The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 116

The meal stretched on for two and a half hours. Ji Xiaochuan leaned back in her chair, stuffed to the brim, her eyes staring blankly into the distance. Finally, Li Rong set down his teacup. “It’s getting late. Let’s all head back and rest.”

Only then did Ji Xiaochuan slowly prop herself up, lazily popping a cherry tomato into her mouth.

Jian Fu stretched and groaned, “Ugh, I still have to study when I get back. Theory exams are the worst!”

Lin Zhen shot him a helpless glance. “It’s just memorizing some key points. How much harder can that be compared to us memorizing scripts?”

Jian Fu bristled slightly. “Then why don’t you help me memorize?”

Lin Zhen froze for a moment, then awkwardly turned away. “Who wants to help you? I still need to prepare my song for the next recording session.”

But Jian Fu seemed suddenly intrigued, grinning as he nudged Lin Zhen’s shoulder. “Memorizing lyrics is basically the same thing.”

Lin Zhen: “…”

He regretted replying to him at all.

Cen Xiao turned serious. “After the exams, don’t forget about Han Ying.”

Jian Fu nodded repeatedly. “Got it, got it.”

Xu Tanghui asked offhandedly, “Who’s Han Ying? Did something happen again?”

Cen Xiao explained, “He’s the son of the leader of the Ghost Eye Group. Years ago, Han Jiang seems to have violated protocol and erased Han Ying’s academic records in the country. We’re planning to dig into that.”

Xu Tanghui mused thoughtfully, “Oh, then be careful. It sounds like they’re pretty capable.”

Jian Fu dismissed her concern. “Don’t worry. Based on how things went with Meijiang Pharmaceuticals, it’s obvious District Nine’s intelligence team is no match for District One.”

After paying the bill, the group said their goodbyes at the restaurant entrance and headed home.

Li Rong got into Cen Xiao’s car and casually buckled his seatbelt.

Through the car window, illuminated by the streetlights, Li Rong glanced at Cen Xiao. “Tired?”

Cen Xiao curved his lips slightly, his thumb lightly rubbing the steering wheel. “Not at all. We still have plenty to talk about.”

Li Rong raised an eyebrow.

Could Cen Xiao be referring to what he mentioned about GT200 in He Dayong’s office? Were they about to lay all their cards on the table about their rebirths?

It wasn’t impossible to have that conversation, but the implications ran deep. Once they opened that door, the discussion could last for hours, killing any relaxed mood they’d built. Li Rong preferred to delay it for now.

But unexpectedly, Cen Xiao suddenly asked, “When did you borrow that necklace from He Changfeng?”

“Hmm?” Li Rong’s heart skipped a beat.

His mind had been preoccupied with major events and key decisions, leaving him indifferent to minor details.

But when it came to the necklace from He Changfeng… Li Rong felt conflicted.

Should he lie to Cen Xiao?

The situation had already been resolved perfectly, and his fever was gone. There seemed no need to lie again, nor did he want to deceive Cen Xiao.

But then he remembered he had already glossed over the Huang Baikang incident once before. If Cen Xiao learned he had snuck out for an entire day while feverish, the consequences wouldn’t be much different.

Li Rong never imagined he’d find himself in such a dilemma—either confess now and cut his losses or pile one lie atop another.

He could always claim that He Changfeng had lent him the necklace earlier. After all, it wasn’t like Cen Xiao would ask He Changfeng directly.

As Li Rong’s mind raced, before he could make a decision, Cen Xiao added, “I found a box of fever medicine in your coat pocket.”

Li Rong: “…”

He cursed himself inwardly for his carelessness, mentally kicking himself.

He’d been too confident, letting the victory go to his head. He’d forgotten to take the fever medicine out of his pocket, even when he had Cen Xiao fold his coat earlier at dinner.

Cen Xiao pressed on, his voice calm yet firm. “The day we went to Yangshi, did you sneak out without telling me, take fever medicine to lower your temperature, and make me think you’d recovered?”

Li Rong bit his tongue lightly, turning his gaze to the window, and muttered, “Wow, the streets are beautiful this time of year. All those twinkling lights for the holidays.”

Cen Xiao nearly laughed at Li Rong’s rare awkwardness. His clumsy attempt to change the subject made it obvious he had no response.

However, the amusement only flickered briefly in Cen Xiao’s eyes, hidden in the dim car interior where Li Rong couldn’t see it.

Cen Xiao said, “The lights were hung up before Christmas. You’re only noticing them now?”

Li Rong: “…”

But he quickly adjusted, lifting his eyes with an innocent expression and a soft, coquettish tone. “Back then, I was preoccupied and didn’t have time to appreciate them. But now, looking at the night view with you—doesn’t it feel romantic?”

Li Rong was quite satisfied with himself. Since Cen Xiao had taken the bait to talk about streetlights, the topic had clearly been diverted.

That meant he wouldn’t need to answer the earlier question, avoiding any potential slip-ups.

Yet Cen Xiao didn’t let him off so easily. With his next line, he looped back to the original topic: “So everything I just said was true, and that’s why you’re trying to change the subject.”

Li Rong: “…”

If Cen Xiao had phrased it as a question, Li Rong might’ve been able to wriggle his way out. But Cen Xiao didn’t give him that option.

With a soft snort, Cen Xiao glanced at Li Rong out of the corner of his eye. “A biochemistry student, self-medicating with fever medicine, and you think you could hide it from me?”

Li Rong blinked, realizing there was no point in arguing anymore. He leaned closer to Cen Xiao, lightly placing his hand on Cen Xiao’s thigh. “I had no choice at the time—it was urgent. And I didn’t take much. Are you tired, Cen Xiao? I could drive for a while.”

At a red light, Cen Xiao glanced at the pale hand resting on his leg.

Li Rong was lightly tapping his fingers with a deliberate rhythm, the nails neatly trimmed and the joints smooth and elegant.

Cen Xiao paused, realizing that Li Rong was tapping out Morse code on his leg:

Want to do it in the car?

Cen Xiao: “…”

The blatant hint, paired with shameless seduction, was a clear attempt to escape accountability.

But it was a tactic Cen Xiao admittedly found hard to resist.

Two minutes later, he pulled into the underground parking lot of their apartment complex and turned off the engine.

Li Rong unfastened his seatbelt and reached out to hook his arm around Cen Xiao’s neck. Even in the darkness, his peach-blossom eyes sparkled, exuding charm.

“This angle doesn’t have surveillance, does it?”

Cen Xiao naturally wrapped an arm around Li Rong’s waist, rubbing it lightly through the down jacket before patting him gently. “The parking garage is freezing—do you want to get sick again?”

Without hesitation, Cen Xiao rejected Li Rong’s suggestion to start a new “battlefield” there. He pulled him out of the car and led him straight home.

Upon entering their dimly lit entryway, Cen Xiao reached out to turn on the chandelier. 

He leaned close to Li Rong and helped him take off his puffy coat. In a low voice, he murmured near Li Rong’s ear, “Why does our class monitor always think about avoiding responsibility? How will you set an example for your classmates?”

Li Rong’s eyes curved into a smile, his lips pressing together slightly as his back rested against the wall of the entryway. Enveloped in Cen Xiao’s embrace, he looked entirely at ease.

Having reached this point, he could only resign himself. “Yes, yes, yes, I shouldn’t have taken the fever medicine recklessly. But isn’t this rare quality time? Does Team Leader Cen really have to hold on to this?”

Cen Xiao squinted at him for a few seconds, then replied in a low voice, “Yes. Not only will I hold on to it, but I’ll also give our class monitor a proper education.”

A flicker of mischief crossed Li Rong’s eyes. He nudged Cen Xiao with his knee. “The entryway isn’t ideal. Let’s go to the bedroom for the lesson. I promise I’ll listen carefully to Team Leader Cen’s teachings.”