The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 12

After getting the injection, the fever subsided, but his body remained terribly weak. When Li Rong got out of bed, his calves trembled slightly as he walked.

This frail body… Who knows when it would fully recover?

Li Rong applied for two more days of leave.

Despite his discomfort, he revised his paper twice and meticulously reformatted it. 

Thankfully, Li Qingli’s detailed notes provided a solid foundation, and Li Rong’s six-year advantage in technological foresight made the writing process manageable.

After ensuring there were no mistakes, he carefully gathered the scattered drafts covering his desk, retrieved a kraft paper envelope from the study, and prepared to store everything neatly.

Although Li Qingli’s handwriting was wild and messy, his filing system was always meticulously organized. Unfortunately, the enforcement officers had no regard for such things, leaving the notes in complete disarray.

Patiently, Li Rong rearranged the pages in the correct order, carefully aligning the front and back before preparing to store them in the envelope.

But then he stopped abruptly.

Li Rong frowned, pinched the stack of papers, and tested its weight in his hands.

While he didn’t share Li Qingli’s habit of handwriting everything, he had grown familiar with the feel of the paper from years of exposure.

The stack seemed thinner than it should, and the weight felt lighter.

Taking the papers back to the window, he tilted them against the sunlight, scrutinizing them for a moment. It appeared that at least ten pages were missing.

The faint remnants of light pink adhesive indicated tearing, but perhaps Li Qingli had made a mistake, torn them out himself, and discarded them.

Li Rong stood there for a while, lost in thought, but found no clues. He sighed and carefully packed the remaining pages back into the kraft paper envelope.

The afternoon sunlight was warm and pleasant. Li Rong grabbed a USB drive, bundled himself up tightly, and stepped outside.

Thanks to Cen Xiao’s sponsorship, he no longer needed to squeeze onto crowded buses and could call for a taxi whenever he liked.

Cen Xiao had transferred 100,000 yuan to him.

In the past, Li Rong had prided himself on cutting ties with Cen Xiao financially. He carried the arrogance of noble lineage and shared the intellectual community’s inherent disdain for the mercantile world. Like Li Qingli, he had pursued a traditional path, lofty in ideals but detached from reality—until it all came crashing down, leaving his family in ruins.

He had to admit that people like Cen Xiao, adept at navigating muddy waters, were the ones who thrived.

At least he was smart enough to learn from his mistakes.

Leaning against the front passenger seat, Li Rong turned to look out the window and casually instructed, “Take the southeast gate. You can drive straight into the campus parking lot without anyone stopping you.”

The driver glanced at him curiously. “You look like a high school student. How come you know A University so well?”

Li Rong replied, “My parents used to teach here.”

The driver’s eyes lit up. “Ah, professors! That’s impressive.”

Li Rong chuckled lightly, licking his dry lips. “What’s so impressive about professors?”

The driver replied earnestly, “Researchers benefit the people. They deserve respect.”

Li Rong’s expression turned thoughtful, his smile fading slightly. “Isn’t there a professor in trouble lately? It’s been quite the scandal.”

The driver snapped his fingers as realization dawned, his face twisting into a scowl. “Oh, right, that Professor Li. A real scumbag, I tell you. Misused taxpayer money to fund his own company, living in a mansion, driving luxury cars. And what’s the result? Three years and no breakthrough on that medicine! He used to be all over the media, claiming the drug would save kids from suffering. A shameless fraud—his conscience must’ve been eaten by dogs!”

Li Rong couldn’t help but ask, “Do you know it can take decades and billions of yuan to develop a new drug without any guarantee of success?”

The driver shook his head, muttering, “How would I know? I’ve never seen that kind of money.”

Li Rong continued, “And are you aware of how complex the funding approval process is? Even if he did embezzle funds, everyone who signed off would be complicit.”

The driver, undeterred, retorted, “That’s not in the news. Why should I care? I’m just an average bystander. Anyway, didn’t he kill himself to escape justice? If he wasn’t guilty, why not come out and clear his name?”

Li Rong was silent for several seconds. His gaze hardened momentarily, then softened as he let out a quiet laugh and nodded. “You’re right.”

The taxi drove into the campus and stopped near the fountain plaza. Li Rong paid the fare and got out.

As the driver handed him the receipt, he muttered, “I envy students here. All geniuses.”

Li Rong said nothing, shutting the car door behind him. He folded the receipt into tiny pieces, smaller than a fingernail, and tossed them into a nearby trash can.

The fountain square on A University’s campus is expansive. Local residents and the families of faculty living in dormitories often come here for exercise.

Li Rong had rarely paid close attention to this part of the lofty academic institution, a place most grounded in the smoke and fire of ordinary life.

“Gloves, scarves, and hats for sale! Only sixty yuan each, everything sixty yuan!”

Occasionally, small vendors would set up stalls in the square, sneaking in to do business when the campus security wasn’t looking.

These vendors often played cat-and-mouse games with the security guards. Over time, they became familiar with one another. Sometimes, the guards turned a blind eye, allowing the vendors to make a bit more money.

The only vendor who left an impression on Li Rong was a slightly chubby, short-haired woman selling gloves and scarves.

Li Qingli had once told him about her. Ten years ago, she had been a nimble young woman managing the campus chemistry lab. She was framed for something she didn’t do, losing her stable job with no way to clear her name.

At the time, Li Qingli had been a young, ordinary lecturer with no influence. He hadn’t been able to advocate for her and regretted it ever since.

In her search for a student who had been present that day and could testify to her innocence, she began selling knit hats at A University. Sadly, she never found the witness.

Out of compassion, Li Qingli arranged for her to have a library card for A University, encouraging her to read more books during her quest for justice so as not to waste time.

Li Qingli had used her story to teach Li Rong a lesson: never underestimate anyone capable of persistently pursuing something for years. Even if they haven’t succeeded, such people are extraordinary.

For instance, over the past decade, this woman had read through almost the entire library of A University. Few people understood the collection better than she did.

Li Rong once asked, “She could easily transition to teaching. Why keep selling knit hats?”

Li Qingli laughed. “Being a teacher is good, but selling hats isn’t bad either. You are not her; perhaps she has moved beyond material pursuits.”

The students at A University rarely bought cheap cold-weather gear from street vendors. Sometimes, the student organizations’ volunteers would buy a few pieces, but not for themselves—usually to give to the homeless.

Business was so bad that she might sell nothing for an entire day. Yet, she had stubbornly persisted for ten years.

She never expanded her offerings. Every year, it was the same gloves, scarves, and hats with no new designs. In the early years, she could still make some money, but now, even meeting basic living expenses seemed uncertain.

“Gloves, scarves, and hats! All handmade! Lots of colors! Come take a look!”

Her voice was coarse, her tone soft and lacking energy, barely catching anyone’s attention.

Li Rong buried his hands in his coat pockets, shrinking his neck against the autumn wind. The hem of his coat brushed his calves as it fluttered in the breeze.

For the first time, he seriously examined the colorful scarves and hats. As he looked, he raised a fist to cover his mouth and coughed lightly.

“Hey, kid, you’re catching a cold, aren’t you? Take a scarf. It’s just sixty yuan.”

The woman noticed him immediately, pulling a blue scarf from her neatly arranged collection and jogging over to place it in his hands.

Li Rong was startled by the soft texture in his hand.

The scarf looked a bit bulky, but it felt surprisingly comfortable. Examining the delicate, fine stitches, he realized it was indeed handmade.

Selling handmade scarves for just sixty yuan seemed like a waste of effort.

“Kid, you look really sick. Listen to me: go home and boil a soup with goji berries, ginger, honeysuckle, and red dates. Sweat it out, and you’ll recover fast.”

As she recited the recipe, she tapped her left palm with her rough right index finger. Her hands, calloused from years of needlework, were so thick they seemed wider than her fingers.

Li Rong indeed looked unwell—pale, with sunken cheeks and bloodshot almond-shaped eyes. His sickly appearance could evoke concern in any elder, let alone a maternal figure like her.

He curled his lips into a smile, gazing warmly at her weathered, frost-bitten face. “Auntie, could you help me with something? I’ll take all your scarves and hats.”

The woman’s eyes widened in shock. “How can I help you?”

Li Rong stared at her, slowly pulling a USB drive from his pocket and holding it up before her. His usually clear eyes carried a sharp edge. “The administrator in A University’s computer lab spends all day gaming, never checking who logs in or out. Find a computer, log in with the username liqingli and password rong1117, and send the files on this USB….”

The woman’s expression shifted slightly upon hearing the familiar username, as if recalling something. She took a few steps back. “I don’t know how to do that. I can’t.”

Li Rong nodded slightly, raising his gaze steadily. “You can, Auntie. I can’t show my face right now. Help me, for his sake.”

Her lips trembled as she looked deeply at Li Rong. Slowly, she extended her hand and took the USB. “I… I’ll try.”

“Thank you.” Li Rong watched her leave, then crouched casually among the crowd, staring blankly in the direction of the biology department building like a still mushroom.

About an hour later, the woman returned, panting, and handed the USB back to Li Rong. She also pulled out her phone, showing him the screen. “Kid, is this right?”

Li Rong checked Li Qingli’s personal information and confirmed the file had been sent. He smiled cheerfully. “Yes. Auntie, sell me all your things and head home early.”

He moved to pay her.

The woman stopped his hand, her eyes filled with pity. “You’re buying so much. Is anyone even going to use it?”

Li Rong paused. Indeed, no one would. His home was already empty.

The woman sighed. “Don’t waste your money, then. It wasn’t a big deal—I was just helping out. If you like, just buy one.”

Li Rong looked down at the blue scarf around his neck. He hadn’t noticed earlier, but now realized it was quite warm.

Li Rong gently touched the intricate patterns on the scarf, then glanced at the pile of hand-knitted goods stacked like a small mountain, seemingly untouched for the entire day. He confirmed again, “I can afford it. Are you sure you don’t want me to buy them all?”

The woman gave a simple, honest smile and waved her hand decisively. “You might be able to buy what I made in one day, but could you buy what I make in a year? There was a teacher once, too. He saw how hard it was for me to sell these and wanted to help by buying everything to give to his students. I couldn’t let him do that. So, instead, he came by once a day to buy a scarf, saying he had a lot of relatives who liked handmade ones. But… he hasn’t come by this month.”

As she spoke, the smile faded, replaced by a hint of loneliness. She returned to her stall, bending her slightly plump figure, carefully folding and refolding the gloves and scarves, stacking them neatly once more.

Just as Li Rong thought the conversation had ended, the woman muttered softly, “I don’t know much, nor do I understand, but… you think the students who got my scarves and gloves must know he’s a good person, right? As long as someone still believes in him, there’s always hope.”

Li Rong quietly listened to her story, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing on his lips. He extended a finger from his sleeve and pointed at his own scarf. “Then I’ll take this blue one. And… one with floral embroidery as well.”

The woman quickly packed them into a bag. “Here, take them. 120 yuan, but you can just give me 100.”

Li Rong handed her 200 yuan instead. The woman furrowed her brows, immediately stopping him. “No, no, I can’t take more than it’s worth.”

Li Rong brushed his fingers over the scarf wrapped around his neck, his tone meaningful. “It’s alright. We’ll see each other again.”

The woman froze, staring at his face, her fingers subconsciously clutching the hem of her worn-out sleeve.

On the way back, Li Rong felt a rare lightness in his steps. Thinking about his own ambition of leading a carefree life, he enthusiastically reached out to someone he knew.

[Li Rong: Cen Xiao! Cen Xiao! Did you have a good day today? Have you eaten?]

No response.

[Li Rong: How’s the investigation team going? My dad’s research is pretty valuable. We can’t let Hongsuo get ahead of us!]

Still nothing.

[Li Rong: I know having to bow your head to President Cen is frustrating. I bought you a gift; you’ll definitely like it.]

[Cen Xiao: ?]

[Li Rong: I’ll come find you at school.]

When Cen Xiao saw the bright red scarf, he couldn’t quite decipher the sincerity in Li Rong’s gratitude.

“This?”

It was so ugly, it was almost suffocating.

But Li Rong seemed quite pleased with himself.

He dragged Cen Xiao to a quiet corner of the school hallway, stood on his toes, and draped the bright red scarf around Cen Xiao’s neck. 

“I just realized on my way here, the scarf has a hidden pocket. You can put your bank card or ID in here. Feel it for yourself.”

His arms circled around Cen Xiao’s neck, his head tilted slightly as his fingers guided the zipper on the hidden pocket, making sure Cen Xiao could feel its position. The entire time, Li Rong leaned forward, nearly hanging onto him.

They were so close, in the crisp, cool dusk, that their shared warmth was more vivid than the lingering orange glow of the sunset. If Cen Xiao turned his head, his lips could have brushed against the pale, flawless skin of Li Rong.

Li Rong’s eyelashes, long and curled, trembled faintly in the soft light. His gaze shifted, and the delicate contours of his eyelids folded just right. After fastening the scarf, he casually used his pinky to tuck a strand of hair behind his left ear, revealing a slightly sweaty, curling strand at his temple.

There was a faint herbal fragrance around Li Rong’s neck—enticing and lingering.

For the first time, Cen Xiao thought that maybe this gift had its merits.