Returning to High School to Save My Wife - Chapter 45

“Yeah,” Duan Shuyu nodded, “I didn’t expect Yue Suxin to actually help Cheng Zhuocheng do something like that.”

“That Cheng Zhuocheng only looks decent on the outside,” Tang Yiman, as the arts and entertainment representative, frequently visited other classes and knew a lot of gossip about the two. “Actually, he’s had ambiguous flings with several girls before. Even after he started dating Yue Suxin, he kept telling people behind her back that he was single.”

“That’s so trashy,” Liang Qi said with a look of disgust. “He already has a girlfriend, yet he’s still messing around with others.”

“Oh right, didn’t he try to pursue the Class Monitor before?” Tang Yiman remembered something. “Luckily the Class Monitor didn’t end up with him; otherwise, she would’ve really lost out.”

“Exactly. I didn’t realize Cheng Zhuocheng was that kind of person either,” Duan Shuyu agreed.

“Is the school really planning to expel both of them?” Liang Qi asked.

“That’s what I heard from the Class 7 monitor. Their homeroom teacher is the Dean of Students, and he was in the Principal’s office all morning. He said Yue Suxin was crying her eyes out,” Duan Shuyu said.

Tang Yiman glanced at her surroundings, beckoned with her finger to gather everyone closer, and whispered, “Doesn’t Yue Suxin’s father know the Principal? Do you think it’s possible the Principal might protect them?”

“It’s actually possible. Back in tenth grade, Yue Suxin pushed a girl from Class 7 and injured her. Yue Suxin’s family paid several tens of thousands of yuan in compensation, and the matter was just dropped.”

“Besides, isn’t Cheng Zhuocheng’s family very rich too? Maybe they’ll just pay some money and this will all blow over.”

Liang Qi and Jiang Yuan exchanged a look, and Liang Qi secretly sent her a WeChat message.

[Cookie]: Don’t worry.

When Jiang Yuan received the message, she lowered her head to take her phone out of the drawer. The moment she saw those two words, her heart warmed, and she replied.

[Yuan]: Mhm.

Tang Yiman patted Liang Qi on the shoulder. “Hey, Liang Qi, were you the one who called Teacher He that day? Do you know some inside gossip too?”

Liang Qi shook her head. “I just happened to run into Teacher He that day. I didn’t know who Cheng Zhuocheng was trying to hurt.”

Tang Yiman sighed with regret. “It seems only Teacher He knows the full story.”

Just as she finished speaking, the bell rang. He Wei entered the classroom on time with his lesson plans. He paused at the door, seeing the students whispering. Without saying a word, he scanned the room, and the classroom gradually fell silent.

Only when there wasn’t a sound left did He Wei walk up to the podium and address the class: “Recently, some things have happened at school.”

The entire room was pin-drop silent. Everyone was hoping to hear more gossip they didn’t already know from He Wei.

“It is somewhat related to our class, so I imagine you’ve all heard some rumors.”

Liang Qi felt Jiang Yuan’s tension beside her. Under the desk, she reached out and covered Jiang Yuan’s slightly stiff hand. Under her encouragement, she felt the hand gradually relax.

“Because of these events, our class’s Yue Suxin will likely not be continuing her studies with us.”

“The nature of this matter is very severe. I hope everyone will not spread unverified rumors in school, which could cause secondary trauma to the parties involved.”

“I also hope you all take this as a warning and do not spend your energy on things outside of your studies.”

To protect Jiang Yuan, He Wei did not mention her name, and even Cheng Zhuocheng’s actions were only vaguely glossed over.

Public opinion is a sharp sword that wounds people. There are too many people in this world who use the pain of others as conversation fodder; even if they show sympathy on the surface, public opinion still brings inevitable harm to the victim.

After the two math periods ended, Liang Qi winked at Jiang Yuan. “See, I told you—evil deeds bring retribution. Now you don’t have to live in fear anymore.”

Jiang Yuan smiled softly. “It’s lucky you brought the teacher over that day.”

Liang Qi pressed a finger to her lips. “I won’t tell anyone, and you shouldn’t say anything either.”

Jiang Yuan mimicked the gesture, blinking at her with a gentle smile blooming on her lips. “Mhm.”

Liang Qi leaned in, draping an arm over Jiang Yuan’s shoulder. “Since it’s such a happy occasion, shouldn’t we celebrate?”

Jiang Yuan hesitated. “But… my mom just got out of the hospital and needs care. Sister Yan covered a Saturday shift for me once, so I have to pay her back this Sunday…”

Liang Qi didn’t mind at all. “Then let’s just go to your house to do homework. It’s been a while since I’ve seen your mom, and I’d like to see her too.”

Jiang Yuan was stunned. “To my house?”

Although she had brought Liang Qi home the first time they met, they didn’t really know each other then; she had only done it because she was afraid Liang Qi would get heatstroke.

After becoming Liang Qi’s deskmate and visiting Liang Qi’s home previously, Jiang Yuan had gradually realized how massive the gap between their family backgrounds was—a gap she likely couldn’t bridge even with decades of hard work.

Being friends with Liang Qi made her feel lucky, but at the same time… a subtle, unnoticed sense of inferiority had quietly begun to grow.

But they were good friends—best friends. Friends shouldn’t grow distant because of a gap in wealth. If even Liang Qi didn’t mind, why should she?

So, Jiang Yuan said, “Then come to my house on Sunday after I finish work.”

“I’ll just pick you up at the convenience store, and then we can head to your house together,” Liang Qi said. Even though Cheng Zhuocheng and Yue Suxin were expelled, she was still worried the previous incident might have left a psychological shadow, making Jiang Yuan afraid to travel alone.

“There’s no need for that trouble, I can go back by myself.”

“No, just go straight to my house. If you get there early, Mumu will open the door for you,” Jiang Yuan said. “Sister Yan is starting to come to my house this week to teach Mumu how to draw. I’ll just walk with her when I get off work.”

“Doesn’t Sister Yan have to work the night shift on Sunday?”

“There’s no night shift on Sunday; she gets off very early.”

Since Jiang Yuan put it that way, Liang Qi stopped insisting. “Then I’ll go to your house and wait for you Sunday afternoon.”

“Okay,” Jiang Yuan thought for a moment. “Come over for dinner. I’ll have Mumu prepare a bit extra.”

When Liang Qi returned home that evening, she started asking Tao Huijuan about the school rumors.

The school’s punishment for Yue Suxin was surprisingly fast. It was almost unbelievable that Yue Suxin hadn’t used her family connections to plead her case.

She had already asked Tao Huijuan to check with Qiao Shuxue’s mother. Such things might be secrets among students, but teachers definitely knew the inside story.

Liang Qi sat down on the sofa. “Mom, was that Yue Suxin really expelled just like that? Didn’t she ask the Principal to help her?”

Tao Huijuan was leisurely replying to student messages on her phone. “She did ask. Your Principal wanted to help, but he didn’t dare.”

“Why?” Liang Qi sensed something and pricked up her ears.

Yue Suxin had been arrogant at school for so long relying on her father’s connections; those connections were definitely strong. Her family had even donated several buildings to the school. Even Liang Qi hadn’t expected that Yue Suxin would actually be expelled once this matter came to light.

“Isn’t it because her father got into trouble?” Tao Huijuan said dismissively without looking up. “Your father heard that her dad embezzled public funds. He was found out and is going to prison. Their family doesn’t even have enough money to pay the fines. Now her mother is even considering selling the house across the street.”

Liang Qi was surprised. “It’s that serious?”

“Isn’t it?” Tao Huijuan glanced at her, then continued replying to messages, speaking unhurriedly. “He stole a lot of money from his unit. He’s still cooperating with the investigation. This time, it was her mother who went to the school to find the Principal.”

“And the Principal didn’t give her any leeway?”

“My guess is her mother didn’t go to the Principal just for her daughter’s schooling. I heard she had borrowed a lot of money from him before. Now that the father is in trouble, how would the Principal dare help? He can’t even get his borrowed money back, so he decided to cut ties quickly and arranged for the daughter’s expulsion to distance himself from that family.”

Liang Qi scoffed. “He really is cunning enough.”

When you’re useful, you’re friends and brothers; when you’re not, they turn their backs on you. Who wouldn’t find that tragic?

“Your Principal is no simple character. He was very shrewd when he talked to our art studio about a partnership. If your Auntie Wang hadn’t warned me in advance, I really wouldn’t have known he was like that.”

Auntie Wang referred to Wang Haiwei, Qiao Shuxue’s mother. She was a star Chinese teacher at Shengjiang No. 1 High School, currently the homeroom teacher for the Grade 12 Honors Class and the Grade 12 Dean. Naturally, she was well-acquainted with the Principal.

“By the way, Qiqi, are you free this Sunday?” Tao Huijuan asked after finishing her messages.

“I have plans to go to a classmate’s house.”

“Oh, what a pity.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Your Uncle Xia and the others wanted to have dinner with us. They specifically said they hoped you could come.”

“Didn’t we just get together last time? Why so frequent?”

“I don’t know, your Uncle and Aunt didn’t say. But the time isn’t set yet, and their schedule is tight. If you’re not free, we’ll just meet next time. I’ll let them know.”

“Hehe, thanks, Mom.”

“Don’t call your mom old. Which classmate’s house are you going to this weekend? Qiao Shuxue’s?”

“No, it’s my deskmate’s house.”

“The one who came to our house last time?”

“Mhm. And I’m going to see her mother too.”

“Be polite when you’re there. Don’t embarrass our family.”

“I know, I’ll definitely make you proud~”

At five o’clock Sunday afternoon, Liang Qi arrived at Jiang Yuan’s house on time.

Considering it was getting late and she might spend the night at Jiang Yuan’s, Liang Qi had specifically taken a set of pajamas out of her closet before leaving. Just as she was about to put them in her bag, a certain possibility occurred to her, and she purposely took the pajamas back out, heading to Jiang Yuan’s house with nothing.

Jiang Yuan and Lin Ruoyan hadn’t returned yet; Xu Chengyu opened the door personally.

Xu Chengyu had heard that Liang Qi was coming and wasn’t at all surprised to see her. she welcomed her warmly. “Little Liang, I haven’t seen you in a long time. Yuanyuan told me everything. We really should thank your father this time; our family has caused you a lot of trouble…”

“Please don’t say that. It was a matter of life and death; the most important thing is that you’re okay.”

Seeing that Xu Chengyu had recovered well, Liang Qi was sincerely happy for Jiang Yuan.

In her past life, Jiang Yuan had lost all her relatives by her twenties and was left all alone in the world, with only Liang Qi as her emotional pillar. Ultimately, she hadn’t been able to make it past her 27th year.

If she could have the long-term companionship of her family, Jiang Yuan would surely live more happily.

She decided that once she and Jiang Yuan were together in the future, she would make sure Xu Chengyu could accept their relationship.

Starting now, she would build up her “presence” in front of Xu Chengyu and subtly create a good impression.

She hoped that one day, her and Jiang Yuan’s romance could be blessed by everyone around them.

Thinking of this, Liang Qi called out sweetly, “Mother-in-law, is your health doing well lately?”

Hearing this, Xu Chengyu was slightly taken aback. “Little Liang?”

Liang Qi realized her slip of the tongue and quickly corrected herself. “No! H-Hello, Auntie.”

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