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

Rain dripped from the eaves all night, leaving a shallow puddle on the windowsill.

As dawn broke, the morning light barely pierced through the thin mist.

The two children were fast asleep on the small single bed.

Wenxi lay on her side, one leg tightly wrapped around Zhou Jingchen's leg, her face buried in his chest, her nose brushing against his clothes, emitting even, light snores.

Meanwhile, Xiang Qin and Wen Zhiting went to the police station before dawn.

Wen Zhiting hadn't slept a wink all night; his eyes were dark and his stubble was puffing up, making him look haggard and exhausted.

Emerging from the police station, he sat down on the concrete steps by the entrance, chain-smoking. Cigarette butts littered the ground, and the chilly autumn wind made his brow furrow.

Yan Hua, who kidnapped Wenxi, was a veteran employee of the logistics department of Hongxing Machinery Factory.

His wife has been bedridden for years, and his son is studying at a university in the provincial capital. The family's expenses depend entirely on his salary. A few days ago, the list of laid-off workers was posted at the factory gate, and his name was prominently listed.

If this rice bowl is smashed, the entire family's livelihood will be cut off.

He was driven to desperation and, in a moment of madness, even considered taking Wenxi hostage, hoping to force Wen Zhiting to remove his name from the list.

At the police station, Yan Hua cried uncontrollably, bowing repeatedly to Wen Zhiting and Xiang Qin, his head hitting the ground with a loud thud. He kept repeating the same few phrases, saying that he had been blinded by greed and had done something outrageous.

......

Wen Zhiting had just returned to his office when the mobile phone on his desk suddenly rang, the ringtone sharp and piercing.

He answered the phone; it was a call from the bank.

"Director Wen, I'm sorry, your loan application has not been approved."

"What?" Wen Zhiting suddenly stood up, his brows furrowed.

The Light Industry Bureau finally approved the paperwork, and they were just waiting for the money to buy an imported production line to keep the factory afloat.

"The assessment results are in. The Hongxing Factory's profits have declined too drastically, classifying it as a high-risk entity. This funding cannot be approved." The tone on the other end of the phone was businesslike.

"We are a long-established state-owned factory with decades of reputation. We're just waiting for this money to transform our business!" Wen Zhiting's voice rose involuntarily, tinged with anxiety.

"Director Wen, lending these days depends on policy trends. Private enterprises are receiving support, but you know better than us the situation of state-owned factories. It's not that we don't want to approve loans, it's just that the risks are too high."

The call ended, leaving a busy signal. Wen Zhitin paused for a moment, then, after a brief hesitation, immediately dialed another number.

"Mr. Chen, it's me, Lao Wen." He forced a smile, his tone pleading, despite his exhaustion. "The factory urgently needs working capital. I'll mortgage you my idle equipment and empty factory buildings, okay? I'll pay you back as soon as I get the money!"

A light laugh came from the other end of the phone, tinged with mockery: "Old Wen, this is illegal disposal of state-owned assets. You dare to give it away, but I wouldn't dare to take it."

A few minutes later, Wen Zhiting hung up the phone, leaned heavily against the creaking office chair, and rubbed his temples.

He asked Xiang Qin to take 20,000 yuan from her own account and deliver it to Yan Hua's house, to be given to Yan Hua's bedridden wife.

Xiang Qin sat on the edge of the bed and told her the truth: "The factory is not doing well, and the layoffs were a collective decision made by the management team, not just Lao Wen's idea. He has turned quite a bit gray in order to save the factory. Now, many state-owned factories are struggling to survive."

When Yan Hua's wife learned that her husband had done such a foolish thing, she was so angry that she clutched her chest and coughed, tears streaming down her face.

Xiang Qin sighed and comforted her, "Let's leave it at that. This 20,000 is a personal gift from Lao Wen and me; please don't tell anyone."

Yan Hua's wife held her hand, choking back tears as she repeatedly expressed her gratitude.

The matter was quickly and quietly turned a new page.

-

When Zhou Jingchen woke up, the sun had already climbed above the window, and it was almost noon.

Wenxi was sleeping soundly beside Xiangchen like a little pig.

Her face was fair and clean, her soft black hair was scattered on the pillow, her eyelashes were long and curled, her nose was small and delicate, her cherry lips were slightly parted, tender and luscious, she was beautiful and adorable.

He was staring intently when Wenxi suddenly opened her eyes, looked at him blankly for two seconds, then jumped off the bed with a howl and rushed barefoot to the bathroom: "I need to pee..."

When Wenxi returned, Zhou Jingchen was sitting on the edge of the bed, his ears slightly red.

He raised his chin: "Open my backpack."

"What?" Wenxi leaned closer and asked, tilting her head.

"You'll know once you open it."

Wenxi unzipped her jacket; it was stuffed full of textbooks and notebooks, neatly arranged. She rummaged through them for a moment: "What are you looking for?"

"Feel down."

Wenxi muttered "keeping you in suspense" as she buried her head in her schoolbag, her fingertips touching a cardboard box.

Take it out and take a look—

It's a classic commemorative cassette tape of the Little Tigers!

Her eyes lit up instantly, her face full of surprise. She looked at the cassette tape in her hand and then at Zhou Jingchen.

"It's an authentic copy," Zhou Jingchen said, looking at her with a hint of amusement in his voice. "I went to several music and video stores before I finally found it."

It was a cassette tape she had been talking about for a long time but had never been able to buy.

Wenxi kissed the cassette tape, then turned and rushed to her desk, inserting it into the cassette player. The familiar melody flowed out—it was "Love," its cheerful rhythm filling the room.

Overwhelmed with excitement, she turned and leaped onto the bed, pinning Zhou Jingchen beneath her and looking down at him.

"You were planning to use this to appease me yesterday, weren't you?"

Her seat was so awkward... the boy's earlobes instantly turned red.

He nodded stiffly, raised his hand to pat her waist, his voice tight:

"Get down, you're pressing down on me."

"I haven't even complained that you're poking me!" She slid down, raised her hand and slapped it there, a mischievous grin on her face.

Zhou Jingchen immediately sat up as if he had been burned, hurriedly covering his pants with his hands, staring at her in astonishment, his ears turning as red as if they were about to bleed.

Wenxi grinned, her little tiger teeth pointing out, revealing a carefree and adorable simplicity.

It was the purest kind of smile, innocent and childlike, a smile unique to Wenxi that could melt anyone's heart.

Only she would tease him so unreservedly.

Zhou Jingchen knew perfectly well that her actions at this moment showed no regard for the boundaries between men and women; she simply treated him as her closest person, so close that there was no distinction between "yours" and "mine," so close that there were no limits.

Just like when he injured his arm as a child, she was able to help him relieve himself without hesitation.

But he could no longer be as at ease as before.

Ever since that absurd dream, he felt as if his heart had become dirty...

His Adam's apple bobbed, his fingertips clenched until they turned white, and after a long pause, he reminded her:

"Wenxi, you...you shouldn't do this again...you'll break it." He stammered, his words coming out with difficulty.

"Oh," the silly girl obviously didn't understand the deeper meaning in his words, chuckled twice, tilted her little face closer to him, and asked, "Then why did you ignore me the other day?"

Zhou Jingchen looked at her, took a deep breath, remained silent for a long time, and then mustered up the courage to speak, his voice low and hoarse:

"They said... you and Chen Xu are dating. I didn't want to bother you."

Wenxi was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing and playfully punched his chest:

"Who said I'm dating Chen Xu? My parents and teachers have all said that dating is not allowed in high school."

The boy was stunned, choked for a long time, pursed his thin lips, and lowered his head:

"He takes a detour to take you home, writes you love letters, and you fold stars for him, knit bracelets for him..."

He recounted her "crimes" one by one, speaking slowly, his voice slightly hoarse and choked with emotion.

Wenxi waved her hand anxiously: "Who said I folded stars for him? I didn't finish folding the stars, I don't know where I threw them away. You and my parents always say that I give up halfway through things, I just didn't want to tell you."

"I gave the bracelet to Jiang Xiaoya! The one Chen Xu wore was braided by Sister Yuewen at the alley entrance!"

"Jiang Yuewen?" Zhou Jingchen was stunned, his eyes filled with surprise.

"Yes, the last time Brother Chen Xu took me home, he also wanted to go around to see Sister Yue Wen."

She lowered her voice, leaned close to his ear, as if telling him some earth-shattering secret:

"Let me tell you, that letter was asked by him to give to Sister Yuewen. Sister Yuewen doesn't go to the same school as him, but she lives close to our house, so Brother Chen Xu could only ask me to help. I'm the one who's passing the letter between them."

After saying that, she added, "Don't tell anyone. He told me to keep it a secret. The adults absolutely mustn't find out."

Zhou Jingchen stared at her blankly, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from his heart, and a surge of fresh air rushed into his chest, making his breathing easier.

He gazed into her bright eyes, then suddenly smiled, the gloom in his eyes vanishing completely: "I see."

His inferiority complex and sensitivity would be amplified many times over by her.

Wenxi snorted and pouted, "Zhou Jingchen, if you ignore me like this again for no reason, I'm really going to break off all our friendship!"

"And also," she patted his shoulder, looking serious, "we're such good friends, if I ever start dating someone in the future, I'll definitely tell you right away."

One second Zhou Jingchen was alive, the next he was dead.