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

After Grandpa Zhou passed away, Xiang Qin asked Zhou Jingchen to move in with her.

She took time out of her work to prepare breakfast and dinner for the two children every day, carefully observing Zhou Jingchen's mental state.

She saw him often going to the house across the street to carve wood carvings, alone, silently carving for long periods without saying a word.

Xiang Qin didn't disturb him. Instead, she cleared a table by the window in her living room, placed all the half-finished wooden figures, carving knives, and sandpaper on it, and pointed to it, saying, "Jing Chen, this place is yours from now on."

Less than two weeks later, the final exam results came out. Wenxi came in last, while Zhou Jingchen firmly held the top spot in the grade.

On her way home from school, Wenxi kicked some pebbles and suddenly said, "My mom wants me to take the art exam next year and apply to the performance department of Pingjiang Art Academy."

She turned her head to look at him: "And you? Which university are you planning to apply to?"

Without hesitation, Zhou Jingchen replied, "Pingjiang University."

That's the best school in Pingjiang.

"Dad said that with your grades, you could go to a better university in another city. Pingjiang doesn't have anything particularly outstanding."

Zhou Jingchen repeated, "I'll apply to Pingjiang University."

Wenxi stopped in her tracks: "Why?" She asked again, as she always loved asking "why."

Zhou Jingchen took the heavy backpack off her back and hung it in front of him. "There's no reason. That school is pretty good."

As soon as the two turned into the yard, they saw an unfamiliar car parked at the gate, with a police car following beside it.

They exchanged a glance, their hearts skipping a beat as they thought something had happened, and rushed inside.

The living room was packed with people, including uniformed police officers and several unfamiliar faces.

Upon hearing footsteps, everyone's eyes turned to look at them.

Wenxi's gaze swept across the crowd and landed on a woman—she was wearing a dark cheongsam with a shawl draped over it, and she looked elegant and beautiful.

The woman glanced at her, then fixed her gaze directly on Zhou Jingchen's face. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, took two steps forward, then suddenly stopped, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably.

A man in a suit helped her up, his voice hoarse: "Yuanyuan, don't cry, we've found our son."

son?

Wenxi glanced at the couple, then at Zhou Jingchen beside her, and felt a sudden tightness in her chest, an indescribable feeling.

The woman suddenly rushed over and hugged Zhou Jingchen, bursting into tears that quickly soaked the back of his school uniform.

The adults sat on the sofa talking, and smoke filled the room.

Wenxi hid behind Xiangqin, staring at the person on the sofa. The man was dressed smartly, with handsome features, and his profile resembled Zhou Jingchen's by about 70-80%.

She clutched the hem of her clothes, a slight pang of sadness welling up inside her, as if something was slipping through her fingers, impossible to grasp.

Zhou Jingchen sat in the corner of the sofa, his hands on his knees, his fingertips white, his mind in turmoil.

The adults told him that his parents didn't abandon him; it was the family's nanny who secretly took him away. His home was in Linshen, a bustling city more than a thousand kilometers away. Over the years, his biological parents have never given up looking for him. He still has a grandmother and a younger sister; he is not an orphan, not an unwanted wild child.

However... Zhou Jingchen wasn't as happy as he had imagined.

He looked up and met Wenxi's gaze—the girl was looking at him with bright, sparkling eyes.

Their eyes met briefly and subtly in the air before Wenxi looked away first.

That night, Zhou Jingchen's parents stayed at a nearby hotel. They wanted to give their son some time to adjust before taking him away.

Xiang Qin and Wen Zhiting called Zhou Jingchen into the room. Xiang Qin took out a stack of documents and said softly:

"Actually, your uncle and I were already processing your adoption paperwork, but before we could finish, your biological parents showed up."

"For so many years, we have always treated you like our own son. You and Little Magpie eat and live together. You are not siblings, but you are closer than siblings."

She wiped away her tears: "Jingchen, Auntie really likes you and really wanted you to be my son. Now that I know you have biological parents who love you so much and have been searching for you for so many years, Auntie is happy for you, but... I can't bear to part with you."

She choked up, and before she could finish speaking, she pressed her forehead against Wen Zhiting's shoulder, sobbing slightly.

Wen Zhiting's voice was deep and steady: "Jingchen, you're a man now. Go, go and say goodbye to your sister properly. She'll miss you the most."

......

When Zhou Jingchen returned to the bedroom, Wenxi was already lying on the bed with her eyes closed.

The incandescent light in the room was blindingly bright, and the light was chilly.

Neither of them spoke. Zhou Jingchen turned off the light and groped his way to his bed in the dark.

After a long silence, he spoke in a low voice, a little hoarse: "Little princess, would you like to sleep here with me? I'll tickle you."

After a two-second silence, a voice came from behind the curtain, the girl's tone firm: "No!"

Zhou Jingchen didn't say anything more. He rested his head on his arm, turned his head to look at the curtain separating the two beds, and his gaze seemed to penetrate the fabric and land on her.

"You must be happy, Zhou Jingchen," Wenxi suddenly spoke, her tone as cold as ice. "You finally don't have to be my dog ​​anymore."

"You can go home and be a young master now."

The boy's Adam's apple bobbed violently, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears. He turned over, facing the curtain, his voice pleading:

"Wenxi, don't say that."

Feeling stifled under the covers, Wenxi lifted a corner of the blanket, stretched out a snow-white leg and draped it over the edge of the bed, letting out an angry snort.

Zhou Jingchen's mind was in complete turmoil.

Wenxi was like the moon in the sky; he never dared to have any unrealistic thoughts about her.

But when he heard Aunt Xiang talking about the adoption procedures during the day, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief—thankfully, his biological parents had found him, and thankfully, the absurd procedures hadn't been completed.

He didn't want to be Wenxi's younger brother.

His parents came looking for him, so he had no reason not to leave. No matter how good Aunt Xiang and Uncle Wen were to him, they had no right to force him to stay; he could no longer remain in the Wen family.

He didn't want to be separated from them, but he had no choice.

He was just a student with no choice in the world, a boy with a disability in his left leg who needed adults to support his education.

He was once an orphan, and it was thanks to Grandpa Zhou's kindness and the Wen family's care that he was able to grow up safely.

Even if he wanted to repay the Wen family's kindness, he first had to make himself stronger, because a person with nothing can do nothing.

He felt extremely inferior whenever he saw so many outstanding boys standing around Wenxi, and so many outstanding boys liking Wenxi.

They all have healthy bodies and complete families, while he has nothing and is all alone.

He could give Wenxi nothing.

He was useless. He couldn't chase away bad guys when she was in danger, nor could he carry her to the doctor when she was injured. He couldn't even do these most basic things.

Wenxi is the blazing, bright sun, while he is just a little reptile spying on her in the damp, dark places, looking up at her, longing for her, and a crippled little reptile with a broken leg.

He wanted to stay with her for the rest of his life.

But if I were to stay by her side, in what capacity could I be?

Could he calmly watch her date, marry, and have children with other men? He couldn't.

If he really became her biological brother on her household registration, and could only call her "sister" for the rest of his life, he couldn't do that.

Zhou Jingchen curled up on the bed, feeling as if something was tightly gripping his heart, making it hard to breathe.