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

The competition officially came to an end. Wenxi inserted the SIM card into her phone, and hundreds of text messages and missed call notifications immediately flooded her eyes.

Most of the text messages were sent by Zhou Jingchen; he was like a dog that had gone mad.

From initial hysteria to humble concessions, and finally to a plea so low it was almost groveling. Wenxi, holding her phone, felt a complex mix of emotions.

One of the messages was from Brother Jiang, who worked at the loan shark company: "[Five million in principal, debt cleared]"

Wenxi paused for a moment, then scrolled down to find a text message from Song Xianglin: "Aunt Xiang has been picked up by Zhou Jingchen."

She instantly understood that Zhou Jingchen had helped the family pay off their debts and taken her mother away; he knew everything.

Just then, a text message notification sounded again. It was from Zhou Jingchen, containing two words: 【Congratulations】.

Wenxi took a deep breath and dialed his number.

"Feed?" The man's clear voice reached her ears, his tone tinged with surprise and urgency. "Sister, the competition is over. When are you coming back? Shall I come pick you up?"

"Zhou Jingchen," Wenxi's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion, "come to Lianghe."

The address was a cemetery, which she sent to his phone.

Zhou Jingchen drove from Linshen, speeding all the way to Lianghe. His heart was in his throat, filled with inexplicable unease.

......

At nine o'clock in the morning, the car arrived at Lianghe Qingshan Cemetery. Zhou Jingchen could see a slender figure standing at the entrance of the cemetery from afar.

Wenxi wore a light blue fitted dress, her snow-white arms hanging naturally at her sides. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, making her look like a pure blue lotus flower, beautiful and captivating.

She was holding a bouquet of flowers in her arms. When she saw Zhou Jingchen, her eyes paused for a moment, but then she regained her composure.

The weather in July was hot and humid, and the cicadas chirped incessantly from early morning.

Zhou Jingchen, dressed in a white T-shirt and black pants, still looked as dashing as ever. He strode up to her, his dark eyes gazing intently at her, his longing overflowing.

The two hadn't seen each other for two months; it would be a lie to say they didn't miss each other.

Wenxi avoided his burning gaze, lowered her eyelashes, and said calmly, "Let's go."

She turned around, and he followed closely behind her.

Zhou Jingchen also brought a bouquet of flowers. He knew, of course, that Uncle Wen was buried here. He had already visited alone some time ago.

Both of them were deeply saddened and walked in silence up the steps, their footsteps echoing softly in the quiet cemetery.

Standing before Wen Zhiting's tombstone, his name was engraved on the cold blue stone, and the surface of the tombstone was wiped spotless.

The two gently placed the flowers in front of the monument, knelt down together, and kowtowed three times earnestly.

In the distance, the green mountains stretch endlessly, and a few clear birdsongs drift through the forests. The air is filled with the faint fragrance of grass and trees. Wen Zhiting rests here in peace.

Wenxi stood up and turned to look at Zhou Jingchen.

She took a card out of her bag and handed it to him; it contained her prize money from the competition and endorsement fees, totaling five million.

"Thank you for helping our family pay off our debts."

This was the second time she had spoken to him in two months. Her cold, distant manner made Zhou Jingchen's heart sink into an icy abyss.

She reached out and took his hand, forcefully shoving the bank card into his palm, her voice flat and emotionless: "But I don't need your help. Here's the five million back."

"From now on, we owe each other nothing. You go your way, and I'll go mine."

Each word was like a knife, tearing Zhou Jingchen's heart to shreds.

His eyes instantly reddened, and he gripped her hand tightly, his knuckles turning white: "I'm sorry, sister, I know this apology comes too late, too pale and powerless."

"Give me a chance to make it up to you, to make it up to Auntie, okay?"

Her hands were soft and white, and when they touched his warm palms, they felt slightly cool, like a small piece of ice jade that couldn't be warmed up.

Wenxi forcefully pulled her hand back, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes looking directly into his dark eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips:

"You can continue to be good to my mother. I won't stop you from making amends to her or repaying her for raising you."

"As for the two of us, let's forget that ridiculous memory from the past, Zhou Jingchen. From now on, let's go back to being ordinary siblings."

He clenched his fist and spoke with difficulty, "Do you think we can still be ordinary siblings?"

"Yes," Wenxi replied, her answer crisp and resolute.

"I don't want to be just a brother and sister with you!" Zhou Jingchen couldn't hold back any longer. He reached out and pulled her tightly into his arms, stroking her long hair with his large hand. "I know you were just saying things in anger during our last argument. I know you were afraid of dragging me down, afraid of affecting me, that's why you deliberately said those things to push me away. I know all of that. From now on, let's be together properly, okay?"

Tears welled up in his eyes and slid down his handsome cheeks. He held her tightly, his voice low, hoarse, and humble: "Please, don't leave me."

"Zhou Jingchen!" Wenxi used all her strength to push him away abruptly. Her eyes were red, and tears were welling up in her eyes.

"Zhou Jingchen, I've never told you this before, but every moment I've spent with you has been filled with mental anguish. I'm not happy at all, not joyful at all."

Why?

Wenxi took a breath, held back her tears, and choked out, "You should know that I came to Linshen to look for you a few years ago, but your grandmother blocked me at the door and gave me a severe beating."

"I'm sorry..." Zhou Jingchen felt as if his heart was being pierced by needles whenever he thought about it.

"Zhou Jingchen, do you know how pathetic I was back then? A lot of things happened at home, and my father fell ill. I missed you so much, and I really wanted to see you. I kept it from my parents and took a train for a day and a night to Linshen to find you. But because of that trip, I didn't even get to see my father one last time."

Her voice trembled violently, and tears streamed down her cheeks, falling to the ground.

"When I rushed back to the hospital in Lianghe from Linshen, my father was already lying in the morgue. His whole body was ice cold and stiff, and no matter how I called or shouted, he wouldn't wake up."

Wenxi, her eyes red, stared intently at the man before her: "This is why we can never be together in this lifetime."

"I hate myself. If I hadn't gone to find you, hadn't seen you, maybe I wouldn't have missed seeing my father one last time before he passed away."

"My mom said that before he left, he kept asking, 'Where is my daughter? Why hasn't she come back yet?'"

Tears streamed down her face, soaking her clothes.

Zhou Jingchen stood there, his brows furrowed, tears streaming down his face. His heart felt as if it were being gripped tightly by a giant hand, the pain making it hard to breathe.

"I don't blame you, I really don't blame you. I just can't forgive myself. When I was with you, I never had a moment of true peace, let alone any happiness. I often think and regret why I liked you, why I insisted on going to find you. If I hadn't gone that way, maybe my dad wouldn't have passed away with so much regret, maybe everything would have been different."

She cried uncontrollably, her body trembling. Years of regret, self-blame, and pain that had been building up inside her finally erupted at this moment, and she couldn't suppress them no matter what she did.

"I, Wenxi, can be with any man in this life, can fall in love with any man, can marry any man, but you, Zhou Jingchen, are the exception."

A bitter taste spread through her veins, her throat tightened, and she blinked, forcing back a tear. She stared intently at him and uttered her final words:

Let's forget the past. From now on, let's each move forward and never look back.

After saying that, she didn't look at him again, turned around without hesitation, and left the cemetery step by step.

Zhou Jingchen stood frozen in place, as if the blood in his body had frozen.

His hands trembled uncontrollably, his teeth chattered, and an overwhelming sense of bitterness and despair completely enveloped him.

He slowly squatted down, covered his face, and suppressed sobs rolled in his throat, eventually turning into low, broken, and painful weeping.