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

Wuji Town.

The annual Internet Conference is held here, bringing together the leaders and backbone of China's Internet industry.

Zhou Jingchen stood on the stage and spoke, sharing the process of founding Xinghe Forum and his forward-looking views on the future development of the Internet industry.

He wore a sharply tailored black suit, his posture upright, with broad shoulders and long legs; the crease of his trousers was like a knife, extending straight down to his gleaming Oxford shoes. His aura was understated yet incredibly attractive.

"In the past, the internet was about 'we create content, users watch content.' Now, with the rise of blogs, forums, and social networking sites, users are starting to write, film, and share themselves. The popularity of MySpace and Facebook is not accidental; it's because humans have an innate need for expression and connection."

He stood under the lights, microphone in hand, his sculpted face exuding an air of aloofness, his every gesture radiating elite charm.

"I believe that in the future of the internet, whoever makes it easier for users to create content and connect with each other more efficiently will control the traffic. And this connection won't just be about adding friends; it will extend to all aspects of life, work, and consumption. Social networking will become the gateway to all services, and even a virtual social economy will emerge. Virtual worlds and virtual items—things that seem niche now—will become the norm in the future..."

As the meeting of over two thousand people dispersed, the densely packed crowd surged toward the exit. Zhou Jingchen, with one hand in his pocket, chatted idly with several fellow business presidents in a corner of the venue.

Just then, someone suddenly patted him on the shoulder from behind.

"Zhou Jingchen." A clear male voice rang out.

He turned around and met a familiar yet unfamiliar face—

It's Fang Haoyu.

Zhou Jingchen's eyes lit up, and he immediately shook hands and hugged him, his voice filled with surprise and delight: "Fang Haoyu."

My childhood friend now works at an internet company. He looks more mature than before, but you can still vaguely see the dashing charm he had a few years ago in his eyes.

Neither of them expected to meet the other here. They were both excited and moved, so they found a teahouse in town to sit down and reminisce.

"Your leg is healed?" Fang Haoyu stared at his left leg in surprise.

In his memory, Zhou Jingchen had always used crutches since he was a child, and his left leg was completely useless.

Zhou Jingchen smiled and said, "Alright, you can run and jump now."

"Wow, that's great." He patted Zhou Jingchen on the shoulder, genuinely happy for him.

Fang Haoyu continued, "I knew you would amount to something in the future, but I never expected you to found Xinghe at such a young age."

He humbly replied, "I guess I was just lucky to have caught the wave."

The two sat in the teahouse and chatted for a long time, talking about their friends in the alley and the Wen family.

Fang Haoyu is still as talkative as he was when he was a child:

"Jiang Xiaoya went abroad, and every time she comes back, she asks me about Wenxi."

"The Wen family has never returned since they left Pingjiang, and no one knows anything about them."

"Oh, right," he raised an eyebrow, "you probably don't know this yet."

"During my freshman year, Wenxi planned to confess to you."

"What did you say?" Zhou Jingchen paused for a moment, and the small teacup suddenly fell onto the table, spilling a small puddle of tea.

"Jiang Xiaoya told me that after you two went back from Haizhou during the May Day holiday, Wenxi broke up with her boyfriend. She realized she liked you..."

At this point, Fang Haoyu suddenly got goosebumps all over his body.

The four of them knew each other since they were toddlers, had all squatted in a row to poop, and had seen each other with snot bubbling from their noses. It's strange that these two actually liked each other.

"Didn't she confess her feelings to you? She probably asked you to meet up, right? Xiaoya advised her to confess to you in person and make things clear."

Should we meet up? Or should I confess my feelings?

Each sentence struck Zhou Jingchen like a hammer blow to the head.

Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration and understood everything.

After returning from Haizhou, she arranged to meet him because she planned to confess her feelings. Therefore, the scene at the school gate was likely just a misunderstanding.

However, due to his inferiority complex, he did not meet her and left Pingjiang in disappointment and despair, missing her confession.

Seven years have passed since we parted.

How absurd!

Life is a journey full of absurdity and drama.

But now, even with a heart full of regret, time cannot be turned back, and those seven years of emptiness can never be made up for.

He cannot stand in his current perspective and blame his past self.

Back then, they all stood in the thick fog of youth, confused, bewildered, tentative, and cautious.

He experienced the bitterness of unrequited love and longing, and so did she.

Zhou Jingchen and Fang Haoyu exchanged contact information and agreed to get together when Jiang Xiaoya returned to China.

That evening, Zhou Jingchen drove back to Linshen.

On the way, he called Wenxi, but for some reason, he couldn't get through.

He was just about to call Aunt Xiang when his phone suddenly popped up with a call from Lu Xiaobao.

Xiao Bao's voice was excited: "Hey, bro!"

"What's wrong?"

"You should thank me, hehe." Xiao Bao chuckled to himself first.

Why should I thank you?

"I'm asking you, was that wooden box in your room the one you carved yourself in your sister-in-law's likeness?"

Zhou Jingchen frowned, as if something in his mind had suddenly gone blank.

"Brother, you were too shy to give it to your wife, so I gave it to her for you. I'm telling you, she'll be so touched when she sees it. Just relax and wait for your promotion; getting married is just around the corner!"

"Lu Xiaobao!" Zhou Jingchen's face turned sour, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "What did you say?"

His lips trembled, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened: "You gave her my wooden box?"

"Yeah! What's wrong..." Xiao Bao noticed something was off about his voice.

Zhou Jingchen angrily hung up the phone, so angry he almost threw it away!

His little secret, which he couldn't bear to be seen in public, was presented to him by his good sister, who revealed it all to him.

No wonder I couldn't get through on the phone; he's probably blocked me.

Depend on!

She must have been cursing him as a pervert in her heart.

Zhou Jingchen's face was so gloomy it was almost as if water could be squeezed out of it, and he slammed on the gas pedal.

......

"Honey, Jingchen just called me and said he's coming over tonight. Could you take the meat I bought yesterday out of the fridge for me?"

Xiang Qin is pickling spicy cabbage in the kitchen. Few families in the Linshen area make this. Back in their hometown of Pingjiang, they used to make it every year.

A while ago, Jingchen casually mentioned that he wanted to eat spicy kimchi, so she thought she would pickle a lot and have him take some to his parents to try.

Wenxi reluctantly took the meat out of the refrigerator. "Mom, why are you doing all this? He likes spicy cabbage, let him buy it himself."

Xiang Qin spread the mixed seasoning evenly on each cabbage leaf, saying, "You child, why are you so sharp-tongued? You two were so close when you were little, and now you're not even on the same page..."

"You made it for him just because he casually mentioned it. I said I wanted to eat zongzi, why didn't you make it for me?" Wenxi pouted.

"Where can I find bamboo leaves for you to wrap zongzi in this season?"

"Mom, you're so biased!" She put on disposable gloves and reluctantly squatted down to help her mother. "Zhou Jingchen is a big bad wolf, he's just pretending to be good in front of you."

"Hmph," Xiang Qin's face broke into a smile, "No matter what you say, Mom just likes him. I raised Jingchen myself, and in my heart he's like my own son."

"He doesn't deserve it!"

"Tsk, you're getting more and more sarcastic."

Wenxi helped her mother spread all the kimchi evenly and sealed it in a jar.

After finishing making kimchi, she felt a lingering smell on her body, so she went to the bathroom to take a shower.

-

At 7 p.m., Zhou Jingchen parked his car downstairs in the Jingyuetai residential complex.

Wenxi opened the door, but he ignored her completely, rolled his eyes cutely, and went back to the sofa with his plush toy.

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen. Zhou Jingchen opened the glass door and went to ask Xiang Qin if she needed any help.

Xiang Qin smiled indulgently and said, "One more soup would be perfect. Go and sit down for a while."

He placed the bag on the coffee table, his eyes glancing at the girl beside him.

Unlike his formal suits, Wenxi usually wears loungewear or loose sweaters at home.

Today she was wearing a beige long sweater, and light gray slim-fitting leggings underneath outlined her straight and slender legs. Her beautiful eyes were languid yet alluring.

She noticed him looking at her, glanced at him sideways, and gave a soft hum.

Zhou Jingchen chuckled, took out a box from the bag, opened it, and took out a pearl bracelet of excellent quality.

The bracelet features a white jade gourd, surrounded by a ring of small diamonds. Its design is unique, and its surface is smooth and beautiful.

He held her fair hand and whispered, "I saw this bracelet when I was on a business trip and thought it would suit you perfectly."

Wenxi struggled, but his wrist was gripped tightly.

Zhou Jingchen took her hand in his and kissed it. She immediately stared wide-eyed at the kitchen.

Mom had her back to us, thankfully she didn't see it.

"You're going to die," she muttered under her breath, her face inexplicably warm.

"Why did you block my number?" He fastened the chain, making the bracelet look even more lustrous and luxurious on her fair wrist.

"You shameless person." She remembered the items in the box, and her ears suddenly turned red.

"You peeked into my things..."

Wenxi retorted confidently, "Who...who peeked? Your sister delivered it to me."

"What's inside?" he asked, staring intently into her eyes.

"Pervert!" Wenxi caught a glimpse of the commotion in the kitchen out of the corner of her eye, immediately shoved him, and stood up from the sofa.

Xiang Qin placed the plate on the dining table with a warm smile: "Dinner's ready."

At the dinner table, she avoided looking him in the eye and barely spoke to him. Xiang Qin assumed that the siblings had just had some minor disagreement again and didn't pay much attention, continuing to serve them food.

"Jingchen, have you been busy with work lately? When does your company give you a holiday?"

"Auntie, our company has been on holiday for two days. I went to another city for a conference a few days ago, so I don't have much to do after that."

"Okay, okay, you can stop going to work and move to Jingyue Terrace. Let's have a proper New Year together this year. I was thinking of inviting your parents over for a meal later."

"Okay, my mom was saying she wanted to invite you to dinner a while ago." Zhou Jingchen had barely finished speaking when someone stomped on his foot hard.

He hissed and frowned.

"What's wrong?" Xiang Qin asked.

"It's alright, Auntie," he said with a smile, firmly pinning the unruly legs under the table between his own to prevent her from moving.