The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 133

In the same tearoom at A University, the door closed, and the room filled with warm steam and the fragrance of tea. Inside, it was quiet and cozy, a stark contrast to the icy world outside.

Geng An personally poured a cup of tea and handed it gently to Jiang Zheng.

Jiang Zheng, now in her thirties, was a strikingly beautiful woman whose aura hadn’t faded with age. She looked as though she could still be in her twenties.

She maintained her figure well, wearing a dress cinched with a white belt that highlighted her slender waist. 

As she raised the cup, she sipped cautiously, only to flinch slightly from the heat before setting it back down.

Rubbing the back of her hand, she offered a polite smile to Geng An and the unfamiliar Li Rong.

Though Jiang Zheng took excellent care of herself and wore meticulous makeup, the skin on her hands betrayed her age. 

She was no longer the carefree, vibrant university student she once was.

Geng An and Li Rong exchanged a glance before Geng An introduced him with a smile: “This is my friend. He happens to have a relative working as a detective abroad who helped us investigate this.”

Li Rong nodded politely to Jiang Zheng, who responded with another reserved smile.

Her smiles were subtle, as though afraid a bigger one might reveal the fine lines at the corners of her eyes. Or perhaps she simply didn’t feel like smiling at all.

Initially, Jiang Zheng had planned to meet Geng An alone. However, when Geng An mentioned that the person who found the evidence would also be there, Jiang Zheng agreed, thinking it would be more precise to hear directly from the source.

She had expected District Nine staff to be stern, burly types, but Li Rong was nothing like that.

At first glance, Jiang Zheng was momentarily taken aback.

It had been a long time since she’d seen someone this attractive.

Growing up, she had always been praised for her beauty, the center of attention in any group. Yet in front of this young man, Jiang Zheng felt a rare pang of envy—not just for his looks but for his youth.

Li Rong seemed to be around university age, though Geng An wouldn’t likely have a student as a friend. He was probably older.

What a waste, she thought, for such looks to belong to a man.

“Brother Geng asked me to look into this,” Li Rong began politely. “Since it involves his workplace leadership, it’s a sensitive matter… You understand. But you’re old classmates, and he’s genuinely worried about you. Luckily, I had some connections and was able to help.”

Jiang Zheng took a deep breath, her fingers clenching slightly. Though her face remained calm, the subtle movements of her hands revealed her inner tension.

“Are you sure the information you found is accurate?”

Though the photos and videos provided were clear and undeniable evidence, her heart still held onto unrealistic fantasies, tempting her to hope for a different answer.

Since being rejected by her fiancé, Jiang Zheng had fallen into self-doubt.

She questioned whether she had lost her charm with age, whether she had done something wrong, and why her life had become so difficult.

It was during this vulnerable time that she reconnected with Han Ying. Their lives had been separate for years, but the reappearance of her first love warmed Jiang Zheng’s cold heart.

She found herself increasingly drawn to the passion Han Ying reignited, as if transported back to her glory days on a sprawling campus, to the proudest and brightest chapter of her life.

Nostalgia, enhanced by rose-tinted memories, made the past seem perfect.

When Han Ying mentioned returning to the country, Jiang Zheng grew restless.

Despite her emotional turmoil, she retained a sense of reason after years in the real world.

Jiang Zheng didn’t really know how Han Ying had turned out after so long. 

Although she had seen many stories of betrayal and deception, her vulnerability pushed her to confide in Geng An, the only person who might know about Han Ying’s situation.

Geng An, a member of District Nine, wasn’t someone she usually opened up to, but after much deliberation, she took a leap of faith. To her surprise, Geng An was both kind and patient. While he couldn’t investigate his superior directly, he offered to have someone else look into it.

A month later, the results were in.

Han Ying had not divorced. He was married to a foreign woman, successfully obtained a green card, and had two biracial children.

They lived in a small villa, leading a seemingly perfect life of affluence and happiness. The wife, apparently Han Ying’s superior, was the breadwinner, while Han Ying depended on her.

Based on what Jiang Zheng knew about Han Ying back then, he was an extremely proud man—at times even bordering on arrogance.

Someone like that would never willingly submit to being controlled by his wife. He might endure it for a time, but over the long term, no matter how deep the feelings were, they would erode away.

Han Ying knew how powerful his father was. Before he went abroad, everyone around him acknowledged Han Jiang’s influence, and he indeed relied on his father’s status to act recklessly and indulge himself.

But abroad, who knew what the Blue Pivot District Nine was? Who even knew who Han Jiang was?

He had to rely on himself. No one would accommodate or flatter him anymore.

He believed his true paradise was back home, which was why he was so determined to return this time—and even reached out to Jiang Zheng.

Li Rong spoke solemnly, “All the information we’ve gathered is here. According to it, they do live together and are indeed married. They even share a joint account for household expenses and their children’s tuition. Their two kids are enrolled in a private elite school. They rarely come home, so most of the time, it’s just the couple in the house.”

Jiang Zheng’s lips trembled. Every word from Li Rong felt like a stab to her heart, forcing her to confront the reality that all her illusions were destined to shatter.

At her age, there was no such thing as pure, untainted love. What awaited her were only lies, concealment, and manipulation.

She wanted nothing more than to slap Han Ying hard, but in front of Li Rong and Geng An, she had to maintain her composure.

“I understand. Thank you.”

The “thank you” came out stiffly, as the hatred and anger she felt toward Han Ying had reached their peak.

Love and hate were often separated by a thin line. Once love passed a certain point, it transformed into intense hatred and disgust. All the once-cherished memories were tainted, as if they had never been beautiful in the first place.

Li Rong caught the subtle change in Jiang Zheng’s expression. Lowering his gaze, he took a careful sip of tea. Under the table, he lightly nudged Geng An’s knee.

Geng An immediately sighed, “Old classmate, not to be harsh, but back in the day, I never thought Han Ying was reliable. You remember how many people in our class chased after you? You didn’t give any of them a second glance. And then, right before graduation, you were sweet-talked by a freshman kid.”

His words were skillfully delivered: first affirming Jiang Zheng’s charm back then, and then placing all the blame on Han Ying’s unreliability, making it clear he was on Jiang Zheng’s side.

Jiang Zheng was already feeling emotionally vulnerable and trying to hold it together because of Li Rong’s presence. She had planned to restrain herself until the end, but Geng An’s words brought tears to her eyes.

Indeed, how many people had pursued her back then? Many of her former classmates had gone on to become successful in various fields.

Those she had dismissed or ignored as suitors in her youth were now doing better than she was.

Jiang Zheng desperately needed to vent these feelings.

“I was so foolish back then, believing his sweet lies.” She let out a bitter laugh, turning her head to discreetly wipe her tears.

It wasn’t just foolishness back then—she had continued to fall under Han Ying’s spell even now.

But now that she knew there was no future between them, she no longer had to hold back.

Li Rong kept his head down, trying to minimize his presence, even softening his breathing.

Geng An poured more tea for Jiang Zheng and said warmly, “Honestly… if you two had gotten married after graduation, it would have been perfect. We all thought our class goddess was about to get swept off her feet. Who would’ve guessed he’d leave for abroad?”

Of course, no one had really believed Jiang Zheng was going to be “swept off her feet.” Many were waiting for her to break up with Han Ying.

Who would trust a freshman’s romantic promises? It was foolish—life held too many uncertainties, and people had so little control over their choices.

Jiang Zheng shook her head and let out a derisive laugh.

Back in university, she’d been naive enough to show off Han Ying to her roommates. But as she grew older, she stopped bringing up those days entirely.

Now that the topic had resurfaced, Jiang Zheng knew it shouldn’t have, but she couldn’t stop herself from pouring out her frustrations.

Moreover, since Geng An had taken a risk by helping her despite potential backlash from his superiors, she felt grateful enough to let her guard down.

“Back then, he had no choice but to go abroad. But he told me it was temporary, that once I applied to a graduate program abroad, we could continue to be together. However…”

Jiang Zheng paused mid-sentence.

Li Rong’s eyelids trembled slightly, his fingers lightly brushing over the recording pen in his pocket. 

He knew Jiang Zheng was finally about to reveal the key part of the story.

Geng An swallowed nervously, feeling tension build. 

Although they had speculated about why Jiang Zheng and Han Ying broke up, this was the first time they would hear the truth directly from her.

Geng An coaxed gently, “That’s right. You could have applied to study abroad. I remember your foreign language skills were excellent. Why didn’t you apply back then?”

Jiang Zheng took a tissue from her bag and wiped the tears glistening at the corners of her eyes. Her voice carried a trace of a sob. “Because they wouldn’t let me. They wouldn’t let me go abroad, nor would they allow me to stay in contact with Han Ying. They even forced me to delete all our chat and call records. Otherwise, they threatened not to give me my diploma. I didn’t even know Han Ying’s address or contact information abroad, and he never reached out to me again.”

Geng An was stunned.

It was during graduation season, and everyone was preoccupied with their theses. That was probably why this drama hadn’t become widespread gossip.

But he never imagined that Jiang Zheng had been subjected to such coercion.

A University always prided itself on fairness and respect. Media often compared it favorably to other institutions, praising its progressive and scientific educational methods. Even the students believed they were receiving the best education in the best school, where dignity and freedom were valued—something they were proud of.

Yet, now he realized such pride only stood unchallenged because disaster hadn’t touched them.

Geng An’s voice was hoarse with shock. “Who are ‘they’?”

Jiang Zheng looked up, her eyes welling with fresh tears. Even when crying, she was heartbreakingly beautiful.

“Han Jiang and Zhang Zhaohe.”

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