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

Zhou Jingchen split his forces into two groups. One group had people stationed at Wanxingyuan Community and the Third Hospital, while the other group drove alone to Chizhou, Jinshi, and Weishi.

Our first stop was Chizhou. This small riverside city carries the unique dampness of the river.

The address in the email was hidden in an unnamed town under the jurisdiction of Chizhou.

After asking around, Zhou Jingchen finally parked his car in front of a mixed-use rental apartment complex. There was a factory on the edge of the town, and most of the people living in these dilapidated houses were strangers from out of town who were trying to make a living at the factory.

As soon as I got off the bus, a strong smell of sulfur hit my nostrils and made my throat feel tight.

Zhou Jingchen frowned. Wenxi hated this kind of unpleasant smell the most, and she had actually lived in such a place.

Following the address on the paper, his shiny leather shoes shone through the damp, black mud as he plunged into the dimly lit, narrow alley.

The arcade buildings on both sides were so old they were about to collapse, and rainwater was still dripping from the eaves. Two drops landed on his white sweater, instantly leaving two gray-black stains.

He was dressed in a finely tailored, high-end outfit, with fair skin and a face that resembled that of a male celebrity. He seemed completely out of place in the environment, like a rich young master who had wandered into a slum.

A man sat at the doorway, smoking a cigarette and glancing at him sideways. A prostitute came up and grabbed his arm, trying to pull him inside, but was scared away by his cold gaze.

Zhou Jingchen's face was icy as he surveyed the surroundings. With each step he took inside, his heart sank a little deeper.

Finally, a kind-looking middle-aged woman led a child toward us.

He quickly handed over the slip of paper, his voice low and serious: "Excuse me, ma'am, do you know where this address is?"

The woman glanced at the note, gave him a strange look, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for an uncle of mine named Wen Zhiting. He lived here with my aunt and my sister a few years ago."

Seeing that he was well-mannered and didn't seem like a bad person, the woman said, "Come with me, it's just ahead."

She pulled the child along, then paused, unable to resist turning back to ask, "Are you relatives?"

"Yes," Zhou Jingchen quickly followed, his voice tinged with urgency, "Do you know them?"

"I know him, we used to be neighbors." The woman replied casually, holding the little hand of the child in her arms, and leading Zhou Jingchen deeper into the alley.

"They lived here for less than six months before the incident happened and they moved away."

Zhou Jingchen paused, "What happened?"

The woman didn't answer directly, but instead pointed ahead: "Look, that's the house they used to live in. I'll take you to see it."

It was a ground-floor room with shattered windows, as if someone had smashed them with a stone. The dark window frame was exposed, looking particularly eerie.

The woman stepped forward and gently pushed the dilapidated wooden door. With a creaking sound, the entire house was revealed to Zhou Jingchen.

He stepped inside, and the woman followed him in, carrying the child.

The room was covered with a thick layer of dust; every step left a clear footprint.

"This house has been empty ever since they left."

Zhou Jingchen's gaze swept over the scene inside the room inch by inch.

This place is perpetually dark and damp, with a pungent smell of mustiness and dust permeating the air.

The old furniture in the house was smashed to pieces and lay scattered on the ground. Broken vases, porcelain shards, glass fragments, and torn old newspapers were everywhere, creating a scene of utter chaos and devastation.

The scene before him left Zhou Jingchen with a dry throat, unable to speak.

"They came here seven years ago, I remember it very clearly. This family was completely out of place with the locals; they were obviously cultured city people. The man was refined and gentle, the woman was beautiful, and they had a daughter with them. The daughter was only about eighteen or nineteen years old at the time, and she was incredibly pretty. She wore a little dress and looked like a little princess, delicate and beautiful, and you could really like her."

"At first, they weren't very sociable. Later, a woman named Xiang Qin asked me if there were any jobs nearby that could earn money. So I introduced them to work at our factory."

"What does your factory make?" Zhou Jingchen asked.

"What else can we do? We process raw materials like sodium sulfide and sulfur. It's hard and tiring." The woman sighed. "You probably smelled it as soon as you got off the bus. That smell is so strong it gives you a headache. People from other places have to cover their noses when they smell it for the first time."

Zhou Jingchen nodded: "Could you tell me what happened to them afterward?"

"Our factory has a terrible working environment and low wages, but there aren't many other jobs in this small town." The woman's voice lowered. "That young girl looked delicate and clumsy. She hadn't done any heavy work before, and after only a few days at the factory, her hands were covered in injuries—a small cut here, a red mark there. It was heartbreaking to see. Her mother couldn't bear to see her like that and told her to quit, but she was very stubborn and insisted on working with her parents to earn money. Later, seeing how much she was suffering, I introduced her to help out at a hair salon owned by a friend of mine. The women there took good care of her because she was so young."

Zhou Jingchen lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes concealing the turbulent emotions within them, his Adam's apple bobbing slowly as he silently listened to the woman continue.

"But only six months later, one night, several burly men suddenly appeared, looking fierce and menacing. They kicked open their door and rushed inside, shouting 'Give us our money back!' The commotion was so loud that we neighbors were too scared to go out and see what was happening."

The woman's voice was tinged with lingering fear, "Those people smashed everything in the house. Look at all the furniture and windows; they've broken them all. The little girl was terrified and cried. Her father was kicked several times by them while trying to protect her and her mother."

"And then?" Zhou Jingchen's voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.

"Then the whole family moved away in a hurry."

Zhou Jingchen felt as if a hole had been torn open in his heart, and cold wind rushed in, causing him to tremble all over with pain.

He asked in a hoarse voice, "Do you know where they went after they left here?"

The woman shook her head: "I don't know."

After the other person left with the child, Zhou Jingchen stood alone in the empty house for a very long time, until it got completely dark outside.

As he left, he walked through the alley he had come from once more, but suddenly the sky darkened and rain began to fall.

The cold rain pelted him, mixing with the mud on the ground, soaking his once-sleek clothes and leaving him looking disheveled. Yet, he seemed oblivious, slowly walking out of the alley step by step.

-

After leaving Chizhou, Zhou Jingchen didn't waste a moment and drove straight to Jinshi.

Jinshi is located in the northwest, thousands of miles away from Chizhou, a long distance away.

On the way, he received a call from Lin Xujie, who asked him if he had found anything. His eyes were red, and as he gripped the phone, a hot tear fell unexpectedly, slapping onto the steering wheel.

After a long and arduous journey, the car traveled for three whole days before finally arriving in Jinshi.

The address Lin Xujie sent was in an old urban area that was about to be demolished.

Zhou Jingchen followed the address and found that most of the surrounding houses were deserted, with conspicuous "demolish" characters painted on the exterior walls. When the wind blew, it stirred up dust all over the ground, making it look particularly desolate.

He found the house at the address, raised his hand and knocked on the door, but no one answered.

He turned around and knocked on his neighbor's door, but there was still no response.

Just as he was feeling disheartened and thought he was going to leave empty-handed, a slightly childish voice suddenly came from behind him: "Who are you looking for?"

Zhou Jingchen turned around and saw a boy with a cane standing not far away. He looked about eighteen or nineteen years old, and the right leg of his trousers was empty, swaying slightly in the wind.

He quickly stepped forward: "Hello, do you know Wenxi or Wen Zhiting?"

The boy looked him up and down, a hint of wariness in his eyes: "Who are you?"

"Wenxi is my older sister," Zhou Jingchen said in a deep voice.

"Your name is Zhou Jingchen?" the boy suddenly asked.

Zhou Jingchen paused for a moment, then nodded. "How did you know?"

"Sister Wenxi said she has a very handsome younger brother, and she often mentions you." The boy's gaze swept over him, and he frowned in confusion: "But... why aren't you using crutches? She told me that her brother's left leg is inconvenient, and he has had to use crutches since he was little."

Zhou Jingchen's heart clenched inwardly.

He said softly, "Can we find somewhere to talk? I want to ask you about Wenxi."

The boy nodded.

Zhou Jingchen led him to a small shop on the street, ordered two drinks, and the two sat facing each other.

"Sister Wenxi came here five years ago, when I was only fourteen." The boy held the cup in his hand, and his handsome eyes curved into a smile when he mentioned Wenxi. "I remember it very clearly. That day, I was walking home from school when I was cornered in an alley by several boys who were older than me and robbed of my money. That money was my parents' relief fund. I held on to it tightly and refused to let go, so they pinned me to the ground and beat me. Sister Wenxi happened to pass by, rushed over and chased those people away, helped me up, and brushed the dirt off me."

"Later, she came to ask me if there were any jobs that could make money around here. At that time, all I knew was that there was a nightclub nearby that was hiring waitresses."

"She went there to work as a waitress. At first, Sister Wenxi was very happy working there. She bought me a lot of food, and when she got her third paycheck, she even bought me a pair of crutches."

He shook the cane beside him, a smile gleaming in his dark eyes: "It's the one I'm using right now."

“I lived with my grandmother, I had no parents, and I was disabled. Back then, I was often bullied by my classmates. They would ask me for money, or…” He got a little embarrassed as he spoke, “or they would corner me in an alley and beat me up. Later, my sister called some of her colleagues, and they intimidated those boys. From then on, no one dared to bully me anymore.”

"She often comforted me," the boy said with a faint smile, his eyes full of gratitude. "She said she also has a younger brother who has a disability in his left leg and has had to walk with crutches since he was little. But her brother is incredibly talented; he's always been first in his grade, does all the chores around the house, and can even play soccer. She said physical disabilities are nothing; as long as you work hard, you can still live a wonderful life."

The boy looked up at Zhou Jingchen and asked, "You... do you know where my sister is right now?"

He pursed his lips slightly, appearing somewhat inferior in front of Zhou Jingchen.

Zhou Jingchen has a calm and mature face, and is handsome and dashing. The watch on his wrist gleams with a cold silver light. He drives a domineering SUV. He is handsome and rich, just like Zhou Jingchen has always dreamed of becoming.

Zhou Jingchen's Adam's apple bobbed, and he slowly shook his head, replying in a hoarse voice, "I'm looking for her."

The light on the boy's face dimmed instantly. He lowered his eyes, remained silent for a few seconds, and then continued:

"Actually, Sister Wenxi's job at the nightclub wasn't as smooth as it seemed. She was too beautiful, and she was always harassed and bullied by some shady hooligans."

"Once I waited for her to get off work at the entrance of the nightclub and saw five clear finger marks on one side of her cheek. It was swollen and red, like she had been hit. I asked her what happened, but she wouldn't say. She just smiled and said it was nothing. Later, I secretly asked Brother Ma from the nightclub and found out that a customer had tried to force alcohol into her mouth. When she refused to drink, the man raised his hand and slapped her a few times."

At this point, the boy gripped his cane tightly, his knuckles turning white from the effort. "If only I weren't a cripple, I could protect her."

Zhou Jingchen sat opposite him, his brows furrowed. Having traveled between two cities, he could feel himself gradually clearing away the fog and uncovering the truth. The truth behind these seven years would surely cause him immense pain.

His lips were pressed into a tight line, and his clear eyes were already filled with a thin layer of moisture, but he forced it back so that the tears wouldn't fall.

He gently pushed the drink on the table toward the boy and said in a hoarse voice, "Have something to drink."

The boy lowered his head, picked up his drink and took a sip. His long eyelashes drooped down, his cheeks were well-defined, and his features were handsome. He even resembled Zhou Jingchen when he was young.

The boy asked cautiously, "If you have any information about Sister Wenxi, could you tell me?"

Zhou Jingchen stared at him for a long time before suddenly asking, "You like her?"

"Cough cough..." Upon hearing this, the boy choked violently, his face flushed red, and he stammered a hurried explanation:

"I...I didn't. How could I possibly like her?"