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

Wenxi paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Why don't we go to the hospital for a check-up first?"

Veins bulged on his forehead. He closed his eyes and said coldly, "Do you need to tell me? I was in so much pain last night that I went to the hospital overnight."

That pathetic look didn't seem like acting.

Wenxi's almond-shaped eyes swept over him several times, her arms crossed over her chest, her tone tinged with wariness:

"Without a hospital test certificate, why should I believe you? According to your logic, anyone could easily try to scam me."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Jingchen actually pulled a test report from the corner of the table and handed it to her.

He gritted his teeth, emphasizing each word: "It was one thing to be reckless as a child, but I never expected you to be this wild as an adult. Do you know that this kick of yours has ruined a man's lifelong happiness?"

The cold sheet of paper lay in Wenxi's hands. She lowered her eyes, and the handwriting on it made her pupils shrink sharply:

[Severe contusion...bo-prone condition...]

Last night was chaotic, and she definitely lost control of her strength, but she clearly kicked his leg, so how could it be...?

Zhou Jingchen frowned as he looked at her pale face and said, "My parents are waiting to hold their grandson. Now you've made them childless."

Wenxi's expression was very complicated. She glanced at Zhou Jingchen, then looked down at the report in her hand, her fingertips unconsciously curling up.

After a long silence, she finally managed to accept the fact that she had crippled the person.

"Then what do you want?" Her voice trembled slightly, her fingers gripping the page tightly, looking at him with a mixture of apprehension and self-reproach.

Zhou Jingchen slowly crossed his legs, his nonchalant demeanor carrying a hint of force:

"Pay back. Five million, not a penny less."

"Your piece of junk is worth five million?" Wenxi instantly exploded, taking a furious step forward, her voice suddenly rising, "Why don't you just rob a bank?"

Zhou Jingchen also suddenly stood up from his chair, his tall figure instantly enveloping her, his shadow pressing heavily on Wenxi's head, an oppressive feeling overwhelming her.

He lowered his eyes, glaring at her: "Look at yourself, are you even speaking human language? That kick of yours directly deprived me of my right to love, my right to marry, my right to have children, my right to happiness... Can these be measured in money? If we really talk about it, you can't even afford to compensate me. This is practically a disability, you know?"

He covered his face in anguish, one hand on his hip, both angry and aggrieved: "You've destroyed my dignity as a man! I even considered jumping into the river last night!"

Wenxi clutched the hem of her clothes tightly, her mind a jumbled mess.

"I have no money." She gave up, turned her face away, and said in a harsh voice.

"So what do you have?"

"I have nothing."

"You kicked me like this, you have to take responsibility, right?" Zhou Jingchen's tone softened, tinged with a hint of grievance. "Who would want to marry me now? I've never even had a serious relationship..."

"I have no money, but you can take my life." Wenxi said stubbornly, refusing to budge an inch.

Zhou Jingchen stood with his hands in his pockets, looking down at her for a long time, a barely perceptible smile flashing in his eyes.

He then curled the corners of his lips into a smile and said slowly, "It's fine if you don't have to pay me back. Then be my wife."

When these words reached Wenxi's ears, she immediately exploded like a powder keg, her cheeks turning bright red, and her voice rising several decibels:

"You big idiot! You're dreaming!"

"I'd be more like your ancestor!"

"If you don't want to be my wife, then so be it." Zhou Jingchen wasn't annoyed. His eyes were deep, and the smile hidden in them deepened as he offered an alternative:

"Okay, here's the deal: you date me for a month, and I won't make you pay back the five million. After a month, I promise I won't cause you any trouble. And for the sake of our past relationship, I won't pursue the matter of you crippling me."

He leaned down slightly, getting closer to Wenxi, his gaze fixed on her face.

The girl resembled a puffed-up little dolphin, her delicate eyebrows furrowed into a deep frown, her rosy lips bitten tightly by her pearly teeth, and her eyes filled with conflict, clearly deep in thought, calculation, and weighing of options.

Zhou Jingchen added, his tone earnest and almost pleading:

"Also, this is a matter of a man's pride. You absolutely cannot tell anyone that I'm injured, or I'll have no face to live with."

After a long while, Wenxi gritted her teeth, nodded, and held up one finger: "Just one month."

A faint smile instantly appeared at the corner of the man's eyes: "Okay."

......

Zhou Jingchen made the bed himself.

The young lady sat to the side, leisurely swinging her legs, and even drank water from his teacup, which he had poured, because she complained that the oil tea in the morning was a bit salty.

Wenxi secretly sized him up, her ears turning red as she watched him change the bedding and put on clean sheets. His fair and slender hands neatly pulled the sheets flat, just like when he was a child, showing his love for cleanliness.

Those hands... Wenxi's mind suddenly flashed back to the places those hands had touched last night, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

Lust-erotic!

He deserves to be crippled!

He deserves to never get married!

After making the bed, Zhou Jingchen turned around and walked to her. Without saying a word, he took her hand and gently kissed the back of her hand.

Wenxi froze abruptly, about to pull her hand back, when she heard him stop laughing and say in a serious tone:

"Your memory can't be only seven seconds long, can it? We've been dating for a month, and I expect you to do your job as a girlfriend."

The implication is that this level of intimacy is simply normal between couples.

Wenxi pursed her lips and stopped struggling.

What's there to be afraid of? He's a "eunuch" now.

Getting kissed by him twice won't hurt you, and it's worth five million. It's a sure thing.

"I don't want anyone to know about this," she said softly, turning her face away.

Zhou Jingchen raised an eyebrow and whispered in her fair ear, "Okay, keeping it a secret from everyone, having an affair is quite exciting."

Wenxi rolled her eyes at him, and was about to retort when he pulled her into his arms. "Don't move, let me hold you for a while."

To be honest, she did crave the warmth of his embrace and was captivated by the crisp scent of cedar on him, but she would never admit to it.

Wenxi closed his eyes and gritted his teeth.

My girlfriend, only been here for a month.

It's not hard to accept.

Anyway, a month later, the two went their separate ways, each going their own way, never to meet again.

-

in the afternoon.

The two followed a group of staff members to interview an octogenarian in the village.

The old man being interviewed had a full head of white hair, a kind face, and was wearing an indigo-blue ethnic costume.

Although he didn't understand much Mandarin, he was clear-headed and answered questions fluently, with a young village official helping to translate.

When the staff asked him about his childhood memories of the village, the old man was sitting on a small bamboo stool, slowly recounting the past, when suddenly a loud "clang" came from inside the house—the sound of a porcelain vase shattering.

Grandpa's expression changed, and he hurriedly got up and went into the house.

A short while later, he came out leading an elderly woman.

The old lady was not tall, with a head of neatly combed silver hair. When she smiled, her face was full of wrinkles, but her eyes and brows revealed a girlish innocence and charm.

Her index finger was cut by a shard of porcelain, and tiny beads of blood were seeping out.

The old man was heartbroken and quickly led her to the well, carefully rinsing the wound with clean water.

It was just a tiny, shallow cut, but Grandpa treated it like some enormous wound. After rinsing it with water, he bent down and gently blew on the wound. Then he took out a strip of cloth and carefully wrapped the finger into a round, plump dumpling.

Everyone in the courtyard watched this scene and couldn't help but laugh.

Wenxi suddenly realized something, glanced at Zhou Jingchen, and found that his dark eyes were also staring at her.

Wenxi was like that when she was little, pretentious and spoiled.

When she was in elementary school, the corner store sold all sorts of pretty pencil sharpeners. She bought many and hung them around her neck as decorations. She never sharpened her own pencils; Zhou Jingchen always sharpened them for her.

He could sharpen pencils beautifully, grinding the black lead with a knife until it was smooth and fine, making writing particularly enjoyable.

Once, Wenxi tried to sharpen a pencil herself. She was clumsy and held the knife in her hand for less than a minute. Before she could sharpen the pencil, she cut her finger and cried loudly in pain.

A layer of skin broke, and a few beads of blood oozed out.

Zhou Jingchen was sitting on the edge of the bed reading a book when he saw this scene. He immediately came over with his cane. When he saw that her fair knuckles were cut, he gasped and immediately took her to the tap to wash them.

After rinsing, the bleeding had almost stopped, but Wenxi still had a scrunched-up little face and was crying as she held the injured hand in front of him, "Zhou Xiaogou, what should I do? It hurts so much, waaaah..."

Zhou Jingchen was at a loss; he was clumsy with words and didn't know how to coax her. He could only try to imitate his aunt by gently blowing on her.

At her insistence, he wrapped her finger up like a rice dumpling with a tissue.

For the next few days, because of this minor injury, she did nothing but boss him around, ordering him around, making him serve her food, do her homework, and fold her blankets...

Pulling herself out of her thoughts, Wenxi looked away first, lowered her head, and a slight blush rose on her cheeks.

Not far away, the old woman seemed a little embarrassed and gently nudged the old man's arm, signaling him to hurry up and give the interview.

Grandpa sat back down on the stool. He had just started talking when his gaze involuntarily lingered on Grandma, and he seemed somewhat distracted when answering questions.

Seeing that Grandma was busy in the yard again, tending to the flowers and plants and gathering firewood, he interrupted the interview again and said something in the local dialect to Grandma.

The staff looked at the translator curiously, and the translator explained with a smile: "Grandpa said to tell her to calm down for a while, sit quietly and wait for him, and he'll make her glutinous rice cakes after the interview."

A burst of good-natured laughter immediately filled the courtyard, and Wenxi couldn't help but smile, her eyes crinkling like a pool of clear spring water.

Zhou Jingchen's gaze remained fixed on her the entire time.

She was wearing the same outfit as yesterday: a beige knitted short-sleeved top paired with a slit denim skirt. Her long, black hair was gently tucked behind her ears, revealing her delicate earlobes.

She sat on a small stool, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes gently swaying as her grandfather narrated. When the corners of her lips curved up, a shallow dimple would appear on her cheek, making her look bright and charming.

There are no shortage of beautiful women in this world, but Zhou Jingchen felt that this one was the only one who was bright and beautiful enough, and captivating enough, from childhood to adulthood.

He was completely absorbed in watching, his gaze burning with intensity.

Wenxi noticed the gaze, turned her head, glanced at him sideways, and gave a soft hum, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.