The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 137

When Cen Xiao opened his eyes in the morning, he saw Li Rong leaning against the pillow, intently playing with a Rubik’s Cube.

Li Rong was completely focused, his brows slightly furrowed, silently muttering as if calculating something. The cube turned slowly in his hands, revealing his unfamiliarity with the toy.

Cen Xiao didn’t interrupt, simply lying there quietly and watching him play.

The thick curtains were half drawn, leaving only a thin layer of sheer fabric. Sunlight poured through, casting a soft glow on Li Rong’s profile, highlighting his features with a pristine, snowy radiance.

After fiddling with it for a long time, Li Rong finally solved the Rubik’s Cube. Satisfied, he stretched his neck and rubbed it a few times.

When he turned his head, he noticed Cen Xiao was already awake.

Cen Xiao reached out to take the completed cube, chuckling softly. “What made you think of playing with this?”

Li Rong replied casually, “The school’s clubs are recruiting new members, and one of the female club presidents gave it to me to encourage me to sign up.” Then, turning to Cen Xiao, he smiled faintly. “You’re not jealous, are you?”

Cen Xiao lifted his gaze to meet Li Rong’s eyes. “Am I such a jealous person?”

Li Rong arched an eyebrow playfully. “Aren’t you?”

Cen Xiao nodded. “Fine, I am. And now I feel like doing something a jealous person would do.”

With that, he pulled Li Rong into the blanket with one swift motion.

“Hey, you—” Li Rong let out a startled yelp, but his voice was quickly muffled under the covers.

After a few hours of playful chaos, the two, now drenched in sweat, went to shower. Once cleaned up, Cen Xiao returned to the bedroom to change the bedsheets while Li Rong, rubbing his stomach, spaced out on a high stool in the living room.

He was feeling a little lightheaded from hunger.

As Cen Xiao tidied up, Li Rong replayed the events of the previous day with him. Together, they pieced everything together, clarifying their next steps.

Cen Xiao rolled up the used bedsheets and threw them into the laundry basket. “We need to be careful about Zhang Zhaohe from now on. I’ll find a way to dig into his connection with Zhu Yan through my grandfather.”

Li Rong murmured, “Zhang Zhaohe seems so unremarkable, yet somehow, his shadow is everywhere.”

Cen Xiao nodded. “I think we should lay low on the Han Ying and Jiang Zheng line for now to avoid alerting anyone prematurely. Our main focus should still be Suhe Biotech. From the looks of it, Han Jiang doesn’t seem to have any direct interests tied to Suhe Biotech. The only obvious connection—the Sixth District—has been dismantled, and the Meijiang Pharmaceuticals branch has also been severed. Suhe Biotech stands out as the clearest target.”

Li Rong propped his chin on one hand, swinging his slipper idly. His ankle turned back and forth as he mused, “The breakthrough with Suhe Biotech lies with Zhai Ning, but I haven’t figured out the right approach yet.”

When Cen Xiao came out of the bedroom, his gaze lingered briefly on Li Rong’s fair ankles, and he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of inappropriate thoughts.

His Adam’s apple bobbed as he asked in a low voice, “Hungry?”

Li Rong nodded.

Cen Xiao walked over, wrapping his arms around Li Rong, who was still perched on the stool, and leaned down to kiss him. “I’ll make us some noodles.”

Li Rong tilted his head back, looking up at Cen Xiao’s features. “Instant noodles?”

Cen Xiao chuckled and rubbed Li Rong’s chin with his fingers. “Do you think I’m like you?”

When it came to preparing meals for himself and Li Rong, Cen Xiao never cut corners.

He sliced tomatoes, defrosted beef brisket, boiled noodles in one pot, and even sautéed some asparagus on the side.

Meanwhile, Li Rong sat at the dining table like a lord, peeking into the kitchen as he waited.

Even though it was already afternoon, the sunlight was still abundant. Apart from the sizzling and bubbling sounds in the kitchen, the room was quiet.

Li Rong suddenly felt it was time to talk to Cen Xiao about the events of his past life.

The warmth of the moment had completely dissolved his lingering doubts and grudges. Even the confrontations of the past seemed understandable now.

People needed to grow, both him and Cen Xiao. It was just that their paths to growth came at a steep price.

But at least they still had a chance.

Leaning against the table, Li Rong asked slowly, “Cen Xiao, how did you avenge me back then?”

Though his voice was soft, the kitchen wasn’t far, and Cen Xiao must have heard him. Li Rong noticed the faint pause in his movements.

With his back still turned, Cen Xiao tended to the bubbling noodles. After a moment, he asked in a low voice, “Do you want your eggs fully cooked or with a runny yolk?”

Li Rong raised an eyebrow in surprise. Cen Xiao was clearly deflecting the question. It seemed he wasn’t ready to discuss what happened after Li Rong’s death.

But why? There was no need for secrecy anymore.

They both had a pretty good idea of what had happened. Cen Xiao had already shared all the necessary clues.

The only thing… Li Rong couldn’t figure out was why Du Mingli had wanted to kill him. Surely, Cen Xiao had uncovered the truth before seeking revenge.

Was it unspeakable?

Why?

Li Rong’s eyelids fluttered slightly. After a brief silence, he shook his head with a faint smile. “Runny yolk.”

Cen Xiao immediately cracked two eggs into the pot.

Li Rong poured himself a glass of water and didn’t press the matter further.

Still, the atmosphere between them grew subtly awkward. Li Rong might have dropped the subject, but his mind kept spinning.

Cen Xiao was definitely hiding something.

Fortunately, the tension didn’t last long. Jian Fu suddenly made a video call.

Li Rong glanced at his phone. “Jian Fu.”

Cen Xiao turned off the stove and said, “Use your phone to answer.”

Li Rong tapped the screen to accept the call. As soon as the connection was made, Jian Fu’s voice came through. “I’ve been working overtime just to—”

Jian Fu stopped mid-sentence, squinting at Li Rong’s background. “Wait, are you at my brother’s house? And why are you still in your pajamas?”

A low cough came from Jian Fu’s side, followed by a sharp intake of breath. “Why did you pinch me?”

Lin Zhen shot Jian Fu a glare before turning to Li Rong with a warm smile. “Class monitor, our teacher gave us VIP tickets for Ulysses. Do you and Cen Xiao want to go?”

Li Rong smiled. “No, you and Jian Fu can go.”

“Uh… oh.” Lin Zhen wrinkled his nose, surprised by how straightforwardly Li Rong declined.

But Li Rong had always been perceptive, and Lin Zhen guessed he might have picked up on something.

Still, Li Rong was curious. “You’re so famous now. Is it even convenient for you to go out?”

Lin Zhen looked a little embarrassed. “I can’t just give up on living my life. If I disguise myself well, it should be fine. And if I get photographed, so be it. It’s not like I’m doing anything shameful.”

Jian Fu chimed in, “Exactly! The two of us watching a show openly—who cares?”

Ji Xiaochuan joined the call at just that moment and caught only this last line. “Who’s the ‘two of us’?”

Jian Fu replied confidently, “Me and Lin Zhen, of course.”

Ji Xiaochuan: “Wow.”

Meanwhile, Cen Xiao brought over two bowls of noodles, arranging the sautéed asparagus on top. He reminded Jian Fu, “Stick to the point.”

He handed Li Rong a bowl with an extra helping of beef and a soft-boiled egg floating on the surface. The broth was rich and fragrant, and the asparagus looked fresh and vibrant.

Li Rong glanced at the bowl and then tilted his head up, his eyes crinkling in a smile at Cen Xiao.

Cen Xiao gently patted Li Rong’s hand, a quiet gesture to smooth over his earlier evasiveness.

Jian Fu cleared his throat. “Right, I looked into Jiang Zheng’s parents like you asked. She wasn’t lying. Both her parents work at Jiajia Central Hospital. Her mom, He Ping, is an obstetrician and still practicing. Her dad, Jiang Xunwei, retired last March when he hit the retirement age. But I found out that before he retired, he was a highly sought-after pediatric specialist. You’d have to book his appointments at least a month or two in advance, and he had lots of glowing reviews from grateful patients. Jiajia even tried to rehire him after retirement.”

Yesterday, after leaving the tea room, Li Rong had Jian Fu investigate Jiang Zheng’s parents.

He hadn’t expected much to come of it, acting more on a whim due to his sensitivity regarding Jia Jia Central Hospital.

Li Rong asked, “Is Jiang Xunwei in poor health? Why wasn’t he rehired?”

Jian Fu scoffed. “His health seems fine. He turned down Jiajia’s offer and set up a private practice instead. Probably because the private hospital offered a higher salary, and a group of well-off patients followed him there. Patients typically stick with their doctors, and with Jiang Xunwei’s reputation, he won’t lack for clients. Private hospitals are more lucrative anyway. But there’s another reason…”

Li Rong glanced at the pile of beef brisket in his bowl, picked a piece up, and placed it into Cen Xiao’s bowl. “What’s the other reason?”

Jian Fu explained, “Jiang Xunwei has no chance of becoming the head of pediatrics anymore. His path to promotion is blocked, and becoming the hospital director is even less likely. So, he’s just going where the money is.”

Cen Xiao looked at the brisket Li Rong had given him, ate it, and remarked that it tasted better than the rest. After finishing, he asked, “You mentioned Jiang Xunwei is skilled. With his qualifications, he should have been a department head in a hospital of that level. Why has his career been so rocky?”

Jian Fu snorted. “I was puzzled too at first. The director and the head of pediatrics at Jiajia are both younger than Jiang Xunwei, by a significant margin. Based on age, Jiang Xunwei could have been their mentor. Zhai Ning is an outlier, excelling in both skills and reputation. But as for the current pediatric head—he’s not particularly outstanding. Hospitals usually favor seniority, right? Then I dug deeper and found out this head is Zhai Ning’s cousin. So, yeah, nepotism. Given the choice between two candidates, they obviously picked family.”

Li Rong nodded thoughtfully.

It wasn’t surprising. Zhai Ning had devoted almost all her time to her career, never married, and her remaining family must hold special importance to her.

If the two candidates were equally qualified, choosing his relative wasn’t unreasonable.

If Jiang Xunwei’s decision to refuse rehire stemmed only from this, there wasn’t much need to investigate further.

But could Jiang Xunwei be aware of Zhai Ning’s involvement with Suhe Biotech?

As deputy director, he would have access to more information.

When the Phase I trial for Luyinxu made waves, it captured nationwide media attention. Could Jiang Xunwei, being in the middle of it, truly not be curious about the drug’s efficacy?

Had he ever doubted Luyinxu’s performance?

Jian Fu added, “I found something else. On a forum, someone asked about the efficacy of Furuike, saying their child had eczema and was prescribed it by Jiang Xunwei. But the most common eczema cream on the market is Suhe Biotech’s Lanting. Someone replied that Lanting is a generic version of Furuike, with similar effects but a lower price. However, Furuike is more expensive and has been imported less frequently in recent years. If supplies run out, patients have to buy it from pharmacies. That patient suspected Jiang Xunwei was getting kickbacks from Furuike, but no one backed him up, and the post faded. Then I… well, accidentally got into the hospital system. I found that since September two years ago, Jiang Xunwei hasn’t prescribed any drugs from Suhe Biotech. He’s been using alternatives. I can’t say if this was intentional or not…”

Li Rong’s eyes suddenly lit up, but Cen Xiao was already certain. “Jiang Xunwei definitely knows something. Hospital departments are like micro-societies. With his years of clinical experience as deputy director, even if he didn’t participate in the Phase I Luyinxu trial, he would have seen the medical records of those deceased orphans. He might even have been involved in their failed resuscitations.”