The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 140

This was Li Rong’s first time being drunk. Even intoxicated, he wasn’t rowdy. He simply watched Cen Xiao pay the bill, put on his coat, and guide him out of the private room, leaning heavily on his shoulder.

Li Rong felt his mind was still relatively clear. He knew he’d drunk too much, become clingy, and that his reactions had slowed.

What he couldn’t control was his balance.

His vision occasionally blurred, and his legs felt unsteady, as if stepping on cotton. This lack of grounding made him rely even more on Cen Xiao.

At the staircase, Li Rong blinked hard and grabbed the railing, refusing to descend.

No matter how much he blinked, the steps seemed to spin, making him feel he’d tumble with one wrong move.

Frustrated, Li Rong pursed his lips, annoyed. He had always prided himself on being in control, and this was the first time his body disobeyed him.

Cen Xiao walked down two steps, standing in front of him. Patting his leg, he said, “Come on, I’ll carry you.”

Li Rong stared at Cen Xiao’s back for a long moment before realizing what he meant.

The alcohol hadn’t made him blush, but Cen Xiao’s words certainly did.

Embarrassed by the thought of being carried at his age, Li Rong firmly said, “No!”

Yet, even as he refused, he hesitantly placed his hand on Cen Xiao’s back.

Cen Xiao didn’t wait for further protests. With a strong tug, he pulled Li Rong onto his back, wrapping an arm securely under his knees and effortlessly lifting him.

Li Rong would always manage to gain a little weight, but something would inevitably happen—work would get busy, and he’d forget about taking care of his health. Unconsciously, the weight would drop off again, leaving his weight mostly unchanged over time.

When his feet suddenly left the ground, a wave of dizziness hit him harder. He quickly shut his eyes and buried his face in Cen Xiao’s neck, feeling both disoriented and embarrassed about being carried downstairs like this.

By now, March had arrived, and the weather had significantly warmed. Nights were no longer bone-chilling, and the gentle night breeze brushing against his face felt comfortable.

“Put me down,” Li Rong muttered softly, clutching at Cen Xiao’s coat.

Still carrying him, Cen Xiao replied calmly, “No rush.”

Li Rong stared blankly at the dark ground below, his chin instinctively brushing against Cen Xiao’s shoulder. “If you don’t let me down, how are you going to drive?” he asked.

Cen Xiao glanced back at him. “We’ve both been drinking; neither of us is driving.”

“Oh, right.” Li Rong’s brain seemed to grind to a halt. 

He relaxed further on Cen Xiao’s back, feeling an unexpected sense of safety. 

His eyelids grew heavier, and although he knew he should be thinking of how to get home, he couldn’t resist closing his eyes. Even the effort of holding onto Cen Xiao’s coat became too much.

Cen Xiao had already called for a designated driver, but it seemed they were delayed by the evening traffic. 

He didn’t want to put Li Rong down—this rare moment of dependence, where Li Rong was soft and vulnerable like a sleeping cat, was too precious. Li Rong had tucked away his usual sharp claws and mischievous thoughts, leaving only a warm and trusting presence.

“Not afraid of catching a cold, are you, sleeping like this?” Cen Xiao murmured.

Li Rong barely responded, his eyelids trembling slightly as if trying but failing to open. He only managed a faint movement of his fingers, a tacit acknowledgment that the drunkenness had fully taken hold.

“Baby,” Cen Xiao called again, but Li Rong didn’t answer. 

Before the driver arrived, Cen Xiao sighed softly, “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you; it’s that I can’t.”

Cen Xiao had also drunk quite a bit. If Li Rong were fully conscious and standing before him, he could have easily read something from Cen Xiao’s expression. Unfortunately, Li Rong was now somewhere between sleep and wakefulness, unable to distinguish reality from a dream.

Cen Xiao continued, “If you really must know, I hope it will be after everything is resolved, so you’ll have the confidence to face it.”

The driver finally arrived, panting as he took the keys from Cen Xiao and brought the car around.

Cen Xiao carefully loosened his grip, intending to put Li Rong down. However, Li Rong, unaware of his surroundings, felt as though his stable world was collapsing. Instinctively, he tightened his hold on Cen Xiao’s arm and pressed his face closer against him.

With a tender smile, Cen Xiao kissed the back of Li Rong’s hand before gently prying his hand away. He then lifted Li Rong and carefully placed him in the car.

Li Rong, not one to be fussy, immediately laid down as soon as he touched the seat. He curled up with his hands, his brow slightly furrowed from the faint smell of exhaust fumes.

After giving the driver the address, Cen Xiao adjusted Li Rong’s head so it rested on his lap.

Li Rong’s neck flushed from the warmth, his lips slightly parted, and his breathing calm and steady. Despite being drunk, he behaved well, without any of the bad habits common in inebriated people.

When the car arrived at home, Cen Xiao was feeling a bit drowsy himself, the alcohol finally taking a toll.

He carried Li Rong upstairs and laid him on the bed, sweating from the effort.

Glancing at the time, he forced himself to stay awake. First, he messaged Jian Fu, instructing him to investigate Zhou Hong and the children involved in the Phase I trial. Then, after a moment of hesitation, Cen Xiao dialed Xiao Muran’s number.

Xiao Muran, living alone in a large villa, often felt lonely.

She had just finished bathing Wuwangwo. The feline, thoroughly drenched and now completely subdued, perched on the balcony with its fur a chaotic mess from the blow dryer. It crossed its paws, curled its tail, and gazed melancholically out into the dark night, clearly sulking over the ordeal.

Despite her soft cooing, Wuwangwo simply squinted its blue eyes and slapped the glass window with its paw, leaving two faint prints on the polished surface. It refused to even glance back at her.

Her usually clingy cat ignored her, but her aloof and distant son unexpectedly called.

Receiving a call from Cen Xiao at such a late hour surprised Xiao Muran. Nonetheless, she answered immediately without hesitation.

“Hello?”

“It’s me, Cen Xiao,” he said, his breathing slightly heavy, his voice carrying traces of intoxication.

Xiao Muran paused for a moment, feeling a little awkward. “Yes.”

In truth, she had saved his number under his name. Of course, she knew it was him. But Cen Xiao wouldn’t have expected her to do such a thing.

Her usual demeanor hardly suggested she was the type of mother who would save her son’s number with such care.

Cen Xiao’s tone remained calm. “I need your help.”

If he could avoid it, Cen Xiao absolutely wouldn’t want to turn to Xiao Muran. But at the moment, she was the best option.

Xiao Muran cautiously asked, “Is this… related to what you’re planning to do?”

Cen Xiao straightforwardly admitted, “Yes.”

Xiao Muran fell silent, tacitly agreeing to Cen Xiao’s request.

A faint, cold smile curved on Cen Xiao’s lips. 

He knew she would agree. As long as it didn’t harm the family’s interests, Xiao Muran could never refuse to help Li Qingli.

“Han Ying has returned to the country. I remember you had some ties with his mother. I want to know why Han Ying left the country and what Han Jiang’s stance on the matter is.”

“Han Ying? You’re targeting Han Jiang now?” Xiao Muran’s instincts were sharp; she immediately grasped Cen Xiao’s aim.

Although she usually chose to stay neutral and avoid trouble, that didn’t mean she couldn’t see through the situation.

She knew Cen Xiao had joined the Ninth District with a purpose. Despite its significant authority, the Ninth District was overshadowed by Han Jiang. If Cen Xiao wanted to wield the district’s power freely, he had to gain leverage over Han Jiang.

She hadn’t expected this moment to come so quickly.

A sense of unease crept over her. This was Han Jiang—a man who had held the position of Ghost Eye Group leader for twenty years. He wasn’t an ordinary figure.

Cen Xiao didn’t deny it. “Can you?”

Xiao Muran took a deep breath and remained silent for a long time before finally gritting her teeth. “Fine.”

What else could she do? She had no choice; Cen Xiao had already charted the course for her.

She had spent her life hesitating and overthinking, making countless decisions she regretted. But this—this, she knew she wouldn’t regret.

She even felt a sliver of relief that she could help with this matter.

Cen Xiao considered saying something more, knowing that forcing Xiao Muran to break ties with the Han family went against her usual principles.

Yet, whether it was the alcohol or something else, he ultimately said nothing to comfort her. Instead, he simply replied, “Alright. I’m hanging up.”

Xiao Muran, unsure how to communicate with her son, awkwardly followed up with a delayed, “Ah.”

The two hung up, each lost in their thoughts.

Cen Xiao stripped off his clothes, rubbed his tired eyes, and mustered the energy to take a quick shower.

When he returned to the bedroom wrapped in a towel, he found Li Rong slowly rolling around on the bed.

Li Rong was likely feeling very hot, trying to press himself against the cooler spots on the sheets. The once-neat bedding was now wrinkled from his movements, and somehow, he’d undone the buttons on his pajamas, exposing his soft stomach.

“Well, at least you didn’t roll off the bed,” Cen Xiao remarked with a chuckle. Seeing that Li Rong was about to wriggle out of his pajamas entirely, Cen Xiao climbed onto the bed and scooped him into his arms, giving his slender waist a playful pinch.

Li Rong flinched from the ticklish sensation but quickly felt the coolness radiating from Cen Xiao. Instinctively, he pressed his overheated body closer, as though trying to absorb every bit of that refreshing chill.

It was the first time that Cen Xiao was the one providing the coolness, while Li Rong was the one feeling feverish.

“So this is what happens when you drink too much. If it weren’t for your weak stomach, I’d let you get drunk more often,” Cen Xiao murmured.

Holding Li Rong, who felt like a little furnace, Cen Xiao slept soundly through the night, utterly content.