RGL – Chapter 159

Su Min was just about to leave when she heard that remark. Recalling what Teacher Wu had told her earlier in the office, she could more or less guess that it was Li Fang who had filed the complaint. In the past, she didn’t understand why Li Fang was targeting her, but now, seeing Sun Manli beside her, she could guess a thing or two.

Li Fang had no grievances or grudges against her, but Sun Manli regarded her as her number one love rival. And Li Fang, in her current state, had clearly become her number one lackey. This lackey was now acting as a mouthpiece, deliberately provoking her.

She glanced at Sun Manli, who was pretending none of this had anything to do with her, then looked at Li Fang’s smug, self-satisfied face and couldn’t help but sneer, “There’s this kind of dog, you know—the owner hasn’t even spoken yet, but the dog just won’t stop barking.”

Everyone here was a university student, with decent intelligence. Hearing Su Min’s words, they immediately understood who that barking dog referred to.

Li Fang’s expression changed drastically, and she shouted angrily, “Su Min, who are you calling a dog?!”

“I’m cursing at a dog,” Su Min replied, then added with a mocking smile, “Why are you so worked up if I’m cursing a dog?”

Li Fang usually had a sharp tongue, but unfortunately, she lacked the experience Su Min had. For a moment, she couldn’t find a comeback and ended up blurting angrily, “Su Min, you have nothing to be proud of! You plagiarized someone else’s work. Doing something that shameless—how can you still show your face in this class?”

After saying that, Li Fang looked like she had finally vented her frustrations and stared proudly at Su Min.

“Li Fang, that’s enough. The matter hasn’t even been clarified yet,” someone beside her frowned and tried to stop her.

This plagiarism issue with Su Min was originally something that should’ve been investigated by the teacher first. It might not even have been publicly disclosed—just something quietly understood among the class. After all, they were all classmates, and no one wanted to make someone else look too bad. So when Li Fang shouted it out so loudly, a few of the girls nearby felt a bit awkward.

“Su Min, let’s go. Stop arguing,” one girl with long hair advised. She had taken classes with Su Min before, and they had a bit of a bond. She didn’t want Su Min to feel too hurt, and besides, Li Fang had always been rather unpleasant.

But Su Min wasn’t willing to leave. She knew for certain that the one who accused her of plagiarism was Li Fang. Before, she didn’t want to cause trouble and had always avoided direct conflict. After all, it’s better to avoid problems than to create them—no one wanted to mess with someone so unreasonable. But now, because of Xue Mian, she had attracted Sun Manli, and along with her came this lackey, Li Fang. Now they were publicly framing and mocking her in front of the entire class. If she let this slide, she’d really be like a lump of dough—kneaded however they pleased.

“Alright, you say I plagiarized—where’s the evidence? Are you sure I plagiarized? Li Fang, if you’re really that confident, let’s go confront the whole school. Do you dare? And if it turns out you falsely accused me, you’ll have to admit in front of everyone that you intentionally tried to harm me. Do you dare?”

“What’s there to be afraid of? If you’re not scared, why would I be?” Li Fang felt confident she had evidence, that the situation was clear-cut. She didn’t believe Su Min could prove her innocence.

Su Min sneered, “Fine, let’s go find Professor Wu right now.”

“Su Min, let it go,” a classmate said worriedly. If this got out to the whole school, it would be hard to clean up the mess afterward.

“I really won’t let it go today. Otherwise, some people might think I’m an easy target.” Her expression turned cold as she looked directly at Li Fang and said, “Let’s go.”

“What’s all this crowd about?”

Just as the group was getting heated, Professor Wu arrived, his face stern.

Turns out, some students nearby, worried the situation might escalate, had gone to fetch him.

“Su Min, Li Fang—what’s this argument about?”

Before Li Fang could speak, Su Min stepped forward and said, “Professor, Li Fang publicly accused me of plagiarizing someone else’s work in front of the entire class. This is an insult to the integrity of fashion design. I’m requesting the school to handle this matter, or else it will affect my future in this industry.” After all, who couldn’t cry for sympathy?

Li Fang quickly added, “Professor, there’s evidence for this! She really did plagiarize.”

Professor Wu recalled Li Fang’s earlier complaint and was already a bit displeased. Now, hearing that she had made such a public accusation in front of so many people, he was clearly annoyed—this kind of behavior had crossed his bottom line.

Adjusting his glasses with a stern face, he said, “Li Fang, without concrete evidence, slandering others is extremely unethical. As a fashion design student, you should understand how damaging such accusations can be to someone in this field.”

Hearing this, Li Fang realized Professor Wu was siding with Su Min and grew anxious. “But Professor, she—”

“Enough,” Professor Wu interrupted with a sigh. He hadn’t intended to publicize this issue to the class. A student being falsely accused was never a good thing. But now that Li Fang had made such a scene, if he didn’t speak up, the entire class might really believe those rumors about Su Min.

Having made up his mind, he stood on the podium and addressed the rest of the class: “Today, I want to clarify something. Someone in the class previously reported Su Min for plagiarism in her final project. I have already investigated the matter, and I can confirm that Su Min did not plagiarize. So from now on, I hope no one will spread or discuss this any further. We are all classmates—if you hurt others out of jealousy, you are not fit to be a qualified fashion designer.”

When Li Fang heard that Professor Wu had declared Su Min innocent, she immediately felt indignant. To her, this was a clear-cut case—how could he be so biased toward Su Min? And now, some classmates were realizing she was the one who had reported it, and if things went on like this, she would become the target of gossip instead. “Professor Wu, there is evidence! I didn’t falsely accuse her!”

Some students still didn’t know who had reported the plagiarism. Now that it was revealed to be Li Fang, they turned and gave her strange looks. No matter the time or place, being a snitch was always looked down upon.

Professor Wu became even more upset seeing that Li Fang was still causing trouble. “Li Fang, the evidence you previously mentioned—I’ve already investigated it. That outfit was indeed made according to Su Min’s design. As for why Su Min’s work ended up being manufactured and sold overseas, that’s a personal matter of hers, and I won’t disclose it here. But I can vouch with my own reputation that Su Min did not plagiarize.”

Once Professor Wu said that, the other students finally believed it. In the field of fashion design, Professor Wu was a master-level figure in the country. He had no reason to ruin his own reputation just to protect Su Min. Since he said so, then it must be true—there was no plagiarism.

Li Fang still felt resentful, but the words got stuck in her throat. She could only glare at Professor Wu and Su Min with teary eyes.

Professor Wu frowned and gave her a glance, then turned to Su Min. “Su Min, I hope you won’t take this matter to heart. You are a very talented student. I hope you can adjust your mindset and keep working hard.”

Su Min was not the kind of person who didn’t know when to let things go. Since Professor Wu had gone so far as to use his reputation to prove her innocence, she no longer pursued it. “I will. Thank you, Professor.”

After such a commotion, the previous accusations that Su Min had plagiarized also spread. However, it didn’t spread as “Su Min plagiarized,” but rather as “someone falsely accused Su Min of plagiarism.” Along with Su Min, Li Fang also became widely known.

Plagiarism in this context wasn’t the same as cheating on a school exam. Cheating in exams was common—people often turned a blind eye, thinking it was no big deal. But plagiarizing a design was a matter of damaging someone’s reputation. Everyone here was either a designer or planning to go into fashion. Each person had a certain pride in their profession. When they heard someone had maliciously accused another of plagiarism, they naturally felt disgusted. As a result, Li Fang’s reputation also took a serious hit.

As the matter spread, even Liao Zhaodi heard about it by evening. When she returned to the dorm and saw Su Min reading, she couldn’t help but ask, “What’s up with your classmate? How could someone do something like that? If the school doesn’t discipline her, it’s just too unfair.”

“I don’t know if the school will take any action, but with the way everyone’s talking about her now, it’s probably hard enough for her already.”

Liao Zhaodi chuckled. “She brought it on herself.” Then she looked a little worried. “Won’t this make her your enemy now? What if she tries to make trouble for you later?”

“If trouble comes, then it comes. I’m not afraid of her. We’re not avoiding trouble because we’re scared of it.” After all, she wasn’t some naïve young girl anymore, and offending a female classmate didn’t worry her. “Actually, I’m not too concerned about Li Fang. It’s Sun Manli I think is really cunning. I don’t believe Li Fang came up with all this on her own—Sun Manli must’ve had a hand in it. But she came out of it completely clean.”

Using others as pawns—having such schemes at this age—was very different from people like Su Wenwen or Li Fang.

Liao Zhaodi had also heard of Sun Manli. Just like her, Sun Manli was a campus beauty. Since their schools were close by, people often compared the two to see who was more attractive. From those rumors, Zhaodi had learned that Sun Manli was aloof and rarely interacted with others, always seeming mysterious.

Now hearing Su Min suggest that Sun Manli might be behind it, she grew worried. “She looks like the aloof type—no one would ever guess she was involved. You should be careful, don’t let her bully you.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” Su Min secretly reminded herself to be more cautious as well. This incident had shown her just how scheming Sun Manli could be.

Maybe because the incident was getting so much attention, Li Fang, who was usually glued to Sun Manli, didn’t show up for class the next day.

After class, Professor Wu called Su Min into his office.

“About yesterday, don’t take it too personally. Disagreements between classmates are normal—we need to learn to tolerate each other.” Professor Wu said earnestly.

“Don’t worry, Professor. I’ve already adjusted my mindset.”

“Good.” Professor Wu was very pleased with Su Min’s maturity. He thought she wasn’t just hardworking and talented, but also had good moral character. Such students deserved to be nurtured.

“I actually asked you here today not just about yesterday’s matter, but for something else as well.” Professor Wu handed her a stack of documents. “Our country is currently absorbing knowledge from abroad, but we also place importance on international exchange. In two months, there will be an exchange event in Paris. If you’re available, come with us.”

“Professor, you mean… take me to Paris?” Su Min was filled with excitement.

Paris—the mecca of the fashion world. It wasn’t a place just anyone could break into without credentials.

Professor Wu nodded. “This trip is primarily for learning, but you can also prepare some of your own designs to exchange ideas with others. It’s a great opportunity. If you can achieve something, it will greatly benefit your future in this field.”

“I understand.” Su Min’s heart was pounding wildly. This was even more thrilling than making money.

Su Min being chosen by Professor Wu to join the study delegation wasn’t kept a secret. It quickly spread through various channels. This was an open and honorable matter, and it was a great achievement for Su Min, so neither she nor Professor Wu tried to hide it. When her classmates heard, many were envious. Some were just curious about what Paris was like. They urged Su Min to explore the city thoroughly and tell them all about it when she got back.

Seeing all the classmates surrounding Su Min, Sun Manli gripped her pen tightly.

She had thought this whole thing was in the bag, yet it ended like this. That fool Li Fang had made a scene in front of so many people and now had lost all dignity. Crying at home wouldn’t change anything—Su Min was still going to Paris.

The thought of Su Min going to Paris made Sun Manli feel even more unbalanced.

With her background and connections, going to Paris wasn’t hard. But going with Professor Wu—that was entirely different.

She had always been the model student in both conduct and academics. When it came to fashion design, she believed she was the most talented in the class—perhaps even in the whole department. She’d known about Professor Wu’s trip to Europe for a long time and had been secretly preparing for it, hoping to make a good impression in Paris. She thought the selection process would come later, so she hadn’t rushed. But now, the list had suddenly been finalized—with Su Min chosen.

She couldn’t accept that. She was convinced Su Min had played the victim to snatch this opportunity.

After thinking for a moment, she flipped open her notebook and found Li Fang’s home address and phone number.

“This is for you.”

At lunch, Xue Mian picked up Su Min to eat at a small restaurant. As soon as they sat down, he pulled something out of his pocket.

Su Min took it—it was a bit big, but she quickly recognized it as a mobile phone. People still called it a “brick phone” nowadays. Though, this one looked slightly bigger than she remembered.

In her previous life, when these brick phones were popular, she was still very poor. She had only ever seen them, never touched one. Now holding it in her hands, she couldn’t help but feel curious and amazed.

She had never owned a mobile phone before. Counting both lifetimes, this was her first.

“Where did you get this? How much did it cost? I can’t accept such an expensive gift—you’ll have to let me pay for it.” Things between her and Xue Mian were still complicated, and she didn’t want him spending big money on her.

Xue Mian looked pleased. “Didn’t cost anything. It’s from the company.”

“Your company? Aren’t you in telecom research?”

“We’re also developing this. Our product and this device are complementary. Though we’re not manufacturing it alone—it’s a joint project with Yuehao.”

“Yuehao Group?” Su Min recalled that was Zhang Ning and Shu Qing’s company. She had thought they only ran supermarkets and factories—who would’ve guessed they were in this too?

“I mentioned our company found a partner, didn’t I? That’s Yuehao Group. Grandpa has ties with the Liu family, so through them we got in touch with Sister Liu Ning. They appreciated my telecom research, and I saw potential in their devices, so it was a good match.”

“Liu Ning?” Su Min was surprised. “Not Zhang Ning?”

Xue Mian sipped his tea and replied, “You know Zhang Ning?”

“Yeah, she’s a friend of Sister Wan. I told you before—Sister Wan acknowledged me as her little sister.”