Disabled Childhood Sweetheart: A Humble Puppy Begs for the Young Lady's Pity

Many celebrities were invited to the anniversary celebration of Lin Shen University. Wen Xi was invited to attend and performed a dance on stage.

After leaving the stage and going backstage, she happened to bump into Lu Xiaobao. He caught sight of her, paused, and immediately turned to avoid her.

"Xiao Bao," Wenxi called out to her, asking helplessly, "What's wrong with you? Why do you run away as soon as you see me?"

"Sister-in-law... Sister-in-law." Xiao Bao looked embarrassed, his fingertips unconsciously clenching the hem of his clothes.

Ever since she learned about the terrible things her grandmother had done, she had never had the courage to face Wenxi, and felt only deep guilt.

"What are you holding in your hand?" Wenxi's gaze fell on a stack of cards in her palm.

Xiao Bao shrank his arms. "They're...their classmates. They want your autograph."

She knew that Wenxi had broken up with her brother, and she guessed that Wenxi must hate her family now.

"Give it to me, I'll sign it for you." Wenxi reached out her hand.

"Really?" Xiao Bao's eyebrows shot up, his eyes flashing with surprise. He timidly moved closer to her and whispered, "Sister-in-law, don't you dislike me?"

Why would I hate you?

"Because of what Grandma did..."

"That's her business, it's none of your concern."

Wenxi found a table and bent down to sign the cards for her.

"Sister-in-law, you're such a kind person." Lu Xiaobao sniffed, his eyes reddening.

After signing the card, Wenxi handed it back to her, gently touched her hair, glanced at her heavy makeup, and said softly:

"Xiao Bao, stop bleaching your hair, it's too damaging. You have beautiful features, but heavy makeup only hides your beauty. Try light makeup next time."

"Okay, I understand," Xiao Bao replied obediently.

Looking up at Wenxi in front of him, he thought to himself, no wonder his brother liked her so much, and even he couldn't help but feel close to her.

My sister-in-law is beautiful, kind-hearted, and even her voice is soft and pleasant to hear, like a fairy.

Ever since that meeting at school, Lu Xiaobao has frequently visited Wenxi's residence. Sometimes, when Wenxi gets home from get off work, she sees Lu Xiaobao obediently squatting at the door waiting for her as soon as she steps out of the elevator.

"Sister-in-law, my mom made some soup and asked me to bring you a portion."

"Sister-in-law, my mom made these dumplings, they're fresh out of the pot, she asked me to bring them for you to try."

"Sister-in-law, may I stay here tonight?"

Wenxi always felt that Xiaobao and Zhou Jingchen were remarkably similar in one way—they were both prone to taking advantage of others.

If you treat her even a little bit nicely, she'll cling to you without any restraint.

But Wenxi didn't dislike it at all; on the contrary, she liked this simple and straightforward girl from the bottom of her heart.

She gave Xiaobao a key, allowing her to come and stay whenever she wanted. So, Xiaobao always loved to stay in Wenxi on Saturdays and Sundays when she had time off.

That day, Xiao Bao brought up the matter at Lu Yuanyuan's residence in Yushui Bay.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jingchen raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of surprise hidden in his eyes.

Xiao Bao deliberately provoked him: "Brother, you're so useless. You still haven't managed to win your sister-in-law back."

"I've been hearing Liang Yanting calling your wife a lot lately. Just you wait, in a little while, he'll steal your wife away."

Zhou Jingchen glanced at her sideways and scolded in a low voice, "Little brat, what do you know?"

Lu Yuanyuan, who was standing nearby, put the freshly made handmade peach shortbread into a bag and handed it to Xiaobao: "Next time you go there, bring this to your sister-in-law."

She looked at Xiaobao and suddenly laughed, "Why has my darling daughter changed her style lately?"

The little girl in front of me had a clean and pretty face, her hair was dyed back to a natural dark brown, and she only had a light layer of lipstick on her lips. She was completely different from her previous non-mainstream look.

"My sister-in-law said it looks good," she pouted, "and she even bought this lip gloss for me."

Zhou Jingchen lifted his eyelids slightly, said nothing, and only clicked his tongue softly.

Xiao Bao made a face at him: "You're just jealous."

-

The road to success is not always smooth.

In mid-December, Wenxi was at the TV station, rehearsing intensively for the Spring Festival Gala, eagerly anticipating her performance.

That day, she had just come out of the building when a group of reporters suddenly swarmed in and surrounded the exit.

Several microphones were practically shoved into her face, and sharp questions rained down on her like stones:

"Ms. Wen, I heard you used to work as a hostess in nightclubs, is that true?"

"Someone posted photos online of you pole dancing in a bar from your younger days. Do you have anything to clarify about this?"

"Is it true that when you worked at XX, you seduced the boss and were kicked out by his wife?"

"Some people have also claimed that you used to sell goods at street stalls, hand out flyers, and sell adult DVDs. Is this true?"

"Did you win the Luoshen Cup through any improper means? Some people say you won by selling yourself to seduce the judges!"

She was surrounded by a dense crowd, and the flashes of cameras blinded her, with a constant clicking sound.

Wenxi felt a buzzing in her head, her face turned pale, and her ears were filled with noise. She couldn't hear anything or say anything, and she froze on the spot.

Jiang Qi quickly stepped forward and escorted her out of the TV station through the back door.

In a single day, she fell from grace and became the target of public criticism.

Television and newspapers were filled with reports about her less-than-respectable past, every word of which smeared her past to an unbearable degree.

Her program for the Spring Festival Gala was abruptly removed by the production team, and all her work was forced to stop. No one dared to use her anymore.

People seem to never care about the truth; they are only interested in seeing a glamorous person fall from grace.

The internet was in an uproar, flooded with profanities:

"I suspect that the Luoshen Cup award she received was obtained through dubious means; she might have had something going on with that guy surnamed Liang."

"She looks like a fairy, but I never expected her to be so dirty behind the scenes."

"My God, using sex to gain resources, that's disgusting."

"Judging from her face, she has a foxy look and is a complete scheming woman."

"No wonder she became famous so quickly, turns out she's a prostitute, hahaha..."

With a "snap," Jiang Qi closed the laptop in front of her. "Stop looking at it. It's just a bunch of unreasonable people making a fuss."

"These people don't use their brains at all. They believe whatever the media writes without any independent judgment. Reading these comments is just making things harder for themselves and causing them unnecessary stress."

Wenxi looked dazed and curled up in the corner of the sofa, motionless.

Having worked in society for so many years, she has met all sorts of people and endured all kinds of hardships and difficulties, and she believes that she is resilient enough.

However, this is the first time I have experienced such cyberbullying, and the first time I have truly felt that the destructive power of words is more chilling and terrifying than a sharp blade.

She hugged her knees, looked up at the gloomy sky outside the window, and said in a voice as soft as a breeze: "Jiang Qi, not everything they said is false."

"I did dance in nightclubs, smile, and sell drinks; those are things I genuinely did."

Jiang Qi felt a pang of sadness and quickly sat down beside her, patting her back to comfort her: "But that was you gritting your teeth and persevering for a living! It was honest and upright effort, completely different from those deliberate smears and distorted reports!"

"Stop going online. Out of sight, out of mind."

In the evening, Jiang Qi hid in the bathroom and answered a phone call in a low voice.

"Feed? Mr. Zhou."

"How is she?" Zhou Jingchen's voice was anxious on the other end of the phone.

"I was very sad. I was in a daze all day, and I didn't talk much. I just sat there in a daze."

"You should spend the next few days with her and not leave her alone. I'll handle the public opinion."

"Okay, Mr. Zhou."

Jiang Qi hung up the phone quietly, feeling a slight sense of relief.

The public opinion fermented far faster and more intensely than imagined.

In just two days, the storm intensified, even affecting several GG brands that Wenxi endorses.

To avoid suspicion, major brands successively issued statements terminating their contracts with her, leaving only Jinxiufang still holding on.

On the third day, several of Jinxiufang's physical stores were deliberately targeted and their entrances were surrounded by crowds, making it impossible to do business.

Ultimately, unable to withstand the pressure, Jinxiufang also issued a statement announcing the termination of the contract.

The road that Wenxi had just begun to take off seemed to be blocked all at once.

Afterwards, Liang Yanting called Wenxi with a heavy heart to apologize. Wenxi showed no resentment, simply saying, "I understand, it's alright. I should be the one apologizing to you."

The entrance to the residential compound was also heavily guarded by reporters, and Wenxi didn't dare to go out for several days.

Xiang Qin also saw the news on TV and called her. She said in a light tone, "Mom, I'm fine."

For those two days, she often stood in front of the large French windows in the living room, lost in thought, her eyes vacant, staring at the gray sky outside, seemingly pondering something.

Jiang Qi was still worried, so she called Zhou Jingchen again.

On Friday afternoon, Lu Xiaobao came home from school and ran straight to Wenxi.

She was carrying two large bags of miscellaneous craft materials. As soon as she entered the door, she pestered Wenxi to help her with her craft competition project.

The two sat side by side on the carpet, with colored paper and paper-cuts scattered all around them, filling the room with the soft rustling of paper.

"Sister-in-law, you're so skillful! Yours is much prettier than mine!" Xiao Bao said, holding up the paper-cut window decorations made by Wenxi, his eyes sparkling.

"Really?" Wenxi looked down at the crookedly cut colored paper in her hand.

"Sister-in-law, could you help me put these paper cuttings together?" Xiao Bao tugged at her clothes. "This competition is really important; it's related to my credits. I really don't know what to do without your help."

She understands everything. She knew her sister-in-law was in a bad mood, so she tried her best to keep her busy and prevent her from having time to overthink.

Seeing this, Jiang Qi felt relieved and went to handle some work matters, leaving Xiao Bao there to keep Wen Xi company.

In the evening, Xiao Bao passed by Wenxi's bedroom and saw through the half-open door that in the dim light, she was sitting alone on the bay window, hugging her knees, her shoulders trembling slightly. She was crying, crying in a very suppressed and sad way.

Xiao Bao's nose suddenly stung with tears, and he immediately called Zhou Jingchen.

A moment later, she pushed open the bedroom door, pulled Wenxi along, and said, "Sister-in-law, come downstairs with me for a bit, I have something good to show you."

As we reached the door, fearing she might be cold, I casually wrapped a thick shawl around her neck and pulled her into the elevator without a word.

"Where are you going?" Wenxi's voice was soft, her eyes were red-rimmed, her nose was red, and her long eyelashes were still damp. She looked beautiful and pitiful.

"Don't worry about it, you'll find out soon enough, it'll be a surprise." Xiao Bao blinked.

The elevator descended smoothly to the underground parking garage on the first basement level. As soon as the door opened, Wenxi saw Zhou Jingchen standing outside.

He was dressed in a black overcoat, his figure as straight as a pine tree, standing quietly under the dim light, a faint chill emanating from him.

When those deep eyes fell upon her, they couldn't hide the anxiety and heartache in their depths.

Xiao Bao gently pushed her in front of Zhou Jingchen, quickly pressed the elevator button, winked at him, and then turned and entered the elevator.

Wenxi lowered her eyes, staring at the tips of her shoes. Her heart ached, and she stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to say.

Her former arrogance and stubbornness were gone; she looked like a wilted little flower battered by a storm.

Wenxi never expected him to appear here. If he were photographed by reporters, it would be terrible, and even Xingyao would be affected.

She didn't want to drag him down, but he actually took the risk and appeared in front of her unexpectedly.

The next second, she was suddenly pulled into a warm and firm embrace.

Zhou Jingchen held her extremely tightly, as if he wanted to meld her into his very bones and never separate her again, as if he wanted to crush and dissolve all the grievances and sadness she had suffered these past few days.

Compared to his tall figure, she appeared exceptionally petite and delicate, a soft, fluffy ball, which he held tightly in his arms.

Smelling his familiar scent, the strength she had been maintaining for days crumbled at that moment.

Wenxi gripped his clothes tightly with her fingers, her nose stung, and tears immediately streamed down her face.

She sobbed softly in his arms, like a badly injured kitten, fragile and aggrieved, her whimpers piercing the heart.

Those salty tears fell into Zhou Jingchen's heart, causing him a hundred or a thousand times more pain than if he himself had suffered injustice.

"Don't be afraid, baby," his deep, magnetic voice carried a warm strength as his large hand gently stroked her long hair, tilting his head to kiss her flushed cheeks, comforting her.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything."