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

On the way to the banquet, Jiang Qi was driving with the steering wheel in hand when she turned her head to chat with Wen Xi.

"How are things between you and President Zhou lately?"

Wenxi said in a nonchalant tone, casually uttering two words: "We broke up."

"what?"

There was a red light ahead, and Jiang Qi was so startled that she slammed on the brakes, causing the car to lurch violently.

Her face was filled with disbelief: "Why did you break up? He seemed so devoted to you, what was wrong with him?"

Wenxi, unwilling to elaborate, simply changed the subject: "What about your homeless performer boyfriend? Are you still dating him?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Qi slammed her hand on the steering wheel, seething with anger: "We broke up a long time ago! That damn bastard, he was flirting with other women, and I caught him red-handed!"

Wenxi was so surprised that her lips parted slightly, her eyes filled with astonishment.

"There are very few people like your childhood sweetheart who have loved you for so many years without ever changing their mind." Jiang Qi brought the topic back to the present.

"I'm only saying this to you as your best friend. Stop being so stubborn with him. The two of you should get together soon so you can enjoy his young body for a few more years."

"A man's prime is only a few years, so enjoy it while you can and make money while you can!"

"Besides, you two are almost thirty, how long are you going to keep wasting your time?"

Wenxi lowered her eyes, her fingertips gently twirling the brocade fabric of her cheongsam, and muttered softly, "There are countless men in the world, it's not like I can't live without him."

"Oh, stop being stubborn, grandma. You're the only one who can catch snakes with her bare hands and would love you with her life..."

Before Jiang Qi could finish speaking, she suddenly slammed on the brakes again.

Wenxi leaned forward instinctively, grabbing the car door for support, and asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

"Damn it! Who dares to cut in line? Damn it!" Jiang Qi angrily pushed open the car door, rolled up her sleeves, and was about to rush in.

The two cars collided, and a large patch of black paint was scraped off the right side of the Mercedes, exposing the white primer, which looked particularly glaring.

Fearing she might get into a fight, Wenxi quickly got out of the car and grabbed her arm, saying, "Don't be impulsive, call the traffic police first."

The traffic police arrived at the scene shortly afterward. While taking notes and issuing a ticket, they looked at Jiang Qi and asked, "Are you the car owner?"

Jiang Qi glanced around nervously and pointed guiltily to Wen Xi beside her: "She is. I'm just someone who helps drive."

Wenxi's almond-shaped eyes widened instantly, her small mouth slightly agape, and she pointed at herself with a bewildered expression: "Me?"

Jiang Qi puffed out her chest and said in a clear voice, "Yes, it's yours. Your husband bought it for you."

The traffic police officer urged from the side, "Show me your driver's license."

"Oh," Jiang Qi replied, hurriedly opening the car door and rummaging through her bag for her driver's license.

Wenxi stood there stunned for a long time before she could process the words, "Your husband bought it for you."

My mind was in turmoil, filled with doubt.

What exactly does Zhou Jingchen mean?

They transferred a house to her, and now they've secretly given her a Mercedes-Benz...

Dealing with the accident would take some time, and Jiang Qi was worried about being late for the banquet when a minivan pulled up behind them.

The rear window slowly rolled down, revealing Liang Yanting's handsome profile. His voice was deep and gentle as he invited, "Let's go in my car, don't delay us."

.....

The banquet was held at the Hyatt Hotel in a city near Shenzhen. The entrance was lined with luxury cars, and as far as the eye could see, it was full of high-end vehicles and wealthy people.

The van slowly pulled up in front of the hotel, and a waiter quickly stepped forward to open the door.

Liang Yanting got out of the car first, turned around and extended his hand in a gentlemanly manner. Wenxi politely placed her fingertips on his palm, bowed, and got out of the car.

At such high-end banquets, it is customary for male and female companions to enter arm in arm.

The red carpet stretched from the entrance all the way to the banquet hall, with reporters crowding both sides, their cameras clicking away and the blinding flashes making it hard to open one's eyes.

Wenxi had never attended such a grand occasion before, so she was inevitably a little nervous. She held her breath, and her fingers unconsciously crumpled Liang Yanting's suit.

The man glanced down at her tightly clenched fingers and asked in a low voice, "Nervous?"

Wenxi gave a soft "hmm".

"You were much braver dancing on the Luoshen Cup stage," he said. "You need to get used to facing the camera."

"I know," Wenxi replied softly.

As the two walked into the banquet hall, she withdrew her hand and whispered, "It's making me so uncomfortable."

Liang Yanting chuckled softly, raised his hand and gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "There are no reporters here anymore, you can relax a little."

The sudden action made Wenxi freeze for a moment.

Realizing he had crossed the line, he said in a deep voice, "Sorry, I just noticed your hair was a bit messy."

Wenxi shook her head gently and smiled, "It's nothing."

Not far away, an on-site photographer happened to capture this scene, and the camera captured the two people's posture clearly and ambiguously.

The following day, the headline of the Lin Shen Entertainment News featured this photo—Liang Yanting leaned slightly forward, his gaze focused on brushing a strand of hair from Wenxi's ear. The two stood side by side, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, like a perfect couple.

The headline was even more eye-catching: "The behind-the-scenes boss of Jinxiufang is suspected of having an underground relationship with a rising starlet."

This news also topped the trending list on Xinghe Forum. During a meeting at Xingyao Company, a senior executive mentioned it, and Li Wei subconsciously looked at Zhou Jingchen.

He didn't seem to have much of an expression on his face, only coldly ordering the trending topic to be removed.

Time flies. With Jiang Qi's help, Wenxi's career has been on the rise. She has successively taken on several big brand endorsements, appeared on TV talk shows, and was even nominated as the closing act for a mainstream satellite TV Spring Festival Gala.

She started to get used to wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap when she went out, and was always careful about what she said and did, for fear that reporters would suddenly appear and she would be photographed.

Zhou Jingchen rarely appeared in front of her, but Wenxi felt as if he was everywhere.

For example, the high-end meals that Jiang Qi occasionally buys are all perfectly suited to her taste.

I put vitamin C tablets and various fruit teas in her cup;

A high-end brand cashmere blanket draped over her legs when it was cold;

And on one occasion, she attended a cocktail party and, in a daze, was held in the arms of a strong and powerful body, her lips brushing against a soft, warm touch.

When I woke up with a hangover, I found that I had taken a shower and changed into my pajamas, feeling refreshed. I asked Jiang Qi if she had helped me tidy up, but she was vague, touching her nose and looking away. I forced myself to lie and said yes.

Two or three months passed in the blink of an eye.

On October 20th, Wenxi attended a shopping mall event for an original jewelry brand.

While browsing the counter, she spotted a silver men's bracelet with a low-key yet unique design.

A staff member stepped forward and introduced, "Miss, you have excellent taste. This is a new design by our chief designer, called the Eye of Horus. It's a classic symbol from ancient Egypt. Horus is the god of the sky and the protector of the pharaoh, representing the beautiful wish for peace and prosperity."

In Wenxi's mind, the old bracelet on Zhou Jingchen's wrist, which he had worn for more than ten years and was almost faded, suddenly flashed through her mind. He still refused to take it off.

A slight stirring in my heart—

Tomorrow is his birthday. She is, after all, the older sister he has called since childhood. He should still show her the proper etiquette.

So she bought the bracelet.

On the way back, Wenxi handed the small gift bag containing the bracelet to Jiang Qi.

Jiang Qi raised an eyebrow: "What's this?"

"Give it to Zhou Jingchen tomorrow."

Jiang Qi was stunned for a moment: "Huh? Me?"

"Don't you contact him often?" Wenxi asked.

Jiang Qi blinked, stammered, and after a long pause, finally managed to say, "I...I didn't."

Ignoring everything else, Wenxi shoved the gift bag into her hands, saying, "Just give it to him for me."

"Then why don't you give it to yourself?" Jiang Qi pressed.

Wenxi pouted, "Just seeing him annoys me."

The following day, Jiang Qi delivered the gift bag to Zhou Jingchen as promised.

He opened the exquisite gift box, and when he saw the silver bracelet inside, his fingers froze. He looked up at Jiang Qi and asked uncertainly, "Did she ask you to give this to me?"

Jiang Qi solemnly replied, "Yes."

At that moment, Zhou Jingchen was overjoyed and wanted to rush to Wenxi immediately, but he held back.

He didn't want to bother her, and he didn't want the hard-won reconciliation he had endured for months to return to square one.

In the end, he simply took out his phone and sent Wenxi a short text message: "Thank you."

Wenxi stared at the two words on the screen for a long, long time, and finally gently closed her phone without replying.

-

Dingkang Private Hospital.

Xiang Qin knew it was Zhou Jingchen's birthday today, so she specially invited him over and prepared a hand-embroidered handkerchief as a birthday gift.

Zhou Jingchen stood by the table, flipping through her recent chemotherapy reports. Seeing the steadily improving data, he felt a slight sense of relief. Dingkang's imported chemotherapy equipment had indeed played a significant role.

"Jingchen, come here and sit next to Auntie." Xiang Qin patted the edge of the bed and called softly.

Zhou Jingchen put down the report and slowly walked to the bedside to sit down.

Xiang Qin took his hand and asked softly, "Have you... been having a fight with your sister lately?"

Zhou Jingchen lowered his eyes and said calmly, "No."

"Don't lie to your aunt," Xiang Qin smiled helplessly, her tone gentle, "Do you think I don't know what you two are like when you're angry?"

He hesitated for a long time, but still told Xiang Qin everything:

"My sister has been heartbroken because of my uncle's passing. She came to Shenzhen to see me before he died, which meant she couldn't see him one last time..."

Xiang Qin was slightly taken aback, but in an instant she understood what was going on.

"Is that why she's angry with you?"

Zhou Jingchen lowered his head, his strong features shrouded in a faint gloom, and his voice was low and hoarse as he softly hummed in agreement.

Xiang Qin paused for a few seconds, then gently patted the back of his hand, comforting him, "Jing Chen, don't blame your sister."

"You two grew up together. No matter how stubborn she may be, her feelings for you have always been the deepest."

Do you remember that summer after your junior year of high school?

Zhou Jingchen looked up at her and nodded: "I remember, that was the first time I left Pingjiang and came to Linshen."

Xiang Qin looked at him, her eyes gentle yet tinged with a hint of melancholy, and slowly spoke:

"You don't know, after you left that year, the little magpie got sick."