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

The next morning, before the morning mist had completely dissipated, Jiang Qi's knock on the door broke the silence.

"Wenxi, gather around! Are you up yet?"

"Get up." Wenxi opened the door, yawning repeatedly, with a faint dark circle under her eyes, the weariness from only a few hours of light sleep.

"You're having trouble sleeping too?" Jiang Qi noticed immediately and sighed. "Me too. The chirping of insects and birds in the mountains at night is so loud, and the bamboo bed is as hard as a stone slab. I just can't fall asleep no matter how much I toss and turn. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to bear with it. After all, we're here to work."

The washroom was on the first floor, and the two of them walked down the creaking wooden stairs together.

Looking up, the verdant mountains stretch endlessly, with morning mist clinging to their peaks, like a watercolor painting spreading out.

Take a deep breath, and the crisp scent of grass and trees mixed with the damp smell of earth will penetrate straight into your lungs.

Jiang Qi splashed a handful of cool water on her face, leaned closer to Wen Xi, and winked: "You helped President Zhou with his luggage last night, what did he say to you? Is his place much nicer than ours?"

One sentence pulled Wenxi's thoughts back to last night.

She paused for a moment, her mouth still full of toothpaste foam, and mumbled an "Mmm." The white stains on the corners of her mouth only made the barely noticeable blush on her cheeks stand out even more.

She quickly lowered her head to rinse her mouth before adding in a muffled voice, "We didn't talk about much. I just helped him unpack his luggage and then came back."

The dining area was in another courtyard, which the village had specially set aside to accommodate them. Two middle-aged women were tending the stove, and all three meals were arranged properly.

Jiang Qi was delayed a bit by going to the toilet, so Wen Xi waited for her at the gate of the courtyard. When the two arrived, the long table was already full of people.

As soon as Wenxi stepped into the courtyard, she saw Zhou Jingchen already sitting at the table.

He changed into a rather casual outfit: simple straight-leg jeans paired with clean sneakers, a plain white T-shirt, and a light khaki shirt over it, unbuttoned and wide open.

His short, black hair was neat and tidy, and his large hands holding the rice spoon had distinct knuckles and prominent veins.

With relaxed and clean eyebrows and eyes, and superior profile lines, she has a natural three-dimensionality. Even when she looks down to eat, she has a captivating presence.

He has a clean and handsome appearance, like a male college student.

As if he had sensed her gaze earlier, he suddenly looked up, his dark eyes fixed on her with precise focus, and a slight smile played on his lips.

Their eyes met, and a subtle electric current seemed to ignite in the air as the image of their lips entwined last night immediately flashed before their eyes.

Wenxi's cheeks instantly burned.

Perhaps feeling embarrassed and annoyed, she glared at him fiercely, baring her teeth and brandishing her claws.

Jiang Qi and her companion carried their bowls of porridge and looked for seats. There were only two empty seats left at the long table, one next to Zhou Jingchen and the other next to He Li not far away.

Wenxi almost instinctively lifted her foot to walk towards He Li, but Jiang Qi took the seat first, winked at her, and smiled mischievously.

Wenxi sighed helplessly and moved heavily toward Zhou Jingchen.

The narrow wooden bench can only accommodate two or three adults at most.

When she walked over, Zhou Jingchen didn't look up, continuing to eat his porridge slowly and methodically, as if he hadn't noticed that there was someone else beside him.

Wenxi sat down expressionlessly, deliberately moving to the edge of the bench, with half of his buttocks barely touching the surface. There was a huge distance between them, like an invisible galaxy separating them.

As she moved, the airflow carried her scent into Zhou Jingchen's nostrils, like the smell of milk mixed with the soft, sweet fragrance of a young girl.

Logically speaking, as his assistant, she should have taken the initiative to greet him and call him "President Zhou".

But she pursed her lips, remained silent, and kept a straight face, looking extremely awkward.

Others simply thought she was introverted and quiet, after all, when she introduced herself yesterday, she only said lightly, "My name is Wenxi."

But the person who had chatted with her a few times yesterday couldn't help but glance at the two of them, keenly sensing something different.

Zhou Jingchen finished eating first. When he put down his chopsticks, he glanced at the girl next to him out of the corner of his eye. She was sitting so far away, as if he were some kind of monster.

She ignored his confession, ignored his feelings, and wouldn't even look at him directly.

That's great.

"I'm done eating." He suddenly stood up, his movements so quick that the long bench suddenly lost its weight on one side and tilted sharply towards Wenxi.

Caught off guard, Wenxi let out a short "Ah!" and fell uncontrollably to the ground.

Just as she lost her balance, a strong arm reached out and firmly wrapped around her waist.

The force was so great that she was caught off guard and bumped into a warm chest, her nose filled with the faint scent of cedar and tobacco.

"Sorry, why are you sitting so far away?" Zhou Jingchen helped her to her feet, his tone concerned. "Are you alright?"

Wenxi's face turned bright red, and all eyes at the table were on them, as scorching as spotlights.

She quickly pulled her hand away from his, took two steps back, and gritted her teeth as she squeezed out a few words: "It's alright, Mr. Zhou."

She sat back down on the bench, this time not daring to move to the side, and obediently sat a little closer to the middle. But as soon as she settled down, the man next to her sat down again.

This time, the two stood very close together.

His trousers were close to Wenxi's denim skirt, and she could vaguely feel the taut muscles in his thighs and the masculine aura he exuded, a sense of oppression so strong that it was impossible to ignore.

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention just now..." Before he could finish speaking, a sharp pain shot through the back of his foot.

Wenxi gritted her teeth and stomped on his foot hard.

Zhou Jingchen hissed in pain, his temple throbbing.

The girl's back molars were grinding together, and she had a sweet but mischievous smile on her face as she turned her head to look at him: "It's nothing, Mr. Zhou, it's a small matter."

They are vengeful and will seek revenge for even the smallest wrongdoing.

He just happens to like that.

At least there's a response, which is better than being coldly ignored.

Just after breakfast, the village chief, along with several village officials and elders from the village, greeted them with broad smiles.

After exchanging pleasantries and shaking hands, he led the group on a leisurely stroll through the village, introducing the local customs and traditions.

The spring sunshine was exceptionally bright, and the temperature was a bit higher than usual. After walking for a short while, everyone's foreheads were covered in a thin layer of sweat.

Zhou Jingchen took off his shirt jacket and gestured with his chin toward Wen Xi, who was several meters away in the crowd, saying, "Could you please take this for me?"

He was only wearing a white short-sleeved shirt, revealing lean and muscular arms with light blue veins running down his forearms, and a black braided rope bracelet on his wrist that was particularly eye-catching.

Seeing this, He Li spoke up at the right time: "Wenxi, you're Mr. Zhou's assistant on this trip, so stay by his side and don't wander off. If he needs anything, you can take care of him promptly."

Wenxi pursed her lips and replied, "Okay."

She stepped forward, took his coat, and draped it over her arm.

The two walked side by side, attracting the attention of a group of people behind them. Someone muttered quietly, "Why are they dressed like they're wearing matching outfits?"

Wenxi wore a beige short-sleeved knit top today, with the hem tucked into a long, slit denim skirt, which accentuated her slender waist and made her look fair-skinned with red lips.

The refreshing light-colored outfit perfectly complemented Zhou Jingchen's white T-shirt and jeans.

The two, one tall and one short, one handsome and upright, the other beautiful and elegant, walked on the bluestone road and truly looked like a perfect couple.

The clan chief led everyone into an ancient ancestral hall and introduced the epic story of the She people's ancestors' migration.

Zhou Jingchen lowered his head slightly, his gaze falling on the girl beside him.

She didn't tie her hair up today; her long, curly hair fell gracefully over her shoulders, and a small pearl earring dangled from her fair ear. She looked as beautiful as a jade statue.

"You stepped on my foot and hurt it..." He turned his head to the side, his voice low, only the two of them could hear, and it sounded a little aggrieved.

Wenxi smiled, but her eyes were cold. She squeezed out three words through gritted teeth: "You deserve it."

"Crush me, and there will never be another man in this world who will love you as much as I do."

His voice was even lower, slightly hoarse and nonchalant, sending an electric shock into her ears.

Wenxi felt a tingling sensation at the tips of her ears and a burning sensation at the base of her ears.

She looked up at him, glaring at him, her voice equally low: "If you mention that word again, believe me, I'll kill you."

"Which word?" he asked, feigning ignorance, his dark eyes fixed on her as if trying to etch her image into his very bones. "Is it 'I love you'?"

"Shameless." Wenxi turned her face away, her ears turning so red they were almost bleeding.

"Loving you means you're shameless? Then I want to kiss you, I want to..." He paused, narrowing his dark eyes, "You haven't seen what true shamelessness is yet."

Wenxi glared at him fiercely, her cheeks flushed, and she said hastily, "You're not allowed to think about it!"

He leaned closer, his warm breath brushing against her ear:

"I just keep thinking about it! And I keep thinking about it over and over again, not only during the day, but also when I'm lying in bed at night."

"You..." Wen Xi was so angry that she wanted to reach out and pinch his waist.

Before her wrist could even touch him, the village chief's voice interrupted her: "Mr. Zhou, come over here! This is the dragon flag used for our She ethnic group's sacrificial rites!"

Wenxi froze in mid-air, her heart pounding wildly.

Oh my god, how did Zhou Jingchen become so shameless?

He's nothing but a wolf in sheep's clothing, a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Extremely cunning.

She looked over and saw him standing in the center of the crowd, tall and composed. He listened politely as he spoke to people, transforming back into the elegant and refined Mr. Zhou in everyone's eyes.

The village chief led everyone to a stream and pointed to the mountain wall on the opposite bank, saying, "That's the sinkhole of our village. In the past, if anyone in the village was a thief or a prostitute, or violated the village rules, they would be thrown into the sinkhole."

He paused, then added with a smile, "But those are all old feudal customs. We've all learned new ideas now, and that's no longer fashionable. Come on, I'll take you to see it!"

The stream is not wide, and there is no bridge. To cross it, you can only step on the few large protruding rocks in the middle of the stream.

Everyone else walked over one after another, but Wenxi stood by the stream in a dilemma. She was wearing a long denim skirt and couldn't lift her leg at all.

She bit her lip, bent down and rolled up her skirt, tentatively touched the stone with her toes, then withdrew, hesitant to go any further.

Just as he was hesitating, a hand reached out from in front of him. "Come here," Zhou Jingchen said in a magnetic voice.

Before she could react, he had already taken her hand.

Wenxi's fingertips were slightly cool, like a piece of delicate jade, while his palms were broad and warm. The warmth of his palms spread from Wenxi's fingertips all the way to his limbs and bones, and even made his heart tremble slightly.

"I remembered something," Zhou Jingchen said.

He led her, step by step, carefully treading on the stones.

"What?" Wenxi frowned and looked up at him.

"When I was little, every time I went to my grandma's house in the countryside, I would sit on the bank and watch you and Song Xianglin catch fish and shrimp in the stream..."

He held her hand tightly, his eyes lowered, watching the path beneath his feet.

"Back then, I sat alone to the side, watching you guys play and fool around, and I was fantasizing about when I could walk, and that I would be the one to play with you."

Zhou Jingchen took a step forward, and Wenxi followed, stepping on the stone he had stepped on.

The babbling brook flowed past their feet, and sunlight shone on the water, shattering into a shimmering display.

His deep voice came to my ear again:

"I envied Song Xianglin back then, and I still do now. Because you could smile at him, talk to him nicely, but you were cold to me the only time..."

Wenxi didn't say anything, but curled up the other finger hanging by her side.

Once they reached the other side, he took the initiative to let go of her hand.

Not far away, Jiang Qi secretly nudged He Li beside her and whispered:

"Your CEO Zhou is a really nice guy, quite the gentleman."

He Li smiled faintly and replied, "Yes, President Zhou has always been very good to his employees."

Jiang Qi leaned closer, her eyes sparkling: "Is he married? Does he have a girlfriend?"

He Li shook his head.

Jiang Qi's eyes brightened even more, and she glanced at Wenxi with a smile: "That's good, that's good."

After a full day of sightseeing, Zhou Jingchen was invited to the village chief's house for dinner. The others went home to rest after dinner.

At 10 p.m., Wenxi had just finished showering and lay down on the bed when she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

Who is it?

"I am He Li."

Wenxi opened the door, and He Li handed her a document, his expression earnest:

"Please deliver this document to Mr. Zhou's room. He definitely needs to see it tonight. I have to rush to the county town to take care of some business, and I really can't get away."

Wenxi quickly took the documents and waved her hand, "No trouble at all, it's my duty. I'm his assistant, you go ahead and get busy."

As night deepened, the village was bathed in the hazy moonlight, and the bluestone road looked like it was covered with scattered silver.

When Wenxi heard that Zhou Jingchen hadn't returned yet, she was too lazy to change her clothes and went over wearing only a thin cotton nightgown.