Chasing My Husband! The "Crown Prince" of the Beijing Circle Is Wildly Unruly! - Chapter 77

By mid-May, the Beef Sliced Noodle shop officially opened for business. Unlike the previous multi-item menu, Wang Xinghe’s shop now offered only two dishes: Beef Sliced Noodles and Yangchun Noodles.

The shop no longer opened in the early morning; instead, it operated from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. With his professional rights restored, Xinghe spent his time outside of shop hours picking up his paintbrushes once again.

At 7:30 PM, in the second-floor studio of the villa, Xinghe stared blankly at a white canvas. He hadn’t painted seriously in years. As the saying goes, “one day without practice makes the hands stiff,” let alone years. His sense of stroke and color mixing had inevitably dulled.

“Brother, how about painting me?” Lu Jingze had finished his company work and had been standing in the doorway watching for a long time. Seeing that Xinghe hadn’t made a single mark, he walked in, pulled up a stool, and sat in front of the easel.

Xinghe looked at him dotingly. “Alright.”

He started with a pencil, sketching Lu Jingze’s silhouette according to proportion. Then he began mixing colors, layering them onto the canvas. It took about two hours to complete.

On the half-meter-square canvas, Lu Jingze sat with his legs crossed. He wore a black shirt with two buttons undone, revealing a hint of his collarbone. His head was tilted slightly, his hair voluminous and styled. His phoenix eyes were filled with a smile, his jawline sharp, and his nose bridge high. The handsomeness practically surged off the board.

Seeing Xinghe set down his brush, Lu Jingze stood up, stretched his neck, and leaned in to look. He was stunned.

“Wow. I didn’t realize I was this handsome in your eyes, Brother.” Lu Jingze bent down, nuzzling his cheek against Xinghe’s.

Xinghe’s hands and clothes were covered in paint. “You’re going to get it on your clothes.”

“Does this painting belong to me, then?” Lu Jingze loved the version of himself under Xinghe’s brush.

“It does.” Xinghe stood up to wash the paint off in the adjacent bathroom and change his clothes. Lu Jingze leaned against the doorframe, watching him with a hooked smile. Every day spent with Xinghe brought him a sense of peace and joy that came from the depths of his soul.

Later, Xinghe sat in a rocking chair in the garden, looking up at the twinkling stars. Lu Jingze, fresh from the shower, lay in the chair beside him, naturally interlacing his fingers with Xinghe’s. The warmth from their palms flowed through the early summer night breeze; in their hearts, their feelings were burning bright.

Xinghe closed his eyes. Lu Jingze turned his head to watch him, his eyes brimming with a love as deep as an abyss. As Heaven is my witness, I, Lu Jingze, am willing to trade my entire life to ensure his smile never fades.

Under the gentle May breeze, in a yard of clean green grass, two young men lay in matching pajamas. One with a face of gentle serenity, the other watching him with intense devotion. Among the thousands of lights in the city, there was one that belonged to them. Among the millions of couples, there was a story that was theirs.

This peaceful life continued for another month until summer arrived in full force.

Business at the noodle shop was steady. Because of the two exceptionally handsome men running it, many students would stop by after school to “check in.” However, the shop had strict rules against photography and posting to social media without permission. Perhaps because of this, they didn’t become an “internet sensation.” Still, by word of mouth, the generous portions, fresh meat, and affordable prices attracted plenty of regulars.

Xinghe never extended the business hours. When the clock struck closing time, the shutters went down. He wasn’t working to numb himself anymore; he had Lu Jingze, and he needed time to be with him.

One day, as usual, Lu Jingze accompanied Xinghe to the wholesale meat market. They parked the car, and Lu Jingze began loading crates of beef. Xinghe doubled back to buy a few more racks of beef short ribs.

As he was walking out carrying twenty pounds of ribs, someone suddenly covered his mouth and nose with a cloth from behind. Xinghe lost consciousness instantly. The two red bags containing the ribs fell to the ground.

Immediately, a van with fake license plates drove in from the rear warehouse. They tossed Xinghe inside. Because of his long-term use of antidepressants, Xinghe had developed a slight resistance to sedative-type drugs. When he opened his eyes, he was met with darkness.

His hands were tied behind his back. A black cloth was hooded over his head. The van was jolting violently, and someone inside was on the phone.

“We got him. Remember to wire the money. So we just have to lure that madman into hurting someone, right?”

“Injure him badly? That won’t do. A serious injury costs extra.”

Xinghe frowned. His mind began to analyze the situation calmly. He hadn’t made any enemies, and he didn’t possess the kind of wealth or status that would make him a typical target. If someone had gone through this much trouble to kidnap him, they were likely after Lu Jingze.

Screech—

The van braked hard, sending Xinghe’s face slamming into the back of the seat. He let out a muffled groan of pain. Moments later, men grabbed him by the shoulders and legs and carried him through a bumpy stretch of road.

The black hood was ripped off. He was in a deserted, unfinished construction site, surrounded by cement and dust.

The kidnappers looked at Xinghe’s face and were visibly surprised. “The pretty boy actually looks quite good.”

“Delicate skin and tender flesh, just like a woman.”

Xinghe’s eyes turned cold. Their dialect wasn’t local; they weren’t from this area. “Why did you kidnap me?” He looked at the leader, a man in his fifties wearing sunglasses. He was heavily muscled, clearly someone who trained regularly. A deep scar ran across his forehead.

“Tie him up. Beat him up a bit first, then send the video to Lu Jingze.” The man in the middle clearly couldn’t be bothered to talk to Xinghe.

Xinghe was quickly tied to a stool. Before he could even settle…

Slap! A crisp, vicious blow landed on his face.

Xinghe’s head spun. He felt a warm liquid trickling from his nose.

“Damn, he’s fragile. One slap and his nose is bleeding.”

Slap! Another blow landed on his left side.

Xinghe lifted his head, his vision swimming. Someone was holding up a phone, recording a video. “Look at this. Your little lover is already disfigured.”

Xinghe took several more kicks to the body. His face turned pale with pain. “Whatever they’re paying you, I’ll give you double,” he said, looking up at the leader.

The middle-aged man in sunglasses smirked. “Professional ethics. We don’t do turncoat business. Sorry for the trouble.” He pulled out a short knife and placed it conspicuously in front of the camera. He gestured to his subordinate. “Make sure the next shot is clear.”

“And don’t forget to call our medical guy. No one is allowed to call the police or an ambulance.”

Kyoto

In addition to Lu Jingze, Ji Yuheng also received the video of Xinghe being brutally beaten. He handed the phone to his sister, Ji Yuting. “How about it? Do you feel better now?”

Ji Yuting’s hand was still in a cast. Her voice dripped with hatred. “Why didn’t they break his hands? Make it so he can never paint again?”

“Don’t be in such a hurry. We have to take down Lu Jingze first. As long as we get a video of him stabbing someone, the media will blow it up. We’ll send him away for a few years, and he’ll truly have no connection to the Lu family anymore.”

“Once he’s gone, what’s left of Wang Xinghe will be at your mercy.”

A twisted look of hatred crawled across Ji Yuting’s delicate face. “Lu Jingze, Wang Xinghe… it’s best if they never get the chance to stand back up again.”