The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 126

That night, they did nothing but lie in bed, holding each other tightly until they fell asleep.

To this day, Li Rong didn’t know the full extent of what happened after his death. He only knew that Cen Xiao avenged him by personally killing Du Mingli.

The memories from that time, the ones useful for their current investigation, had already been subtly shared by Cen Xiao. But the rest—those were unspeakable sorrows.

Li Rong understood Cen Xiao’s love for him, so he didn’t dare to imagine how Cen Xiao had survived that dark period.

Cen Xiao was truly a strong person. Even when they reunited in this life, with the knowledge that Li Rong initially intended to use him, he had remained calm and patient.

Their lives had been far from easy.

Thinking about this, Li Rong snuggled even closer into Cen Xiao’s embrace.

The room was warm, the blanket cozy, but they held onto each other tightly, as though to share every bit of their presence.

For a long time, their breathing synchronized, calm and steady, as if they were both fast asleep. Then, out of nowhere, Li Rong whispered, “Are you still awake?”

After a pause, Cen Xiao murmured, “Mm.” His low voice carried a soothing vibration that traveled through his throat to Li Rong’s cheek, intimate and electric.

“I just want to ask you one thing. Can I?”

Cen Xiao didn’t reply but silently permitted it, waiting for the question.

Li Rong tilted his head slightly, lifting his gaze toward where Cen Xiao’s eyes would be in the dark.

Perhaps it was the safety of the darkness that gave him the courage to bring it up.

“Cen Xiao… were you okay…back then, were you really okay?”

In his final moments, as Li Rong tried to guess who had betrayed him, he had thought about his deceased parents and whether the GT201 experiment had succeeded.

He hadn’t thought about Cen Xiao. At the time, he had believed he was all alone, that no one would grieve his passing.

Cen Xiao was silent for a long time. Finally, he kissed the top of Li Rong’s head and said softly, “It’s all in the past.”

No matter how painful, it had passed—long enough ago that it almost felt like another lifetime. Every moment they spent together now built new memories to cover the ones that hurt.

To keep living, one had to learn to heal oneself.

Li Rong wanted to press further about why Cen Xiao had reacted so oddly the first time Du Mingli spoke, but he decided against it. It probably wasn’t tied to a happy memory anyway.

He buried his head into the pillow and sighed. “Let’s sleep. There’s a lot to do tomorrow.”

Cen Xiao replied, “Goodnight.”

The next morning, Li Rong rearranged part of the living room, setting up a small chalkboard he had ordered from the downstairs store.

Jian Fu arrived looking exhausted, laptop in hand, clearly running on fumes. He went straight to the kitchen, pouring himself two full glasses of water and downing them in one go.

He didn’t notice the two ceramic mugs placed apart from the others—a matching black and white set belonging to Li Rong and Cen Xiao.

Lin Zhen also showed up early, still visibly burdened by the previous day. While he had managed to keep his composure and perform well, returning home had left him unable to sleep.

He was angry and frustrated. Zheng Zhupan’s blatant abuse of power had forced the entire show’s crew to comply without daring to utter a word.

Moreover, everyone took it as a given, choosing to mind their own business, as if it were only natural for Zheng Zhupan to act that way simply because he invested in the show.

Lin Zhen, of course, wasn’t naive enough to believe he could single-handedly change this chaos. He just hoped Zheng Zhupan would pay the price for his arrogance.

Early in the morning, upon hearing that Jian Fu had dug up something, Lin Zhen shot out of bed and rushed over.

Jian Fu, yawning incessantly, was barely holding up with the help of several cups of coffee. 

He had never been this enthusiastic about working overtime—his anger toward Zheng Zhupan fueled him.

Li Rong pulled over the small blackboard and began marking down names and keywords: He Dayong, Suhe Biotech, Jiajia Central Hospital, Han Jiang, Liu Tanzhi, Li Baishou, Jiang Weide, and Hongsuo Institute Director Zhu Yan.

“He Dayong, Suhe Biotech, and Zhai Ning formed an interest group that orchestrated the replacement of Luyinxu with inferior-quality Jiaketing. Although it’s just speculation, it’s likely close to the truth. Han Jiang and Liu Tanzhi led the media in initiating follow-up online harassment, fanning the flames of public sentiment, which makes them indirect culprits in pushing my parents to their deaths. Li Baishou was probably just their scapegoat, a pawn, but he had also harbored malicious intent, trying to steal my father’s research results. As for Jiang Weide and Zhu Yan, I’m unsure if they were directly involved, but their blatant lies at the networking event to cover up the truth are highly suspicious.”

As Li Rong spoke, he sketched lines and connections between the names, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find any links between the three groups.

Cen Xiao chimed in to add, “Han Jiang and Liu Tanzhi stirred things up and spread rumors. Logically, they should have the same objectives as Suhe Biotech. However, Han Jiang then turned around and started investigating Meijiang Pharmaceuticals. Meijiang poached people from District 9, which infuriated Han Jiang, so it makes sense for him to retaliate. But He Dayong is a key figure in Suhe Biotech’s interest group. If Han Jiang were colluding with Suhe Biotech, he would avoid any actions that might implicate He Dayong.”

Li Rong nodded. “And when we raised the flag back then, He Dayong’s reaction didn’t suggest that Han Jiang was on their side.”

Lin Zhen furrowed her brows. “I still don’t get it. District 9 and Liu Tanzhi should have no personal grudge against Professor Li. Why would they get involved in this mess?”

Li Rong shook his head.

There was supposed to be no enmity between them. Moreover, considering Liu Tanzhi’s relationship with Li Baishou as husband and wife, it didn’t make sense for Liu Tanzhi to help her husband eliminate his competitors.

District 9 had no conflicts of interest with their family, and his parents had never offended Han Jiang. From any perspective, it was unlikely for Han Jiang to kick them when they were down.

Li Rong drew a small question mark between Suhe Biotech and Han Jiang.

His gaze shifted to Jiang Weide’s name, and he couldn’t help but sigh. “To this day, I still can’t figure out what my advisor—this professor—was thinking. Was their reasoning back then really just to maintain stability? If so, why didn’t they step up to clear my parents’ names?”

Jian Fu, unaware of Li Rong’s relationship with Jiang Weide, remarked, “Isn’t it obvious? It was all about competing for the position of director at the Hongsuo Research Institute. Zhu Yan was about to retire, and at the time, the most prestigious candidates were Professor Li and Jiang Weide.”

Li Rong shook his head. “My dad had already withdrawn from that competition long ago. He never wanted to be the director. He always said that being a director would shift his focus from research to administration, which he didn’t enjoy.”

Jian Fu scoffed. “Doesn’t matter. Jiang Weide is just petty and didn’t want anyone to rival his standing.”

Li Rong sighed again. He had a nagging feeling that things weren’t so simple.

In truth, there was one name he hadn’t written on the board: Zhang Zhaohe.

He had always thought Zhang Zhaohe was peculiar, especially after he deliberately showed him the golden tower-shaped diagram.

But Zhang Zhaohe seemed even less connected to the prominent figures listed on the board.

Cen Xiao turned to Jian Fu. “Did you find anything at Jiajia Central Hospital?”

Jian Fu, tearing open a sandwich package, took a bite to fill his stomach before replying, “Zhai Ning. I looked into Zhai Ning. Actually, it wasn’t hard. As a famous hospital director, her resume and achievements are all over the internet. Her medical skills are indeed remarkable; otherwise, she wouldn’t have risen so quickly. That’s the advantage of these semi-private hospitals—whoever has the skills climbs up.”

Jian Fu swiveled his laptop to face Li Rong and Cen Xiao. “Here.”

Li Rong leaned in to look at the screen.

Beyond the familiar heroic act news he remembered, Zhai Ning had a host of other positive press.

In these reports, Zhai Ning was depicted as a gentle, patient, and compassionate doctor who cared deeply for her patients.

Her surgical skills were also highly praised, with appointments booked six months in advance.

However, Li Rong noticed a particularly striking piece of information.

Three years ago, Jiajia Central Hospital undertook a charity project for a specialized orphanage.

Most of the children in these orphanages had physical disabilities and were abandoned. They often lacked proper medical care, missing critical treatment windows and sustaining lifelong injuries.

The charity project mobilized medical resources from Jiajia Central Hospital to provide free care for these children.

The initiative gained substantial corporate backing, earning the hospital significant funding and bolstering Zhai Ning’s reputation as a humanitarian. A year and a half ago, she even won a prestigious humanitarian award.

For a long time, due to psychological reasons, Li Rong had avoided any news related to Luyinxu.

He couldn’t bear to look, fearing it would crush his will to live.

But as time passed, he revisited the sea of rumors, piecing them back together. He recalled one media outlet, eager to amplify his parents’ supposed crimes, with a particularly damning headline:

[Major Medical Incident Involving Luyinxu: Professor Li Qingli Disgraced, 20 Deaths, Mostly Orphanage Children!]

The term “orphan” struck a chord of empathy and outrage, sparking massive public backlash.

Indeed, the story garnered immense traffic, with comments condemning his parents receiving tens of thousands of likes.

To the public, his parents were lofty professors who also owned a company. Meanwhile, orphans—orphans had nothing and could only serve as expendable subjects for drug trials.

“Orphans.”

Li Rong took a deep breath.

If the media wasn’t lying, why were the vast majority of the deceased orphans?

Jian Fu sneered, “When they selected these orphans back then, it was probably because they couldn’t afford Jiaketing, right? The idea was to give them free medication. Who would’ve thought…”

Who would’ve thought that good intentions would turn into a blade against themselves?

Cen Xiao asked, “What about Zhai Ning’s accounts? Any illicit gains in any form?”

Nowadays, bribery methods were more sophisticated; checking accounts alone wouldn’t reveal much. That’s why they needed resources from District One.

But Jian Fu shook his head. “Nothing. I can’t believe it either, but that’s what I focused on last night—there’s nothing.”

Li Rong couldn’t help pressing his temples lightly.

This situation was full of strange elements. The truth seemed to be within reach but was still obscured, like a veil separating them.

What exactly was the connection between these people, and how did Zhai Ning get involved with Suhe Biotech?

Lost in thought, his phone suddenly rang.

Li Rong had to set aside his pondering and picked up the phone.

It was Zhang Zhaohe.

He raised an eyebrow slightly and glanced at Cen Xiao before putting the phone on speaker.

“Teacher?”

The sound of Zhang Zhaohe adjusting his reading glasses came from the other end, followed by a few clicks of a mouse. His voice was warm but carried a trace of helplessness.

“Li Rong, I can see your grades now. If nothing unexpected happens, you’re ranked first in the year. Since this is the first time my class has ever had a first-place student, I had no choice but to sign your exemption forms. If you’re still in A City, come by and pick them up when you have time.”