RGL – Chapter 160

Xue Mian had heard about this connection before, but since it hadn’t come up again, he’d forgotten. Now that it was mentioned, he realized just how many intertwined relationships they all shared.

The world was big, yet it felt like his and Su Min’s worlds were incredibly small—they only had to turn around to run into each other.

Thinking about it like that, he couldn’t help but feel secretly delighted, as if their fate had truly been predestined.

“The Zhang Ning I mentioned, and the Liu Ning you’re talking about—are they the same person?” Su Min asked doubtfully.

Xue Mian hummed in acknowledgment. “Those close to her are used to calling her Zhang Ning, but she should be Liu Ning. I only heard the story too—apparently, when Sister Liu Ning was born, she was switched at birth by a family in a rural hospital. I heard she’s incredibly strong and built her business entirely on her own. Later she ended up in B City, and by a twist of fate, she reunited with her birth family, the Lius. There’s a lot of complicated stuff in between that I don’t really know, and the elders don’t like to bring it up.”

Only now did Su Min finally understand Zhang Ning’s background.

No wonder Ke Wan had once said that Zhang Ning’s origins were complicated. So she had been switched at birth—and it wasn’t even an accident. Her life must have been even harder than Su Min’s in her past life.

“She’s truly an incredible person.”

“She is. This communication device was something she picked out herself back then, too.”

Holding the phone, Su Min was full of emotion. It turned out that no matter how hard life got, as long as a woman didn’t give up, she could still live a brilliant life—just like Zhang Ning. So couldn’t she choose the life she wanted, too? Just like when she insisted on her parents moving to the city, picking through recyclables, opening a small shop, then a supermarket, and now she was in university and running a clothing store.

It turned out everything she wanted was slowly coming true. Hardships could be overcome, and fate could be changed.

She looked at Xue Mian and saw that he was looking at her too, eyes filled with a shimmering smile. Her heart skipped a beat.

“What’s wrong?” Xue Mian asked when he saw her zoning out, thinking she had something on her mind.

Su Min snapped out of it and quickly shook her head. She silently cursed herself for almost getting carried away—thinking about seducing someone younger, even daring to think about taking on Xue Mian’s mother as a challenge. She really needed more sleep; she was clearly losing her mind.

“Nothing, let’s eat.” Su Min buried her head and resumed eating, not daring to look at Xue Mian again.

Seeing this, Xue Mian felt a pang of disappointment, his eyes dimming.

But when he saw how much Su Min liked the phone, he felt a little happier. To have something he made bring joy to the girl he liked—that, to him, was the greatest success.

After dinner, Xue Mian took Su Min home and then headed back to the company. Their new product was about to launch, and this was the company’s first real step into the market. If they succeeded, Mingrui Technologies would have a bright future ahead.

“Li Fang, don’t be upset anymore. I’m really not mad about what happened.”

In an apartment building on the west side of the city, Li Fang lay face-down on her bed, sobbing. Sun Manli sat at the edge of the bed, trying to comfort her.

“I’m too ashamed to face anyone. Everyone’s calling me a bad person. Manli, what did I even do wrong? I just wanted to expose Su Min. So what if I misunderstood her? It’s her own behavior that makes people misunderstand her. Why is everyone acting like I did something unforgivable? They’re saying I did it on purpose.” The more Li Fang spoke, the more hurt and angry she became.

She just couldn’t stand Su Min’s fake persona—pretending to be friendly with her classmates when she clearly wasn’t. And the worst part was that so many people actually bought into it.

Especially this time—Professor Wu was obviously favoring Su Min and suppressing her.

Seeing the unwillingness on Li Fang’s face, Sun Manli couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth lift slightly—just for a moment—before her usual calm expression returned.

“It’s over now. No matter how upset you are, the outcome won’t change. And… Su Min’s already been pre-selected to attend the fashion design exchange in Paris. She’s the center of attention at school right now. Professor Wu seems intent on cultivating her.”

She said this in a tone so mild and emotionless that it gave no hint of jealousy. But Li Fang froze in shock when she heard it.

“She’s going to the exchange? What about you? I thought your grades were better than hers.”

“To Professor Wu, I probably can’t compare to her. But it’s fine. I’ll go with whatever the school decides.”

“That’s not fair!”

Li Fang grew even more indignant. If it were Sun Manli going, she’d have had no complaints. But someone as fake as Su Min, who only knew how to please classmates and teachers, getting such an opportunity—she couldn’t accept it.

Sun Manli’s eyes reddened slightly. “Don’t bother fighting. Her methods are on a whole other level from ours.”

“I’m not afraid of her,” Li Fang insisted. But then, noticing Sun Manli’s teary eyes, she panicked. “Manli, what’s wrong?”

They had grown up together. Even though Sun Manli had always been aloof, Li Fang couldn’t help but want to be around her. Sun Manli felt real—talented, capable, and genuine. Being friends with her was something others envied. In her heart, Sun Manli could do anything. Seeing her cry now, Li Fang had no idea what to do.

“It’s nothing.” Sun Manli wiped her eyes. She didn’t actually cry—just had reddened eyes and a forced smile that made her look even more pitiful.

Li Fang knew Sun Manli didn’t like people prying into her personal life, so she carefully asked, “Manli, don’t be annoyed with me… but what’s really going on?”

Sun Manli hesitated for a moment, then sighed softly. “Did you know I have a childhood friend? A boy I grew up with.”

“I think you mentioned him once—he’s in B City, right?”

Sun Manli nodded. “His name is Xue Mian. He only returned from overseas last year. Before that, we kept in touch regularly, and our families have always been close. But yesterday, I found out… he’s with Su Min.”

Li Fang’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You mean… Su Min actually stole your boyfriend?!”

“He’s not technically my boyfriend. Our families considered it a match, and we kept in touch, but we were never officially dating.”

“If both families approved, that’s as good as official! That Su Min, seriously—she doesn’t just charm all the boys in class, now she’s seducing your guy too.”

Li Fang was furious, as if someone had stolen her own boyfriend.

Sun Manli’s eyes shimmered with quiet sorrow. “Don’t fight over this anymore. Her tricks… they’re not something we can match.”

“Manli, I know you don’t like making a fuss, but if you stay silent, Su Min will just think you’re easy to bully. You should expose her in front of the whole class. Let’s see who still wants to be her friend then.”

Li Fang was growing more and more disgusted by Su Min. Not only was she fake, but she also had no morals.

Sun Manli replied calmly, “I don’t want to air my private matters in front of the class. Just leave it alone.”

“I know you hate it when I meddle, but I just can’t stand Su Min. Why should she get the spot for Paris?”

“That was the professor’s decision. I’m not going to fight over it. Let’s drop the subject. I came to see you, not to upset myself.”

Hearing that, Li Fang was stunned and touched. She had been friends with Sun Manli for so many years, and it had always been her who tried to please and accommodate her. She never expected that Manli would try to cheer her up this time.

Her spirits lifted immediately. “I’ve got class tomorrow—I’m not giving up!”

Su Min, meanwhile, had no idea that Li Fang had branded her a homewrecker behind her back. But she didn’t care what Li Fang thought anymore.

When she got home, Liao Zhaodi told her that Zhang Qingqing’s wedding date had been set, so the two of them rushed to the shop to plan.

Since nothing special needed to be arranged on William’s side and the ceremony would be held in the village, Zhang Qingqing’s extended family would naturally take care of the banquet. So the wedding date was set soon—just a month away.

That was right around the seasonal transition. Su Min calculated that with the wedding and honeymoon, Zhang Qingqing would be away for at least a month and a half. So she decided to have Grandma Zhang train Tian Su intensively over the next few days, so she could catch up to Zhang Qingqing’s skills.

“Su Min, I’m really sorry for troubling you. I’ll talk to William—we’ll just have a banquet and skip the honeymoon. Who in the workforce can take over a month off just like that? And it’s expensive too. No matter how much money you have, it’s not enough to spend like that.”

“Getting married is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and there’s only one honeymoon. If you skip it, you may never get the chance again. How about this, I’ll discuss it with William. For the sake of your one-month honeymoon, we’ll just reduce the order volume on his end a little. I won’t be as busy then either.”

Su Min now disliked the idea of having regrets in life more than anything else. So she was actually quite supportive of Zhang Qingqing going on her honeymoon. A good honeymoon could strengthen the bond between a couple.

Besides, she also had an idea—she wanted to see what the store would be like if Zhang Qingqing wasn’t there. Now that Zhang Qingqing was marrying William, it was uncertain how much longer she could continue working at the shop. Su Min had to start finding someone who could take her place. Before long, she’d also need to train someone to replace Tian Su.

Of course, training others didn’t mean she wanted Zhang Qingqing to leave—it was just a precaution, in case either of them did leave, the shop could still run normally.

The next day in class, Su Min arrived to find Li Fang already in the classroom. Although she looked exhausted, her gaze toward Su Min was even sharper than usual.

“Hey, Su Min, have you heard?” her deskmate Jin Xiaoyun leaned over and whispered mysteriously. “The school decided not to pursue the matter of Li Fang reporting you last time. They’re saying it was a misunderstanding and that there’s no evidence proving she falsely accused you.”

Su Min wasn’t too surprised by the news. It had been a messy situation from the start. As long as Li Fang didn’t admit it was a deliberate false report and claimed it was just a misunderstanding, what could the school do?

“Forget it. As long as we know the truth ourselves. People like her will get what’s coming to them sooner or later.”

Jin Xiaoyun said, “Everyone in class dislikes her now. No one likes her. Even the school’s impression of her isn’t good. Reporting others like that is disgraceful to begin with, especially if it’s false. Only Sun Manli still hangs out with her, and I don’t even think it’s sincere.”

Seeing Jin Xiaoyun getting more worked up, Su Min laughed and said, “Alright, alright, if she hears us, she’ll say we’re talking behind her back.”

Realizing Su Min wasn’t in the mood to talk about it, Jin Xiaoyun sensibly stopped and lay on her desk to read.

Su Min glanced in Li Fang’s direction and saw her pursing her lips and glaring back, looking openly hostile. Su Min frowned.

Li Fang reminded her of the old Su Wenwen—just as obsessive. People like that made her uncomfortable.

But Li Fang was even worse. At least Su Wenwen had a long-standing family feud with her, which explained their growing resentment. Li Fang, on the other hand, was just meddling in things that had nothing to do with her—stirring up trouble out of nowhere.

There were only two classes that morning, both covering theoretical topics. Su Min took her notes and quietly reviewed them, while also sketching ideas for new embroidery patterns.

She was considering going to Paris, and she couldn’t take the shop staff with her. Should she learn some embroidery from Grandma Zhang, even if it was just the basics? It would help her better promote Xiuse’s products. She couldn’t afford to be clueless when the time came.

When the bell rang, Su Min packed up her things and prepared to go home. She wondered if Xue Mian was waiting for her outside the school again.

Thinking about her current situation with Xue Mian left her feeling unsettled.

Xue Mian came to pick her up every day. She didn’t want to go with him, but he approached her as a “friend,” and she didn’t want to break things off completely. But when she did go with him, it felt like there was something ambiguous between them.

She wasn’t the kind of person who liked ambiguous relationships, but she also didn’t know how to make Xue Mian give up.

“Su Min.”

Just as she was about to leave her seat, Li Fang blocked her path.

The classroom was almost empty, only a few students still packing up. Some hurriedly left, afraid to witness any drama, while others stayed behind, worriedly watching the situation unfold.

Su Min glared at her. “I already let the last incident slide. If you provoke me again, I won’t be so polite.”

Li Fang turned red with anger. “You won’t be polite? I’d love to see what you can do. You stole Manli’s boyfriend and still have the nerve to talk tough to me?”

Sun Manli tugged at her. “Li Fang, forget it. Let’s just go.”

“No way, Manli. You may not care, but people like her don’t think that way. Look at how eager she is—she’s obviously going to meet your boyfriend. How can you just let that go?”

It wasn’t a secret anymore that someone was waiting outside for Su Min every day. Li Fang hadn’t known the person was Sun Manli’s boyfriend before, so she’d just scoffed. But thinking about it now, Sun Manli had to feel awful watching her boyfriend go on dates with Su Min all this time.

The remaining students in class heard the accusation, and their expressions changed drastically. Su Min’s boyfriend was Sun Manli’s boyfriend? That kind of drama was straight out of a soap opera.

As soon as Su Min heard what Li Fang said, she knew this must have been Sun Manli’s doing. She simply put her books back on the desk and looked straight at Sun Manli. “I had no idea I stole your boyfriend. Sun Manli, tell me—who exactly is your boyfriend?”

Sun Manli looked at her coldly, clearly unwilling to get involved.

The more indifferent she acted, the more Li Fang felt wronged on her behalf. She shouted at Su Min, “Hmph, still won’t admit it? Manli’s boyfriend is Xue Mian! Their families already approved of their relationship. You came between them—how are you not the third party?”

Su Min turned to Sun Manli. “Xue Mian is your boyfriend?”

Sun Manli remained silent, staring off to the side.

“Stop pressuring Manli. She’s not the type to argue with people. You take advantage of that and steal everything from her. You took her spot for the Paris trip, and now you’ve stolen her boyfriend. Su Min, you really have no shame!”

“If you keep going like this, Li Fang, I’ll report you to the school. You’re a university student—how is your mouth so foul? When I called you a dog last time, I was actually insulting dogs.”

“Su Min, how dare you insult me!” Li Fang’s face turned bright red with rage.

Su Min sneered, “This is self-defense. Everyone here heard it—you were the one who started yelling insults.”