Returning to High School to Save My Wife - Chapter 44

When Liang Qi returned to her seat, Jiang Yuan was already there, holding two bottles of drinks. Seeing Liang Qi sit down, Jiang Yuan handed one to her.

“This is for you,” Jiang Yuan said.

Liang Qi was slightly surprised. “Oh? You went to buy drinks?”

Jiang Yuan pointed toward the back. “There is a vending machine in the last row. Duan Shuyu happened to be buying something, so I asked her to grab two for me.”

Liang Qi twisted the cap open and took a sip. It was a peach-flavored sports drink, very sweet—just like Jiang Yuan.

A few seats away, Yue Suxin saw this and curled her lip. She kept checking the time on her phone and couldn’t help complaining to Chen Jiayue. “Why isn’t he back yet? It has been so long.”

Chen Jiayue was much more optimistic. “Don’t worry. Even if Teacher He wants to do something, that is Cheng Zhuocheng we are talking about. With his family background, could they really punish him?”

“But,” Yue Suxin bit her lip, “Teacher He called him out the second she saw his phone. Do you think she found something?”

When Yue Suxin had originally shown those edited photos to Cheng Zhuocheng, her only goal was to make him give up on Jiang Yuan. She knew deep down that those photos couldn’t fool a teacher. In a moment of impulsiveness, she had given them to him to gain his favor, but she never expected him to keep them on his phone. If He Wei saw them, she would definitely demand the source. If Cheng Zhuocheng ratted her out…

“Stop worrying,” Chen Jiayue comforted her. “Cheng Zhuocheng is smart; he can make up an excuse for Teacher He. Besides, you are his girlfriend. Would he really betray you?”

“True,” Yue Suxin relaxed slightly. She shot a resentful glance toward Liang Qi. “It is all Liang Qi’s fault, always meddling in other people’s business.”

Just then, Tang Yiman returned and called out, “Yue Suxin! Teacher He wants to see you.”

Yue Suxin froze. “Teacher He? For what?”

“I don’t know,” Tang Yiman replied. “She just said for you to go find her.”

“Where is she?”

“Just outside the Activity Center. It looks like Cheng Zhuocheng is there too.”

Hearing Cheng Zhuocheng’s name, Yue Suxin’s heart sank. She exchanged a panicked look with Chen Jiayue. Chen Jiayue squeezed her hand. “She probably just wants to ask about you and Cheng Zhuocheng. Don’t lose your cool.”

Yue Suxin swallowed hard. “Then, I’m going.”

Outside, He Wei stood in the hallway. Cheng Zhuocheng stood before her with his head down, looking quite disheveled. When Yue Suxin arrived, he avoided her gaze, his expression carrying a flicker of suppressed ruthlessness.

“Teacher He,” Yue Suxin said softly. “You wanted to see me?”

He Wei did not look pleased. She shoved Cheng Zhuocheng’s phone toward her. “He said you gave these to him. Is that true?”

Yue Suxin went pale the moment she saw the photo. She panicked. “Teacher He, I don’t know what that is.”

“You don’t know?” He Wei said coldly. “He already showed me your chat records. Are you still trying to deny it?”

“Teacher He, I didn’t mean it,” Yue Suxin started crying. “I just found it by accident and sent it to him out of curiosity. I never spread it further, I swear!”

“Where did you get these?”

“I, I saw them on a forum,” Yue Suxin lied on the spot. “The post has been deleted now.”

“The school forum?” He Wei remained unmoved. “Fine. I will report this to the school leadership and have the forum administrator investigate.”

Yue Suxin was on the verge of a breakdown. She hadn’t expected He Wei to take it so seriously. If the school actually investigated, her lie would be exposed instantly.

“If it is as you say, this will be a one-time warning. If not, the school will handle it according to the rules, and no one will be able to help you!”

When Yue Suxin returned to her seat, she was in a daze. The social mixer was ending, but she couldn’t hear anything. He Wei’s words buzzed in her ears like a death knell. Would she be publicly criticized? Expelled? Would they tell her parents?

Cheng Zhuocheng, you’ve ruined me! Yue Suxin buried her face in her arms and began to sob.

The Falling Dominoes

The social mixer concluded, and students began to leave. Liang Qi took Jiang Yuan’s hand to stand up. As they walked down the steps, Liang Qi noticed a familiar figure flash through the crowd.

She paused. “Wait.”

She searched through the sea of people, but the figure was gone.

“Liang Qi, what is it?” Jiang Yuan asked.

“I thought I saw someone I knew.”

“A friend?”

Liang Qi hesitated for a long time before saying, “Maybe I saw it wrong. Let’s go.”

Inside the now-empty Activity Center, only Chen Jiayue and Hang Jiao remained with Yue Suxin.

“Sister Xin, what happened? Where is Cheng Zhuocheng?” Chen Jiayue asked.

Yue Suxin cried harder. “He pushed all the blame on me! Teacher He is going to report it to the school leaders!”

“How could he do that? You’re his girlfriend!” Chen Jiayue cursed. “He has no heart!”

“Jiayue, what do I do? If the school finds out, they’ll punish me. I only showed it to him!” Yue Suxin turned to Hang Jiao, grabbing her hand like a lifeline. “Jiao Jiao, we are friends, right? You have to help me!”

Hang Jiao was confused. “How can I help? I don’t know the school leaders.”

“It’s okay,” Yue Suxin said urgently. “Just tell the school the photos were on your phone. That way, I won’t get expelled.”

Hang Jiao’s face changed. A surge of anger rose within her. She stood up and shouted, “Sister Xin, how could you! I’ve done so much for you, and you want me to take the blame?”

“I’m not asking you to take the blame!” Yue Suxin pleaded. “Just say you lost your phone and don’t know anything! We’ll just get a light punishment, that’s all.”

“Then why can’t you just say you lost your phone?”

“I already lied to the teacher! She won’t believe me, but she might believe you!”

“I can’t do it,” Hang Jiao cried. “You’re trying to ruin me!”

Furious, Yue Suxin shoved Hang Jiao. “Do you have any conscience? No one would even play with you if I didn’t take you in!”

Chen Jiayue chimed in. “Hang Jiao, just help her once. She was so good to you.”

Hang Jiao snapped back. “Then why don’t you help her?”

Yue Suxin turned to Chen Jiayue. “Jiayue, you help me then! We are so close!”

Chen Jiayue’s face stiffened. “Sister Xin, this is something you did. We can’t fool the teachers with a ‘lost phone’ story.” She quickly thought of a way to appease her. “Wait, doesn’t your father know the principal well? Ask him to pull some strings and push the blame onto Cheng Zhuocheng.”

“But if my dad finds out, he’ll be furious!”

“Who cares about that now? He loves you. He might scold you, but he won’t let the school expel you. Go home and ask him now, before the punishment is finalized!”

Yue Suxin panicked and pulled out her phone to call her father. It rang for a long time before someone answered.

“Hello, Dad?” Yue Suxin’s voice trembled.

The other side was silent for a moment.

“Dad? Are you busy? I need to tell you something.”

A cold sneer came from the other end. “Looking for your father? He’s about to go to prison. Save your breath.”

The call was cut off. Yue Suxin went rigid. Her phone slipped from her fingers and hit the empty floor with a loud thud.

Aftermath

The investigation moved quickly. Within a week, news of Yue Suxin and Cheng Zhuocheng’s punishment spread through the school.

On Wednesday morning, Liang Qi sat down and heard students gossiping.

“Is Yue Suxin not here today?” “I heard from Class Five that even Cheng Zhuocheng hasn’t shown up.” “Did they run away to date?” “No! I heard they are both being expelled!”

Liang Qi pretended to know nothing and turned to Duan Shuyu. “What happened? Why is everyone saying they are being expelled?”

“Apparently Cheng Zhuocheng was harassing girls, and Yue Suxin helped him edit photos to start a rumor that a student was having an inappropriate relationship with a teacher,” Duan Shuyu whispered.

Liang Qi looked shocked. “Wow, that is absolutely shameless!”

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