Returning to High School to Save My Wife - Chapter 22

Meijiale was merely a small convenience store, six bus stops away from both Chengnan Village and Fenghuali. It was in a completely different direction from the school and located in a remote area; there were no large malls or entertainment facilities nearby. Unless someone lived in the immediate vicinity or came there on purpose, they would almost never end up in this place.

What’s more, Liang Qi was accompanied by her friend, Qiao Shuxue.

It was currently approaching dinner time. If this were a weekend hangout between friends, why would they come to a place like this?

Surely it wasn’t for…

Jiang Yuan shook the thought from her head.

The idea was too absurd. Why would Liang Qi come here to see her?

“Oh, my aunt lives in the residential area nearby. My mom asked me to check on her and drop some things off,” Liang Qi said, quickly realizing her presence was suspicious. She felt like a persistent stalker and hurriedly fabricated an excuse to clear herself.

This statement successfully dispelled Jiang Yuan’s doubts.

So, she was here to visit family.

“Then did you come to the store to buy something?” Jiang Yuan asked.

“Yeah, I need to buy two packs of feminine hygiene products,” Liang Qi looked past her toward the empty shelves. “Do you have any in stock?”

“I’m sorry, we haven’t finished organizing yet. Let me ask Sister Yan to find some for you.”

Jiang Yuan turned around and jogged toward the back: “Sister Yan! Can you help me get two packs of feminine hygiene products?”

Hearing that name, Liang Qi froze.

Sister Yan?

That name sounded familiar. Was she the one Jiang Mu had mentioned when they walked home together?

“Sure, coming right up!” A beautiful, oriole-like female voice rang out from the storage room, sounding pleasant and refreshing.

Seizing the opportunity, Liang Qi winked at Qiao Shuxue, mouthing a silent plea for her to play along.

Qiao Shuxue caught on, her delicate brows furrowing slightly: “Qiqi…”

“Shh…” Liang Qi put her index finger to her lips. “Please!”

Before Qiao Shuxue could say anything else, the storage room door opened, and a slender woman stepped out carrying two packs of feminine hygiene products.

The woman was a classic beauty with features as elegant as a painting and a refined, charming aura.

Unlike the simply dressed Jiang Yuan, she was meticulously put together with light makeup. Her willow-leaf eyes slanted upward slightly, and her glossy, reddish lips looked like ripe cherries. She wore an elegant, pale-green dress that perfectly outlined her graceful figure, making it hard to look away.

“Here, these are the products you wanted.” The woman’s gaze landed on Liang Qi. She noticed the designer bag Liang Qi was carrying but quickly looked away, her manners perfectly polished and respectful.

“Thank you.” Liang Qi paid the bill. As she watched Jiang Yuan bag the items, she suddenly realized she hadn’t planned what to do next.

Now that she’d bought the items and paid, how could she find an excuse to stay and talk to Jiang Yuan?

Shoot, shoot. If I leave now, this whole trip was a waste.

Liang Qi spotted the shelves behind her and had a sudden stroke of genius. She cleared her throat: “Um… are you guys organizing the stock? Do you need some help?”

“No, it’s fine, we can manage…” Jiang Yuan started to decline, but she was interrupted.

“Oh, Xiao Yuan, are these your friends?” Hearing Liang Qi’s offer, the woman guessed the situation and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

“They’re my classmates,” Jiang Yuan explained.

The woman smiled softly. “You’ve made such good friends since the semester started, why haven’t you introduced them to me?”

Jiang Yuan coughed, looking a bit shy. “Sister Yan…”

The woman turned to Liang Qi: “Xiao Yuan is always like this, don’t mind her. Since you’re her friends, stay and sit for a while.”

“Sister Yan…”

“Don’t neglect the guests,” the woman gave her a meaningful look, then introduced herself to Liang Qi. “My name is Lin Ruoyan. Xiao Yuan calls me Sister Yan; you can call me that as well.”

Lin Ruoyan. It was a beautiful name. It brought to mind a picturesque scene of mist-shrouded willows by a riverbank.

“Hello, Sister Yan,” Liang Qi said sweetly.

“Hello,” Lin Ruoyan’s eyes crinkled. “And what are your names?”

“I’m Liang Qi, Yuanyuan’s desk-mate,” Liang Qi introduced herself, then pointed to Qiao Shuxue. “And this is my friend, Qiao Shuxue.”

“Hello,” Qiao Shuxue greeted with a smile, though she didn’t use the informal title.

Lin Ruoyan looked at Qiao Shuxue, her gaze holding a quiet, observant quality. Qiao Shuxue wasn’t as enthusiastic as Liang Qi and stood quietly to the side. Lin Ruoyan soon withdrew her gaze without saying more.

“Sister Yan, are you organizing the goods? If you don’t mind, Axue and I can help,” Liang Qi seized the opportunity. Knowing Jiang Yuan’s personality, she knew the girl wouldn’t accept help easily, so she bypassed Jiang Yuan and asked Lin Ruoyan directly.

Jiang Yuan instinctively wanted to decline, but Lin Ruoyan gave her a look and smiled at Liang Qi: “Since you’re offering, we’ll take you up on it. Thank you.”

“No problem, Sister Yan. It looks like there are only two shelves left; we’ll finish in no time if we all work together.”

Lin Ruoyan headed back to the storage room: “You can’t come in here. I’ll bring the items out…”

Jiang Yuan hurried after her. Once inside, she looked out the door to make sure Liang Qi and Qiao Shuxue couldn’t hear. “Sister Yan, is this appropriate?”

This was their job; how could they let Liang Qi and Qiao Shuxue do free labor?

Lin Ruoyan looked at her and sighed, advising: “Oh, you. They’re doing this out of kindness. Constantly rejecting someone’s goodwill is hurtful, understand, Xiao Yuan?”

She leaned down, picked up a box of stock, and shot a glance at Jiang Yuan: “Besides, you have such good classmates, hurry up and build a good relationship with them. Who knows, maybe they can introduce us to some good jobs in the future.”

Before Jiang Yuan could respond, Lin Ruoyan had already walked past her and left the storage room.

With the four of them working together, the shelves were finished within an hour.

The clock struck 6:30 PM. Liang Qi sat down to rest, and her stomach gave an uncharacteristic growl.

Lin Ruoyan chuckled, covering her mouth. “Hungry? Thank you so much for the help. It’s getting late; you three should go grab some dinner with Yuanyuan.”

“Sister Yan, what about you?” Jiang Yuan asked.

“Sister Yan, why don’t you come with us? You must be hungry too after all that work,” Liang Qi suggested.

“Silly girl, if I go, who’s going to watch the shop?” Lin Ruoyan laughed. “Go on, you three. Just bring me back a portion of fried rice.”

“But, Sister Yan…” Since Jiang Yuan and Lin Ruoyan were the ones watching the shop, Jiang Yuan felt a bit guilty leaving her behind.

“Don’t worry about me. Besides, you have to eat dinner anyway,” Lin Ruoyan whispered. “Xiao Yuan, you’re too naive. You have such a good desk-mate; take the chance to bond with her.”

“Sister Yan…”

“Alright, go on.”

Jiang Yuan looked at the two girls at the door. Meeting Liang Qi’s expectant gaze, she bit her lip and turned back: “Then Sister Yan, I’ll go to dinner now.”

“Mhm. I’ll watch the shop, so don’t worry. Just don’t forget my dinner.”

Jiang Yuan nodded. “I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

She turned to Liang Qi: “Liang Qi, let’s go eat.”

After leaving the convenience store, Liang Qi asked what was on her mind: “Yuanyuan, are you very close with Sister Yan?”

“I suppose so,” Jiang Yuan didn’t hide anything. “I met Sister Yan while working a previous job. Her mother passed away early, and her father was paralyzed in a workplace accident a few years ago. She earns all the living expenses to support her family alone; it hasn’t been easy for her.”

“Ah… I see.”

“But she’s always looked out for me. When we worked together before, if something happened at home and I had to leave, she would always cover for me.”

“Is she also from our school?”

Even though they had only met once, Liang Qi could sense that the relationship between Lin Ruoyan and Jiang Yuan was extraordinary, quite different from Jiang Yuan’s relationship with Mu Zhizhi or Liu Jiayao. Jiang Yuan seemed very willing to listen to her.

“No,” Jiang Yuan shook her head. “Sister Yan is a few years older than us. She studies at the nearby Shengjiang Media College. Her coursework isn’t too heavy, so she works two jobs. Besides the convenience store, she also works as an art tutor.”

Shengjiang Media College was a well-known vocational arts college in the city, only about a ten-minute walk from Shengjiang No. 1 High School. They even had a partnership. Some art students with poor academic grades who couldn’t get into a full-time university would be recommended to apply there.

“Actually, I first met her because she was Mumu’s art tutor. She came to my house every week to teach my brother to draw. Later, she found out I was looking for a part-time job and introduced me to this one.”

“Is she still teaching your brother?”

“Yes. Her rates are much cheaper than elsewhere, and she hasn’t raised them for two years. But the semester just started and both Sister Yan and Mumu are busy, so lessons won’t start for a while. Mumu really likes her. Sister Yan said Mumu also wants to apply to an art school.”

Liang Qi felt a pang of regret. She had originally wanted to recommend Jiang Mu to her mother’s art studio, which would have given her many more chances to interact with Jiang Yuan. She hadn’t expected Lin Ruoyan to beat her to it.

Tao Huijuan’s studio was partnered with the school, and every year the school would recommend art students to go there for intensive training. Studying there would be much more reliable than with Lin Ruoyan. However, since Lin Ruoyan was Jiang Yuan’s friend and they already had an agreement, asking Jiang Yuan to change her mind now would only put her in a difficult position.

So, she swallowed the words she was about to say. Better not let Jiang Yuan know about that for now.

“Qiqi, where are we eating?” Qiao Shuxue asked.

“There aren’t many places around here. Let’s go to Joy City; I’ll call a taxi,” Liang Qi pulled out her phone. “What do you guys want for dinner?”

Qiao Shuxue thought for a moment: “Buffet BBQ or hot pot? Let Yuanyuan choose.”

“Anything is fine with me, I’m not picky,” Jiang Yuan said.

“Aiyoh, it’s rare for us to have a meal together, just pick one.”

“Then, let’s have hot pot.”

“Great, hot pot it is!”

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