RGL – Chapter 158

Su Min had always thought that both Li Fang and Sun Manli were a bit off, so she didn’t pay much attention to Li Fang’s sudden, inexplicable comment. Compared to Su Wenwen back then, these two were far too weak.

When she arrived at the school gate, Xue Mian was waiting for her as usual. This time, he was being somewhat smart—he didn’t come in his flashy SUV but instead used his old motorcycle.

Su Min sighed silently and got on the bike without a word.

“Why are you so free these days?” she asked.

“I’m not really free. No matter how busy I am, I still have to eat,” Xue Mian replied cheerfully. After his consistent efforts over this period, Su Min no longer rejected him as firmly as she used to. At the very least, she was now willing to ride on his bike.

At the fast-food restaurant, the two each ordered a boxed meal. As usual, Xue Mian gave all the better dishes from his meal to Su Min.

He thought to himself, If Su Min didn’t dislike extravagance, I’d gladly take her to a proper restaurant to order dishes. These boxed meals are just enough to fill the stomach; there’s nothing refined about them.

But Su Min liked this kind of simple food. Even though she had money now, many of her habits hadn’t changed. She believed that just because you had money didn’t mean you had to spend it all or live lavishly. Take meals for example—this kind of boxed meal with both meat and vegetables was already excellent for an ordinary college student. There was no need to eat out like some urban elites all the time.

After finishing the meal, Xue Mian drove Su Min to her shop.

“I’ll walk you upstairs,” he offered, a bit reluctant to part ways.

Su Min shook her head and looked at her watch—it was already quite late. Her class was at three in the afternoon, so she still had time, but Xue Mian had to go back to work.

“Next time. You still have work to do. It’s your startup period—you can’t slack off.”

Xue Mian understood that even if he went up with her, he wouldn’t be able to stay long. He might look free and easy in front of Su Min, but back at the company, he was working like a dog.

Of course, that was something he couldn’t let Su Min know—otherwise, he wouldn’t have a good excuse to eat with her next time.

He watched Su Min go upstairs before riding back to the company.

Even after she got upstairs, Su Min’s mind was still a bit unsettled. She wasn’t even sure what exactly her relationship with Xue Mian was now.

At the shop, William was also there. Zhang Qingqing, for once, wasn’t holed up in her office but was surrounded by a few employees, smiling happily.

When they saw Su Min enter, the group dispersed. Only Sun Yan walked over and tugged her arm. “Minzi, Qingqing is getting married! She’s handing out wedding candies.”

Su Min looked at Zhang Qingqing in surprise and delight.

Zhang Qingqing shyly stood next to William. “We’re planning to take a few days off to go back and hold the wedding.”

William smiled and added, “If possible, I hope we can also take a honeymoon.”

Hearing that, Su Min couldn’t keep smiling. Zhang Qingqing was one of the shop’s main staff. Now she was taking leave for a wedding, and there was a honeymoon too… But there was no helping it—her shop emphasized humane management, so the leave had to be approved.

Women are generally curious about weddings, and even though Su Min was mentally mature, she was no exception. After asking William to leave for a moment, she and Sun Yan dragged Zhang Qingqing into the office for questioning.

Zhang Qingqing hesitated for a bit before recounting the entire proposal.

Turns out, last night William solemnly invited her to dinner at a Western restaurant. It was her first time experiencing a private booking. There was even a live violin performance. Although Zhang Qingqing didn’t really appreciate that kind of music, the atmosphere completely stunned her. So when William pushed over a serving cart with a diamond ring and knelt down to propose, she was nearly moved to tears.

This kind of proposal might be cliché ten years from now, but for now, it was still considered fashionable.

Not only was Zhang Qingqing touched to tears, even Sun Yan was excited after hearing the story. “Sister Qingqing, you’re really so lucky!”

Zhang Qingqing looked down at the diamond ring on her finger and felt incredibly blessed.

“When are you holding the wedding? Will there be one here as well? We probably won’t be able to attend the ceremony back in your hometown,” Su Min asked with concern. After all, with Zhang Qingqing going back for the wedding, Grandma Zhang would surely go as well. But it would be difficult for the others to make the trip.

Sun Yan was curious too. “Yeah, is Mr. William going back to your hometown too?”

Zhang Qingqing smiled. “We’ll hold one here as well, but the main ceremony will be back home. William doesn’t have any relatives abroad, so he’s not planning anything there. He’s currently applying for citizenship in Country Z and is still going through the paperwork.”

“Mr. William is really becoming a live-in son-in-law,” Sun Yan teased, covering her mouth with a laugh.

Zhang Qingqing responded, “Not really. Even though we’re staying here, I’ll still follow him. My parents wouldn’t let him be a live-in son-in-law.”

Sun Yan laughed. “Hehe, just kidding. But it’s great that you’re staying in the country—no one will dare bully you anymore.” The more she spoke, the more envious she felt. But since she was still young, she wasn’t in a hurry to get married.

The wedding date hadn’t been set yet. They were waiting for family back home to pick an auspicious day. Still, Su Min had already started preparing in advance. She asked Zhang Qingqing to hand over her current tasks to Tian Su, who was more skilled.

Tian Su was one of the first batch of students from the orphanage. She was only eighteen years old but the best embroidery apprentice they had. According to Grandma Zhang, she was already at 80% of Zhang Qingqing’s skill level, so Su Min was also putting effort into cultivating her.

Because she spent a while chatting with Zhang Qingqing, Su Min nearly arrived late back at school. She entered the classroom just as the bell rang.

As soon as Su Min sat down, a classmate next to her gave her a strange look. Before she could react, the classmate whispered, “Su Min, was your final project from last semester really plagiarized from someone else?”

“What?” Su Min was completely confused. That project was her original work—she had a clear conscience. How could it be called plagiarism?

“Class is starting, quiet down,” the teacher’s displeased voice came from the front.

The two of them turned their heads and saw the teacher frowning deeply, eyes filled with both anger and disappointment.

The classmate immediately shut up and turned around to stare at the blackboard, listening attentively.

Su Min found it all rather confusing and felt like something was going on. She scanned the classroom and indeed noticed some classmates stealing glances at her, especially Li Fang, who had previously spoken harshly to her. Li Fang was now secretly giving her a smug smile.

Seeing this, Su Min’s face also revealed a look of indifference, as if she didn’t take Li Fang seriously at all. After all, anyone could pull a long face—never eaten pork, but haven’t they seen a pig run?

Sure enough, Li Fang’s smile twisted slightly, and she turned back around with a pursed-lip expression, pretending not to care.

Although the atmosphere was a little strange, Su Min didn’t dwell on it. She had a clear conscience and wasn’t afraid of being framed. As she listened to the teacher’s lecture, she gradually put the matter out of her mind.

As soon as the class ended, Su Min packed her things, ready to head to the next classroom. But just as she reached the door, Teacher Wu Yang called her back.

This Wu teacher had always praised her highly due to her outstanding design work and had basically considered her a prized student. But today, he wore an expression of deep regret.

“Su Min, come to the office with me. I’d like to talk to you.”

After Su Min and Wu Yang left the classroom, the remaining students began to whisper among themselves.

Earlier at noon, Li Fang had claimed that Su Min’s previous work was plagiarized from a foreign design. The rumor quickly spread through the class, and many students found it hard to accept.

After all, Su Min had always had a good reputation—she didn’t seem like the kind of person who would do something like that. But once the idea was planted, people began to get angry. Everyone in design hated plagiarism. Stealing someone’s inspiration was seen as a disgrace to the field of fashion design—an affront to art itself.

So, torn between disbelief and concern, many students who believed in Su Min were anxiously awaiting the outcome of Professor Wu’s conversation with her.

They would rather study alongside a talented person they envied than a disgrace who copied someone else’s hard work.

“I’d like to see what she’ll do this time. Manli, don’t worry—this time I’ll make sure she doesn’t get back up again. Let’s see how smug she can still be. Thinking she can compete with you? She really doesn’t know her place.”

Li Fang said smugly to Sun Manli, who was tidying her books nearby.

Sun Manli looked up, her face expressionless. “What happens to her has nothing to do with me. Also, I didn’t ask you to tell anyone about this. Why did you go spreading it around? If Su Min gets punished, she’ll hold a grudge against me.”

Li Fang felt a bit guilty. After Manli had told her about the matter, she hadn’t discussed it with her before going straight to Professor Wu. She had assumed that even if Manli didn’t report it herself, she would at least support her. But now, it was clear she wanted no part in it.

Afraid of being blamed, Li Fang quickly said, “Sorry, I just couldn’t stand her. Manli, don’t worry—I did this all on my own. I’ll take responsibility. It won’t drag you down.”

Sun Manli said coldly, “I just don’t want to get involved. This has nothing to do with me.”

“Yes, yes, of course it has nothing to do with you.”

Li Fang quickly agreed.

In the office, Wu Yang’s face looked heartbroken. He took off his glasses and wiped the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief, clearly exhausted.

Seeing Su Min still standing, he pointed to a nearby chair. After silently organizing his thoughts, he spoke.

“Su Min, since you entered the school, you’ve always been excellent. I’ve always had high hopes for you. The pieces you submitted before—not exactly masterpieces, but still quite good. If you keep working hard, even without outstanding talent, you could become a decent designer. But in our field, we have our rules. One of the biggest is that you cannot steal someone else’s work. Do you know what theft means? It’s passing off someone else’s design as your own. It’s disgraceful. Once that kind of thing spreads, your future in this industry is over. Do you understand?”

A designer’s reputation is crucial—sometimes even more important than talent. That’s what made Wu Yang so upset. There were already so few good designers in the country, and he genuinely wanted to nurture new talent. Su Min was a diligent student with decent potential—if she kept working hard, she could make a name for herself in ten years. But now, she had just taken her first step and already made such a huge mistake. If people learned that she had plagiarized while still in school, what future would she have?

After giving a long and sorrowful speech, Wu Yang looked full of regret. But Su Min was completely baffled. Her deskmate had mentioned something about her final project being plagiarized, and now the teacher was saying the same thing? She was totally confused.

“Teacher, you said I plagiarized? When did I plagiarize someone else’s work?”

She looked at Wu Yang with a face full of confusion.

Wu Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead with his handkerchief. Seeing that Su Min genuinely looked clueless, he got a bit irritated and spoke more sternly.

“It’s your final exam project. That design was found overseas. I even called a friend in the fashion industry who confirmed that the exact same style was released abroad last winter.”

The fashion world is internationally connected. When a country releases a great design, others take notice. Although this particular qipao wasn’t top-tier, it was still eye-catching. Westerners occasionally took interest in Eastern designs, especially ones with beautiful embroidery. Such garments were usually worn by celebrities or people from the upper class, making them more visible. Wu Yang had his own network in the industry and had investigated thoroughly.

“Su Min, this result truly disappoints me. It was just a final exam piece. Even if it didn’t get top marks, it would’ve at least passed. I really don’t understand why you’d take such a big risk.”

Now Su Min finally understood what had happened. It was all a big misunderstanding. When she was working on her final project, she had also been designing a batch of clothes for export for William. He had liked that particular design, so they produced a couple of pieces and shipped them overseas. Since she had designed them herself, she saw no problem in using that design for her exam project as well.

She couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile.

“Professor Wu, this is probably a misunderstanding. I have a clothing shop in B City, and we export garments. That design happened to be chosen and exported. But since it’s my own design, I didn’t think it would be an issue.”

“You own a clothing shop? And export too?” Professor Wu’s forehead wrinkled deeply in shock.

Su Min nodded. “Yes, it’s called Xiuse (秀色).”

Because of that conversation, Su Min spent quite a while in the office. By the time she returned to class, the lecture was already more than halfway through. Thankfully, a classmate had told the professor that she was speaking with Professor Wu, so the lecturer didn’t say anything.

When she walked into the classroom, everyone turned to look at her again. Obviously, they were eager to know the result of her conversation with Professor Wu. After all, if someone was caught plagiarizing, especially a girl, she’d likely feel ashamed and want to avoid being seen. But Su Min looked completely normal—certainly not like someone who had just been reprimanded.

Even Sun Manli couldn’t help but glance up at Su Min. Seeing her calmly reading her book, Sun Manli frowned, a bit confused herself.

Li Fang wanted to lean over and talk about the situation, but seeing Sun Manli’s unhappy face, she didn’t dare open her mouth.

Half the class quickly passed, and when the bell rang, everyone happily packed up to go home.

University classes were really quite relaxed—just two sessions in the afternoon, and people were already eager for more. Some students were even making plans to go to the library for more study.

Su Min’s close friends came over to invite her. “Su Min, come with us to the library.”

“No, I’m heading home to do laundry. Maybe next time.” Su Min smiled as she declined. She still needed to check in at the shop and coordinate with Tian Su on some work matters—there really wasn’t time for the library.

As the girls were about to leave, Li Fang sneered, “She never even goes to the library, and yet she still gets such good grades—she really is a genius.” Her words sounded like praise, but the sour tone made it clear it was anything but.