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

It was completely dark when I got home, and the car slowly stopped at the gate of the yard.

Just as the group entered the gate, Master Zhou, dressed neatly, came out of the house.

"Grandpa, Grandpa Zhou," Zhou Jingchen and Wenxi called out to him in unison.

"Going to the night shift?" Wen Zhiting greeted him. "Yes." Master Zhou was honest and kind-looking. Although he was nearing retirement age, he was still full of energy.

He pushed the bicycle from the corner over: "Jingchen, Grandpa's going to work. Finish your homework and go to bed early."

"Yes." Zhou Jingchen nodded solemnly.

Xiang Qin quickly took out a bag of bread and handed it to Master Zhou: "Take this with you and eat it if you get hungry on the night shift." Master Zhou declined, but Xiang Qin insisted on stuffing it into his arms, so he had no choice but to accept it.

"Jingchen is very obedient. You can rest assured with him in our family," Xiang Qin said.

Master Zhou nodded repeatedly, pushing his bicycle out: "Of course, of course, thank you for your trouble."

That evening, Zhou Jingchen took a shower in the bathroom. The steaming air filled the entire space. There was a handrail on the wall, which Wen Zhiting had specially installed for him.

Before he finished washing up, there was a sudden knock on the door. Zhou Jingchen turned off the switch.

Wenxi, crouching at the door, gritted her teeth and stamped her feet, urging, "Hurry up and wash! My stomach hurts!"

She frowned; she must have eaten too much junk food today.

Zhou Jingchen quickly washed up, got dressed, and, leaning on his cane, opened the door. As soon as he opened the door, Wenxi pushed him out, and the bolt was locked from the inside.

"Don't eat random things anymore," he said, his back to the door.

"Get out!" Wenxi cursed from inside.

After drying his hair, Zhou Jingchen went to the living room to get a drink of water and saw Xiang Qin and Wen Zhiting sitting on the sofa.

When the couple saw him come out, they waved for him to come over and have some fruit.

Zhou Jingchen sat down on the sofa next to the two of them, leaning his cane against the side. "Uncle and Aunt, why aren't you resting yet?"

Wen Zhiting took off his glasses, his expression gentle: "Not sleepy yet. Jingchen, how have you been lately? I haven't had a chance to ask you today."

Xiang Qin picked up a peeled peach with a fork and handed it to Zhou Jingchen.

"It's fine," he said. "Uncle, I recently heard from Grandpa that your factory isn't doing too well. Don't worry, I read in the newspaper that many state-owned factories are also facing a difficult transition period of transformation."

Wen Zhiting looked at him admiringly: "If only Wenxi were half as sensible as you."

"My sister has her own strengths." Zhou Jingchen sat up straight, and spoke sincerely and eloquently.

Wen Zhiting rubbed his temples: "Your aunt and I are busy with work, and she's not good at studying. If you have time, try to help her out more. Forget about getting into the top high school, if she gets into the second-best high school with those grades, your aunt and I will be praying to Buddha."

Zhou Jingchen nodded: "Okay."

When Wenxi came out of the bathroom, she saw three pairs of eyes on the sofa all looking at her.

"What?" Her scalp tingled, and she had a bad feeling.

Xiang Qin stood up and walked to her side: "You're about to take the high school entrance exam. I've already spoken with your father and Jing Chen. Starting tomorrow, he'll tutor you every night. You don't need to go to dance class every day anymore; twice a week will suffice. Focus on overcoming the difficulties first; your grades are the most important thing."

Wenxi's lips twitched, and her sharp gaze shot straight at Zhou Jingchen. The young man pursed his lips and avoided her gaze.

As night deepened, the two entered the bedroom together. Wenxi immediately locked the door and tackled Zhou Jingchen, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, to the ground.

She sat on his waist, pressing herself tightly against him, grabbing the collar of his pajamas, and said coldly, "Did you say something to my parents?"

The tungsten filament lamp on the bedroom ceiling emitted a soft, dim light, and the sweet, lingering scent of Wenxi, who had just taken a bath, wafted over.

Her hair was wrapped high with a towel, still dripping wet. Small droplets slid down Zhou Jingchen's face, and he frowned: "You can go down now."

"I won't!" She squeezed her legs together, tightening her grip on his narrow waist. "Did you tell my parents? That I'm not doing well in school, so they made you tutor me?"

He said helplessly, "Do I even need to mention your grades?"

She pouted like a cherry: "I'd rather dance than study."

"Then go and tell your parents."

"You did this on purpose, didn't you? You knew I wouldn't dare say that in front of my parents... Zhou Jingchen, I'll kill you!"

She grabbed his neck, making muffled noises, as if she was going to kill him.

After two seconds, seeing that he didn't resist, she suddenly let go, feeling bored, got off him, and kicked him: "I'm asking you, little dog, do you remember who picked you up in the snow?"

"It's Grandpa." He lay down and put his hands under his head.

Wenxi angrily shoved him hard: "I found you first! If I hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death in the snow long ago! I'm your savior!"

The boy smiled, his tone indulgent: "Yes, thank you, my savior."

"You are my little dog, don't forget! Even in five, ten, or twenty years, you will still be my little dog. You must listen to me, I have supreme authority; only I can control you, not you can control me; I can ride on your head, but you cannot disobey me; you must get my permission and consent before doing anything; also, you are not allowed to collude with my parents to deceive me."

"I know," he said, his clear, dark eyes fixed on her. "Little princess, I understand."

"Tutoring is fine, but you're not allowed to force me to study."

"I won't force you, but..." He paused, then added, "Your mother said that she'll check the tutoring results in a month. If your grades don't improve, she'll take away all your allowance, make you stop taking dance classes, and make you study until midnight every night before going to bed."

The following paragraph was made up by him.

Wenxi let out a painful "Awoo~", covered her face and remained silent for a while. She quickly accepted reality, got off his bed in a huff, pulled the curtain between them shut, and climbed back into her own bed to sleep.

The sky outside the window was just covered with a light bluish-gray. The insects and birds of summer were tired, and only the rustling of the wind through the elm leaves, carrying a slightly damp and cool air, drifted into the half-closed window.

Zhou Jingchen curled up in the thin blanket, his forehead beaded with sweat, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

In his dream, he wasn't in a typical classroom or school, but in a performance venue, and strangely, he was the only audience member.

A girl in a red dress was barefoot, performing a striptease... but her face was obscured.

It seems to be veiled, very blurry.

She had a slender figure, a snow-white neck, and supple limbs.

First, she removed her outer red dress in front of him, then twirled and removed another layer of colorful clothing, leaving her only in a bodice.

Zhou Jingchen wanted to walk forward, lift her veil, and see who it was.

But her steps were light and airy, as if she were walking on cotton.

The dancing girl turned around, her back to her, her snow-white neck and back as smooth and delicate as fine jade.

She smiled at him with her eyebrows curved, her eyes like crescent moons, subtly teasing him with her dance movements.

A small, light brown mole on the web of her left hand added to her allure.

The boy shuddered as his fingertips brushed against the back of Zhou Jingchen's hand.

The touch was very light, yet like an electric current, it traveled up his arm and into his heart, burning him so much that his heartbeat suddenly quickened, pounding against his ribs.

Zhou Jingchen suddenly smelled a sweet, milky fragrance. The sunlight became sticky, and the fragrance was so strong that it couldn't be dissolved.

Especially when she got close, her milky candy-like scent filled his nostrils, smelling incredibly pleasant.

She moved nimbly, her slender arms climbing up his neck.

Zhou Jingchen could feel the warm breath tickling his ears and neck.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and the girl's veil fell to the ground—

A pair of familiar, beautiful eyes met his, with a hint of reproach and a smile.

Zhou Jingchen's heart pounded wildly, a rapid throbbing spreading from his heart to every part of his body, accompanied by an indescribable sense of panic and tingling.

He instinctively gripped the blanket tightly, his fingertips turning white from the force.

The heat in my body surged up like a tide, and then slowly subsided.

Suddenly, a bird outside the window let out a sharp, clear cry.

The boy suddenly opened his eyes, his chest still heaving violently, his body covered in hot sweat.

As dawn broke, the light streaming in illuminated the wrinkles on the quilt.

Zhou Jingchen was stunned for a few seconds, then belatedly blushed, his ears burning hot.

The images from the dream are still vivid in my mind, each frame incredibly clear.

He hurriedly grabbed a pillow, buried his face in it, his heart still pounding, filled with the shyness and helplessness unique to a young man.