Li Cheng had a difficult childhood. When he was only six months old, while his parents were bringing him back from the city where they worked, the bus they were on collided with a truck. To protect young Li Cheng, his mother tragically lost her life in the accident.
During the festive seasons, while the village was filled with joy, Li Cheng's home lacked warmth. After his mother's death, his father fell into alcoholism and became despondent, and the household lost its former vitality. However, the apple tree in front of the house remained lush and vibrant—it was the most cherished thing to his grandmother and a constant companion to Li Cheng.
Li Cheng is now twelve years old, and more than a decade has passed since the accident. Under his grandmother's care, he has spent many New Years. He began to pick up a pen, doodling on paper and watching the ink form various-sized dots on the page.
Suddenly, a hand slammed onto his shoulder, jolting him downward. "Yo, aren't you that brat without a mother!" A dark-faced boy appeared before him, shouting aggressively, "What are you drawing? Let me see!" The boy snatched the notebook and slammed it against Li Cheng's head. "You think you can be a manga artist with this junk? Keep dreaming!" A shorter boy followed suit, jeering along.
The dark-faced boy spotted an apple on Li Cheng's desk, grabbed it, and began to play with it, preparing to take a bite. Li Cheng stood up abruptly, pointing his finger at the boy and shouting in a strained, desperate voice, "I'm telling you! Don't—touch—my—apple!" "What's the matter? You think you have a right to act like this just because you're motherless?" The boy grabbed Li Cheng by the collar, completely failing to understand the significance of the apple.
Li Cheng got into a fight. Watching him tend to his wounds while weeping silently, his grandmother felt his pain. She went to the kitchen and washed two apples. Li Cheng whispered, "Why don't I have a mother? Why do I have such a useless father? Why?" His grandmother pulled up a stool, sat him down, and handed him the apples. "Look at this one, it's so beautiful, big and red. Take a bite." Li Cheng bit into it and frowned, "Why is it so tart? It doesn't taste like an apple at all." "Then try this small, ugly one." Li Cheng hesitated but took a bite, and a suppressed smile soon spread across his face. "It's very sweet." The grandmother explained gently, "Some apples look beautiful but don't taste good, while this small, ugly apple is one I grew myself without chemicals, so it is very sweet despite its appearance. You are just like this apple—though you have faced misfortune, there is always something fortunate about you. This apple may have an ugly exterior, but it has a sweet heart."
The grandmother patted Li Cheng's shoulder and said, "I see you enjoy drawing. Old Wang from the village head mentioned his son brought back a box of watercolors for you from the city. I'll bring them to you." Li Cheng repeated his grandmother's words over and over in his mind, making a silent resolution.
Years later, under the bright glare of spotlights and the rhythmic clicking of cameras, Li Cheng stood before a crowd of fans waiting for his autograph. "Master Li, I'm sorry!" Li Cheng looked up to see the same dark-faced boy from years ago. "I've owed you an apology for all these years." Li Cheng picked up his pen and wrote in the book: "Like an apple, you have a good side no matter what."
