Returning to High School to Save My Wife - Chapter 34

Cheng Zhuocheng froze for a moment. “Old Xie?”

In the entirety of Shengjiang No. 1 High School, there was only one “Old Xie,” which was Xie Rudong, the current homeroom teacher of Class 2-5.

He was also Jiang Yuan’s former homeroom teacher.

Xie Rudong taught Chinese. In his early forties, he was elegant and gentle. Not only was he an excellent teacher, but he had also won numerous awards during his tenure. His reputation in the school had always been among the best, and he was a teacher deeply loved by his students.

Therefore, when Cheng Zhuocheng heard Yue Suxin say this, his first reaction was shock.

“Shh,” Yue Suxin stretched out her finger to signal him to lower his voice. She looked around, and only after seeing no one did she feel relieved. “Don’t let anyone hear you.”

“That’s impossible, right?” Cheng Zhuocheng found it hard to believe this claim; after all, Jiang Yuan’s grades were quite good during her freshman year. “Old Xie doesn’t seem like the type of person who would do something like that.”

“I thought it was impossible at the time too, but it’s true. If you don’t believe me, look at this.” Yue Suxin took out her phone and pulled up a few photos from her album to show him.

The background of the photos was very dark, looking much like a classroom at school. The man’s figure was clearly Xie Rudong, though his face was somewhat blurred. Next to him was a girl with a black ponytail; her back also closely resembled Jiang Yuan’s.

The distance between the two was extremely intimate. Anyone looking at it would think their relationship was unusual. At the very least, Cheng Zhuocheng had never seen a teacher and student stand so close.

This was clearly a kiss!

“You,” Cheng Zhuocheng’s expression changed instantly. “How did you take something like this?”

“I didn’t take them,” Yue Suxin pulled Cheng Zhuocheng by the wrist, leading him across the lawn to a deserted spot. “Hang Jiao took these by accident last week.”

“Is, is all of this true?”

Cheng Zhuocheng never expected Jiang Yuan to be this kind of person.

Originally, learning that Jiang Yuan had a crush made him feel uncomfortable, but after seeing these photos, his stomach began to churn. He felt disgusted.

An underage female student and a male teacher nearly fifty years old.

If this news got out, it would be all over the social news.

“You don’t believe it? There’s more.” Yue Suxin slid her finger across the screen, showing him several other photos.

There weren’t just kisses and hugs; there were even some “indescribable” scenes that he had only ever seen on restricted websites. Furthermore, it was clearly visible that Jiang Yuan was the one taking the initiative.

Is this the respected homeroom teacher of Class 5, Xie Rudong?

Is this the top student from the Rocket Class, Jiang Yuan?

Cheng Zhuocheng felt his entire worldview crumbling.

If he had known earlier that Jiang Yuan was this kind of person, he wouldn’t have even spared her a glance, let alone pursued her for a whole year.

He really couldn’t tell that Jiang Yuan was actually so shameless.

There were so many girls in school, plenty of whom liked him. Aside from being a bit pretty, what was so good about Jiang Yuan? Her family background was so poor she couldn’t even afford cram school, yet she always acted high and mighty, as if no one was good enough for her.

Did she really think she was a princess?

So aloof on the surface, but more filthy than anyone behind the scenes.

Chasing someone like this was simply a waste of his time.

Yue Suxin spoke with a complex tone. “I didn’t expect them to do such things either. Usually, I thought Jiang Yuan was quite decent.”

“Does anyone else know about this?”

“I haven’t told anyone. Who would dare speak of this? Wouldn’t leaking it hurt Old Xie? If the school leadership found out, Old Xie wouldn’t be able to continue teaching.”

Yue Suxin was right.

If this got out, not only might Jiang Yuan be expelled, but Xie Rudong could also be suspended.

Although Cheng Zhuocheng felt it takes two to tango, Xie Rudong was, after all, their homeroom teacher. His teaching ability was outstanding. If Xie Rudong were suspended, it meant they would have to change teachers, which would definitely be all harm and no benefit for them.

Yue Suxin continued. “But you know, Jiang Yuan is usually very difficult to get along with. Since becoming the class monitor, she often uses her position to bully others. You saw her push me last time, didn’t you? Did she have someone tell you that I tripped on purpose and took her phone?”

Cheng Zhuocheng’s expression shifted slightly. “How did you know?”

Yue Suxin pouted. “It’s her usual trick; she’s long since mastered it.”

“So, that incident actually had nothing to do with you?”

“Yeah. That day, she stuck her leg out to trip me. Losing the phone was also a self-directed act. She had someone put the phone in my drawer. I was scared to death that day, which is why I told you Hang Jiao found it.”

“Why, why didn’t you clarify things for yourself?” Cheng Zhuocheng frowned. “At the time, Jia Yao had Xing Ran come find me. I really thought you had intentionally taken Jiang Yuan’s phone.”

“How would I dare?” Recalling the events of that day, Yue Suxin felt aggrieved. “Every one of you believes her. If I said anything, would you have believed me?”

The more Yue Suxin spoke, the more upset she became. She couldn’t help but sob twice, hurriedly wiping her tears with her school uniform sleeve.

“Hey, Yue Suxin, don’t cry,” Cheng Zhuocheng usually couldn’t stand seeing girls cry. Seeing Yue Suxin wiping her tears so pathetically, he felt a pang of pity. He quickly took a tissue from his backpack. “Use this to wipe.”

Yue Suxin stepped back, shook her head sadly, and cried even harder. “I don’t need it.”

Cheng Zhuocheng stepped forward without taking no for an answer and personally wiped her tears. “Just use it. Look at you, why are you crying? It doesn’t look good.”

He stopped mid-sentence. His gaze fell upon Yue Suxin’s fair face, and he couldn’t look away.

As the recognized school hunk of Shengjiang No. 1, Cheng Zhuocheng considered himself a connoisseur of many beauties. Previously, he only liked Jiang Yuan because she had an outstanding temperament and was exceptionally beautiful. Now, seeing Yue Suxin up close, he realized that she looked very endearing when she cried.

Yue Suxin had very fair skin and a good figure. Most importantly, Yue Suxin liked him and followed his every word.

Since he couldn’t pursue Jiang Yuan anymore anyway, he might as well give it a try with Yue Suxin.

He remembered hearing other students say that Yue Suxin’s family was very wealthy.

Cheng Zhuocheng’s tone unconsciously softened. “Yue Suxin, stop crying, otherwise your family will worry. I’ll walk you back.”

Only then did Yue Suxin stop sniffing. “Okay.”

As they walked, Cheng Zhuocheng said, “Oh, right, send those photos to me.”

Yue Suxin was startled and stopped in her tracks. Her tone became nervous. “What, what do you want those for?”

Cheng Zhuocheng coughed and lowered his voice. “Don’t keep photos like that on your phone. If someone sees them, how will you explain it? I’ll keep them for you. If something happens to Old Xie in the future, we’ll have proof on our end that Jiang Yuan was the one who initiated it.”

Fearing she wouldn’t give them to him, he added. “Don’t worry, I definitely won’t say you gave them to me. I guarantee this will have nothing to do with you.”

Yue Suxin hesitated. “Then, you must never say I sent them.”

“Rest assured, I won’t let you get into any trouble.”

Jiang Yuan took a taxi to the hospital.

When she reached the floor where Xu Chengyu was staying, she saw Jiang Mu talking to the doctor.

“Must the surgery be done right now?” Jiang Mu asked.

“It’s best to do it as soon as possible,” the doctor replied. Though he didn’t state it as an absolute, he made it clear enough. “The heart is beating slowly, and the blood supply is insufficient. If delayed, it could become serious, and the costs will be even higher.”

“But if we don’t do the surgery for now,” Jiang Mu’s words were cut off.

Jiang Yuan walked over quickly. “Mumu!”

The doctor and Jiang Mu both stopped and turned to look at the rushing Jiang Yuan.

“Sis, you’re here?” Jiang Mu’s expression was solemn. “The doctor says Mom’s condition isn’t great. It’s best to perform a pacemaker surgery as soon as possible.”

Jiang Yuan glanced at the doctor, then quickly looked back at Jiang Mu. “Does Mom know about this?”

“Not yet. She wasn’t feeling well this afternoon and went to sleep first.”

“Then, what about the surgery costs?” The moment she asked this, Jiang Yuan felt a sudden surge of fear.

Costs.

This was the most sensitive and helpless topic between them.

Because of the lack of money, Xu Chengyu always hid her illnesses and avoided going to the hospital for treatment.

Because of the lack of money, Jiang Mu had nearly given up on painting several times.

Because of the lack of money, they always chose the worst and cheapest options for food, clothing, and shelter.

Compromising time and time again, bowing their heads to others, making choices that others wouldn’t.

“At least twenty thousand.”

Hearing this price, Jiang Yuan’s heart trembled.

The air in the hospital corridor seemed to thin at that moment. The surrounding noise turned into a mechanical ringing in her ears.

Twenty thousand.

This wasn’t an amount of money they could just produce.

Nor was it an amount that could be easily borrowed.

Even Lin Ruoyan, who often lent her money, likely wouldn’t be able to lend her this much.

Because she couldn’t pay it back.

Even if she worked part-time throughout high school, and even with Jiang Mu’s help, they still couldn’t afford it.

Besides the surgery cost, there would be countless follow-up treatment fees, hospitalization fees, and even the possibility of the condition worsening.

“Is the surgery absolutely necessary?” Jiang Yuan asked.

“It’s best to have the surgery. Illnesses get worse the longer they are delayed. If you wait until it’s severe to seek treatment, the cost will be several times higher, and the results usually won’t be as good as early treatment,” the doctor said.

“Will there be follow-up treatment costs?”

“Certainly. That depends on the patient’s recovery after the surgery.”

“Then, if we don’t do it, what’s the worst-case scenario?” Jiang Yuan’s voice was trembling.

She couldn’t imagine herself saying such cold words, as if her mother’s life was something that could be weighed, something that could be tagged with a price, and that price was lower than twenty thousand.

“Well,” the doctor hesitated, seemingly weighing how to put it delicately. “If things go poorly, it will certainly be life-threatening.”

These words felt like a bolt of lightning striking down, leaving Jiang Yuan’s entire body stiff.

Life-threatening.

She only had one mother, Xu Chengyu.

While Xu Chengyu wasn’t a perfect mother, she had done her absolute best to be good to her.

She couldn’t imagine a day when Xu Chengyu would leave them forever.

“Sis,” Jiang Mu’s voice was very soft. “This surgery, are we doing it?”

Jiang Yuan gripped her backpack straps so hard her knuckles turned white. Only then was she able to speak calmly to the doctor. “Thank you, doctor. We will consider it carefully.”

After the doctor left, Jiang Yuan lowered her head, staring at the pale floor, silent for a long time.

The corridor wasn’t quiet, yet she couldn’t hear a single sound.

Scalding liquid ran down her cheeks, but she was completely oblivious to it.

She thought back to the expensive fruit gift box she had brought to Liang Qi’s house yesterday and suddenly wanted to slap herself.

Why did I buy something so expensive?

Even though she knew that two hundred and thirty yuan was essentially useless against twenty thousand.

She then thought of the time Jiang Wangjie came to find her last week.

Why was my attitude so poor?

Why did I refuse the money he offered every single time?

For the first time in her life, she felt the words “no money” trampling upon her self-respect.

Carrying a backpack full of supplements, Jiang Yuan broke do

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