Chasing My Husband! The "Crown Prince" of the Beijing Circle Is Wildly Unruly! - Chapter 112

My name is Zhao Yan, born into the Zhao family of Kyoto. To an ordinary person, I am an unreachable scion of wealth—a third-generation socialite. But in Kyoto, where power and prestige congregate in dense clusters, the Zhao family is merely middle-tier. Even so, the complexities within such a family are far beyond a commoner’s imagination.

During high school, I stayed far away from the capital, attending school in the coastal city of Rizhao (Qingcheng). On the first day of class, I saw him amidst the crowd—a beautiful boy with a gentle, warm smile. I fell for him at first sight.

His name was Wang Xinghe. Much like his name—which means “Galaxy”—he was a boy who was exceptionally beautiful and kind. To become his friend, I stayed up for several nights in a row watching Naruto just so I could join his conversations. He seemed to sense that I was forcing topics just to keep talking to him.

The youth blinked at me and chuckled softly. “Actually, you don’t have to agree with everything I say.” Being exposed was embarrassing, but Xinghe took out his phone and handed it to me. “Let’s add each other. We can hang out together on the weekends.”

To this day, I still remember that afternoon when he reached out to be my friend. Even though the sky was thick with dark clouds and thunder rolled through a torrential downpour, I felt as if he were bathed in a halo of light—he was that dazzling.

I loved Wang Xinghe; of that, I was certain.

Because we shared similar temperaments, we became best friends who shared everything. A youth’s friendship is usually pure, but mine was not. Whenever we sat side-by-side on the sofa eating ice cream, my heart would throb uncontrollably. Xinghe’s parents were wonderful people, too; they were a devoted couple who ran a delicious noodle shop. My favorite dish was their braised beef noodles—it was incredible. Of course, that was usually when Xinghe and I collaborated: I would eat half the noodles but take double the meat and vegetables, while Xinghe finished the extra noodles.

That winter, I returned to my cold, empty villa in the city. As the Lunar New Year approached, no one called to ask me back to Kyoto for the holidays. I missed Xinghe desperately, but I didn’t dare disturb him, nor did I want his pity.

To my surprise, Xinghe rode his mother’s electric scooter for over an hour to reach the gates of my community, using an address I had mentioned only in passing. When he called to tell me where he was, I felt like I was dreaming. The moment he stood in my foyer, his skin flushed red from the biting cold, I couldn’t help but pull him into a hug. My eyes grew hot with tears. I was moved to my core.

Xinghe pulled a freshly made beef pancake from inside his down jacket. “I brought your favorite~” He looked around the villa, his eyes showing no envy, only confusion. “You live here all alone?”

At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to tell him everything, so I spoke the truth. Xinghe sighed softly. “If you don’t mind, why don’t you come to my house for New Year’s?”

I was just about to agree when my phone rang. The call I had anticipated for so long came at the exact moment I least wanted to answer it. My mother told me to return to Kyoto immediately, adding that a car was already waiting in the underground garage.

I had no choice but to refuse him. Xinghe didn’t take it to heart; he simply waved goodbye. “Then I’ll head out. Remember to eat it while it’s hot.” He rode away on his scooter.

I was miserable on the road back to the capital. Once in Kyoto, I met many people and maintained my usual polite mask, but all I could think about was how much I wanted to spend the New Year with Wang Xinghe. During a gathering with my peers, my mind drifted.

Qian Siyue nudged me. “Zhao Yan, why are you spacing out? Thinking about some girl? How is it in the coast? Are there many beauties?”

I snapped back to reality. “Many.” But I didn’t like them. I only liked Wang Xinghe.

“Did you guys hear about the Chen family?” someone gossiped. I listened in passing. The parents of a boy named Chen Zheng had been set up in a business trap; their company went bankrupt, and they had died. Chen Zheng had fallen from grace, going from a wealthy young master to a “bankrupt brother” burdened with massive debt. Some said he went abroad; others said his maternal grandfather took him in.

Back then, my heart was so full of Wang Xinghe that I didn’t care. Had I known the person they were gossiping about would become my life partner, I would have used my own money to help him. Unfortunately, at that time, my heart had no room for anyone else.

Through three years of high school, I came to realize that Wang Xinghe was completely straight. He was a genius at painting, ranking first in the arts entrance exams. As long as his academic scores passed the threshold, he was destined for the Kyoto Academy of Fine Arts. His artwork was clean—just like him—always giving off a sense that light was shining through. I wondered if I should go to university in Kyoto too, just to stay by his side for a few more years. I wondered if, once I was a bit older, I would have the courage to confess.

But Xinghe was so pure that I couldn’t bring myself to push my “dirty” thoughts and desires onto him.

When the college entrance exams ended, everyone celebrated wildly. Xinghe and I were dragged along. As adults finally free from the shackles of school, we both drank a lot. Xinghe had a low tolerance for alcohol, and I wasn’t much better. Soon, the two of us were swaying and rolling around on the grass.

He laughed. “Two drunks look so ridiculous.”

My heart, however, was in total chaos. Xinghe’s lips were inches away. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted it so badly it felt like a madness taking over my mind. But Wang Xinghe understood nothing. He simply looked at me with eyes brighter than the stars and smiled. “A-Yan, to have become your best friend… this life has been worth it.”

I was defeated. I slumped powerlessly by his side. Xinghe was too kind, too clean; he made me feel like a filthy, wretched coward.

As time went on, I reached a point where I couldn’t face him anymore. Every time I saw him, I wanted to claim him for myself. So, I ran. I went abroad to study. Before leaving, I gave him a dignified farewell. Xinghe’s eyes grew red as he waved me off, but he still wished me a brilliant future.

I regretted it within the first month of being abroad, but my parents wouldn’t allow me a second whim. I had no chance to return, so I threw myself into my studies. Fearing he would forget me, I posted numerous updates on social media that were visible only to him. For the first year or two, he would like them. We even had video calls.

But as time passed, our shared topics grew fewer. I lived in agony, feeling like a despicable coward, using my busy schedule to numb the pain.

Years later, someone told me that in the year Xinghe graduated, a massive tragedy had struck his family. I flew back to China like a madman. But when I stood before his noodle shop in the biting wind, I saw a man standing by his side—a man who even I feared.

Lu Jingze.

The true “Crown Prince” of Kyoto. A ruthless man who had fought his own parents, a “bad boy” who had dominated everyone through sheer force of will. If the Zhao family’s power was the size of a grain of rice, the Lu family was a giant watermelon—their influence was thousands of times greater. The Lu family flourished in the military, politics, and business; every head of the family was incredibly formidable.

I didn’t want a person as kind as Xinghe to be toyed with. I used almost every ounce of courage I possessed to warn Lu Jingze. I hoped he wasn’t just playing around; I hoped he would treat Xinghe well.

But that bastard Lu Jingze still broke his word.

Seeing Wang Xinghe broken, in pain, and shrinking away from my touch… it shattered my heart. The pain was suffocating. If I had been just a little braver, if I hadn’t fled abroad, would I have had the chance to be with him legitimately, just like Lu Jingze?

But there are no “ifs” in this world. In the end, I missed my chance with Wang Xinghe.