Returning to High School to Save My Wife - Chapter 5

Class 1-2 of Shengjiang No.1 High School was the elite “rocket class.”

As Liang Qi approached the classroom door, she overheard several girls gossiping about Jiang Yuan.

“Did you hear Jiang Yuan ranked first this time?”

“How bizarre. With her family background, they can’t even afford tutoring, yet she managed to top the rocket class?”

“Who knows how she pulled it off. Honestly, tutoring doesn’t cost that much her family can’t even afford that? It’s laughable.”

“Exactly. She didn’t even rank first in the final exams last semester.”

“Xin-jie, do you think Cheng Zhuocheng tutored her over the summer?”

The girls had been casually chatting, but at the mention of that name, the one called “Xin-jie” suddenly darkened her expression.

“Cheng Zhuocheng tutoring her? That’s hilarious. Their families are worlds apart. Does she really think she can climb up and become a phoenix?”

The girl had a stylish appearance long, beautiful curls, two diamond-studded hair clips, a slender figure, and porcelain-white skin. She looked like a pretty doll, effortlessly turning the plain school uniform into a fashion statement.

“Right? That guess is way off. Brother Cheng even drove Xin-jie to school this morning. His heart only has room for our Xin-jie.”

“Don’t be upset, Xin-jie. Someone like her isn’t worth your anger.”

“Yeah, Xin-jie. You’re so popular and beautiful Jiang Yuan, that loner, is no match for you.”

The flattery clearly pleased her. She flipped her hair, a proud smile curling her lips. “Of course. That kind of girl.”

“That kind of girl is still better than those who gossip behind people’s backs, no?” A light, airy voice cut in.

The words sounded casual, even carrying a hint of amusement delivered in the friendliest tone while dripping with sarcasm and instantly struck a nerve with the curly-haired girl.

Her expression shifted slightly as she met Liang Qi’s gaze. Liang Qi was smiling at her, eyes curved like crescents, seemingly harmless, yet her gaze felt like countless needles pricking at her, making her deeply uncomfortable.

“What did you say?” the girl snapped, her tone hostile. But when she noticed the designer backpack slung over Liang Qi’s shoulder, her expression flickered with subtle change.

Liang Qi grinned. “I said isn’t gossiping behind someone’s back such a disgraceful thing? Surely proper students wouldn’t do that, right?”

“Heh.” This time, the girl didn’t get angry. Instead, her gaze turned shrewdly assessing. “Seems like your family’s well-off too. If you don’t know the rules here, I suggest you keep quiet save yourself future regrets.”

“School rules? You mean the official regulations? I haven’t studied them carefully yet. Since you seem familiar, why don’t you tell me which rule encourages gossiping and slandering others?” Liang Qi replied, still smiling.

“You!” The girl was fuming. She hadn’t expected Liang Qi to be so bold, directly invoking school rules to shut her up.

Everyone at Shengjiang No.1 High School knew who she was. Who dared speak to her like this?

“Do you have anything else to say?” Liang Qi suddenly asked.

The girl was taken aback, momentarily confused. “What?”

“If you don’t mind, could you step aside?” Liang Qi blinked at her with a smile. “You’re blocking the classroom door, I can’t get in.”

“You!”

“If slow reflexes are keeping you from moving, I don’t mind taking the back door. Later, when I head out, I’ll grab you some Six Walnuts to boost your brainpower. Oh, and no need to thank me. We’re classmates, after all no need to be so polite. Just let me sit in the front row later, and we’ll call it even.”

As the youngest technical consultant at a globally top-tier biopharmaceutical company, Liang Qi’s sharp tongue was no accident. She had represented her firm in countless high-stakes presentations and bidding wars, so dealing with high school troublemakers was child’s play.

Anyone who made it into the elite “rocket class” was far from slow-witted, but Liang Qi’s jab was a blatant dig at the girl’s intelligence, drawing curious glances from the surrounding students as if her brain really did lag behind the rest.

The girl instantly bristled. “Say that again!”

“Once wasn’t enough? You want an encore?” Liang Qi couldn’t help but laugh. “But I don’t have time to repeat myself. I’ve got a class to get to.”

As she brushed past the girl toward the door, a cool, detached voice suddenly cut through the hallway.

“Why is everyone gathered here? Aren’t you going in?”

The tension in the air dissipated slightly as the students froze in surprise.

The voice was strikingly pleasant like a refreshing spring flowing through the sweltering summer heat, instantly soothing the mood.

The girl from earlier caught sight of Jiang Yuan, her expression flickering with something complicated. Just as she was about to snap something hostile, a single glance from Liang Qi silenced her.

With a disdainful huff, she turned to the other girls. “What are we standing around for? Let’s go back inside.”

Once they’d left, Liang Qi finally turned to face Jiang Yuan, her smile deepening as sunlight danced in her eyes.

“Long time no see.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Jiang Yuan’s expression. “You?”

“Me,” Liang Qi replied cheerfully. “What, not happy to see me?”

Jiang Yuan, well aware of Liang Qi’s shamelessness, replied coolly, “It’s not about happiness. We have no grudges. As long as you’re fine, that’s all that matters.”

“After all this time, you’re still worried about me getting heatstroke?” Liang Qi’s heart warmed. “You care so much, I’m almost embarrassed.”

“…” How could someone be this shameless?

“By the way,” Jiang Yuan suddenly remembered, “why were you with Yue Suxin?”

“Yue Suxin?” Liang Qi paused, recalling the girls referring to someone as “Sister Xin.” So that was the Yue Suxin Jiang Yuan had mentioned before.

From Yue Suxin’s earlier remarks and Jiang Yuan’s reaction, it was clear the two had a hostile relationship as if there was some deep-seated grudge between them.

In that moment, hearing Yue Suxin badmouth Jiang Yuan behind her back, Liang Qi had instinctively jumped to her defense without a second thought. It was an ingrained reflex because she loved her, she couldn’t bear to see her wronged, couldn’t tolerate anyone speaking ill of her.

What was that saying again? A common enemy brings people closer.

So Liang Qi completely reversed her earlier attitude in front of Yue Suxin, pouting her lips with a wronged expression: “She was blocking me, I couldn’t get through the door. I just asked her to move aside, and she snapped at me.”

“…”

Yue Suxin’s earlier furious demeanor didn’t seem like someone who had snapped at anyone. If anything, it looked more like she was the one who had been snapped at.

“Forget it,” Jiang Yuan didn’t want to dwell on the matter any longer and glanced at the classroom clock. “Class is about to start, let’s go in.”

“Oh.”

“And one more thing.” Jiang Yuan paused. “Don’t provoke Yue Suxin again next time.”

“Got it.”

Just then, Liang Qi noticed that Jiang Yuan was carrying a small bag in addition to her light blue backpack and reached out to take it: “Huh? Your bag looks heavy. Let me help you carry it.”

“No need.” Jiang Yuan subtly avoided her hand.

It was an instinctive reaction, unintentional, but regardless, it couldn’t be denied that she had rejected Liang Qi’s kindness.

Jiang Yuan was naturally aloof. Having experienced the harsh realities of life from a young age, she rarely got close to anyone. Even with Liu Jiayao and Mu Zhizhi, she seldom accepted their help.

But that didn’t mean she was ungrateful.

Gratitude wasn’t something that only came after accepting help. For someone who had rarely known kindness, even the smallest gesture was enough to leave an impression.

At the very least, a thank-you was warranted.

So Jiang Yuan said, “Thank you for your kindness. I can manage it myself.”

Still a polite refusal.

Liang Qi froze for a moment, suddenly curious about what was inside the bag Jiang Yuan was carrying.

She was curious about all of Jiang Yuan’s secrets.

But she respected Jiang Yuan.

If Jiang Yuan didn’t want to say, she wouldn’t ask.

Since the class assignments were based on placement exams after the start of the semester, seating arrangements hadn’t been finalized yet. After entering, Liang Qi casually found a seat and sat down.

The homeroom teacher was He Wei, a well-known beauty at Shengjiang No. 1 High School. She taught math and was under thirty, having mentored many provincial top scorers. Students took pride in being in her class.

As the bell rang, He Wei walked in right on time. She glanced at the students below the podium and gave a friendly smile. “Hello everyone, I’m He Wei, your homeroom teacher for this year and also the grade director for the sophomore class. My office is in Room 201. If you ever need anything, feel free to come find me anytime.”

“You’re all outstanding students who’ve been selected from various classes to join our top-tier class. You might not know each other yet, but over the next year, you’ll have plenty of time to get acquainted. I hope you can all get along harmoniously, study together, and make progress together.”

“Now, I’ll go ahead and assign seats for the new semester.”

“Your grades are all quite close. To encourage mutual improvement, seating will be arranged based on the placement exam results. The top scorer will sit with the lowest scorer, the second-highest with the second-lowest, and so on.”

Hearing this, Liang Qi’s heart skipped a beat.

The lowest scorer wasn’t that her?

As for the top scorer.

Just as she recalled what Yue Suxin had said at the door earlier, the entire class heard He Wei announce with a smile: “Group one, first row Jiang Yuan, Liang Qi.”

The classroom fell silent.

Liang Qi raised her eyes, her gaze meeting Jiang Yuan’s across the room.

Liang Qi: Isn’t this fate bringing us together?

Jiang Yuan: Why does it have to be her?

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