Tart as a Green Plum

● Big Crybaby × Little Demon King

● Everyone has their own way of being kept in line

● A story about a sharp tongue meeting his match

Xu Muye has a cutting tongue and a reputation for never letting anyone off, even when he’s in the right. The people of Luoluo Lane call him the “Little Demon King,” and every parent tells their kids to run far away if they see him.

Xu Muye’s parents are always apologizing to the adults and children in the lane for the trouble he causes. At home, they inevitably give him a talking-to, but Xu Muye never learns his lesson. No matter what they do, he just can’t give up his “mean” way of speaking.

“Hopeless.”

That’s what the people in the lane say about Xu Muye more than anything else.

Xu Muye scoffs at them, feeling like everyone else is drunk while he alone is sober, and keeps doing things his own way.

But when he was ten, Xu Muye met his match.

At the time, Tao Qinghuai was six. She and her parents moved into their new home that morning, and when she went downstairs to play that evening, she ran into an annoying boy who spoke so rudely and even called her a shorty.

No one had ever dared say that to her before. Tao Qinghuai clenched her fists, grabbed Xu Muye with a fierce look, and burst into tears.

Xu Muye panicked and tried to comfort her, flustered. “D-don’t cry.”

“I won’t stop.”

“But I’m telling the truth.”

Six-year-old Tao Qinghuai really was short, like a little dumpling.

“The truth sounds awful.”

“I don’t know how to lie.”

Tao Qinghuai cried even louder.

Xu Muye covered his ears, but Tao Qinghuai pulled his hands away, stood on tiptoe, and cried right next to his ear, determined to make sure he understood how upset she was.

Xu Muye was at a loss. He stammered, “Y-you’re not short. You’re the tallest kid.”

“And...”

“And what?”

“Apologize to me!”

“S-sorry.”

After saying that, Xu Muye’s face inexplicably turned red.

Tao Qinghuai was satisfied and immediately stopped crying.

The children watching nearby were stunned. Xu Muye had actually apologized...

After that, Xu Muye vowed to stay away from Tao Qinghuai, the crybaby, but whenever he saw her, he couldn’t take his eyes off her.

He didn’t understand why, until one day, when a boy in the lane bullied Tao Qinghuai, Xu Muye stepped in front of her without a second thought. Suddenly, he realized

“I’ve met my princess. I’ll be her most loyal knight.”

● A sharp-tongued boy meets his match

● The heroine isn’t really a crybaby; she mostly cries as an act

● They won’t date while underage. Their relationship takes a turn after they turn eighteen.

● See the first chapter for specific content warnings

● Blurb written on April 18, 2026, and revised on June 9, 2026. Screenshots have been uploaded to Weibo.

Theme: The most sincere feelings in the world