Returning to High School to Save My Wife - Chapter 1

“I’m sorry, but your wife had lost the will to live. We did everything we could. Please accept our condolences.”

“Her mental state had been unstable for a long time. We once recommended hospitalization, but she declined. As her wife, were you unaware of this?”

“Go home and look for her medical records. You might still find the diagnostic reports from back then.”

“This is the death certificate issued by the hospital. You’ll need to take it, along with Ms. Jiang’s household registration documents, to process the cancellation of her residency. The cremation procedures can be handled at the administrative office.”

Rain fell from the sky, shrouding the city in a hazy mist. Liang Qi drove through the congested streets, her hands trembling slightly on the steering wheel.

Just an hour ago, she had been singing at a karaoke bar with her colleagues, chatting idly about her wife during a break.

Her wife, Jiang Yuan, was a manager at a foreign trade company. Two years ago, they had met through a collaborative project between their companies, and fate had brought them together.

Liang Qi had always been content with their marriage, though Jiang Yuan was quiet by nature and rarely joined her gatherings with friends.

The last time they had seen each other was that morning before Liang Qi left for work. She had asked Jiang Yuan if she wanted to come to the company dinner that evening. Their relationship was open, there had never been any need to hide.

Jiang Yuan had refused, citing discomfort. But Liang Qi never imagined that would be their final meeting.

The car stopped in front of their apartment. Ignoring the rain, Liang Qi shut the door and hurried inside, shielding herself from the droplets as she pressed the elevator button.

The elevator stopped on the sixth floor.

She entered the passcode, and with a soft click, the door unlocked.

The apartment was empty, devoid of any trace of life.

Liang Qi closed the front door behind her and walked into the bedroom. Everything was neatly arranged, just as it always was whenever she returned.

Jiang Yuan had been particular about cleanliness, preferring everything in its place. She disliked inconveniencing others, so not a single personal belonging was left in sight perhaps to spare Liang Qi the pain of memories.

Opening the cabinet, Liang Qi retrieved the documents needed to cancel Jiang Yuan’s household registration.

ID card, residency certificate, bank cards…

They bore Jiang Yuan’s youthful photo from long ago, her face lit with a smile Liang Qi had rarely seen.

After gathering the documents, she remembered the doctor’s words and turned to the bedside drawer. Inside were stacks of work files.

She sifted through them one by one until, buried in the middle, she found Jiang Yuan’s diagnostic reports.

Her fingers trembled slightly as they brushed against the cold paper.

After a long pause, she finally uncovered the hidden side of her wife.

A decade-long secret laid bare.

Severe depression, accompanied by bipolar disorder.

And the names of medications she recognized all too well.

Her heart was torn open, the wound bleeding with the love she had quietly accumulated for Jiang Yuan over time.

The stack of reports was thick, chronicling Jiang Yuan’s condition from high school to her working years.

As Liang Qi flipped through the pages, she didn’t notice the draft from the papers disturbing a thin slip of paper on the bedside table.

Only when it fluttered to the ground did she set the reports aside and bend to pick it up.

Scrawled in hurried, messy handwriting were the words:

[Thank you for your companionship.]

[In the days to come, I hope you will love yourself well. Take care.]

Liang Qi froze. A surge of emotion rose violently from deep within, sharp as thorns piercing through her hardened defenses.

For years, her heart had been an impenetrable fortress, yet it crumbled instantly before the sudden upheaval of emotions.

Tears streamed down her face as the agony of loss began its relentless invasion of her soul.

Liang Qi couldn’t claim to have deep feelings for Jiang Yuan.

She had realized her attraction to women during her student years, but after graduation, she poured nearly all her time and energy into her career.

At twenty-six, she completed her postgraduate studies and swiftly joined a top-tier global biopharmaceutical company as its youngest technical consultant, leading an entire team with her exceptional skills. It was during a project collaboration that she met Jiang Yuan.

Their first encounter left a vivid impression, Jiang Yuan wore a black dress with a light jacket draped over her shoulders, her beautiful hair tied into two playful buns. Fresh-faced and effortlessly chic, she stood out among the ordinary office workers, her natural beauty surpassing even that of celebrities.

But after a few days of working together, Liang Qi’s initial impressions of Jiang Yuan were shattered and reshaped.

Jiang Yuan was excessively calm and rational, almost devoid of human warmth. She maintained a measured distance from everyone, handled matters with mature precision, and rarely made mistakes. Even when she did slip up, she never panicked, methodically following every protocol as if she were an impeccably programmed AI.

Liang Qi couldn’t read her heart, yet she found herself drawn to her. Jiang Yuan embodied her ideal partner excellent, mature, rational, and considerate. She knew exactly what to say and what not to do, striking every note of propriety with perfection. It was a flawlessness that stirred the heart.

So, under the guise of work, Liang Qi secured Jiang Yuan’s contact details. When the project concluded, she confessed her feelings.

It was a rainy afternoon, the damp air weighing heavily on the mood.

Jiang Yuan was about to step into her car when Liang Qi’s words made her pause. She looked up, her usually composed expression flickering with uncharacteristic uncertainty, like a wary deer assessing whether the approaching figure was a hunter or a friend.

That was the first time Liang Qi noticed Jiang Yuan’s eyes, a stunning amber hue, glistening and irresistible, tempting her to kiss and caress.

“Let’s give it a try,” Jiang Yuan said, her voice eerily composed even in the face of ardent pursuit. Her heart was like a stagnant pool, refusing to ripple, yet it struggled to flow, desperate not to dry up in the relentless current of time.

After uttering those words, Jiang Yuan turned and got into the car without another glance. The window remained open as Liang Qi watched her drive away, but Jiang Yuan never looked back, not even as the car vanished from sight.

From then on, Liang Qi pursued Jiang Yuan relentlessly until, after some time, she finally won her over.

On their wedding day, the seats were filled with Liang Qi’s family and friends, but none of Jiang Yuan’s loved ones attended. Liang Qi’s mother took Jiang Yuan’s hand and showered her with blessings. Jiang Yuan’s eyes reddened, and what she said would stay with Liang Qi for the rest of her life.

“Thank you,” Jiang Yuan murmured. “I will love her well.”

Not “I love her,” but something far more poignant.

That was the only time Liang Qi ever saw Jiang Yuan’s emotions laid bare. Jiang Yuan was a master of concealment; no storm, no matter how fierce, seemed to leave a trace on her. And precisely because of that, this single moment of vulnerability became unforgettable.

Liang Qi never considered herself someone who couldn’t live without love. Being with Jiang Yuan felt more like fate, a natural progression, as inevitable as water finding its course.

Over the past twenty-eight years, she had been positive, sunny, optimistic, and full of love for life. Her family was happy and harmonious, and outside of work, she had plenty of leisure time.

After work, she often dined out with colleagues, played golf with friends on weekends, and occasionally planned romantic trips with her wife…

She thought her life was like a boat sailing on calm seas at most, it might encounter some storms. But she never expected that at the age of 28, everything would be turned upside down.

All her plans were thrown into disarray by the tsunami called death. The boat lost its direction, crashing into the darkness where no lighthouse shone. Suddenly overwhelmed with grief, she clutched the stack of medical reports and burst into tears.

Only when this usually quiet room was truly empty did she realize how deeply her wife had been woven into every aspect of her life.

Their love had never been passionate, but to her, it was irreplaceable.

She…

She had loved her.

Her phone rang with a cheerful tune, a sweet, somewhat cloying love song that had been popular years ago. Her friends had once urged her to change it, saying it was too outdated.

But she had always just smiled and kept it.

It was Jiang Yuan who had set it for her after their marriage, saying it added a sense of ritual. She loved how their lives were filled with each other.

And so, she had indulged her wife. Just like that, they spent two years of married life together uneventful, perhaps, but smooth in every way.

Liang Qi steadied her emotions and picked up the phone. It was her assistant calling.

“Director Liang, there’s an issue with the research project. Chief Chen has called an emergency meeting tonight.”

“Understood. I’ll be there soon.”

Liang Qi tucked the reports into a drawer. When her fingers brushed against the documents needed to close Jiang Yuan’s accounts, she paused briefly before finally slipping them into her bag.

As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly. Fate could be cruel like that. The research project had been progressing smoothly until today, of all days, when problems arose. As the technical lead of the entire team, her responsibilities couldn’t be delegated even grieving for the loss of a loved one had to be rushed.

Liang Qi quickly changed her clothes and drove to the company.

The apartment was a thirty-minute drive from work, but with the rain and traffic congestion, it would likely take fifty minutes.

As she waited for the traffic to ease, Liang Qi kept recalling the note Jiang Yuan had left before her death.

Two lines of words, summing up two years of love.

They were both people who cherished gratitude. Meeting and falling in love had been a blessing, and even if they had to part, neither would blame the other.

The windshield wipers swung mercilessly, and Liang Qi’s mood darkened along with the sky outside. Streetlights flickered on one by one, their halos left behind on the road by the speeding cars.

Before she knew it, the traffic light had cycled through several changes. The congested flow of cars inched forward, and the vehicles behind her honked impatiently. Liang Qi started the car and followed the line ahead, but then she suddenly noticed the large shopping mall across the street.

She froze. A pang of sorrow struck her heart before the memories even surfaced, unsettling her.

That mall had been around for five or six years, and many of its stores were places she and Jiang Yuan had visited together. Not long ago, thinking of Jiang Yuan’s upcoming birthday, she had gone to a jewelry store on the first floor to pick out a gift, planning to surprise her wife on the special day.

But now, such opportunities would never come again.

Liang Qi tilted her head, gazing at the familiar storefronts as memories surged over her like relentless waves, one after another, so overwhelming that she failed to notice the car suddenly overtaking from behind.

By the time she snapped back to reality, the vehicle had already sped out abruptly.

Her heart sank violently, and she instinctively tried to swerve but it was too late.

The two cars collided with a harsh impact. In that split second, a deafening roar filled her ears.

Then, she lost consciousness amidst the searing pain.

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