The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 110

Li Rong’s expression remained unchanged, but his fingers involuntarily tightened, nails digging into his palms.

He had to admit he was nervous—afraid that what He Dayong would reveal might be unrelated to his parents, just another forgivable dirty secret of Suhe Biotech that money could sweep under the rug.

If nothing valuable came from He Dayong, they would have to start over, upending many of their assumptions and strategies.

He Dayong, despondent and lost in his own thoughts, didn’t notice Li Rong’s tension.

But before revealing everything, He Dayong cautiously asked, “If I tell you, will you hold me accountable for my involvement in this matter?”

Li Rong frowned slightly.

He had to admit that He Dayong was cunning. Even in the throes of emotion, he was calculating, seeking to absolve himself.

Raising a brow, Li Rong retorted, “You think this matter is serious?”

He Dayong said nothing, his silence tantamount to acknowledgment.

Li Rong felt a wave of conflict.

If it was serious, could he guarantee He Dayong’s absolution?

Sensing Li Rong’s hesitation, He Dayong’s resolve wavered, and thoughts of retreat began to surface.

But just as that flame of doubt flickered, it was swiftly extinguished.

“Shift the blame onto Suhe Biotech as much as you can. I can help extricate you from this mess,” Cen Xiao interjected, finally rising to his feet. His expression was solemn, his footsteps on the marble floor steady, each step reverberating like a deliberate strike on one’s heartstrings.

Walking to Li Rong’s side, Cen Xiao placed a reassuring hand on his back, patting lightly before adding with pointed significance, “Remember, the responsibility lies with Suhe Biotech. We won’t trouble someone who’s been misled.”

Li Rong’s eyelids quivered slightly, feeling Cen Xiao’s touch. At last, he shed his lingering doubts.

He had almost made a mistake.

To deal with someone like He Dayong, there was no need to discuss morality—extracting the information was the sole objective.

Thankfully, Cen Xiao was present to interrupt any hesitation in time.

Whether in their past life or the present one, Cen Xiao was always more ruthless and detached than him.

When dealing with He Dayong, there was no room for moral burden.

He Dayong’s eyes lit up, and the hint of hesitation in his heart instantly vanished.

All he needed was a little sweetness and a hint of approval. Cen Xiao’s gaze provided that subtle hint, and He Dayong was eager to prove himself, desperate to spill everything he knew to Cen Xiao.

Taking a deep breath, He Dayong gritted his teeth and said, “This matter—right from the start—I wasn’t even aware of it. So, technically, I’m not just shifting the blame to Suhe Biotech!”

Li Rong slipped a hand into his pocket, lightly pressing the recording device, focusing intently on He Dayong’s confession.

He Dayong’s fingers unconsciously fiddled with his belt buckle. His gaze flickered toward the window as he frowned, lost in thought. “It was around January of last year. President Zheng, Zheng Zhupan from Suhe Biotech, approached me and asked me to produce a batch of imitation Jiaketing.”

Li Rong’s heart skipped a beat, and he repeated, “Jiaketing?”

This was a psychological tactic. By repeating what He Dayong said, he encouraged him to share more.

He Dayong nodded. “Jiaketing, the medication for bacterial progeria. That drug made Suhe Biotech a lot of money. I had no idea why they wanted me to produce imitations of their signature product. Zheng Zhupan told me not to overthink it. I mentioned that without specific pharmaceutical processes, creating a bioequivalent generic drug would take a lot of time. But President Zheng said it wasn’t necessary—just make it non-equivalent.”

Looking at Li Rong, He Dayong added, “You study biochemistry, don’t you? You should understand that knowing the formula for a drug is only the starting point—it’s a long road to creating something effective.”

Cen Xiao didn’t understand the details and cast a questioning look at Li Rong.

Li Rong replied calmly, “That’s correct. That’s why generic drug manufacturers need R&D experts. A generic drug isn’t counterfeit. If you can fully replicate the original drug’s development process, it will be equivalent to the original drug but cheaper, which is a great benefit to the public.”

He Dayong sighed. “Of course I know that. But rushing to churn out a substandard product won’t save lives—it might even harm people. Initially, I thought Suhe Biotech was dissatisfied with Jiaketing’s current market share and wanted to use generics to expand their footprint. But that didn’t make sense. Releasing a cheaper generic drug would lead some to abandon Jiaketing to try the generic version. There was no data to support that Suhe Biotech could maintain its profits.”

Cen Xiao said, “Suhe Biotech wasn’t aiming to dominate the market.”

He Dayong licked his dry lips and continued, “They only wanted this batch of defective products. Zheng Zhupan didn’t even order a large amount, and he specifically told me not to make them look like Jiaketing’s white round tablets. Instead, they wanted a light pink sugar coating on the outside. When I asked why he approached me, Zheng Zhupan didn’t explicitly say, but I understood his meaning. Meijiang Pharmaceuticals is in a remote location with lax oversight, so producing substandard goods is easier here.”

He laughed self-deprecatingly. “Besides, Meijiang Pharmaceuticals is insignificant to Suhe Biotech. Throwing dirty and exhausting tasks to us allows them to keep their hands clean.”

He still couldn’t figure out how the Hongsuo Research Institute or the investigators from Districts 1, 3, 4, or 9 had managed to pinpoint his involvement or uncover the shady dealings of Suhe Biotech.

But he didn’t have the energy to dwell on that now.

Cen Xiao tilted his head, observing Li Rong, who pressed his lips tightly together, clearly not inclined to speak. Taking the lead, Cen Xiao asked, “Did Suhe Biotech ever tell you what they planned to do with this batch of generic drugs?”

He Dayong shook his head immediately. “No! Like I said, Meijiang Pharmaceuticals is insignificant to Suhe Biotech. I’m the one clinging to them, doing their dirty work. Honestly, ever since Suhe Biotech pulled me back from the brink, Meijiang Pharmaceuticals has just been their money-making tool. Tools are just tools—they wouldn’t share real secrets with me. At banquets, everyone pretends to be equals, but deep down, I know they don’t value me.”

His face darkened again, and he closed his eyes, sighing. “Back when I was fined for generic drug production, I felt bitter. So many people benefited from the cheap medicine I provided, but when I was in trouble and needed help, all I got was scorn. Not one person spoke up for me. They don’t see me as human—so why should I treat them as such? But once you’re on Suhe Biotech’s ship, there’s no getting off. Even after my bitterness subsided, I couldn’t change anything. Maybe I pushed my son to study biochemistry because I hoped he could accomplish what I couldn’t.”

His resentment toward Suhe Biotech was clear—especially when he endured the humiliation of being slighted by Zheng Zhupan during their banquets.

But as a small-time businessman in a remote region, all He Dayong could do was endure, plastering on a smile and toasting one glass after another.

While outsiders thought he lived a glamorous life, he alone knew the bitter reality.

Even the development of Yuanhesheng, a medication, had been handed to him by Suhe Biotech.

To maintain their good reputation, Suhe Biotech had called on the industry to not abandon the needs of rare patient groups and to prioritize producing generics as soon as original patents expired. 

But since the medication targeted a niche market, it wasn’t profitable for most pharmaceutical companies, so Suhe Biotech passed the moral burden onto Meijiang Pharmaceuticals.

Meijiang Pharmaceuticals had to pay annual tributes to Suhe Biotech. Allocating manpower to low-profit production lines affected the company’s overall revenue.

Zheng Zhupan had hinted that he could cut corners—after all, few people used the drug, so the impact would be minimal. It wasn’t an immediate threat to life, and no one would investigate it. But the profits owed to Suhe Biotech couldn’t be reduced.

Forced to comply, He Dayong had to produce substandard Yuansheng.

Still, he wasn’t completely corrupt. His lingering sense of faith led to nightly nightmares after producing such unethical medicine. He feared divine punishment—and even more so—bringing harm to his descendants.

He Dayong came up with a strategy: splitting Yuanhesheng into “White Horse Yuanhesheng” and “Gray Horse Yuanhesheng.”

He hoped that those who shared his faith could understand this subtle hint, so at least he wouldn’t be harming his own people.

But after a few years, his dreams, ambitions, and aspirations had been completely eroded by the industry. Sometimes, he felt like a puppet controlled by Suhe Biotech, existing solely to carry out their orders with no other purpose.

He hoped his son could change something, even just a little—enough for him to witness it before closing his eyes for the last time.

Li Rong wasn’t interested in listening to He Dayong’s self-redemption. He interrupted coldly, “Get back to Jiaketing.”

He Dayong spread his hands. “That’s it. I made low-quality imitations of Jiaketing, handed them over to Suhe Biotech. Zheng Zhupan took all the relevant data and documentation, dismantled the production line, and warned me not to speak of this matter—otherwise, I’d be struck down by divine wrath.”

Li Rong scoffed lightly. “Someone as cunning as you wouldn’t have left yourself without a backup plan. What did you uncover?”

He Dayong hesitated.

He found the word “cunning” a bit harsh, but he couldn’t deny it was accurate.

He wasn’t foolish enough to be just a puppet. He had indeed kept an eye on things.

Clearing his throat, He Dayong glanced at Cen Xiao and then at Li Rong before lowering his voice. “I bribed a junior pharmacist at Suhe Biotech who was responsible for delivering the drugs. He told me the low-quality medicines were sent to Jiajia Central Hospital, but he didn’t know more.”

Jiajia Central Hospital was originally a general hospital, but its obstetrics and pediatrics departments had received capital donations and brought in numerous foreign doctors, making it famous in A City for women’s and children’s care.

Li Rong shook his head slightly. “Most of the patients at Jiajia Central are women and children. Were your substandard Jiaketing drugs meant for them?”

He Dayong’s face was full of distress. “I don’t know who they were meant for or how they were used. It’s an unconscionable thing, and I didn’t want to be involved, but it was already too late. If Suhe Biotech had told me upfront they’d be used at Jiajia, I would never have agreed.”

Cen Xiao frowned. “Last January? When did you ship the drugs?”

He Dayong replied immediately, “April 7th. I remember it clearly. That day, people from Suhe Biotech came to personally oversee the dismantling of the production line. They didn’t leave a trace!”

Cen Xiao exchanged a meaningful glance with Li Rong. “April.”

Li Rong understood. In fact, the mention of Jiajia Central Hospital had already knotted his heart.

The Phase 1 clinical trial of Luyinxu had been conducted at Jiajia Central Hospital.

Almost simultaneously, Suhe Biotech delivered a batch of substandard Jiaketing there!