White rose

Author: Liu Yu Cheng / Country:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: This is a lazy Sunday in summer. The noon sun shines on the hot city, making the already scorching weather even more unbearable. Just after lunch, people who have eaten their fill feel too tired to move and lie down for a nap. The cats and dogs are also too lazy to move, as if a shout would make them break out in a sweat. They just curl up on the ground and take naps, occasionally through narrowed eye slits. The morning glory and honeysuckle in the garden, which were still vibrant, have now drooped under the scorching sun, hanging listlessly on the vines. Only the roses are blooming brilliantly under the sun, showing off their colorful and beautiful petals. The trees are filled with the continuous and overlapping chirping of cicadas; at this moment, it seems as if they have monopolized the world, with not a single bird chirping around. The cicadas have become the only singers, their monotonous songs lulling the entire city into a drowsy state.
"Thump," a small stone rolls down from the garden wall, making a dull sound. This sound startles a teenager who had just climbed onto the wall. He looks up cautiously and glances around. Luckily, the sound isn't too loud, not enough to wake up this sleeping world. The teenager then lowers his guard, crouches halfway on the wall, and turns to look at the spot where he accidentally kicked the stone. He realizes it's not a stone but some mud that had hardened on rainy days, dried by the sun, and looked like irregular pieces of tofu. Thinking of tofu, the teenager can't help but grimace and swallow a mouthful of saliva. He doesn't know why he always feels hungry. He just had lunch, right? The noodles his mother cooked were actually very delicious, but if he had eaten a McDonald's hamburger instead, perhaps he wouldn't feel hungry. He has only eaten at McDonald's once. That was last year when a wealthy girl in his class, Xie Xiaoyan, had a birthday party and invited all her classmates for a big meal. That meal left an indelible impression on him. "Hmm, a beef patty that oozes juice with every bite—the taste is truly irresistible!" The teenager had planned to ask his mother for permission to go to McDonald's after his own birthday in two months. Of course, he knew he couldn't invite all his classmates like Xie Xiaoyan—his family didn't have enough extra money. He could only invite two people—himself and his mother. He knew his mother had never eaten at McDonald's and always thought those things were too expensive. He wanted to let her enjoy her favorite food on his birthday as well. However, now it seems this wish is impossible to fulfill.
The teenager's hands instinctively clench into fists, and a hateful glare shoots from his dark eyes. This glare burns with flames of anger, directed straight at the beautiful garden house surrounded by the wall. The owner of the garden house is He Gaoqiu, the general manager of Sweet Treats Company. The teenager's name is Lin Yifei, and his mother, Chen Yuru, is an employee at He Gaoqiu's company. Last week, she and nine other female workers were suddenly laid off. Although the company explained that the layoffs were due to financial difficulties and were unavoidable, Lin Yifei couldn't understand why his honest and hardworking mother was laid off. There are over 500 employees in the company—how could it be her turn after working there for 10 years?
Whatever the case, one thing is certain: He Gaoqiu is the general manager and the main reason for his mother's unemployment. The teenager's pure heart harbors only one wish—revenge! He hasn't thought about making a detailed plan for revenge yet. All he has in mind is the harsh reality: his mother doesn't have a job, the family's income has been cut off, and in a month, he will be entering high school. His living expenses can be covered by scholarships, but he won't be able to give gifts to teachers, but he must pay tuition and sponsorship fees. Lin Yifei has received an admission notice to the best high school in the city, Zhongcheng No. 1 High School. The night he received the notice, his mother didn't sleep at all with joy—knowing that getting into Zhongcheng No. 1 High School is like stepping through the door to university! For a child from a family without power or influence like his, university is the best path. Lin Yifei himself isn't very enthusiastic about this path, but he knows it's his mother's wish, and he doesn't want to defy her, so he accepts it. Now, if he has to give up high school because of tuition issues, his only option is to attend a vocational technical school. Lin Yifei knows his mother would absolutely refuse this choice. His dilemma lies in this—his mother would have to find another well-paying job in a short time. And under the current economic conditions, that's too difficult. Many people have lost their jobs or been laid off. While there are jobs in the talent market, most either explicitly state that applicants must be under 35 or clearly state that they only hire men. Jobs that are willing to hire women often require them to be young and beautiful. How could a woman in her early 40s, like his mother, compete with young women in their 20s and 30s who are dressed up and made up? Thinking of this, Lin Yifei's heart aches. He hates his own helplessness, hates that he had to choose school and drag his mother down, and hates this society—why can't it give his mother a place to survive?! He doesn't know how to help his mother, but he feels a destructive impulse to break everything, to smash everything, especially in front of this beautiful garden, this beautiful little house!
Yes, he wants revenge on this damn He Gaoqiu. Just looking at the mansion he lives in, one can imagine how much wealth he has. A piece of property as small as the tip of his finger could pay for his three years of high school tuition! Yet, he refuses to let his mother keep working. "I'm going to destroy this beautiful garden, smash those bright, glaring windows, and then jump into the house to smash all the expensive furniture, porcelain, and lamps to pieces!" Lin Yifei resolves in his heart. He doesn't want to be a thief—he just wants to destroy, to smash, to destroy, to smash! He needs to vent his anger; he must vent it. He feels the anger in his chest surging up to his throat, and he needs to release it in some form! This hot Sunday is the perfect time to do this. He has found out that He Gaoqiu took his whole family out to escape the heat today. As expected, it's now quiet all around, even the flies are sleeping—it's the perfect time to act!
Lin Yifei makes one last observation of his target. Yes, indeed, no one is here! Because there's not even a breeze in the air, everything is still, so the garden in front of the teenager looks like a beautiful photograph from a magazine. Red, white, yellow, and pink roses are blooming in large clusters under the brilliant sunlight. They are so delicate, almost to the point of being repulsively so! The teenager selects a small empty spot in the rose bushes to jump down from the wall. Just then, Lin Yifei's peripheral vision suddenly scans a small white object. The object is hidden behind a thick cluster of white roses, so inconspicuous under the bright sunlight that he hadn't noticed it before. Upon closer inspection, he is shocked to realize it's a girl's foot wearing white leather sandals! The small, delicate foot is hanging motionless in the air, half-exposed beside a large white rose. Lin Yifei straightens up and takes a small step to the side, only then noticing that there's a small white hammock set up in the rose bushes. A girl is curled up in the hammock, wearing a white dress and a straw hat over her face, sleeping.
"Damn it!" Lin Yifei curses bitterly. He didn't expect there to be someone here, and it ruins all his plans. Now he can't jump down from the wall—he'll have to find another opportunity. How awful! How hateful! The teenager's hatred is now entirely directed at the girl sleeping in the hammock. He grabs the largest dry mud block from the wall and throws it with all his might toward the hammock. The throw hits the straw hat covering the girl's face. The girl suddenly wakes up. She feels a sudden impact on her face, but it doesn't hurt her, but she's terrified. The girl sits up from the hammock, pulling off the hat to reveal a panicked, round face. She seems half-asleep, her mouth half-open, staring with large, lifeless eyes around her. Suddenly, she sees the teenager on the wall, his bandit-like black face, and the fierce, wildcat-like glint in his black eyes. She's terrified and stares for a second before finally coming to her senses. She lets out a scream, using all her strength.
Lin Yifei jumps down from the wall. Before the girl's scream even ends, he has already run away.