The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 123

Because Li Rong was more outspoken, Zheng Zhupan arranged for him to sit on the other side of Zhai Ning, squeezing the visibly listless Fu Huan further aside.

Li Rong glanced at Fu Huan out of the corner of his eye and immediately understood that he was the type with a stubborn temperament—someone who had yet to truly hit a wall and learn from it.

Or rather, Fu Huan hadn’t truly entered the dog-eat-dog world of the entertainment industry. He was merely an internet sensation, dismissive of those who had debuted and believing he could do just as well.

Little did he know that after this dinner, his dreams of debuting would essentially vanish. Zheng Zhupan might be ignoring him now, but after the meal, he would undoubtedly instruct the production team to reduce or delete Fu Huan’s screen time.

Still, people like Fu Huan were necessary. If the world were filled entirely with calculating, manipulative individuals, it would be a different kind of tragedy altogether.

Li Rong noticed that Zhai Ning showed no reaction to his or Jiang Zui’s proximity. She even deliberately shifted her chair to maintain some distance, as if getting too close would taint her.

Li Rong found it amusing. Here they were, dragged into this situation to entertain Zhai Ning, yet she acted as if she were untouchable. It seemed his earlier worries about being taken advantage of were unfounded.

After Zheng Zhupan’s introductory comments, the rest quickly followed suit, flattering Zhai Ning.

“Director Zhai, managing such a large hospital must be tough. I heard from President Zheng that you just wrapped up three surgeries today—it’s not easy to even get you to sit down for a meal.”

“My wife gave birth at Jiajia Central Hospital. Too bad we didn’t get the chance to meet you back then.”

“Director Zhai, you don’t look like someone in your fifties at all—you look so young.”

“We’re all family now. If you need anything, just let us know.”

Li Rong keenly observed Zhai Ning’s temples twitch and her expression grow colder. She was clearly suppressing her anger, trying not to lose her composure.

She especially disliked the phrase “we’re all family now.” Everyone knew that hospitals didn’t rely on pharmaceutical companies for favors, but pharmaceutical companies had plenty of reasons to seek help from hospitals. That statement effectively tied Jiajia Central Hospital’s interests to those of Suhe Biotech.

Zheng Zhupan did nothing to counter this implication. After all, the purpose of this dinner was to secure Jiajia Central Hospital as an ally.

With a chuckle, he said, “Director Zhai, Suhe is the largest pharmaceutical company in the country, and Jiajia is one of the top hospitals in A City. This is what you call a strong alliance.”

As he spoke, Zheng Zhupan tilted his bloated chin and gestured to Li Rong and Jiang Zui. “Come on, young men, offer Director Zhai a toast. Director Zhai is a hero of the people, tirelessly saving lives in the operating room. You should all learn from her selflessness and dedication to the medical field.”

With a Marlboro cigarette pinched between his fingers, Zheng Zhupan puffed deeply as he spoke, reveling in his own rhetoric.

Li Rong’s heart sneered.

Zheng Zhupan was so arrogant that he orchestrated a scheme against Li Qingli without even recognizing Li Qingli’s surviving son standing before him.

Jiang Zui, eager to please, nervously held his glass with both hands and stammered, “D-Director Zhai, I-I toast to you. On behalf of patients, thank you for your dedication to medicine and for saving lives.”

His words were incoherent and inappropriate. He had no authority to represent patients, nor the standing to define Zhai Ning’s contributions.

Fu Huan rolled his eyes silently, unable to hold back.

Zheng Zhupan’s remarks lacked any respect for their profession, reducing them to mere objects, pets to be toyed with.

The lofty ideals of benevolence and virtue he espoused were laughable. He failed to recognize that before becoming entertainers, they were human beings—potential customers of Suhe Biotech or patients at Jiajia Central Hospital.

Though Zhai Ning recognized the flattery for what it was, the more she listened, the more it felt like ridicule. Jiang Zui’s awkward toast only deepened her discomfort, prompting her to rudely shove his glass away. 

“No need for your toast!” she snapped.

Unable to openly confront Zheng Zhupan, she vented her frustration on Jiang Zui instead.

Jiang Zui’s unsteady hands faltered, and when Zhai Ning pushed, the wine glass toppled onto the table, spilling its contents all over him.

In his frantic attempt to catch the glass, Jiang Zui failed, and it fell to the ground, chipping upon impact.

With something now broken, the atmosphere at the dinner party shifted immediately.

Zhai Ning hadn’t meant to create such a scene, but the situation had become awkward. She deflected the blame back onto Jiang Zui, snapping, “Why are you so clumsy? You can’t even hold a wine glass properly!”

Jiang Zui felt like crying but had no choice but to swallow his grievances in silence.

Li Rong, on the other hand, was growing increasingly impatient. He wasn’t there to witness the subtle undercurrents between Zhai Ning and Zheng Zhupan. He wanted answers. What leverage did Zheng Zhupan hold over Zhai Ning that forced her into submission?

In the past incident, what role had Zhai Ning played? Was she coerced into colluding with Zheng Zhupan to contact Li Qingli about the experiment and orchestrate the setup? Or had the incriminating leverage on her originated from something that happened at the hospital, which Zheng Zhupan exploited?

Taking advantage of the awkward silence, Li Rong’s thoughts briefly wandered to Cen Xiao.

He wondered how Cen Xiao would react to his message. At least his phone’s location showed him at the Seven Star Hotel, which offered some reassurance. With Blue Pivot having investments there, Cen Xiao should find it relatively easy to inquire about the room situation.

Breaking the silence, Li Rong spoke, “Director Zhai, if you’re not in the mood for alcohol, why not have some food? I remember reading a news article about you. You once saved a three-year-old on a high-speed train. The situation was dire, and yet you decisively performed an emergency intubation, saving the child’s life. While the other doctors on the train were hesitant to take the risk, you stood up because you valued a human life more than your own career.”

Li Rong’s voice was calm, his expression composed as he recounted the news story. As he spoke, he casually picked up a piece of cumin-spiced chicken heart with his chopsticks.

“Such a compassionate act—truly living up to the essence of being a healer,” he added with a faint smile, his gaze lowered.

The chicken heart slipped from his chopsticks and landed with a splat onto Zhai Ning’s plate. The pristine white porcelain now bore a greasy yellow stain, with scattered cumin seeds and a disarray of oil. The dark, stir-fried chicken heart lay silently before her.

Li Rong innocently curved his eyes at Zhai Ning, looking entirely unbothered.

Zhai Ning glanced at Li Rong’s face and felt a lump in her throat.

Li Rong was undeniably beautiful—more so than the celebrity she admired. His eyes were clear, bright, and captivating, yet under the warm indoor lights, there was a sharpness in his gaze that felt like a thorn, piercing her uncomfortably.

After pushing Jiang Zui earlier, Zhai Ning couldn’t afford to lose her temper again with Li Rong.

She knew this attractive performer was likely just trying to flatter her, but the mention of that particular news story brought back memories she’d rather forget.

Zheng Zhupan, however, was delighted by Li Rong’s words. Clapping his hands, he exclaimed, “Oh, so there’s a story like that! Wow, it seems the general public knows Director Zhai better than we do. What an inspiring tale!”

“Indeed! This news should be widely publicized!”

“No wonder Director Zhai is the hospital director.”

“That child owes their life to Director Zhai—it’s a debt for a lifetime!”

….

Fu Huan frowned as he watched Li Rong. He was a bit surprised—this person was clearly not one of his fellow contestants. Where had he come from?

Moreover, Li Rong faced all these influential figures without the slightest hint of stage fright, even managing to speak up at the right moments.

Fu Huan, by contrast, lacked such a skill. To some extent, he even admired his social prowess. If he was preparing for a career launch, his path forward shouldn’t be too difficult.

Sure enough, Zheng Zhupan soon turned his attention to Li Rong: “And you… what’s your name?”

Li Rong’s eyelashes trembled slightly, his smile fading a little. “My name is… Rong Li.”

Zheng Zhupan nodded thoughtfully, noting the name without delving further into its exact characters.

He still didn’t take these contestants very seriously.

It was Zhai Ning who softly repeated, “Rong Li?”

Li Rong’s heart trembled. Zhai Ning had definitely interacted with her father before. Could it be that her overly simple reversal of her name had tipped Zhai Ning off to something?

Fortunately, Zheng Zhupan didn’t give Zhai Ning much time to think. Raising his wine glass, he stood up, his belly protruding, and staggered over to stand behind Zhai Ning. He patted her shoulder lightly with a thick hand and said earnestly, “Director Zhai, as the saying goes, ‘People often don’t change their views based on facts but rather choose facts that align with their views.’ I know you have reservations, but please believe this: with Suhe Biotech’s capabilities, what we present to the public is the fact. You stand on the side of the facts. Everyone will support you, believe in you, and respect you. Your future will only get brighter.”

Zheng Zhupan ended with a hoarse chuckle from deep in his throat. His tightly cinched belt pressed into his stomach, leaving an indented circle. As he laughed, his whole body quivered, the tremors traveling through his palm to Zhai Ning’s shoulder, delivering a nauseating jolt in tandem with his triumphant speech.

Zhai Ning gave him a forced smile. “Facts.”

“Exactly!” Zheng Zhupan said shamelessly. “Take that incident as an example. The public believes the fact that you upheld experimental data and prevented harmful drugs from circulating, thus greatly protecting public health and safety.”

This time, Zheng Zhupan didn’t need to provoke her further. Zhai Ning was trembling on her own.

Not out of fear, but sheer disgust at his shamelessness.

Zheng Zhupan turned to Li Rong. “Come, come, you too—toast Director Zhai.”

He’d noticed that Zhai Ning seemed to tolerate Li Rong more, perhaps because he was the most attractive of the three.

But this time, Li Rong didn’t cooperate as he wished. He remained motionless, his voice indifferent. “I have a stomach ulcer. I can’t drink alcohol.”

Zheng Zhupan’s expression darkened instantly. He couldn’t care less about the well-being of an unknown nobody. “What stomach ulcer? If I say drink, you drink!”

With that, he tilted his champagne glass and aimed to force it into Li Rong’s mouth.

In that fleeting moment, an extreme thought crossed Li Rong’s mind.

He had been training with Tang He for a month now. With his foundation, his reflexes had recovered quickly.

If he raised his hand to shatter the glass in front of him, he could pick up a shard and, in the next instant, slash Zheng Zhupan’s carotid artery.

He could make this man die in terror before his eyes, avenging his parents.