Stinky Jerk
"Green Plum Fruit"
By Jin Xu
"May you and I have a youthful spirit forever"
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In April, just after rain, the branches and leaves seemed wiped clean, revealing a wet, tender green.
With a bang, Wen Liangyu was kicked out of the principal's office.
Hearing the crisp, apologetic "Auntie," Wen Liangyu's anger stalled, and a smile tugged at her lips as she comforted, "You heard all that? It's okay, it's not your fault."
The girl in a simple white blouse and warm yellow skirt showed a faint, bright smile. Before she could speak, the closed office door opened again, and a bald old man walked out.
The principal of Shanfu stood there with a protruding belly, speaking bluntly like a machine gun, "What do you mean it's not her fault? It is her fault!"
"I don't care if this kid could have gotten into Tsinghua or Peking University before. In my life, I've seen no less than ten thousand or at least a thousand who could. Now that she's given up her specialty recommendation to come to our Shanfu, it means her grades aren't good. We have to consider our college admission rate."
"I'll put the ugly words upfront: if she can't keep up this semester and doesn't make it into the top 50% of the grade, I won't show any mercy—she'll be transferred directly."
With a stern glare, he twisted his body and closed the door, leaving them out in the cold.
When discussing Yun Mi's situation, Wen Liangyu had deliberately closed the door to prevent the child from hearing. But when she came out, she couldn't stop the principal's loud mouth, and didn't even get a chance to rebut.
Afraid the child would overthink, Wen Liangyu comforted, "Xiao Mi, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Shanfu placed you in the key class, so they'll still focus on you. The teachers here are pretty good. I know a few teachers from the college entrance exam classes. I'll contact them later, and your grades will improve quickly..."
Yun Mi had just transferred from Shanghai to Shancheng, unfamiliar with the place, but she was clear about her weaknesses. She said, "It's okay, Auntie. I'll work hard."
"I know, but..."
Wen Liangyu said, "What kind of principal talks like that in front of a child? It ruins their mindset."
Yun Mi had been holding her light pink rabbit backpack. Seeing Wen Liangyu's troubled expression, she bit her lip, lifted the rabbit's chubby arm, and said, "Come on, Yun Mi, promise Auntie—you'll study hard and stay at Shanfu!"
The rabbit's black eyes stared at Wen Liangyu. It was being used as a stand-in for "Yun Mi," expressionless as the girl manipulated it.
Yun Mi pinched the rabbit's jaw and dubbed for it, "I will study hard and stay at Shanfu!"
The rabbit saluted, its tone firmer, saying, "Mission guaranteed!"
Wen Liangyu's panic eased a little. She hadn't expected Yun Mi to comfort her instead. Lost in thought, she remembered an old acquaintance and smiled helplessly.
Shanfu was founded in 1937 during the Anti-Japanese War, with deep heritage. Ivy clung to the teaching building walls, and a century-old banyan tree stood in the school's central garden, its sturdy roots deep in the ground.
Wen Liangyu's son Chen Yiyang studied at Shanfu, and she and Yun Mi's mother were also alumni. Familiar with the school, she briefed Yun Mi, then said, "Shanfu has a great learning atmosphere, with a 96% undergraduate admission rate. That principal has a sharp tongue, but it's a good school."
Just then, the class bell rang. A crowd of boys and girls holding books poured out of the classrooms, crossed the corridor, and noisily gathered around the bulletin board.
"Who took first again?! Perfect scores in math and physics!? Damn, is he even human?!"
"Can't call him human anymore... a god, maybe."
Yun Mi paused and couldn't help glancing over. Groups of students were exclaiming about that legend.
—Chen Yiyang, Aunt Wen's son.
Because of her mother and Aunt Wen, she had to call him "brother."
He was the brother she had always heard about but never met.
Three months ago, she had an accident. After being discharged from the hospital, she had to return from the Shanghai training center to her hometown to prepare for exams. Her life had taken a different turn, everything unknown. At just sixteen, Yun Mi would be lying if she said she wasn't lost.
After arriving in Shancheng, Aunt Wen talked a lot with her—about her studies and future... and her mother.
Perhaps the atmosphere was too heavy, so Wen Liangyu tried to lighten it by complaining about her son, saying he was hard to get along with, a little devil. Yun Mi thought Chen Yiyang was really a good-for-nothing, but she didn't expect that in such a prestigious school like Shanfu, he would be the top student.
A good bamboo can yield bad shoots, but even bad shoots have their merits.
Yun Mi's gaze rose to a congratulatory notice from a day ago, titled [Congratulations to Class 1 Grade 1 students Chen Yiyang and Zhou Shihui for being selected for the IMO National Team].
Two photos were attached.
Wen Liangyu said, "This kid takes after his father. When he was little, he was always up to mischief. After his father and I divorced, he became quieter. He's decent-looking, so girls like him, but he's not nice with words. His grandfather says he's made several girls cry after rejecting them. If he bullies you, call me, and I'll deal with him."
Yun Mi wanted to recognize his face. She saw a handsome, roguish face in the photo, silently complaining in her heart but outwardly praising, "He is quite handsome. No wonder so many people like him."
The boy was cocky, puckering up to kiss the gold medal in a show-off move.
Truly a little devil.
Wen Liangyu was also a bit stunned to see Chen Yiyang ranked first. She was busy with work and hadn't paid much attention to her son's studies, but she couldn't mistake her own son's face. Her eyes moved to where Yun Mi was pointing, hesitated, then said, "...Not this one."
Yun Mi said, "Huh?"
Wen Liangyu frowned, "The other one."
Seeing Aunt Wen's helpless expression, Yun Mi felt a surprise. She shifted her gaze. Beside the dense congratulatory text was the first attached photo. According to Aunt Wen, this was Chen Yiyang.
But it was hard to tell what he looked like.
A boy standing straight in a jacket, his face already scribbled over with a black pen into a plump, ugly pig head.
Beside it were three characters, written in an ugly, resentful hand.
They were: "Stinky", "Jerk", "Man."