Returning to High School to Save My Wife - Chapter 25

The voice belonged to the school hunk from Class 5, Cheng Zhuocheng.

Liang Qi followed the crowd’s gaze and saw Cheng Zhuocheng walking over to help Yue Suxin up. Appearing at the door with him was none other than Yue Suxin’s inseparable best friend, Chen Jiayue.

Without even thinking, Liang Qi knew Chen Jiayue must have called him over. No wonder Yue Suxin hadn’t gone upstairs with her; she had stayed behind just to put on this performance for Cheng Zhuocheng.

Now that Liang Qi saw through Yue Suxin’s intentions, she naturally wasn’t going to let her succeed. With a half-smile, she said, “Well, we should probably check the surveillance then. So many people walk past this spot every day; who knows why she’s the only one who managed to trip here?”

These words immediately drew dissatisfaction from some students who were close to Yue Suxin, and they couldn’t help but defend her.

“Liang Qi, are you implying Yue Suxin tripped in front of your desk on purpose?”

“Don’t think so poorly of people. The skin on her palm is actually scraped; who would do that to themselves?”

“Tripping in public is pretty embarrassing; surely no one is bored enough to do that intentionally?”

Liang Qi looked coldly at those making sarcastic comments. “Since there’s no proof either way, what right do any of you have to say Jiang Yuan tripped her? Regardless of whether it was intentional or not, let’s at least wait until the surveillance is checked before deciding if this even happened.”

Supported by Cheng Zhuocheng, Yue Suxin stood up, rubbing her reddened eyes. She sobbed, “I really didn’t do it on purpose. I don’t know why a foot suddenly stuck out to trip me. I’m really not lying.”

Cheng Zhuocheng didn’t care to argue about responsibility. Seeing Yue Suxin crying non-stop, he asked, “Is the injury serious? If it is, you should go to the infirmary.”

Yue Suxin raised her palm, looking even more aggrieved as she choked out, “It’s okay, just a bit of skin scraped off.”

Hang Jiao, feeling deeply for her, bent over to help pick up her books. “Sister Xin, your books.”

Yue Suxin wiped her tears with her sleeve and turned around. “Jiao Jiao, did you see my pen?”

“A pen?” Hang Jiao thought back and remembered seeing Yue Suxin playing with a very beautiful pen earlier that day. She bent down again to search. “Ah, it’s under Jiang Yuan’s desk!”

Everyone’s eyes swiveled to the space under Jiang Yuan’s desk. Sure enough, a pen was lying on the floor.

Jiang Yuan’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She took two steps back and was about to pick it up, but Yue Suxin moved faster, quickly bending down to grab the pen. She wiped it off and handed it to Cheng Zhuocheng. “I’m so sorry, I dropped your pen. Please check it. If there’s any problem, I’ll compensate you.”

She moved extremely fast, and since the pen was under the desk, her body blocked everyone’s line of sight as she bent over. No one noticed that she had picked up a second item while she was down there.

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. It’s just a pen,” Cheng Zhuocheng said, putting it away. “The most important thing is that you’re okay.”

Seeing the blood on Yue Suxin’s hand, he frowned. “Go wash your hand. It wouldn’t be good if it got infected. I have band-aids upstairs; I’ll bring one down for you in a bit.”

“Thank you,” Yue Suxin whispered.

“No problem.” Before leaving, Cheng Zhuocheng glanced at Jiang Yuan but said nothing. He quickly left Class 1 and headed upstairs.

“Sister Xin, are you sure it’s okay?” Hang Jiao glanced at Liang Qi and whispered to Yue Suxin, “Since they refuse to admit it, we shouldn’t be afraid to check the surveillance.”

Hearing this, Yue Suxin’s expression shifted slightly. She immediately shot Hang Jiao a sharp look and said awkwardly, “Going to the teacher for surveillance over a little stumble, I don’t want to be a nuisance. Forget it, I’ll just consider it bad luck this time. Next time we’ll stay far away and avoid walking past this unlucky spot.”

She then ordered Hang Jiao, “Accompany me to wash my hands. And Jiayue, if Cheng Zhuocheng comes with the band-aid, ask him to wait a moment for me.”

Chen Jiayue readily agreed. “Okay, go ahead.”

Once Yue Suxin’s farce ended, the onlookers gradually dispersed back to their seats, though whispers about the incident continued to circulate.

Liang Qi, worried that Jiang Yuan might be feeling burdened, was about to tell her not to mind it when she saw Jiang Yuan frantically searching through her drawer and backpack.

“Yuan Yuan, what’s wrong?” Liang Qi asked with concern.

Jiang Yuan’s face turned deathly pale. “My, my phone is gone.”

“Your phone?” Liang Qi was stunned. Remembering that Jiang Yuan usually kept her phone in her drawer, she leaned over to help. “Could it be tucked inside a workbook?”

“Impossible. I just took it out and put it in the drawer when class ended.”

“Could it have fallen on the floor?” Liang Qi bent down and scanned the area, but there was no sign of the phone. “It’s not here either.”

“I,” Jiang Yuan bit her pale lip, “I suspect Yue Suxin took it.”

“Yue Suxin?”

“My phone was right at the edge of the drawer; it would have been easy to knock out when she hit the desk. When she bent down to pick up the pen, she seemed to grab something else; it was probably my phone.”

Hearing this, the truth seemed obvious, but without evidence, no one could flatly accuse Yue Suxin, let alone search her. Although Liang Qi had mentioned surveillance earlier to defend Jiang Yuan, everyone knew how difficult it was to get the school to release footage. The administration wouldn’t do it just because a student’s phone went missing.

If Yue Suxin really had the phone, given her character, she would never return it. More than that, she might look through the phone and find Jiang Yuan’s secrets to use as blackmail.

“Yuan Yuan, don’t panic. We’ll figure this out together,” Liang Qi tried to soothe her. “First, don’t worry too much.”

“But my phone doesn’t have a password,” Jiang Yuan said, her anxiety overriding Liang Qi’s comfort. Her tone became frantic. “If Yue Suxin finds out I’m working a part-time job outside.”

A sense of coolness touched the back of her hand; Liang Qi had placed her palm over Jiang Yuan’s.

Jiang Yuan froze. Meeting Liang Qi’s gaze, her reddened eyes looked so pained they reminded Liang Qi of their past life. She wanted to wipe away every tear and ensure Jiang Yuan never had to face another storm. She wouldn’t let history repeat itself; she wouldn’t let Jiang Yuan reach that same ending.

Liang Qi looked at her earnestly and said, word by word, “Jiang Yuan, do you trust me?”

It was the first time Jiang Yuan had seen this side of Liang Qi. The girl’s gaze was resolute, her eyes filled with a conviction Jiang Yuan had never seen before, as if they were telling her: I came here for you, so don’t be afraid. You are never alone.

Under Liang Qi’s steady gaze, Jiang Yuan gradually calmed down. She pressed her lips together and finally gave a small nod. Like some destined connection, at that moment, she suddenly felt a deep trust in Liang Qi.

Liang Qi gave a sweet smile and said firmly, “I won’t let you down. I promise.”

With Liang Qi’s guarantee, Jiang Yuan wasn’t as anxious. The bell rang for class, and Jiang Yuan saw Yue Suxin return with the band-aid from Cheng Zhuocheng, looking smug and casting a provocative, arrogant glance at her.

Under the desk, Liang Qi squeezed Jiang Yuan’s hand briefly before letting go, which truly put Jiang Yuan at ease. During class, Jiang Yuan was a bit distracted. When called on to answer a question, she almost failed because she hadn’t heard it clearly, but fortunately, Liang Qi stepped in to save the day, sparing her from criticism.

After sitting down, Jiang Yuan saw a note on her open textbook. It was from Liang Qi.

Liang Qi: There are always more solutions than problems. Focus on the lesson; leave everything else to me.

Jiang Yuan lowered her eyes. For the first time, she felt a warmth in her heart hotter than her own blood. She clutched the note tightly, her eyes moistening. The grievance she had held for so long turned into a moment of vulnerability, and a tear dropped onto the paper, leaving a heart-wrenching wrinkle.

Why did these things always happen to her? Why couldn’t fate be a little kinder? Why did it have to target her like this?

Jiang Yuan sat there until the end of class. The note in her hand was nearly torn by her fingernails. Her body trembled slightly; even the scorching summer heat couldn’t stop the chill rising from her heart.

“Yuan Yuan,” Liang Qi’s voice came from her side, “Are you close with Cheng Zhuocheng?”

Jiang Yuan snapped out of it, steadied herself, and said, “We were in the same class in our first year, but I haven’t spoken to him much.”

Sensing Liang Qi’s plan, Jiang Yuan quickly added, “We don’t really have a friendship. Besides, I only recently rejected his love letter, and he’s good friends with Yue Suxin. It’s probably better not to ask him for help.”

In truth, she was afraid asking him would backfire. Cheng Zhuocheng had seen Yue Suxin fall and had even gone to get her a band-aid. While he hadn’t explicitly said he believed Jiang Yuan tripped her, his attitude toward Yue Suxin showed he didn’t think she was faking it. In this situation, she had little confidence that asking him to get her phone back would work.

To her surprise, Liang Qi said, “I don’t plan on going to Cheng Zhuocheng directly.”

Jiang Yuan was stunned. “Then you plan to.”

“From your old class, is there anyone close to him? Ideally someone you’re on good terms with.”

“When I was in Class 5, I was only close to Liu Jiayao and Mu Zhizhi, but they don’t really interact with Cheng Zhuocheng. However, Jiayao is actually very close to Yu Xingran.”

“Who is Yu Xingran? Cheng Zhuocheng’s friend?”

“Mm, he’s Cheng Zhuocheng’s best friend in class, and also Jiayao’s boyfriend.”

Jiang Yuan figured Liang Qi wanted to go through someone close to Cheng Zhuocheng to convince him that Yue Suxin took the phone, then have him talk to Yue Suxin. But since it involved so many people, Jiang Yuan felt it would be difficult; just convincing these people to help seemed like a hurdle.

She said softly, “Liang Qi, I haven’t really seen them since the semester started; we’ve only talked on WeChat. Besides, even though Yu Xingran is Jiayao’s boyfriend, he’s also somewhat friendly with Yue Suxin. I’m afraid asking for help might bring trouble to Jiayao.”

Liang Qi didn’t mind. “What’s there to be afraid of? It’s normal for friends to help each other; it’s not that hard to ask. If you’re worried, I’ll go for you.”

Liang Qi was thick-skinned and naturally friendly. Even if Liu Jiayao and Mu Zhizhi had some prejudice against her initially, she believed they would be willing to help if she explained Jiang Yuan’s situation.

“Liang Qi,” Jiang Yuan’s lips parted slightly. She clearly hadn’t expected Liang Qi to personally go to Class 5 for her. To Jiang Yuan, the people in Class 5 were former classmates even if they weren’t close, but to Liang Qi, they were complete strangers.

They had only known each other for a few days; why was Liang Qi doing so much for her? If even Liang Qi had the courage to go upstairs and ask strangers for her sake, why couldn’t she be bolder?

In an instant, Liang Qi made the decision. “It’s settled then. Wait here for news; I’ll head upstairs and ask around for you.”

She hadn’t forgotten what Liu Jiayao and Mu Zhizhi looked like; she would definitely recognize them.

As Liang Qi stood up, Jiang Yuan suddenly called out, “Liang Qi!”

Liang Qi stopped and looked back in confusion. “What is it?”

Jiang Yuan met her gaze, her voice steady. “I’ll go with you.”

She suddenly wanted to show Liang Qi. She wasn’t someone who liked to trouble others, nor someone who would just watch others work for her while remaining weak. This was the first time she cared deeply about the impression she left on someone. She cared what this girl, who helped her, thought of her. Because while Liang Qi gave her warmth, she also gave her courage.

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