Returning to High School to Save My Wife - Chapter 16

A young miss like Yue Suxin had been accustomed to flattery since childhood. Whether at school or at home, others always catered to her. When had she ever been rebuked like this? Especially in front of the entire class.

Yue Suxin’s expression soured instantly. “Jiang Yuan, what do you mean by that?”

She was already harboring resentment over Jiang Yuan being elected Class Monitor; now, being called out publicly, her temper flared uncontrollably.

“You just became Class Monitor and you’re already throwing your weight around? You’re picking a fight on purpose, aren’t you?”

Yue Suxin’s words were thick with provocation, but Jiang Yuan wasn’t baited. She responded in a lukewarm tone.

“Yue Suxin, the election for Class Monitor was a fair competition. If you have a grievance, you can take it up with Teacher He rather than taking it out on another student and mocking their illness.”

“You…” Yue Suxin trembled with rage. However, with many students still in the classroom and having just lost the election, a public spat with Jiang Yuan would only make her a laughingstock and prove she was a sore loser.

Realizing the disadvantage, Yue Suxin forced down her irritation and shot a resentful look at Liang Qi. “Whether she’s faking it or not, she knows it best herself.”

Liang Qi clutched her chest, looking toward Jiang Yuan as if seeking help. “Yuanyuan, I’m not…”

Jiang Yuan didn’t bother arguing further with Yue Suxin. Seeing Liang Qi in distress, she reached out to support her shoulders, her voice softening significantly. “Don’t get worked up. Just rest for a bit.”

Liang Qi nodded and obediently leaned back against her chair, but she unconsciously tilted her body toward Jiang Yuan’s soft embrace, as if lying in her arms.

So soft.

That was Liang Qi’s first sensation.

It had been a very long time since she had been in Jiang Yuan’s arms. Even if it was only for a few short minutes, she felt a profound sense of happiness and contentment.

Liang Qi practiced deep breathing quietly. After a moment, she whispered, “Thank you for speaking up for me just now.”

Jiang Yuan’s gaze remained flat. “Yue Suxin is always like that. Her words are harsh, but don’t take them to heart. Otherwise, your health will suffer, and you’ll be the one losing out.”

Hearing this, Liang Qi knew her chance had come. She followed up with a seemingly natural question. “This Yue Suxin… has she always targeted you like this?”

“Her family has connections with the school, and her parents indulge her. Being the ‘School Beauty,’ people usually fawn over her, so she’s quite unscrupulous at school.”

School Beauty… Although Liang Qi had heard others use the term, this was the first time she had heard it from Jiang Yuan.

In her opinion, Yue Suxin was nothing; only Jiang Yuan truly deserved that title.

If Yue Suxin was a flamboyant rose, then Jiang Yuan was a quiet snow lotus—aloof, cold, sacred, and beautiful, making people hesitate to approach for fear that plucking her would be a desecration.

“Does she look for trouble with you often?”

As she asked this, Liang Qi noticed a flicker of gloom cross Jiang Yuan’s face before it settled into a soft response.

“Yes.”

“That’s too much,” Liang Qi said, feeling the injustice on her behalf. “You didn’t provoke her, so why does she keep doing this to you?”

“She…” Whatever Jiang Yuan was about to say, she ultimately swallowed it back down.

But Liang Qi pressed on. “Because of Cheng Zhuocheng?”

Jiang Yuan met her gaze, and this time, she finally stopped hiding it. “Yes. For a period last semester, Cheng Zhuocheng pestered me constantly, so she’s been unable to stand the sight of me.”

She paused and gave a nonchalant smile. “Whatever. Let her target me if she wants. I have a clear conscience; I’m not afraid of her.”

As the victim of the bullying, Jiang Yuan seemed far less angry than Liang Qi, as if she had long since grown accustomed to it.

“You shouldn’t say that. If someone wants to frame you, they’ll find a way. What if she sets you up?” Liang Qi had always believed in an eye for an eye. “Jiang Yuan, do you want to vent some of that frustration?”

“Vent?” Jiang Yuan hesitated. “You mean…”

“Trust me, you won’t regret it.” Liang Qi gave her a wink. No matter how indifferent or rational Jiang Yuan was, she was still just a high school student at the end of the day. Every student has a bit of a temper; who wouldn’t want their bully to taste their own medicine?

Jiang Yuan met her gaze. For the first time, her almond eyes revealed a hazy daze, as if she saw a dazzling light in this girl that could disperse the gloom.

Lunch Break

After finishing her meal in the cafeteria, Liang Qi picked up her tray to return it. Passing by Yue Suxin’s table, she saw that only Yue Suxin and Chen Jiayue were seated at the four-person table. Hang Jiao was standing to the side like a student in detention, her head bowed and her expression extremely awkward.

In front of Yue Suxin sat an exquisite two-tier cake, frosted with chocolate cream and circled by red jam, topped with an artistic arrangement of fruit.

She took a bite with her fork, but quickly made a face of disgust and threw the fork aside. “This is disgusting. I don’t know where this was bought, but it tastes so cheap. I’m surprised it doesn’t make me sick.”

The fork hit an empty tray opposite her with a dull thud, and cream splattered onto the table, causing Chen Jiayue to stop eating.

“Sister Xin, this is already the most expensive cake in the school…” Hang Jiao said with some difficulty. “It cost me two days’ worth of my allowance.”

“Oh, so you’re talking back now?” Yue Suxin’s anger flared at the sound of her voice. “You think a cake from a school shop is edible? Couldn’t you have gone outside to buy one? How much could two days of your allowance even be?”

Hang Jiao stood awkwardly, not daring to argue. She looked toward Chen Jiayue for help.

Chen Jiayue looked at Hang Jiao and, after a moment of thought, spoke up. “Sister Xin, don’t be so hard on Hang Jiao. Her intentions were good; she did what she could this time.”

Yue Suxin retorted, “When has she ever actually helped us? All she does is add to our trouble, like a total burden. It’s bad enough she looks like a clumsy giant, but she’s dim-witted to boot…”

“Forget it, Sister Xin. You’ve said enough. I think Hang Jiao knows she made a mistake, so don’t blame her anymore.” Chen Jiayue scanned the cafeteria and lowered her voice. “People are watching.”

Chen Jiayue’s words were far more effective than Hang Jiao’s. Yue Suxin stopped picking on Hang Jiao, but unable to vent her frustration elsewhere, she disgustedly picked up the cake plate with her fingertips and tossed the nearly untouched cake into the nearby trash can.

She clapped her hands and raised an eyebrow. “Fine. Since Jiayue is pleading for you, I’ll let you off for now. Don’t come up with any more of those useless ideas next time.”

Hang Jiao was moved to tears. “I understand, Sister Xin…”

Before she could finish, Yue Suxin got up to leave and bumped into her hard. Hang Jiao lost her balance and her waist slammed into the corner of another table.

“Ow!”

“Take these dirty trays back for me.” Seeing Hang Jiao’s clumsy state, Yue Suxin’s mood improved considerably. She gave Hang Jiao her task and shot a look at Chen Jiayue. “Jiayue, let’s go.”

Chen Jiayue followed without a word. As they reached the exit, they were called back.

“Um… Jiayue,” Hang Jiao said bashfully, “Thank you for speaking up for me with Sister Xin…”

Chen Jiayue stopped and said in a lukewarm tone, “I just didn’t want people to see us as a joke. But if you keep making Sister Xin angry, I can’t help you every time. You know her temper; when she’s truly mad, no one can talk her down.”

Hang Jiao quickly promised, “I… I know. I’ll try my best not to trouble Sister Xin in the future.”

Nearby, Liang Qi and her friends took it all in.

“That Yue Suxin in your class is way too arrogant,” Tan Zhiyan complained after dropping off her tray. “Is that her friend? If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was ordering a servant around.”

Even Qiao Shuxue shook her head. “I really don’t know how someone like her has friends…”

Liang Qi didn’t meddle. She withdrew her gaze and gave Tan Zhiyan a look. “Don’t forget what we talked about later.”

Tan Zhiyan was confident. “How could I forget something you asked? Leave it to me.”

Reassured, Liang Qi looked at Jiang Yuan. “Yuanyuan, we’re heading back first.”

“Okay,” Jiang Yuan replied.

Liang Qi winked at her and mouthed “Don’t worry,” then left with Tan Zhiyan and Qiao Shuxue.

In the corridor of the teaching building, Yue Suxin was complaining to Chen Jiayue about what had happened in the cafeteria.

“I only did that because of you. Otherwise, with that attitude of hers, I wouldn’t even bother with her.”

“Alright, don’t be angry anymore; it’s bad for your health. Even if you want to scold her, don’t do it in front of so many people in the cafeteria. It’s bad for your reputation.”

“Fine. It’s just that fat girl is so useless. If she didn’t keep embarrassing me, why would I yell at her? I think we’re the only ones merciful enough to hang out with her. Without us, who would want to be near her…” Before Yue Suxin could finish, she saw Liang Qi and the others returning from the cafeteria.

She was surprised. “Huh? Jiang Yuan isn’t with her?”

Chen Jiayue guessed, “Maybe she went to the restroom.”

A moment later, the two overheard Tan Zhiyan speaking hesitantly to Liang Qi. “I really didn’t expect Jiang Yuan would do something like that to Yue Suxin. Qiqi, do you think we should keep this a secret?”

Liang Qi stopped. “In the end, it has nothing to do with us. Let’s not say anything.”

“But this involves Cheng Zhuocheng…”

“It’s their own relationship business; let them solve it themselves. Why should we get involved? We’ll only get dragged into the mess.”

“True. But Qiqi, you should be careful around Jiang Yuan from now on.”

“Don’t worry, I will. You two should go back to class and rest.”

After parting ways with Tan Zhiyan and Qiao Shuxue, Liang Qi passed by Yue Suxin and Chen Jiayue without a glance and returned to the classroom.

She had just sat down to rest when Yue Suxin came in and stopped at her desk, demanding, “Liang Qi, do you know something?”

“Hmm?” Liang Qi looked puzzled. “What?”

“I heard everything you said just now. I told you, Jiang Yuan isn’t a good person. If you know something about her, tell me, and we can wipe the slate clean between us.”

“But…” Liang Qi feigned hesitation.

“It has to do with Cheng Zhuocheng, doesn’t it?” Yue Suxin pressed. She had always felt that Jiang Yuan was bad-mouthing her behind her back, which was why Cheng Zhuocheng was so cold to her. Hearing their conversation confirmed it.

Liang Qi looked up. “If I tell you, will you really stop bothering me about the past?”

Yue Suxin patted her chest. “I, Yue Suxin, always keep my word!”

Her primary enemy was Jiang Yuan. Although she had plenty of grievances with Liang Qi, they were secondary. If she could gain an enemy for Jiang Yuan, she was willing to temporarily put aside her dislike for Liang Qi and make her a “surface-level” friend.

Liang Qi sighed. “Then come closer.”

Yue Suxin leaned down, pressing her ear close.

Liang Qi whispered, “Cheng Zhuocheng prepared a love letter. He said he’d wait for you at the playground during afternoon self-study. Jiang Yuan said she’d pass the message, but then she told us she wanted to keep it from you…”

“What?” Yue Suxin was furious. “Jiang Yuan actually… how dare she!”

“Don’t tell anyone I told you. After all, Jiang Yuan and I are desk-mates.”

“Fine, Liang Qi. I’ll trust you this once.”

That afternoon during self-study, Yue Suxin skipped class and went to the playground. Unexpectedly, she waited for more than half the period and never saw Cheng Zhuocheng. When she finally asked someone, she found out Cheng Zhuocheng’s class was in the middle of a Chinese lesson.

Yue Suxin immediately knew she had been tricked. She rushed back to the classroom and saw Liang Qi and Jiang Yuan talking intimately.

“Liang Qi, are you playing me?”

“No,” Liang Qi said with a smile. “Did you not see him?”

“You…” Yue Suxin was pale with rage, but with the other students watching, she couldn’t afford to lose face. She hissed, “We’ll see about this!”

“Yue Suxin, what is going on with you?” He Wei, at the podium, criticized her sternly. “Everyone is studying quietly. Why are you making a scene?”

“I…” Yue Suxin hadn’t expected He Wei to be there for self-study. She bit her lip, her eyes welling with tears. How could she admit she skipped class because of Cheng Zhuocheng? Liang Qi had tricked her, but if word got out, where would her dignity be? She would become the school’s laughingstock.

She had to swallow the insult.

“I’m sorry… Teacher. I… I wasn’t feeling well today, so I went to the infirmary,” Yue Suxin fabricated an excuse.

This excuse was usually effective, and He Wei’s expression softened. “Not feeling well? Is it serious?”

“Not serious… I feel much better now.”

“Go back to your seat and rest. If you’re unwell in the future, remember to have someone tell me. Don’t skip class for no reason.”

“Yes, I understand. I will.”

Watching Yue Suxin fume as she returned to her seat, a trace of a smile appeared on Jiang Yuan’s lips.

“So? My plan worked, didn’t it?” Liang Qi asked with a grin.

“You certainly have a way of thinking,” Jiang Yuan said, her tone as calm as ever. “Knowing how much Yue Suxin cares about Cheng Zhuocheng, she was bound to fall for anything involving him.”

“Who told her to keep bullying people for that guy? If we didn’t give her a proper warning, she’d only get worse.”

“Yes,” Jiang Yuan smiled as she turned her head. “In any case, thank you for this.”

“Save your thanks for later.” Liang Qi’s voice trailed off.

Under the bright sunlight, the girl with the long ponytail had skin as tender as if it were translucent. Her clear eyes were like a serene lake, her amber pupils quiet and deep, hiding countless gentle secrets that drew anyone who saw them into her depth.

Unknowingly, Liang Qi was captivated by this stunning beauty and couldn’t look away.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing her staring, Jiang Yuan asked in confusion.

“Nothing,” Liang Qi felt a sudden panic, yet she couldn’t hide the overflowing love in her heart. She explained, “I just think you look beautiful when you smile.”

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