The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 117

Cen Xiao ground his teeth, muttering in a low voice, “Be serious. Focus…”

But before he could finish, Li Rong suddenly lunged at him, sealing his lips with a kiss.

Li Rong clung tightly to Cen Xiao’s neck, practically hanging off of him, as his teeth playfully nipped at Cen Xiao’s lips. His breathing gradually grew heavier.

Only when Cen Xiao was left momentarily speechless did Li Rong finally release him. His eyelids drooped slightly, and his fingertips gently kneaded the back of Cen Xiao’s neck. In a soft murmur, he said, “We can talk about the serious stuff later. Let’s address this ‘education issue’ first.”

Cen Xiao: “…”

He had always considered himself someone with firm principles—except when it came to Li Rong.

Under the warm light, Li Rong’s lips were moist and rosy, and his gaze brimmed with tenderness. Cen Xiao simply picked him up and kicked open the bedroom door with his knee.

Li Rong’s lips curved into a satisfied smile.

In a little while, Cen Xiao would probably be too tired to even think about discussing his lies. There was no better way to change the subject than this.

A second later, the bedroom door slammed shut with a loud “bang.”

The clock on the wall shuddered slightly, its chime for the 8:00 hour sounding helpless and exasperated.

Faint noises leaked from the small gap under the door.

The soft creak of the bed dipping under weight was followed by Cen Xiao’s low voice: “Now tell me properly—what exactly did you do that day?”

Li Rong, not yet settled, shifted around noisily, causing the bedside table to creak.

“Okay, okay, stop… I’ll tell you.”

He seemed to have been subdued. For a moment, the room was quiet, save for Li Rong’s voice, now soft and compliant.

“I didn’t do much. It’s just that we were about to go to Meijiang Pharmaceuticals, their home turf. There were only five of us, and I couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Han Jiang’s misleading comments left us with an unclear picture of He Dayong. After all, the He Dayong who, according to Han Jiang, drove members of the Ghost Eye Group to their deaths seemed very different from the one He Changfeng described.”

Li Rong paused to catch his breath, only to let out a low whimper as if Cen Xiao had done something unexpected.

Cen Xiao’s tone remained steady, though tinged with faint amusement: “En, go on.”

Li Rong steadied himself. “I needed to understand He Dayong’s moral boundaries and adjust my approach to Meijiang Pharmaceuticals accordingly to maximize our interests. So I sought out Officer Chen Ping again. Officer Chen reassured me repeatedly that Jiang Cheng’s fall was accidental and that there was no evidence of foul play. That eased half of my concerns.”

“But only half. What if the perpetrator was a professional and covered their tracks well enough to evade Chen Ping’s notice? So I turned to Huang Baikang. He may be a rogue, but he solves problems in the shortest time possible. Maybe it was because I was sick, but my emotions were affected—I felt unusually anxious. If I didn’t confirm this matter, I really wouldn’t have been able to sleep.”

Cen Xiao’s tone grew sour. “You even called Huang Baikang behind my back at the airport.”

At the time, Cen Xiao had silently stood behind him, unsure whether to interrupt.

He hesitated to invade Li Rong’s personal space, worried that it might make Li Rong feel his privacy was being compromised. But deep down, he didn’t want there to be secrets between them.

Especially when Li Rong answered Huang Baikang’s call. His cheeks flushed with warmth, and yet a smile lingered on his lips the whole time. Cen Xiao couldn’t tell if the amusement came from Huang Baikang’s words or the pleasant scenery outside the window.

Li Rong chuckled softly, his voice filled with mirth. “I was just worried that Huang Baikang might accidentally let something slip and you’d find out I ran off that day.”

Besides, the window seat was indeed quieter. At the time, he’d been anxious, afraid he wouldn’t hear Huang Baikang clearly.

Cen Xiao gritted his teeth and said, “You really ran around a lot that day.”

Li Rong took a slow breath, his voice soft and fragmented. “Wrongly accused… I only called Huang Baikang and went to two places: the police station and A University. I went to A University to borrow a cross necklace from He Changfeng. He Dayong dotes on He Changfeng so much that having He Changfeng’s personal item in hand felt like insurance. If He Dayong really turned out to be a crazed murderer and wanted to silence us, seeing that necklace might make him hesitate. I told He Changfeng I’d personally return it to him.”

Cen Xiao sighed helplessly. “If I’d known you were so worried, I would’ve reassured you. There’s no way I’d let anything happen to you. The moment we entered Meijiang Pharmaceuticals, Xu Feng was already stationed outside with people. I sent him updates every half hour. If I hadn’t, he was ready to call the police.”

Li Rong was startled. “Xu Feng came too? Your father’s personal assistant?”

He recalled Xu Feng as the unfortunate worker stopped at the gates of the Seven Stars Hotel while delivering food to him during the Blue Pivot-Hongsuo social event.

Cen Xiao scoffed lightly. “Xu Feng insisted on coming. Officially, it was his own decision, but it was probably my dad’s orders. Either way, President Cen really is afraid something might happen to me.”

Li Rong looked regretful. “How come I didn’t see him? I didn’t even get to say hello.”

Last time, Xu Feng brought him two large boxes of delicious food, only for him to miss out on the Seven Stars Hotel feast and spend the evening holed up in a café instead. He still felt a little bad about it.

Cen Xiao sighed softly. “Once he confirmed we were fine, he left. People from District Three aren’t suited to openly interfere in Ghost Eye Team’s work.”

The rustling sound of thick down jackets interrupted their conversation. One slid off the edge of the bed, and its metal zipper hit the floor with a crisp clink.

Li Rong suppressed his voice, speaking haltingly. “Lately… I’ve been so busy with Meijiang Pharmaceuticals… I even forgot about Han Ying. His ex-girlfriend… her name’s Jiang Zheng, right? We should find time to visit her. I bet we could gather some useful intel. Plus, Jiang Zheng is Zhang Zhaohe’s student. I wonder what this ‘academic freeloader’ thinks about Jiang Zheng dating Han Ying. You… be gentle!”

Cen Xiao’s voice was low and steady, his breath heavy. “We’ll definitely investigate Han Ying, but it has to be done discreetly. And you, your body just recovered, and you’re already pushing yourself again. I’m genuinely angry—do you have any idea…”

His voice trailed off as memories of Li Rong’s pale face, frail and unsteady, flooded his mind. He could still see him sitting in classrooms, clutching his stomach in discomfort. And then there were the days in the Hongsuo Research Institute’s lab…

It terrified him. He couldn’t stand the thought of it.

He’d rather let go of everything else, as long as Li Rong was vibrant and alive.

“I know you’re upset…” Li Rong initially gave in, his tone obedient. But after a brief pause, his demeanor shifted, and he teased, “But… Team Leader Cen, you’ve got a lot of unresolved matters yourself. Are you sure you want to dig up my old accounts right now? After all, you’ve got to be solid yourself before trying to teach someone else. How can you educate others if you haven’t met your own standard?”

Cen Xiao chuckled quietly. “Looks like this tangled mess of old accounts will need to be settled all at once when the time is right.”

Li Rong flipped over swiftly, pinning Cen Xiao down, his breath quickening. “Of course. But if you bring up business now, I’m going to doubt if you’ve retained certain… abilities.”

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