Chasing My Husband! The "Crown Prince" of the Beijing Circle Is Wildly Unruly! - Chapter 22

Wang Xinghe is not in a hurry to pack up. Instead, he opens the small storage room that he has barely touched. It is filled with old items, and each one holds a memory of the past. His eyes fall on the corner of the small storage room, where his old family home’s belongings and his childhood paintings are stored. The colors on the canvases record his past passions and dreams. Now, they just lie there quietly.

“Wang Xinghe! Get out here!” A sharp voice from downstairs breaks the silence. “Don’t think you can get away with a profit from this demolition!”

The people downstairs are making a fuss. Wang Xinghe walks down the stairs. Downstairs are his second aunt, his third uncle and aunt, his second cousin, and his third cousin. As soon as his family sees him, his second aunt becomes aggressive. “You sold the ancestral home without permission last time. We didn’t sue you out of respect for our elders.”

“Now that your shop is being demolished, you have to give an explanation for selling the ancestral home.” Her voice is sharp and piercing.

His third uncle and aunt play the role of peacemakers. “Little Wang, what you did last time was too much.”

“Twenty thousand yuan, a loss of more than one million yuan.”

“Besides, your parents are gone, and your sister married a rich man in Kyoto. Why don’t you go live a good life with her instead of staying in this village?”

Wang Xinghe looks at their calculating faces without any expression. He doesn’t want to argue with them. He just asks calmly, “What do you want to do about this?”

His second aunt scoffs. “The ancestral home was my parents’ house. We five siblings should all have a share. It’s not too much to ask for at least 300,000 yuan each, is it?”

Wang Xinghe looks at his second aunt, then turns to his third uncle and aunt. “Aunt, is that what you think, too?”

His third uncle and aunt look at him and play the emotional card. “Little Wang, your cousin is not getting any younger. He’s about to get married, and he really needs the money.”

“Just be a good person and have pity on your cousin…” His third aunt pushes her silent son forward.

Wang Xinghe’s eyes move to him. His cousin lowers his head, not daring to look at him. Wang Xinghe stands on the steps, looking at the different faces. He nods. “If the commercial property is demolished for more than 1.5 million yuan, I will give 300,000 yuan to each family.”

“From now on… let’s not have any more contact.”

The second aunt, who came to cause a scene, didn’t expect Wang Xinghe to be so easy to deal with. But she quickly tries to get an assurance. “Everyone heard that! You can’t go back on your word, Wang Xinghe.”

Wang Xinghe’s expression is still calm, with a hint of pity in his eyes. In this world, a few pieces of silver can turn good people and things into something unrecognizable. Before she was married, his second aunt was beautiful and generous, a good weaver at the factory in town, beautiful, capable, and full of ideals. Now, he can’t find a single trace of her former self in this second aunt who is full of calculations and is pressuring him for money.

“Please leave. After I sign tomorrow and get the money, I will transfer it to everyone.” Wang Xinghe ushers them out. He pulls down the roller door and silently continues to pack. He takes out a suitcase, and the first thing he puts in is the iron box. He will find a suitable time to return it to Lu Jingze.

Aside from the lie of not revealing his identity, he did experience a brief moment of happiness with Lu Jingze. As an older man, he won’t dwell on such a small matter. He won’t be greedy for wealth that doesn’t belong to him.

He also packs up the clothes, pajamas, and unworn underwear and socks that Lu Jingze left behind. It’s not that he is attached to them; he just thinks it would be a waste to throw them away. Besides, there’s nothing shameful about liking Lu Jingze.

His hand stops at the first drawer. There are some unused contraceptives inside. He sighs and throws them all in the trash can. He no longer wants the pots and pans from the shop. He only takes the photo albums and the toys his parents bought him from the small storage room. He doesn’t want the rest. He plans to let go of everything. Everything should start anew.

Two Days Later.

Wang Xinghe puts his luggage in the car and drives to the village committee. His second aunt and his third uncle and aunt are waiting there, afraid he will run away. Wang Xinghe gets out of the car, wearing a black trench coat and a mask. The tall and handsome man stands out like a sore thumb in the village, attracting many curious looks.

Wang Xinghe has no special expression and signs the papers according to the procedure. The demolition compensation for the shop is 3 million yuan, the same as Aunt Song’s family. His second aunt is a little jealous and asks the villagers, “Why did his shop get so much money for demolition?”

“Because the housing prices in the area have gone up,” a villager patiently explains. “The village used to demolish at 8,000 yuan per square meter, but now the housing prices in the area are 15,000 to 16,000 yuan.”

“I wish we hadn’t signed the agreement and waited until now for the demolition,” his second aunt says, trying to save face.

The villagers just smile. They have been dealing with villagers for a long time and have great patience. After signing, the money is transferred on the spot. Wang Xinghe receives the money and begins to transfer it according to the card numbers they provided. He transfers 300,000 yuan to his second aunt and 300,000 yuan to his third uncle and aunt.

After they receive the money, their expressions finally improve, and they are no longer as cautious. His third aunt knows how to act. She looks at Wang Xinghe with gratitude. “Thank you, Little Wang. I thank you on behalf of your third uncle and brother.”

Wang Xinghe’s expression remains indifferent. “Okay.” With that, he leaves.

After getting in the car, he transfers 300,000 yuan to his eldest uncle and eldest aunt’s family. Even though they didn’t ask for it, he knows that since his second aunt and third uncle’s families have received money, the other two families, who have a good attitude toward him, would feel unbalanced and cause trouble again if he didn’t.

After giving away 1.2 million yuan from the 3 million yuan, he has 1.8 million yuan left. Wang Xinghe transfers 1.5 million yuan to his sister with the note, “[3 million yuan from the shop’s demolition. This is half.]” He keeps 300,000 yuan for himself and drives his car to the highway entrance.

He hasn’t decided where to go. He later thinks that any place is fine as long as he has a place to live. Wang Xinghe stops in the neighboring city of Rizhao. The city is similar to Qingcheng, but also different. The pace here is slow, and the cost of living is lower than in Qingcheng.

Wang Xinghe rents a small shop near Wanpingkou. The rent isn’t high, and the foot traffic is average, but he can always go through the underpass to the beach to see the ocean. He reopens his business. On the first day of business, he attracts many customers. Wang Xinghe is surprised. The foot traffic here is not heavy, so why are there so many people in his shop?

When another shy female student comes in to buy a beef knife-cut noodle, Wang Xinghe can’t help but ask. “Hello, student. Where did you find my shop?” Wang Xinghe doesn’t remember joining any food delivery apps or doing any promotions.

The girl blushes as Wang Xinghe talks to her. Her voice trembles. “The school’s confession wall…”

Wang Xinghe is confused. The girl takes out her phone and shows him a post on a university’s confession wall.

“!! SCREAM !! Everyone, come and see!! The beef knife-cut noodle shop across from Wanpingkou! This guy is just unbeatable!!! He’s like a celebrity!!! No!! He’s even more handsome than a celebrity!! And! Most importantly, his beef knife-cut noodles are delicious and a generous portion!! Go, go, go!!! [photo]”

Wang Xinghe sighs as he looks at the row of exclamation marks and a candid photo of himself. He had come here to a less crowded place for peace and quiet, but now he is busy again. If the foot traffic increases, he will probably have to hire someone.

But then he remembers that the winter break is coming soon. He thinks it would be better to hire temporary workers than long-term employees. He could also save some money. The small shop originally had only three tables. After it became popular with the college students, he added eight tables and even two wooden tables outside the door.

Wang Xinghe is genuinely too busy to handle it all. Before he collapses from exhaustion, he puts up a help-wanted sign.

“Looking for temporary workers. Morning shift: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Afternoon shift: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Daily pay available.”