A Disabled Alpha’S Guide To Being Loved Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Lame Su Xiaohe

Give it a try. The orange juice at the hotel is the best—it’s freshly squeezed, and I really love it. Su Xiaohe took a sip of her juice, her expression relaxing. I haven’t told you yet, but my name is Su Xiaohe. What’s yours?

My name is Cheng Cheng, Cheng Cheng said, taking the cup. His fingertips brushed against the cold glass. Thank you for the juice.

Su Xiaohe’s eyes lit up. What a coincidence! Oranges are my favorite, and your name is Cheng Cheng.

Cheng Cheng had originally been worried that Su Xiaohe might do something drastic after being scolded, but it seemed she had already adapted and managed to stabilize her emotions quickly.

It’s the Cheng that means success, not the Cheng for orange. Cheng Cheng rubbed his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. He wasn’t used to having an omega sit beside him.

Su Xiaohe’s narrow double eyelids curved into a smile. No matter which character it is, your name is very cute. From your accent, you’re not a local. Are you staying at the hotel for a vacation?

Cheng Cheng shook his head. No, I’m also here in Pujiang for work. I came today to help my brother find his girlfriend. He was worried she might be mistreated.

How lucky she is to have a boyfriend who looks out for her, Su Xiaohe said, squinting her eyes. Your brother is quite generous too. With you being so handsome, isn’t he afraid you’ll steal his girlfriend away?

Cheng Cheng could tell she was teasing him. Being praised for his looks by an omega for the first time made him blush. No, my childhood friend is much more handsome than me.

Su Xiaohe nodded. Who are you waiting for? Why don’t I treat you both to a meal when you’re done? You know, after being scolded by that guest so many times, you’re the first person who ever stood up for me.

Cheng Cheng saw the lingering marks on Su Xiaohe’s arm, and his heart felt heavy. People in big cities are more indifferent than those in small towns.

Su Xiaohe waved it off. You can’t say that. I’m actually from Pujiang myself, but I was just unlucky enough to be born into a family worse than beasts. But do you think I’m indifferent?

Su Xiaohe leaned closer to Cheng Cheng. Startled, he blushed even deeper. You’re not indifferent at all. You even treated me to orange juice.

Su Xiaohe said wistfully, I was born with a limp, and I’m an omega. Some people pity me, some gloat over my misfortune, and some are jealous…

Just then, a girl with a high ponytail and a backpack walked toward them. It was Tian Qianqian.

Tian Qianqian’s shift had also ended. She walked up to the two of them and looked at Cheng Cheng’s face with surprise. You’re Cheng Cheng? I thought you’d be the same type as Xu Zhiping—all big and brawny! I didn’t expect you to be so clean-cut.

Su Xiaohe was also surprised to see it was Tian Qianqian. So your brother’s girlfriend is Sister Qianqian.

Tian Qianqian pointed between Cheng Cheng and Su Xiaohe. You two know each other?

We just met, Cheng Cheng said with a smile.

Su Xiaohe giggled. He played the hero and rescued the damsel in distress.

Tian Qianqian made a face of realization, looking at Su Xiaohe and Cheng Cheng with an even more meaningful expression. Since we’ve met, it must be fate. How about we go grab a meal together? My treat.

Cheng Cheng quickly replied, How can I let a girl pay? It should be my treat.

If you want to pay, then go ahead, Tian Qianqian said briskly. She pulled Su Xiaohe aside as if to whisper in her ear. My boyfriend said he’s doing well now and making a lot of money every month.

Really? Su Xiaohe covered her mouth and laughed, her eyes bright.

But she didn’t ask how much like most people would. She just smiled and pushed the orange juice cup toward Cheng Cheng. Then I’ll be riding your coattails. I’ve been wanting to try some of Pujiang’s local specialties.

The three of them left the hotel. Tian Qianqian familiarly led them toward a nearby snack street, chatting with Cheng Cheng about Xu Zhiping’s embarrassing stories along the way.

Last time we video-called, he said the construction site gave out fruit. He insisted on saving half a box for me, but then he forgot to eat them himself. Most of them went bad, and he moped about it for ages.

Listening to this, Cheng Cheng couldn’t help but smile. Xu Zhiping was still the same—a bit of a goofball.

Su Xiaohe walked beside them, occasionally chiming in. Her tone was calm, but she always managed to keep the conversation going with Tian Qianqian.

As they passed a stall selling sugar-roasted chestnuts, she suddenly stopped. She stared at the chestnuts tumbling in the pot for a moment before looking away as if nothing had happened. She remarked casually, It’s rare to see sugar-roasted chestnuts for sale in the summer.

Cheng Cheng noticed her fingertips curl slightly, as if she were remembering something.

They found a small restaurant with a window seat. Tian Qianqian took the menu and ordered sweet and sour pork ribs and oil-braised prawns. Then she asked Su Xiaohe, What do you want to eat? Their tomato and egg stir-fry is very tender.

Let’s go with the tomato and egg stir-fry, Su Xiaohe smiled, her finger tracing the edge of the table. When I used to work in a restaurant, the boss always said my tomato and egg stir-fry was the best. The sweet and sour balance was just right—you could eat two bowls of rice with it.

Cheng Cheng was curious. You used to work in a restaurant too?

I’ve done a lot of things. Su Xiaohe picked up the teapot and poured water for the two of them. Her tone was relaxed, as if she were talking about someone else’s life.

I ran away from home when I was fifteen. I’ve washed dishes in restaurants, worked in clothing stores, and helped in construction site canteens. It was a site similar to where Sister Qianqian’s boyfriend works. I had to get up before dawn to chop vegetables every day and couldn’t leave until all the workers had finished eating at night. I earned two thousand yuan a month and had to watch out for the foreman docking my pay.

Tian Qianqian was stunned. This was her first time hearing Su Xiaohe talk about these things. She hadn’t expected this thin, small girl to have had a harder life than her own back in their small county. Aren’t you from Pujiang? Didn’t your parents look after you?

Su Xiaohe took a sip of water. Her eyes dimmed for a moment but quickly brightened again with a hint of self-deprecation. Look after me? Of course they did. They looked after whether I was a cripple, whether I could earn a bride price for them, and why I couldn’t be like the omegas next door and find a rich alpha to marry. Even in Pujiang, the rural folk are miserably poor.

She put down her cup and lightly tapped her right leg. I was born with a bad leg. They always called me a money-losing commodity. When I was little, they would beat and scold me at the drop of a hat. Later, when I ran away, they looked for me twice—not because they missed me, but because they wanted the money I’d saved from working to pay for my brother’s wedding.

Cheng Cheng’s heart sank. He didn’t know what to say.

He thought of his own childhood. Although his family was poor, his parents had never lost their tempers with him. But Su Xiaohe…

What happened after that? Tian Qianqian’s voice softened.

After that, I moved to a different city and cut off all contact with them. Su Xiaohe smiled. There was no resentment in her voice, only a sense of detached acceptance.

Last year, while working at an electronics factory in the neighboring county, I met a man. He was an alpha and was quite good to me. He brought me breakfast every day and said we should save up to buy a house. I believed him and gave him all fifty thousand yuan I had saved over the years. In the end, he took the money and ran off with another woman without leaving a single word.

She spoke lightly, as if telling an insignificant story. But Cheng Cheng saw that her knuckles were slightly white as she gripped her water cup.

Tian Qianqian slammed the table in anger. That bastard! You should have called the police and had him arrested!

I did, Su Xiaohe shrugged. The police said there wasn’t enough evidence and they couldn’t find him. Later, I came to terms with it; I just treated it as an expensive lesson. There isn’t much sincerity in this world; most people are just after something.

She looked at Cheng Cheng with a complex smile in her eyes. Don’t think I’m being pessimistic. I’ve seen all kinds of people: bosses who cut corners at construction sites, chefs who withhold wages in restaurants, and partners who say they love you only to run off with your money… When you’ve seen enough, you don’t dare to believe in anything easily anymore.

Looking at her, Cheng Cheng suddenly remembered when he first saw her. She had been knocked to the ground by the old cleaner’s scolding, yet her eyes hadn’t shown much fear—only a kind of stoic calm.

It wasn’t that she was timid; she was simply used to such miserable things and knew that begging for mercy was useless.

But it’s not all bad. Su Xiaohe suddenly laughed. She took a sugar-roasted chestnut that had just been served, peeled it, and popped it into her mouth. She had seen it—Cheng Cheng had asked the owner to buy them when they first entered the restaurant. For example, meeting you today. You blocked a slap for me, and I even get a free meal.

She chewed the chestnut, her eyes curving. These chestnuts are quite sweet, just like the ones I used to buy in secret when I was little. Back then, I saved up ten yuan to buy a small bag and hid in an alley to eat them, afraid my parents would see.

Looking at her smiling face, Cheng Cheng felt a pang of sadness.

He asked the owner for another serving of sugar-roasted chestnuts. If you like them, eat as many as you want. It’s all you can eat today.

Su Xiaohe was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. Then I won’t be polite.

Tian Qianqian looked at the two of them and gave Cheng Cheng a subtle, mischievous wink.

Cheng Cheng didn’t see it. He was busy eating chestnuts, not caring about the sugar on his fingertips.

Outside the window, the sky gradually darkened. The lights of the snack street flickered on, and the area became bustling with the sounds of people and the aroma of food.

As Su Xiaohe ate her chestnuts and chatted with the two of them, her tone became more carefree and less pessimistic. The warm yellow light of the small restaurant seemed to warm the cold corners of her heart.

Halfway through the meal, Cheng Cheng’s phone rang. It was a message from Secretary He, asking if he wanted to go pick up Wei Zhi together. It seemed Wei Zhi had drunk a bit too much that evening, and since his health was poor, Secretary He didn’t dare act on his own.

Cheng Cheng checked the time, apologized to the two women, and got up to pay the bill.

Watching his back, Su Xiaohe suddenly said to Tian Qianqian, Your boyfriend’s childhood friend is a really good person.

Tian Qianqian smiled. Of course. Xu Zhiping told me that Cheng Cheng is an honest man. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have felt comfortable letting him come see me.

Su Xiaohe nodded and picked up a piece of pork rib, a flicker of complex emotion crossing her eyes.

It had been a long time since she had met someone like him—someone who didn’t look at her differently because of her leg, and who didn’t pity or look down on her because of her past. He simply helped her, treating her like an ordinary friend.

Cheng Cheng returned after paying. I have to head back now. My boss has something going on.

Alright, let’s meet up again next time. Tian Qianqian stood up and pulled Su Xiaohe. I should probably get going too. Are you coming with us?

Su Xiaohe shook her head. I’ll sit here for a while longer and watch the night view. She looked at Cheng Cheng and suddenly said, Cheng Cheng, thank you for helping me today and for the meal.

You’re welcome, Cheng Cheng smiled. If anyone tries to bully you again, don’t just take it. Tell me, or tell the manager.

Su Xiaohe nodded. She watched Cheng Cheng’s figure disappear through the door before picking up her water cup and taking a slow sip.

The lively atmosphere from outside drifted in, mixing with the scent of food. She suddenly felt that perhaps not everything in this world was so bad after all.