The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 125

Li Rong could be incredibly enthusiastic when the situation called for it. And he knew very well that this time, he had indeed acted recklessly.

He didn’t know Zheng Zhupan well, but judging from the man’s notorious, heinous deeds, Zheng Zhupan likely had no moral bottom line. 

If Zheng Zhupan discovered his true identity, it wouldn’t be surprising if he went to the extreme of eliminating him entirely.

However, the situation had been urgent at the time. Zheng Zhupan had specifically requested Lin Zhen to attend. No matter what, Li Rong believed that his presence was a far better alternative. He had at least a 70% chance of walking away unscathed.

But from Cen Xiao’s perspective, even a 30% risk was unbearable. After all, the day he had been poisoned in the lab had seemed so calm and uneventful—no one had anticipated what was about to happen.

As Li Rong continued to kiss Cen Xiao passionately, his arms tightly wrapped around him, he made sure not to leave any room for argument.

But kisses eventually had to end. Dizzy from the prolonged intimacy, Cen Xiao gently pulled Li Rong away, furrowing his brows in frustration. But instead of unleashing his temper, he merely flicked Li Rong’s forehead with his finger.

Li Rong blinked at the gesture, unfazed by the minor pain. Instead, he licked his flushed, warm lips, seemingly still savoring the kiss.

Cen Xiao knew there wasn’t time for romantic distractions. Casting a wary glance at the tightly closed door, he lowered his voice and asked, “What did you find out?”

Seeing that Cen Xiao had set aside his anger to focus on the matter at hand, Li Rong immediately switched to a serious demeanor. “Zheng Zhupan invited the director of Jiajia Central Hospital, Zhai Ning, today. I didn’t have time to gather much information, but we’ll talk in detail at home.”

Time was limited. If he stayed in the restroom too long, it would arouse suspicion. Without delay, Li Rong turned to leave.

Cen Xiao grabbed his hand, frowning. “How much longer do you have to stay in there?”

He knew these social dinners could drag on, but the idea of Li Rong spending any more time with those people made him uneasy.

Li Rong’s eyes gleamed with a faint smile. “Don’t worry. Zhai Ning isn’t interested in me. She’s busy contending with Zheng Zhupan. She might even turn out to be our breakthrough.”

Cen Xiao scoffed. “That’s not what I’m worried about.”

What concerned him was the risk of Li Rong saying the wrong thing and exposing himself.

Li Rong reached up and lightly adjusted Cen Xiao’s collar. “I really can’t stay away too long. I’ll see you in a bit.”

He finished speaking, casually grabbed a bottle of fruit milk from the table, took a big gulp, and then leaned against the door to listen for any sounds from outside. After confirming no one was nearby, he opened the door and quickly left the private room.

Cen Xiao pressed his lips, still tasting the scent of his lover, and looked down to report safety to Jian Fu and the others.

【Cen Xiao: It’s fine.】

【Jian Fu: Good to hear. But Zheng Zhupan’s reach is too wide—he even invests in variety shows!】

【Cen Xiao: There have been rumors that District Six is the cash cow for Suhe Biotech, but no one managed it.】

【Jian Fu: Heh, I heard the rumors too, but didn’t expect it to be this outrageous. I only just found out from my dad that District Six exploits its members ridiculously. The industry is full of complaints. Luckily, District Six was shut down in time.】

【Cen Xiao: Let Lin Zhen focus on the competition.】

After putting down his phone, Cen Xiao frowned.

With District Six shut down, Jiang Zhong could no longer charge exorbitant membership fees, training fees, or qualification fees. This was a significant loss for Suhe Biotech, which had controlled the entire industry.

Of course, this was also a loss for Blue Pivot overall. With the collapse of District Six, the reputation of the other districts was inevitably affected. Everyone had been busy proving their innocence, stabilizing their members, and trying to restore their glory from before the incident. No one knew how long it would take.

Previously, District Four’s Hu Yuming had boldly claimed to bring Hongsuo Research Institute into the fold, but recently there had been no movement. It was said that his wrinkles had deepened recently.

This was the result of the Li Qingli incident landing a heavy blow on Blue Pivot, affecting the entire Blue Pivot United Commerce Association, even including the Ninth District Ghost Eye Group.

Hongsuo Research Institute lost two key scientists, and the Blue Pivot United Commerce Association had to cut an entire district.

Was this a case of mutual destruction?

The true culprit would never damage itself while trying to harm others, which suggested at least two conflicting forces were involved.

If the culprits from Blue Pivot were District Six and Suhe Biotech, then who from Hongsuo was pushing to eliminate District Six without clearing Li Qingli’s name?

Li Rong gently pushed open the door to Zheng Zhupan’s private room. Before he could return to his seat, a tall, thin man raised his chin: “I didn’t run into you when I went to the restroom earlier. Where did you go?”

Li Rong stopped in place.

All noise stopped instantly, and the large private room was eerily silent. Everyone’s gaze shifted to him, and Zheng Zhupan furrowed his brows in confusion.

Zheng Zhupan, cunning and unscrupulous, could deceive and tempt others, but he most feared being deceived himself.

He thought back—Li Rong hadn’t caught his attention, but had bumped into him instead.

To be honest, Li Rong’s attire was much more casual compared to the other two participants, with no makeup or styled hair.

Though his natural appearance was impressive, it was indeed a bit odd.

Li Rong’s eyelids fluttered slightly, his face showing no sign of panic.

He wasn’t sure if the other person had really gone to the restroom or was just lying, and since there were many restrooms in the Seven-Star Hotel, if he answered one way and the other person claimed to have gone there too, it would leave him speechless.

Li Rong smiled, even displaying a bit of awkwardness and embarrassment. “I actually went to drink a bottle of fruit milk to ease my stomach, just in case… so it wouldn’t be too bad if I had a stomach bleed… At least Dr. Zhai wouldn’t have to resuscitate me.”

He nodded apologetically and returned to his seat.

In fact, drinking the fruit milk before returning was a subconscious act. He hadn’t expected to be questioned but, accustomed to being alert, always liked to leave himself an escape route.

As soon as he sat down, he subtly moved his chair toward Zhai Ning.

Zhai Ning quickly shifted her gaze from Li Rong’s face and, coolly, said, “There are too many additives in fruit milk, and it doesn’t prevent stomach bleeds. The artificial flavor is…”

She clearly smelled the scent of the fruit milk on Li Rong. As he approached, it became noticeable to her.

When Zhai Ning spoke, she quickly defused the situation, and the suspicion on Zheng Zhupan’s face disappeared. The tall, thin man also reluctantly stopped pressing the issue.

A while later, after several rounds of drinking, the tall, thin man, red-faced and unsteady, stood up and grumbled, “That guy wasn’t here today. Brothers, let me say something harsh: He Dayong is a useless coward! How much effort did President Zheng and President Jiang put into his Meijiang? Now the Ninth District is investigating him, and we’re practically going against the Ninth District. D*mn, this thing is almost over, and this waste goes and confesses, saying someone has dirt on him, afraid he’ll get a heavier sentence. If it were up to me, I wouldn’t care about him and let him rot!”

Zheng Zhupan coughed heavily and shot him a glare. “Alright, alright, you’re drunk. What nonsense are you talking about?”

The tall, thin man, snapped out of his stupor by Zheng Zhupan’s glare, clapped his mouth. “I’ve said too much, but the point still stands. Honestly, I don’t even want to deal with this waste anymore. What’s the point? He can’t even make money, and he only causes trouble.”

Zheng Zhupan said coldly, “No one wants to deal with him, we’re just trying to calm him down.”

The tall, thin man sneered. “He’s got a bit of sense, knowing that as long as he doesn’t spill the beans, Suhe Biotech will still help him out.”

Zhai Ning finally tightened her grip on her wine glass, her patience wearing thin. “Can we stop now? Can’t we eat in peace?”

The tall, thin man, hunched over, glared at Zhai Ning. Though he was unwilling to be interrupted, he didn’t dare say anything more.

Li Rong relaxed.

It seemed that He Dayong hadn’t spilled the beans about the incident in the office and had concealed his role in it.

The dinner continued until midnight.

Zheng Zhupan had drunk himself into a stupor and no longer had the energy to manage anyone.

Zhai Ning had called for a car, and the other bosses had people to pick them up. Only the three artists remained, left alone in the Seven-Star Hotel.

Jiang Zui was bewildered. “Are we carpooling back to the show?”

He wasn’t even sure why he’d go back—most likely, filming had already ended. His phone was flooded with missed calls from his agent, and their negotiations hadn’t gone well. The show’s producers also seemed to have no solution yet.

Fu Huan, despite having drunk quite a bit, still appeared relatively sober. He glanced at Li Rong. “You’re not a contestant, are you?”

Li Rong smiled faintly but didn’t directly answer. “I have a car waiting for me. I’ll head off first.”

Though he had avoided hard liquor, he hadn’t been able to completely avoid red wine.

Fu Huan opened his mouth, as though wanting to press for answers, but suddenly realized he might never encounter this person again.

Jiang Zui mumbled, “You think he’s not a contestant either, huh? I’ve been saying—there’s no one this good-looking among us.”

As Cen Xiao’s car slowly drove out of the parking lot, the barrier lifted, and the words VIP lit up prominently on the electronic display. 

A staff member from the seven-star hotel personally opened the car door for Li Rong and saw him inside.

Once the door shut, concealed by the night, no one could see who was driving.

Jiang Zui muttered, “Was that really ‘VIP’ on the display? Is that car plate registered as a VIP for this hotel?”

Fu Huan sneered. “Ha, looks like this Li Rong has plenty of connections. Didn’t he admit he relies on his looks?”

The car arrived back at the apartment, and after parking, Cen Xiao didn’t immediately get out.

Inside, Li Rong, who had caught the “relying on looks” comment, could sense Cen Xiao’s lingering displeasure. Clearly, tonight’s events still hadn’t passed for him.

What was supposed to be a relaxing night—watching Lin Zhen’s performance—had turned into something far more complicated.

Li Rong unfastened his seatbelt, leaned toward Cen Xiao, and whispered near his ear with a faint trace of wine-scented breath, “Still mad?”

Cen Xiao held Li Rong’s chin gently and stared into his bright eyes that shone even in the dim light. “You always use this tactic to calm me down. Do you think I don’t notice?”

The truth was, he was scared—terrified of Li Rong being in danger.

Even though he knew rationally that Li Rong was competent and sharp, and that he couldn’t protect him like in their previous life, the enemies they were dealing with were far from ordinary. Every step forward came with the potential for dramatic upheaval.

But he couldn’t really stay angry at Li Rong. Because Li Rong didn’t know—couldn’t know—how deeply his death in the past had cut.

That was a wound Cen Xiao might never fully heal from.

Li Rong dropped his teasing expression, pressing his cheek against Cen Xiao’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I value my life. I know it’s not just mine to protect.”

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