even if a woman offered herself, he might not be interested. From afternoon until now, he had been sitting here for six or seven hours, drinking more than a dozen overpriced beers, yet he felt no hint of intoxication. His mind was numb, but his thoughts were racing.

His company had just gone bankrupt, and the stocks he had bought were now worthless. At 35 years old, he was left with nothing, a complete failure. To make matters worse, his parents back home had issued an ultimatum: if he didn't bring home a wife by the end of the year, he would not be welcome in their house again.

Xia Xiang forced a bitter smile. He had been working hard in Yan City for 12 years, starting from nothing and building a fortune of a million. He had thought he was on the path to becoming a multimillionaire, making money while enjoying the company of women. He had planned to find a good woman to settle down with once he had earned ten million, but now, he had neither the money nor the woman. The loss was so devastating that he saw almost no chance of recovery.

He understood his parents' feelings. His younger brother, five years his junior, already had a child in primary school, while he remained single. His parents, with their traditional mindset, were naturally anxious. But in his current state, marriage seemed out of the question, and finding someone who truly loved him seemed even more unlikely. Over the years, he had focused solely on making money, neglecting relationships. His interactions with women had been superficial, and he had never truly opened his heart. His emotional world had become a desert, with little hope of turning into an oasis.

If the stock market failure was due to his own investment mistakes, the collapse of his company was because he had offended a corrupt official. This man, Song Dedao, had an insatiable greed. When Xia Xiang refused to satisfy his endless demands, Song used his power to ruin the company. Just thinking about Song Dedao's bloated, disgusting appearance made Xia Xiang feel sick. How could such a man, with a pig-like face, think he could have a beautiful woman like Feng Meimei? Song had demanded that Xia Xiang arrange for Feng Meimei, the most popular hostess at the city's most luxurious bathhouse, to accompany him. Everyone knew that Feng Meimei only worked at the venue and did not provide personal services. But Song, relying on his power, insisted that Xia Xiang help him. After all, everyone knew that Xia Xiang and Feng Meimei had a special relationship.

Rumors had it that Feng Meimei did not provide personal services because of a man, and that man was Xia Xiang. However, rumors are often distorted. The truth was that Feng Meimei did not provide personal services because of a man named Xiao Wu, who was Xia Xiang's close friend. Xiao Wu had been sentenced to prison for an accidental assault, and he died of a sudden illness while in jail. Xia Xiang knew that the person Xiao Wu had injured had used his connections to have Xiao Wu killed in prison. Although Xia Xiang had some money, he didn't know any high-ranking officials and lacked the power to uncover the truth, so Xiao Wu died with a wrongful conviction. After Xiao Wu's death, he left behind a large debt. Xia Xiang wanted to pay it off, but Feng Meimei refused and decided to work as a hostess at Yaochi to repay the debt.

Xia Xiang couldn't persuade Feng Meimei, so he often visited her to support her. Over time, this led to the rumor that Feng Meimei wouldn't provide personal services because of Xia Xiang. Song Dedao, who had long lusted after Feng Meimei's beauty, repeatedly asked Xia Xiang to arrange a meeting with her. Xia Xiang, however, would never let Feng Meimei be taken advantage of by such a scoundrel, and he always found excuses to delay. This finally angered Song Dedao, who ordered all hospitals to stop using the medicines supplied by Xia Xiang. As the head of the drug inspection department, Song had the power to do this, and as a result, Xia Xiang's pharmaceutical company collapsed.

The pharmaceutical industry is highly profitable but also highly dependent on key figures. A change in these figures can mean life or death. Although Song Dedao's face was ugly, Xia Xiang realized the immense power of authority. He had a bizarre thought: if he could start his life over, he would rather become an official. Not to abuse power like Song Dedao, but to avoid being controlled by such a villain, to save Xiao Wu's life, to change Feng Meimei's fate, and to do many things he had always wanted to do but couldn't...

Just as he was lost in these thoughts, a woman in a black coat sat down in front of him. Her makeup was heavy, with dark eye shadow, and in the dim light, it was hard to tell her age, but her delicate features suggested she was a very beautiful woman. She held a newspaper in her left hand, as if it were a signal for a secret meeting.

With a loud slap, she threw the newspaper in front of Xia Xiang and said fiercely, "Are you hiding here drinking alone, feeling happy? Are you looking for another fling? I see now why you rejected me so decisively back then; you're not a man who takes responsibility."

Xia Xiang didn't even look up. "You've got the wrong person!"

"You must be drunk. We've known each other for so many years, and you still think I'd mistake you? Don't play such a low trick!" the woman said disdainfully. "Your name is Xia Xiang, and mine is Wei Xin. Am I right?"

"Wei Xin?" Xia Xiang's eyes were a bit blurry, but he looked at her and smiled. "It really is you. With that heavy makeup, I almost didn't recognize you. Did you come out to scare people?"

Wei Xin was Xia Xiang's longest-term girlfriend. They had been together for three years, but she left him in anger when he refused to marry her, and she disappeared without a trace. Now, a year later, she suddenly appeared before him, leaving him somewhat disoriented.

"What do you want?" Xia Xiang had no interest in getting entangled with her or rekindling their past.

"I'm getting married, and I suddenly thought of you. I decided to take a walk, and I saw the One-Way Bar, so I came in. I didn't expect to meet you. Isn't it fate?" Wei Xin loved to use fate to explain everything, but her idea of fate hadn't convinced Xia Xiang to marry her.

Xia Xiang was uninterested in anything and didn't want to discuss old matters with Wei Xin. Suddenly, he felt dizzy and waved his hand. "I don't feel well. I need to go home and sleep..."

Wei Xin reached out to pull Xia Xiang, but he pushed her away. Although he once had feelings for her, he was now utterly dejected and didn't care about her feelings. He got up and left. Wei Xin followed him for a few steps and shoved the newspaper into his hands. "If you can't hold it, vomit on the newspaper, not on the ground..."

As Xia Xiang staggered away, tears welled up in Wei Xin's eyes.

Xia Xiang, holding the newspaper, walked to a streetlight and, unable to go any further, decided to sit down and rest. Glancing at the newspaper, he saw it was a national newspaper with an article by a reporter named Li Dingshan.

Li Dingshan? Xia Xiang shivered. How could it be him? He had returned to being a regular journalist? He could have gone into politics, become an official, and lived a much better life. Yet, he ended up as a journalist again. He must be 52 years old now, with no future ahead...

Li Dingshan had no future, and neither did he. He tried to stand up but suddenly felt the world spinning. He fell onto the newspaper and lost consciousness...