C3 Worthless Gifts

Muye was deep into his notes when his bedroom door slowly opened and his sister silently snuck in. “Brother Muye,” she said, her beautiful, doe eyes full of concern. “You must not be disheartened. You will definitely get into a good university. I believe in you!”

Zhang Meng was two years younger than him, and was their parents’ only biological side. She was pretty, graceful, obedient, and sensible to boot! Her grades were also at the top of the class. Muye was very fond of her.

He smiled now, grateful for her words of encouragement. “You don’t have to worry about your big brother. I’ll make sure I pass the exams and get into a prestigious university.”

Meng nodded, distracted. She stared at Muye for several seconds, then her cheeks turned red. “Uhm… Brother, you seem a little strange…”

He sat up, nervous for some reason. “What? What do you mean? How am I strange?”

“I don’t know,” she replied sheepishly, obviously embarrassed. “I’m not sure.” She couldn’t very well tell her brother that she suddenly found him attractive. Indeed, he looked so much more handsome, and there was a spark to his eyes that was unfamiliar to Meng. He appeared to have grown a few inches, too. What was going on with Muye?

Zhang Aiguo returned home in the middle of the day, carrying two packs of Furongwang Cigarettes and two bottles of Wuliangye. He made a beeline for Muye’s room and told his son, “Come with me. We’re going to your school in the afternoon.”

The boy only nodded. His father rarely splurged on his vices. At most, Aiguo would only smoke the Double Happiness Cigarettes brand which one pack is worth only 7 yuan. He also preferred imbibing in the local cheap wine. But today, it seemed that the old man had spent quite a considerable amount of money.

The family’s mood was still somewhat somber when they ate their lunch, but it wasn’t as bad as when Muye had arrived. Once they were done eating, he and his father ventured out of the community. They walked to the bus stop and got on the bus, neither of them speaking the entire way. Aiguo looked like he had a lot on his mind, and the crease on his brows never disappeared.

When, at last, they were standing at the gates of City No. 1 High School, Muye saw his father take deep breath and noticed the way his grip tightened on the bottle of wine he had brought along. They headed for Wang Zhong’s office. They found the door ajar, which revealed a balding man sitting comfortably on a huge chair behind his desk. He was humming a little tune as he took a sip of his tea from a lavish cup.

“Of course, darling! As long as you get an abortion, I’ll make sure to make it up to you. I’ll even give you a bonus and take you on a vacation after the college entrance exams are over. So we have an agreement, okay? All right, I’m hanging up now.” Wang Zhong’s plump cheeks jiggled ever so slightly as he leered at the phone and let out an obscene laugh.

Zhang Aiguo blinked a couple of times to cleanse his eyes of the vision and knocked on the open door to let their presence known. As expected, Wang Zhong jumped from his seat, his face instantly turning pale with fright. But he recovered quickly, hiding his phone and clearing his throat. “Come in,” he muttered in a serious voice like nothing was amiss.

Zhang Aiguo looked back at Muye and nodded once. Then they walked into the room together.

Wang Zhong’s expression changed from flustered to annoyed when he caught sight of Muye. “Weren’t you expelled? What do you think you’re doing here?”

Muye lowered his head and said nothing.

“Get lost! Did you really think you can just waltz around the campus as if you’re still a student here? Leave the school grounds immediately!”

Aiguo rushed over and placed the Furongwang Cigarettes and Wuliangye on the man’s desk. “Mr. Wang, I’ve brought my ungracious child here to apologize to you. I hope you will excuse his behavior. He is still young and immature, and has much to learn.”

Wang Zhong sneered at the gifts. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? I told you to get lost, didn’t I? How dare you try to bribe a reputable teacher of this institution? Get out of my sight!”

“Mr. Wang, I beg of you!” Aiguo pleaded. “My son is about to take the college entrance exams. If you don’t give him a chance, he will have no future!”

Wang Zhong got to his feet in a huff, and flung the bottles of Wuliangye off his desk. They shattered all over the floor. “I told you to get out of here! Take your cheap offerings and never come back! Your child’s future is none of my concern. Now do as I say, or I will call the police and have you arrested!”

Aiguo looked at the broken bottles on the floor, then at Wang Zhong’s feral face. He felt humiliated. He opened his mouth to say something more, but decided against it in the end. There was nothing he could say to convince the other man anyway. Aiguo turned around in defeat and made to leave the office.

“Wait!” Wang Zhong called out. “Take these worthless cigarettes with you! They’re not even worth thirty yuan. I suggest you offering these as gifts in the future. Even beggars wouldn’t choose to smoke this trash.”

How ironic that Aiguo actually treated the Furongwang as something of a luxury.

Apparently, they weren’t up to the standards of men like Wang Zhong.

Aiguo quietly took the cigarettes back, cigarettes he could barely afford, and walked out into the hall. Muye trailed behind him.

They ran into a young girl outside. It appeared that she had been standing at the door for quite some time. She gave Muye a look of shock and sympathy.

He knew this girl. She was Cao Ying, and she used to be the class monitor of Class 3.

She was the typical good girl—had impeccable manners, diligent in her studies, came from an outstanding family, and was just sensible overall. More importantly, she was very beautiful. If Muye had to think of a title to bestow upon her, it would be “The Campus Belle.”

Cao Ying knew that he had been expelled, of course. She had witnessed the scene from a distance. And just now, she had also overheard the exchange inside the office.

She couldn’t help, therefore, but feel sorry for Muye.

His ordeal was no joke, after all, and everyone knew it. Besides, she had a soft spot for him. Muye might not be the most studious boy in class, but he possessed a lot of talent, especially in when it came to physical activities. His handsome face and roguish ways were quite charming, too, and he never hesitated to offer his help to anyone who needed it.

Sometimes, when Cao Ying tired of studying, she would take a stroll to the basketball court and watch Muye play. At first, she would just clap when he made a shot, but she had soon found herself openly cheering for him at every match.

Other than that, she had also learned of his other hobbies—he played the guitar, and was skilled at playing table tennis. But what stood out the most to Cao Ying was his unique brand of loyalty and his sense of justice. In the past, there was a student who had been constantly bullied by a gang from another school. Muye had been the only one to stand up for their schoolmate.

However, all of this meant nothing, especially not to a school like theirs. City No. 1 High School’s priorities lay on the student body’s academic performance, and not much else. All things considered, Muye’s expulsion was actually a natural course of things.

A student like him would only lower the average proficiency of his class, and eventually affect the whole school’s enrollment rate.

Cao Ying grimaced at the thought.

She couldn’t imagine what Muye must be feeling at the moment. He looked like he had lost his very spirit. Gone was the spark that she had always seen flicker in his animated eyes. It was difficult to match this boy in front of her with the hero of the basketball court she had come to admire.

She thought about her recent evaluation; she had been told that she could easily get into the top five elite universities based on her school records. What a stark contrast to Muye, who had practically been denied the opportunity to even choose a university. If he was lucky, he might be able to enter some sub-par university. Otherwise, he might have no choice but to join a junior college, and eventually end up working at a construction site.

Cao Ying didn’t think that a university’s pedigree was a measure of one’s success. On the contrary, she firmly believed that one could always grow wherever they were planted, as long as they had the fortitude to persevere. This applied to Zhang Muye, and she truly hoped he would beat the odds and make the best of his circumstances. The only problem was, they might never meet again.

She was rattled out of her thoughts by Wang Zhong’s voice, calling her to come into the office. He looked to be in a much more jovial mood after sending Muye and his father away.

He grinned at the girl. Without a doubt, Cao Ying was one of the best students he'd ever had the good fortune of meeting throughout his career.

As per their school’s policies, if a student scored higher than the top five universities in the country, her supervising teacher would get fifty thousand yuan as bonus. If the student managed to qualify for the top two, the teacher would get a hundred thousand. And if the student became the provincial champion of the college entrance exams, the teacher would be awarded by a grand total of five hundred thousand yuan.

Wang Zhong wasn’t so delusional as to hope for the five hundred thousand bonus. But with Cao Ying’s acumen, he was sure she could get him at least fifty thousand yuan.

Since there was much to be gained, he had no hesitation in treating the girl as the pretty little treasure that she was.