RGL – Chapter 156

Zhaodi nodded, sighed, and said, “But what about you and Xue Mian? You’re different from me. I think Xue Mian is really sincere toward you.”

“It’s impossible between us,” Su Min shook her head firmly. “What I want is someone with a simple family background, someone who won’t give me any worries.”

Liao Zhaodi poked at her noodles and lowered her head in a silent sigh.

On another street, Xue Mian and Han Lei were also eating outside.

It was the middle of winter. The two warmed some wine. Han Lei took a sip and smiled, “You really stopped contacting that Su Min? I was still waiting for you to give me her address. I didn’t mean to joke around with that Liao Zhaodi last time.”

Xue Mian shot him a glare and said nothing, his face cold.

Han Lei simply slung an arm around his shoulder and pulled him forcefully. “Bro, be honest. Did you get dumped after confessing?”

“Yeah.” Xue Mian shrugged him off forcefully and answered lightly.

Getting a definite answer, Han Lei opened his mouth in shock. “Damn, what kind of taste does that girl have? She turned down someone like you? Who is she even planning to be with? Seriously, what a mystery.”

After speaking, he suddenly remembered Su Min’s best friend, Liao Zhaodi. “Speaking of which, I almost blurted out to her last time that we were secretly watching Su Min. Good thing I kept my mouth shut. Say, should we stage a ‘chance encounter’ or something, so we can make our presence known to them? That way, I could also apologize properly to Liao Zhaodi.”

“You go apologize yourself. I’m not going.” Xue Mian took another sip of his wine.

“That’s not very nice, though.”

Xue Mian gave him a side-eye. “Let me tell you again—stop bothering Liao Zhaodi. She’s Su Min’s friend, and they’re very close.”

Han Lei looked a little embarrassed and said guiltily, “It was just a coincidence.”

“Oh? Since when do you like going to orphanages?”

Han Lei rubbed his nose, “I’m a pretty kind-hearted guy, you know.” Seeing that Xue Mian was still glaring at him, he couldn’t hold up under the pressure. He raised his hand in surrender and said, “Alright, alright. I originally wanted her to put in a good word for you in front of Su Min. She seemed shy, so I teased her a bit. Who knew I’d end up offending her?”

For the past few months, every time he returned, he saw that Xue Mian was always in a bad mood. He knew Xue Mian too well—there was hardly anything in the world that could affect his mood, except for Su Min, the girl he’d been talking about for so many years. Han Lei also knew that Liao Zhaodi was Su Min’s good friend. That day, when he saw Liao Zhaodi enter the orphanage on the street, he decided to join in. He’d wanted to help his buddy, but it all backfired.

Xue Mian gave him a look of disgust. “Stop bothering her. As for Su Min and me, I know what I’m doing. Just worry about yourself.”

“Fine, fine, I won’t go looking for her again, alright? I’m heading back to my unit soon anyway and won’t be around.”

Han Lei rubbed his cropped hair. He just couldn’t understand why his good buddy was so hung up on Su Min.

If it were him, he would’ve chosen Liao Zhaodi. She was so delicate and gentle.

But alas, at his age, he wasn’t thinking of settling down anytime soon. And since Zhaodi was Su Min’s friend, he couldn’t pursue her either. Better not to think about it—if he ended up failing, he’d ruin friendships on both sides.

Seeing Xue Mian still silently drowning his sorrows in alcohol, he reached out and snatched the wine away. “How long are you going to keep this up? You’re pathetic. If you really like her that much, just cling to her and never let go. Chasing a girl is like going to war—if you don’t have the guts to risk it all, forget about conquering that hill. Who cares about pride? If you lose the girl, what’s the use of pride?”

After a few years in the military, Han Lei had picked up the soldiers’ blunt and unrefined way of speaking.

After being scolded like that, something lit up in Xue Mian’s eyes. He looked at Han Lei, deep in thought.

Yes. If he didn’t end up with Su Min in this life, what else was there? He had only ever had this one wish. Even if he gave up on her later and met someone else, it wouldn’t be what he truly wanted from the start.

His life would always carry this regret. Maybe one day, he’d watch Su Min marry someone else while he remained alone. By then, it would be too late for regrets.

Having figured out the source of his inner conflict, Xue Mian suddenly felt clear-minded. His eyes lit up as he punched Han Lei hard, twisting Han Lei’s face in pain.

“Bro, thanks!”

Han Lei clutched his aching stomach and couldn’t straighten up from the pain.

This guy was hitting harder and harder these days.

The next day, Su Min took Grandma Zhang to the orphanage to select a few apprentices. This time, they chose five in total—the youngest was fifteen, the oldest was nineteen—all suitable for embroidery work.

Grandma Zhang immediately brought them to the shop to get familiar with the environment.

With the personnel settled and the shop arrangements in place, the new school term also began.

On the first day of school, the classroom was buzzing with excitement. As soon as Su Min entered, she was surrounded at her seat by several female classmates she was fairly familiar with.

“Su Min, did you hear? You came first in our class for the final design project this time. I heard your work was the best in the whole fashion design department!”

“Even our class beauty can’t compare to you.”

“Su Min, you really made us proud!”

Last semester’s final exam theme was traditional clothing.

Su Min was already quite adept in this area, so she designed a cheongsam-style dress. The sleeves weren’t the traditional half-sleeve or long-sleeve, but made with sheer lace.

When William saw the design, he even had a batch produced and shipped overseas.

So regarding this piece of work, although she didn’t claim to be absolutely confident, she still had some faith in herself.

After learning the result, she wasn’t particularly surprised. Instead, she smiled and thanked everyone.

“Sun Manli must be furious this time.”

Someone who had always disliked Sun Manli’s arrogant attitude in class couldn’t help but gloat.

Although Su Min didn’t really like Sun Manli, she didn’t want to gossip behind people’s backs. She just gave a perfunctory smile and said, “Class is about to start. I’ll read for a bit.”

Seeing that she didn’t want to discuss it further, the others sensibly dropped the topic. After all, gossip needed someone to bounce off of; talking to oneself wasn’t very satisfying.

Once everyone returned to their seats, Su Min glanced in Sun Manli’s direction and saw that she hadn’t moved at all and was reading. So she also lowered her head and continued with her own tasks.

Up front, Sun Manli was tightly gripping her pencil, the expression on her face growing colder and colder.

At the start of the new semester, the teacher didn’t begin new lessons. Instead, they showcased some works from the previous term.

Su Min’s work was specially highlighted.

“Su Min’s piece is excellent. Everyone should discuss with her more. Her work is practically a finished product. Truly outstanding.”

Many classmates turned to look at Su Min.

Sun Manli’s work was also shown. While it was good, compared to her fashion design pieces, it was clearly a weaker area. Even the teacher pointed it out, saying they hoped she could achieve more in fashion design moving forward.

It was obvious that the teacher was very pleased to have two students in the class with distinct design styles.

Training a group of fashion designers wasn’t easy, especially to cultivate a few outstanding ones. To come across two in one class was something that hadn’t happened in several cohorts.

After school, many people came to Su Min to discuss fashion design.

Most of them were still beginners. Compared to Su Min’s current level, they felt the gap was significant. So when given the chance, they eagerly sought her guidance.

Su Min wasn’t stingy at all. She shared her ideas and concepts freely with everyone.

Because of her open and generous nature, even those who had once felt a bit envious or jealous began to let go of those feelings. Instead, they came to admire her and saw her as a good-natured person and a potential mentor and friend who could help them improve.

After spending some time at school, Su Min returned home to find that Liao Zhaodi had already bought food.

Seeing her come in, she smiled and said, “Why are you back so late?”

“I was discussing something with classmates. Got held up a bit.”

Su Min sat down and said, “You bought food again? Next time let’s go together. It’s not right to always make you worry about our meals.”

She was often so busy that she didn’t even have time to eat. It was always Zhaodi taking care of her meals, which made her feel it was unfair to her.

Zhaodi smiled as she set the table. “What’s the big deal? You never minded these things before, so why should I now? Besides, I’m not that busy most of the time.”

“How can you say that? You’re handling everything for William’s work now, all those translation documents. You’re up translating late into the night—I know, don’t think I don’t.”

Liao Zhaodi didn’t think much of it. “Work is tiring for everyone. You bury yourself in designing clothes all day too, forgetting to eat and sleep. Since we live together now, we should take care of each other. And if you start treating me like an outsider, I won’t accept your help in the future either.”

Since she’d already said that much, Su Min couldn’t insist any further.

While eating, Liao Zhaodi suddenly said, “Su Min, I’ve figured it out. I won’t let emotional stuff make me unhappy anymore. From now on, I’ll treat relationships seriously, not like before.”

Su Min was surprised. “What brought this on so suddenly?”

“It’s not sudden. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time. For a while, I felt like I was stuck in a dead end. But after you said those things, it was like a light bulb went off. I’ve been feeling much better these past few days. Looking back at how silly I was before, it just doesn’t seem worth it. So I thought—why make myself miserable over this? Isn’t life pretty good as it is now?”

After saying this, Liao Zhaodi felt relieved, like she had gained new clarity on many things.

She used to be easily manipulated by Han Lei, even getting angry because of him, simply because she deeply desired to be loved. Without family, she relied on Su Min’s friendship. But when Su Min went home for the New Year, she realized that friends couldn’t be with her all the time, and she yearned for another kind of affection. That’s why she fell for someone like Han Lei so quickly. Looking back, she felt she owed Han Lei some thanks—if he hadn’t bluntly said he was just teasing her, she might have fallen too deep. If it had been someone else, maybe she wouldn’t have gotten out at all.

Love should happen naturally, not because one feels lonely and seeks someone out of desperation.

After the meal, Su Min prepared to visit Grandma Xue at the hospital. She had no classes that afternoon and planned to deliver some things her mother had bought.

She had waited until after the start of the semester, thinking that Xue Mian would likely be busy now and might not be around the hospital.

This time, Sun Qiufang had prepared some supplements for the elderly. After packing everything and tying it up with a rope, Su Min got ready to leave.

Just as she reached the gate of the residential complex, a jeep pulled up.

Seeing the vehicle approach, Su Min stepped aside to let it pass—only for a familiar face to appear from the car window. She was startled. “Xue Mian?”

Xue Mian gave her a small smile. “Get in, I’ll take you.”

Su Min felt awkward. “I’m going to visit Grandma Xue. You’re going to work. We’re not heading the same way.”

She still didn’t know how to face Xue Mian.

“I’m going to see Grandma too. Get in.” Xue Mian’s expression was firm—it was clear he wouldn’t leave without her.

Su Min had no choice but to get in the car.

The vehicle looked brand new—clearly a recent purchase. “You bought a car?”

“It belongs to the company. Makes it easier for business meetings.” Xue Mian smiled, not wanting to linger on the topic. While driving, he said, “How was going home for the New Year? I spent New Year’s Eve with Grandma in the hospital, so I didn’t call you.”

Actually, he didn’t dare call.

Su Min avoided sensitive topics. “When will Grandma Xue be discharged?”

“When the weather warms up, she’ll go home. She speaks more clearly now, but sometimes she gets confused about who people are—sometimes clear, sometimes not.”

Su Min had seen elderly stroke patients before. In serious cases, recovery was unlikely. But such conditions often had a lot to do with emotions. If the elderly person was happy, recovery could be much better.

But judging from the situation at the Xue family’s home, it seemed unlikely that Grandma Xue would be in high spirits.

At the hospital, they found Xue Nian still taking care of her.

Seeing Su Min carrying large bags, she smiled and said, “It’s already great that you came. Why bring so much stuff? If this keeps up, I won’t dare ask you to come again.”

Su Min smiled. “My mom asked me to bring them. She lives too far away, so she could only send me. Whether Grandma can eat them or not, it’s a token of our care.”

Xue Nian sighed, “Your mother is so thoughtful. Please thank her for us.”

On the bed, Grandma Xue had her eyes closed. Suddenly, she opened them and, upon seeing Su Min, her eyes widened. “You—leave, go!”

Her voice was much clearer than before.

Su Min was shocked. “Grandma, what did I do?” She hadn’t expected Grandma Xue to reject her. Their last meeting had been perfectly cordial.

Xue Nian said, “She probably mistook you for someone else.”

Only then did Su Min realize and quickly said, “Grandma, it’s me, I’m Su Min. Su Min!”

“You’re Su Min? Not Li Aiyun?”

Hearing that name, Xue Mian, standing beside them, looked awkward. He lowered his head and sighed inwardly, but still stood firmly by Su Min’s side.

Su Min pretended not to hear clearly and smiled. “Grandma, I’m Su Min. I came to visit you.”

“Oh… Su Min.” Grandma Xue seemed to understand and smiled. “I know—you’re the girl Mianmian likes.”

“Mom…” Xue Nian said awkwardly from the side. Seeing Su Min frozen in place, she quickly added, “Don’t mind her. She’s not speaking clearly these days.”

Grandma Xue continued happily, “You’re a good girl. Mianmian is dating you—I’m glad.”

Su Min didn’t know whether to respond or not and stood there awkwardly.

Suddenly, Xue Mian said, “Auntie, I’ll go get some hot water with Su Min.”

And with that, he pulled Su Min out of the hospital room.

“Grandma was just talking nonsense—I didn’t take it seriously, so don’t worry,” Su Min said, assuming that Xue Mian had rushed her out because he feared she’d feel embarrassed by Grandma Xue’s words.