Returning to High School to Save My Wife - Chapter 42

Liang Qi, worried that Cheng Zhuocheng would continue to cause trouble for Jiang Yuan, insisted on seeing her all the way home.

Arriving at the front door, Liang Qi stopped and said to Jiang Yuan, “I’ll pick you up and drop you off from now on. Send me your morning departure time, and I’ll come early to wait for you.”

Jiang Yuan lowered her eyes. “If you do that, you’ll have to wake up very early.”

With morning self-study and an increasingly heavy workload, students already had to rise at dawn. If Liang Qi made a detour to her house, it would undoubtedly squeeze her already limited sleep time. Over time, it would be exhausting.

“It’s only fifteen minutes earlier,” Liang Qi said. “I can cut through the back gate of my residential complex; it’s very convenient.”

“But.”

“No more buts. Compared to your safety, waking up early is nothing. Your house and mine aren’t that far apart. Just wait for me tomorrow morning with peace of mind.”

“Thank you, Liang Qi. And regarding today, it was all thanks to you arriving in time.”

“Don’t you worry. With me around, I guarantee nothing will happen to you.” Liang Qi remembered something and pulled the Maneki-neko phone charm from her bag. She took Jiang Yuan’s hand and placed it in her palm. “Keep this safe. Hang it back on your phone and don’t lose it again.”

“Liang Qi,” Jiang Yuan gripped the charm tightly, her voice dropping. She seemed nervous, as if afraid of upsetting Liang Qi. “I feel, maybe I should just drop out of the social mixer.”

The moment those words were spoken, Liang Qi’s hand stiffened visibly.

Jiang Yuan explained, “I told you before, Yue Suxin is Cheng Zhuocheng’s girlfriend, and she is also performing a dance. If I go and compete with her, I’m worried Cheng Zhuocheng will also.”

Liang Qi interrupted her. “Yuanyuan, don’t give up on the things you love because of people like that. Everyone competes fairly; your only job is to dance well. As for worrying about Cheng Zhuocheng and Yue Suxin playing dirty, I will accompany you to all future rehearsals. I will protect you.”

“Liang Qi.” Jiang Yuan gazed at her blankly. Suddenly, she lowered her eyes, a self-deprecating, bitter smile touching her lips. “Am I a terrible person? I’m always bringing you all sorts of trouble, and bad things always seem to happen around me.”

“This is not your fault,” Liang Qi said firmly. “It is precisely because you are too excellent that some people are jealous and want to hurt you. Therefore, you cannot let those people knock you down.”

“Is that so?” The bitterness in Jiang Yuan’s tone deepened slightly. “Liang Qi, for some reason, I always feel that as long as it’s something you say, I will believe it especially. You wouldn’t lie to me, right?”

“I won’t lie to you,” Liang Qi said. “So trust me this time, too. Trust your intuition.”

“Mhm, I understand,” Jiang Yuan nodded. “I will practice dancing hard. I won’t let the audience down at the mixer.”

And… I won’t let you down.

“That’s the spirit,” Liang Qi gave her a smile and waved her phone. “Hurry home now. Remember to find me if anything happens. I’m always here.”

“Okay. You should get home early, too. Don’t let your parents worry.”

“I know. I’ll message you when I get home.”

Watching Liang Qi walk away, Jiang Yuan suddenly called out on impulse, “Liang Qi!”

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

“I,” Jiang Yuan’s lips moved slightly as she suppressed her racing heart. She said to her, “I just wanted to tell you that I’m okay. You don’t need to worry too much about me.”

Liang Qi broke into a bright smile. “Message received.”

When Liang Qi arrived home, she found only Tao Huijuan; Liang Jinsong had not yet returned.

“Mom, Dad isn’t back yet?” she asked casually.

“A colleague of your father’s needed a favor. He’ll likely be back very late tonight.” Tao Huijuan was in the kitchen cooking. Since only two of them were eating, she didn’t make much.

“A colleague? It couldn’t be that man named Yue again, could it?”

“It’s him. Said there was some problem at work and needed your father to pull some strings. Apparently, it’s a big deal; he might even go to jail if things go poorly.”

“That serious? And Dad still went to help?”

“Your father didn’t know at first. Later, the higher-ups investigated and found out he was hiding something.”

“Is that so? Then Dad went tonight to.”

“Just to meet out of respect for their past relationship. Your father’s boss knows that man used to work under him and wanted your father to coax some information out of him.”

“Then won’t Dad be in a difficult position?”

On one side was his leader’s request, and on the other was past camaraderie. Liang Jinsong was a man who drew clear lines between public and private matters; Liang Qi didn’t even need to think to know what he would do, but on the surface, it was still a bit awkward.

“Your father will handle it, don’t you worry about him,” Tao Huijuan said, placing the food on the table. “I haven’t even asked you yet—why are you home so late today?”

“Oh, my deskmate signed up for the school mixer. She had rehearsal this afternoon, so I stayed with her for a bit.”

“Your deskmate? The one who came over last time?”

“Yes, that’s her. She’s doing ballet.”

“Look at her. Why didn’t you sign up too? You could have at least accompanied her or something.”

“I didn’t think of it,” Liang Qi stuck out her tongue.

In truth, it wasn’t that Liang Qi hadn’t thought of it, but rather that the mixer didn’t need duplicate acts. Unlike Jiang Yuan and Yue Suxin, whose dance styles were different, someone had already signed up for a piano solo, so she hadn’t considered it at all.

But if she appeared as an accompanist, standing on the same stage as Jiang Yuan.

She could protect her performance and give her the greatest confidence.

“I think you haven’t touched the piano in years and are probably rusty.”

“Mom, don’t expose me,” Liang Qi smiled apologetically and changed the subject, trying to sound casual. “By the way, Mom, let’s not talk about that. Do you know Cheng Zhuocheng from our school?”

The last thing Cheng Zhuocheng said had been weighing on Liang Qi’s mind.

If you’re not afraid of Jiang Yuan’s reputation being ruined.

When Jiang Yuan returned to school last time, Cheng Zhuocheng seemed to have said something similar. His confidence when saying these things was high; it didn’t sound like mere empty threats. It sounded more like he held some secret that Jiang Yuan would be terrified to have spread, which was why he was certain they wouldn’t dare report his actions.

If that was the case, rashly exposing the matter would only harm Jiang Yuan. She had to investigate where Cheng Zhuocheng’s confidence came from.

Although Tao Huijuan didn’t teach at Shengjiang No. 1 High, her art studio had a long-term partnership with the school, so she knew many teachers. Furthermore, Qiao Shuxue’s mother was a Chinese teacher at the school and a good friend of Tao Huijuan’s, so Tao Huijuan knew quite a bit about school affairs.

“Cheng Zhuocheng?” Tao Huijuan had indeed heard the name and was slightly surprised. “The boy many young girls at your school like?”

“That’s him. Mom, you know him?”

“I do. There are girls at the studio who want to pursue him, too.” Tao Huijuan looked Liang Qi over. “Why are you suddenly asking about him? You don’t have feelings for him, do you?”

“Mom, where is your head? I have zero interest. He’s incredibly arrogant at school; I hate him as it is.”

Tao Huijuan finally felt relieved. “That’s good. To be honest, even if you did, I wouldn’t agree to it.”

Liang Qi’s curiosity was piqued. “Mom, do you hate him too?”

Tao Huijuan sighed. “You have no idea. He comes to our studio every other day to hit on the girls. A while back, one of my students was so dizzy from his charms she almost confessed, only to find out that very day he had a girlfriend. She cried all night at the studio.”

Liang Qi was dumbfounded. “That’s insane.”

She had thought Cheng Zhuocheng only got with Yue Suxin because he couldn’t get Jiang Yuan, but it turned out he was also being ambiguous with other students in private.

“It’s more than that. A few days ago, a student told me Cheng Zhuocheng was chasing a girl at your school but couldn’t get her. He said he wanted to take more photos of her.”

“Photos?!” Liang Qi was stunned. Was Cheng Zhuocheng trying to take scandalous photos of Jiang Yuan to ruin her reputation?

“Why such a big reaction?” Tao Huijuan was startled by her response, and her expression changed. “It wasn’t you he was chasing, was it? You.”

“Of course not,” Liang Qi pressed on. “Mom, what happened after? Did he get them?”

“Who knows? That student isn’t close to him and only overheard him talking to someone else. Once the girl at our studio found out about his girlfriend, she stopped associating with him. I haven’t seen him at the studio for a while now.”

Liang Qi picked at her food, losing her appetite. “Mom, can you keep an ear out for me? If there’s any news regarding this, tell me immediately.”

Tao Huijuan was curious. “Why are you looking into this?”

Liang Qi rolled her eyes. “The person he’s trying to chase is my deskmate. He’s already caused trouble for her several times.”

Tao Huijuan was shocked. “What? Then your deskmate.”

Liang Qi shook her head. “She’s okay for now. I suspect Cheng Zhuocheng wants to frame her, so Mom, please help me keep an eye out. I’m afraid he’ll do something wicked.”

“I understand. If I hear anything about her, I’ll definitely tell you,” Tao Huijuan promised. “Tell your deskmate to be careful, too.”

“I already have. I’ll make sure she stays alert.”

A week later, the social mixer between the two schools was held at the Shengjiang No. 1 High Activity Center.

The seats for each class were arranged by student ID number, but Liang Qi specifically swapped places with another student just to sit next to Jiang Yuan. The entire center was packed; it was an unprecedentedly lively scene.

The first performance was Yue Suxin’s solo dance. Yue Suxin had good poise, was beautiful, and had over ten years of dance training; being arranged as the first act was undoubtedly a sign of the school’s trust in her.

Passionate dance music began. Under the gaze of the crowd, Yue Suxin showcased her charming dance moves. Her actions were skilled and powerful, and her dance was full of vitality, making it impossible to look away from her, like a seductive siren. The atmosphere of the entire venue was stirred up, and the audience below cheered for her enthusiastically.

“That’s so beautiful!” “Yue Suxin is really making our school proud!” “She dances so well!”

The noisy chatter came wave after wave, audible even in the backstage area. Even Liang Qi had to admit that Yue Suxin indeed danced well; she was like a rose in intense bloom, her very movements radiating a rich fragrance.

Accompanied by cheers from below, Yue Suxin’s dance ended amidst applause. She bowed and walked off the stage under countless admiring gazes. Upon returning backstage, she shot a triumphant look at Jiang Yuan, who was waiting to go on. She then took her school jacket from Chen Jiayue and went to the dressing room to change.

Liang Qi ignored Yue Suxin’s provocation. She stepped forward, took Jiang Yuan’s hand, and said to her solemnly, “You will be better than her.”

Jiang Yuan placed her hand over the back of Liang Qi’s and said softly, “Mhm, I will perform well.”

Jiang Yuan’s solo dance was scheduled later, with three acts between her and Yue Suxin. Twenty minutes later, it was finally time for Jiang Yuan’s solo. Liang Qi appeared with her as the accompanist.

Liang Qi took Jiang Yuan’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Crisscrossing lights hit the stage. Jiang Yuan walked to a dark spot the lights didn’t reach and leaned down, lying on the floor. Her fair, slender arms hugged her thin frame, and her toes gradually extended. She looked like a flower bud about to bloom or a hibernating butterfly that could take flight at any moment.

Liang Qi sat at the piano bench, her fingers resting on the black and white keys. She turned her head to look at the person in the center of the stage. Their gazes met at this instant, an unspoken understanding passing between them.

The moment the keys were struck, a romantic melody began. The butterfly’s wings started to tremble slightly. The entire Activity Center gradually fell silent, as if afraid to disturb the butterfly’s awakening, leaving only a serene peace.

Support