There were still students in the classroom discussing the design of the teaching building.

When they heard someone confronting Jiang Lin, they all quieted down and looked toward the front.

Yang Lu exclaimed, “Ah, what is Jiang Ling doing here!”

Su Xingyun stood up, displeased, “What are you doing, student?”

Jiang Ling’s eyes were red and swollen from crying.

She felt deeply humiliated by Lu Hang and had spent the entire class crying, thinking of ways to retaliate.

She decided to use the old trick learned from her seniors—posting a large notice!

She sobbed, “Is it my fault that I look like her? I don’t want to look like her either. What can I do about how I was born? Why can’t she tolerate someone who looks like her?”

She crouched on the podium, hugging her head, crying pitifully.

Su Xingyun and the others had no idea what was going on.

He said, “Student, you must be mistaken. Jiang Lin has been in class; how could she have had a conflict with you?”

Jiang Ling just cried without speaking, her tears flowing freely.

Jiang Lin entered the room, looked at Jiang Ling squatting on the podium, hugging her shoulders and crying miserably, and frowned, “Is this why you tried to push me off the railing earlier?”

Su Xingyun and the others’ expressions changed, “What’s going on?”

Jiang Ling suddenly exploded in anger.

She clutched her shoulders, looked up with her face covered in tears, and in a mix of weakness and defiance, said, “Is this how you treat people? You start blaming me without knowing anything?”

She looked at Jiang Lin, “Where did I go wrong? Is it my fault I look like you? What am I supposed to do? Should I disfigure my face?”

She covered her face and cried, letting her tears flow freely, as onlookers outside speculated about the situation.

Jiang Lin saw that Jiang Ling was being unreasonable and only showing weakness through tears without explaining the situation.

She was too lazy to argue, “I don’t know what happened to you, but I know you tried to push me off the railing earlier. You should explain that.”

Su Xingyun and the others were quite concerned because if there was indeed malicious intent to harm someone, it would be a crime!

Yang Lu moved in very close to examine Jiang Ling, almost wishing she had a magnifying glass.

She discovered that Jiang Ling didn’t actually resemble the way the male classmates in the art class had described.

With the makeup washed away by tears, Jiang Ling’s skin wasn’t as white and translucent; her cheeks had freckles and black moles.

Although she was still a pretty girl, she really couldn’t be said to look very much like Jiang Lin.

Yang Lu sighed, thinking that some people had exaggerated too much, causing her to initially assume there was a resemblance and to say so herself.

Jiang Ling, with tearful eyes, didn’t admit any fault. “Is this how you always act so aggressively? I rushed over and accidentally bumped into you. I didn’t do it on purpose and didn’t even know it was you. Why would I want to push you down intentionally?”

Someone who had seen the incident in the hallway commented, “It was really dangerous. If Jiang Lin hadn’t steadied herself, she could have fallen.”

Others who had witnessed it nodded in agreement, “It was truly dangerous. Students should never mess around in the hallway. Falling from the third floor could be fatal.”

Jiang Ling insisted it was just an accident and not intentional, and since Jiang Lin wasn’t hurt, she shouldn’t be punished for this.

Jiang Lin said, “Fine, you claim it was an accident. But what about the big Z report?”

It claimed that Jiang Lin was a school bully who incited male classmates to humiliate Jiang Ling, while Jiang Ling herself was portrayed as an innocent victim.

“You need to apologize to me! To the entire school!” Jiang Ling’s eyes seemed to burn with fury as she stared intensely at Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin smiled and said, “You must be dreaming. If someone has insulted you, find out who it was. If someone acted on my behalf and caused you trouble, don’t blame me. I want to make it clear: as long as it’s not my own behavior and you have no evidence that I directed someone, I won’t take responsibility.”

Jiang Ling started cursing Lu Hang, calling him a rogue and scoundrel. “You and he have a good relationship; are you denying it?”

Jiang Lin replied, “What’s there to deny? What did he do to you? Rape you? If that’s the case, go report it to the police and have him executed.”

If Lü Hang really dared to commit such an act, even a good relationship wouldn’t stop her from supporting severe punishment!

Jiang Ling retorted, “Don’t slander me. I’m a pure and innocent girl.”

Yang Lu asked, “How did he insult you?”

He was getting impatient, wanting to hear her explanation.

Jiang Ling gritted her teeth and said, “He said I look like Jiang Lin!”

Yang Lu reassured her, “Don’t worry. I just saw you, and your makeup has been washed away by your tears. You really don’t look like her. You don’t need to worry.”

Although she used to look a bit similar before, now with her makeup smudged, her face less pale, her lips less rosy, and with dark circles and puffiness under her eyes, she no longer looked much like Jiang Lin.

Jiang Ling felt that this was intentional humiliation.

Su Xingyun suddenly asked, “I’m curious, why did you style yourself to look like Jiang Lin?”

Jiang Ling was stunned, not expecting to be questioned about why she looked like Jiang Lin by another man after she had already been confronted about it.

She had said a thousand times: it wasn’t her choice to look like this; it was just the face she was born with.

What could she do about it?

Su Xingyun said, “When you dress up nicely, you look a bit like her, but now, without makeup, you don’t resemble her at all. I wouldn’t believe it if you weren’t deliberately dressing up to look like Jiang Lin.”

Regarding Jiang Ling, Su Xingyun was quite informed.

The news came from the male students at the art academy, who said that a new female student looked very much like the campus beauty Jiang Lin—almost like identical twins, but even younger and more vibrant than Jiang Lin…

The description included comparisons and phrases emphasizing how much better she looked than Jiang Lin.

As a friend of Jiang Lin, Su Xingyun found this very upsetting.

Jiang Ling quickly gained fame at the provincial university with the “Little Jiang Lin” nickname, becoming one of the top beauties alongside Jiang Lin and Zeng Hongjie.

With this beauty title, she had a broad social circle and quickly became known as a beautiful painter, also receiving exceptional internship and training opportunities.

If this was her goal, she certainly achieved it impressively and in the shortest time.

However, since she had achieved her goal, why was there still this ongoing drama?

Su Xingyun was genuinely angry. He had a good relationship with Jiang Lin and knew her well.

She was focused on her studies, immersed in the library, and researching various architectural specialties, never competing for any beauty titles.

Despite her excellent grades and outstanding appearance, her reputation as the provincial university’s architectural beauty was well-known, but she remained low-key, so her classmates rarely talked about her.

Now that Jiang Ling was making accusations, Su Xingyun decided to speak up.

Jiang Ling said, “You… you… you’re being unreasonable and biased towards your own classmate.”

Jiang Lin had only heard about Jiang Ling before and had not seen her.

Now that Jiang Ling was right under her nose, Jiang Lin decided to take a good look.

In real life, many people encounter situations where someone says, “Oh, you look so familiar, you resemble one of my classmates/colleagues/relatives,” and while they might say it with surprise, it’s simply a statement of fact.

It’s never meant to be a comparison or carry any bias, nor is it used to flatter or criticize.

However, Jiang Ling seems to be using tactics similar to those of later entertainment industry stars, where comparisons are made to overshadow others: “So-and-so looks like xx, but is younger, more vibrant, and surpasses xx in beauty.”

She didn’t know what Lü Hang, that fool, said to Jiang Ling, but if Jiang Ling had any sense, she wouldn’t be coming to confront her.

Or perhaps Jiang Ling was trying to garner sympathy or expose her as some sort of villain?

If she’s going to accuse her, she should provide solid evidence.

Crying and whining won’t cut it.

Even the original owner never relied on crying to gain advantage, so how exactly does she resemble anyone?

Jiang Lin glanced at her watch, too lazy to deal with her.

She said goodbye to Su Xingyun and Yang Lu and left.

She still needed to catch the bus, and time was of the essence.

Cheng Rushan was on a stakeout tonight and wouldn’t be coming home.

Jiang Lin had informed them she would be going to her parents’ house to discuss some matters.

Since Xu Aimei retired this year and Jiang Erge took over her job, she helped manage their consignment business—stocktaking and selling goods.

Jiang Lin wanted to discuss with them the idea of renting a government-owned leased property to use as a warehouse and store.

This way, they could stock up on more goods.

With the market improving this year and more vendors setting up stalls, they could make a decent profit, earning around twenty yuan a month by selling random items. With a warehouse, they could expand their business and increase revenue.

Of course, there’s still significant discrimination against street vendors and small businesses.

People view them as shameful and unrespectable, preferring jobs like government officials, workers, and soldiers.

Because she feared the embarrassment of her second son, Xu Aimei decided to retire and let him take up work while she managed the business.

After all, she was of retirement age and didn’t want others to mock her for starting a small business.

Since Xu Aimei had more time at home, she took Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun in.

Liang Tiefeng sent money monthly, and Jiang Min, receiving a stipend, refused to spend it.

Xu Aimei saved it for the two kids.

She arranged for them to go to school with Qinqin and her siblings.

They didn’t need extra beds because they were girls and could share a bed.

The sisters could whisper secrets and bond better.

Although Xiao Jun was reluctant, he had to obey because Dabao promised to play with him whenever he behaved.

Jiang Lin had agreed with her family that she and Cheng Rushan would find a house since they couldn’t find a suitable one on their own.

Cheng Rushan had to help with this.

Early the next morning, when Jiang Lin was about to leave to take the bus, Cheng Rushan unexpectedly came to pick her up.

She was surprised, “Aren’t you on a mission?”

Cheng Rushan smiled, “I just got back and thought I’d pick you up and take you home.”

Despite having stayed up all night, he showed no signs of fatigue; his eyes were bright and clear.

Jiang Lin envied his energy and robust health—he wasn’t afraid of the cold in winter or the heat in summer.

They bid farewell to the Jiang family and drove to the provincial university in a jeep.

On the way, Cheng Rushan asked her, “What’s this ‘very similar but’ thing about?”

Earlier, Lu Hang had specifically called him to complain about this matter, and at the time, Cheng Rushan had been rather dismissive.

He had known that Lu Hang had a tendency to find girls who resembled Jiang Lin and had assumed this was another case of that.

He never thought anyone could resemble his wife; even if Lu Hang had this habit, he didn’t mind because Jiang Lin was unique to him.

As for Lu Hang’s mention of Jiang Ling, he had heard of her and, based on his habit of paying attention to information, he must have seen her before.

Thinking back, he remembered the woman learning to ride a bicycle.

He heard that she looked very much like Jiang Lin but was somehow better?

Cheng Rushan’s first thought was that this was a tactic to step on others to advance oneself.

As for the motive, it was likely about gaining some benefit through fame.

Such tricks were not only played by women; they were common in various industries, where criticizing a top figure and claiming someone’s work was better was an almost cost-free promotional tactic.

It was ruthless, vicious, and despicable.

Although being a campus beauty might seem like a mere title, it can bring Jiang Ling many unexpected benefits.

As long as she puts in the effort, her beauty and fame could help her enter higher social circles, marry into a more prestigious family, secure a better job, and gain other advantages.

Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow but didn’t want to say much, “It’s nothing. She’s just a classmate. People say she looks like me, but I don’t feel it.”

Cheng Rushan was holding the steering wheel with his left hand and gently squeezing her hand with his right, “If something upsets you in the future, tell me.”

Jiang Lin smiled, “I’m not upset at all. I’m really happy every day.”

She was pregnant, and her family treated her like royalty.

Her in-laws made delicious food for her, Wen Sheng, Dabao, and Xiaobao made her happy, and Cheng Rushan was attentive and gentle, always meeting her needs.

Whether it was a whim or not, he could always make it happen.

At school, her teachers respected her and shared their knowledge, classmates cared for her, and she had many good friends. She was rarely alone and was always happy.

So, she really didn’t take Jiang Ling seriously.

If Jiang Ling hadn’t caused a scene, she wouldn’t have even crossed paths with her. She had heard about her before but hadn’t paid much attention.

Cheng Rushan glanced at her, then looked ahead and said calmly, “I’m a bit upset.”

Jiang Lin: If Brother Shan is upset, it’s serious.

She quickly leaned her head against his shoulder, pouting and trying to coax him.

Cheng Rushan patted her shoulder and gently stroked her head, his cool gaze fixed on the road ahead.

He said slowly, “I don’t like others using my wife as a stepping stone to climb up.”

Why should his precious wife be a stepping stone for someone else?