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

Zhou Jingchen's expression froze, a dull pain shot through his heart, and his thoughts were in chaos, as if shrouded in a black fog.

Her words were like a sharp blade, stabbing him deeply.

It was as if something was being extinguished inch by inch.

After a moment, he swallowed hard, then suddenly gripped her wrist, his dark eyes fixed on her with a resentful intensity, his tone resolute:

You lied to me.

Wenxi smiled, withdrew her wrist, dusted off his shoulder, and raised an eyebrow:

"The thing Song Xianglin has over you is that he's mature, rational, and a great bed partner. He never pesters me or tries to get anything else from me."

"And you, you're too greedy, Zhou Jingchen. I don't like it."

She kicked him out and slammed the door shut without a second thought.

Zhou Jingchen's eyes were bloodshot, and he stood blankly at the door for a long time.

Finally, he went downstairs and slumped into his car.

"He also massaged my stomach, and he went into/went into all the places you've been..."

Thinking of this, he seemed to see a scene, his eyes stung painfully, and then he closed them.

......

Wenxi sat behind the door and sobbed quietly for a long time, until she could cry no more tears. Only then did she stand up, take out her phone, and call Brother Jiang, the loan shark.

Her voice was calm: "I have nothing to do with Zhou Jingchen anymore. He won't help me pay off my debts, and you don't need to look for him."

Someone cursed, "Fuck you!"

"Brother Jiang," Wenxi suddenly called out to him, "You've been chasing after the debt for seven years, and my parents and I have been on the run for seven years. You should know that my father only borrowed five million back then, and the rest is all high interest accumulated over the years."

Wenxi's eyes were red and swollen like walnuts, and her voice was cold, carrying a do-or-die courage:

"My father is dead, my mother has breast cancer and I don't know how much longer she has to live. I hurt the person I love most, and he will never forgive me."

"Brother Jiang, I'm tired. You've been following our family all these years, you must be tired too."

"The country is cracking down on loan sharks right now, and many people have been arrested. You have family and children, and you probably don't want to spend the rest of your life in prison at such a young age, do you?"

The other person angrily swore again: "Damn it, you believe it or not...?"

"I believed you would kill me. But now, I'm not afraid anymore."

"If you're willing, I'll repay you five million in principal in two months. Don't worry about me cheating you. Over the years, I've been the only one who has proactively transferred money to your account to repay your debts."

"If you refuse, not only will you not get your principal back, but in the future, no one will pay you back."

"You'll only be able to come to my grave to collect your debt then."

These words took all her strength.

Wenxi hung up the phone, lay on the cold floor, and two lines of tears slowly slid down from the corners of her eyes.

-

It's 11 p.m.

A familiar figure came into Zhou Jingchen's view.

Song Xianglin, wearing a white jacket and casual pants, walked towards us carrying a bag of food. When he passed the car at the door, he paused for a moment, then turned around and went up the stairs.

Zhou Jingchen got out of the car and lit a cigarette by the door. His tall figure looked particularly lonely in the dim night.

The crimson mark between his slender, long fingers flickered on and off as he watched the lights in the hallway illuminate one floor at a time, until they reached the top floor.

My heart is filled with churning smoke and a pungent taste that fills my chest.

He looked up and stared intently at the lit bedroom. Around midnight, two blurry figures passed by the window, and a short while later, the light went out.

The whole world went dark.

Only the shadows cast by the streetlights on those black Oxford shoes looked particularly ironic.

Zhou Jingchen sat in the car all night without closing his eyes, with cigarette butts scattered around the car door.

At 8:30 a.m., Song Xianglin came out of the stairwell and left with brisk steps.

He stayed up there all night.

He dared not think... what had they done all night?

Zhou Jingchen closed his eyes in pain, his eyelashes trembling violently. After a moment, he opened them, his eyes bloodshot.

He opened the car door, went upstairs, and stood at the door, banging on the door.

After a while, the door opened from the inside.

Wenxi, dressed in a white nightgown, crossed her arms and lazily looked up at him.

The fresh, ambiguous red marks on her fair neck were glaringly obvious and deeply burned him. Zhou Jingchen only glanced at them before lowering his eyelashes.

He clenched his fists, his eyes red and swollen, and looked at her with a complex and painful expression. Without saying a word, he turned and left dejectedly.

......

Dianzhou.

June is the most beautiful season in Dianzhou, with flowers in full bloom and a gentle summer breeze caressing your face.

The Luoshen Cup is the most prestigious dance competition in China. The last time it was held was in 2002, and this year's event in 2007 has doubled in scale and its influence extends throughout the country.

The competition is divided into preliminary rounds, semi-finals, and finals, lasting a total of two months. The entire competition process is recorded and will be broadcast on mainstream television stations.

This is the first day of the preliminary round.

A large number of media reporters gathered outside the Dianzhou Opera House, standing outside the fence with microphones in hand, reporting on this nationally watched event.

"Dear audience, the Luoshen Cup has officially begun again after a five-year hiatus. As you can see behind us, the Dianzhou Opera House is the venue for this competition. Thousands of contestants from all over the country have already entered the venue..."

"This year's Luoshen Cup is unprecedented in scale. The champion will receive a cash prize of 200 million yuan and an exclusive endorsement deal with 'Jinxiufang,' a leading domestic brand. Mr. Liang Yanting, the CEO of 'Jinxiufang,' will be attending as a judge, as his mother was a renowned dancer in China..."

Amidst the surging crowd, Wenxi, wearing a mask and carrying her pre-prepared dance costume, mingled with the throng as she walked toward the opera house.

At this moment, a reporter stopped her: "Hello, would it be convenient for you to interview me about why you participated in this competition?"

There were other reporters interviewing other contestants nearby, and Wenxi could hear their joyful voices.

"I've loved dancing since I was little, and participating in the Luoshen Cup is my dream..."

"I am from an ethnic minority group, and I hope to participate in the Luoshen Cup to promote our ethnic dance..."

The camera was pointed at Wenxi, whose face was mostly covered by a mask. Her hair fluttered in the wind, and her big eyes were beautiful, with upturned corners and long eyelashes that fluttered like stars.

She looked blankly at the camera, and spoke slowly and sincerely into the microphone:

"I need money. I need to win the championship to help my family pay off their debts and pay for my mother's chemotherapy."

Her eyes were moist, hazy yet possessing a broken and unique beauty.

Inside the judges' lounge.

The television was broadcasting live footage of reporters interviewing people outside the venue, and Wenxi's face was frozen in the frame.

Liang Yanting withdrew his gaze, his dark eyes lowered, and slowly took a sip of tea.

"Teachers, you may enter now." A staff member knocked on the door with a smile.

He stood up, straightened his suit, and strode out.

.....

Zhou Jingchen worked overtime at the company for two days in a daze. On this day, he suddenly received a call from Lin Xujie.

"Have you found any clues?" he asked.

"Not yet," Lin Xujie said. "Professor Qi is back, and Zhang Cheng and the others are having a class reunion. It's just a few of us who are close to him. We'll get together tomorrow night to welcome our teacher back."

"Okay." He put down his phone and wearily pinched the bridge of his nose.

Lu Zhenting came to the company at noon.

He sat on the sofa, exuding the authority of a father.

"Your grandma was so upset by you that she had to go to the hospital," Lu Zhenting said, frowning. "Go see her, apologize to her, and that will be the end of it."

Zhou Jingchen said helplessly, "Dad, I don't know what I did wrong."

"You shouldn't disobey your elders."

"My moral education teachers told me from a young age that I shouldn't blindly obey my elders. My grandmother disregarded my wishes and forced me to marry a girl I didn't like. Dad, do you think this is right?"

"No matter what, she's still your grandmother. You could handle this gently, instead of..."

Zhou Jingchen sighed, "It's because of your constant tendency to compromise that Mom has suffered so much injustice."

One sentence left Lu Zhenting speechless, his face turning ashen.

Finally, Zhou Jingchen straightened up, buttoned up his open suit jacket, and added:

"I'm not like you. I would never let the woman I love suffer even the slightest grievance."