The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 151

Heavy dust hung in the air along the mountain path, and a sudden gust of wind set the leaves rustling noisily.

Tears of rage rolled down Sui Wanjun’s deeply wrinkled face, while Jiang Xunwei stood motionless, gazing toward the end of the mountain trail.

The crimson afterglow gradually faded from the sky, and a dormant mist began to rise from the mountains.

Inside the car, Li Rong’s hands moved swiftly, the Rubik’s cube spinning rapidly between his fingers. Each turn produced a crisp clicking sound.

However, there were simply too many pieces. Even though his speed was already impressive for an average player, his vision was still filled with a chaotic array of colors.

Jian Fu, having just replied to Lin Zhen’s message, leaned over curiously. “Can you handle it? The layers seem excessive.”

Li Rong let out a faint “Hmm,” without lifting his head, making it unclear whether he even registered Jian Fu’s comment.

He dismantled an almost-completed blue face without hesitation, prompting Jian Fu to cry out in mock pain.

But this time, Li Rong didn’t pause for even a second.

On the other hand, Cen Xiao remained calm, taking a glance before casually unscrewing a bottle of water and sipping slowly.

To reach the destination, one must inevitably break apart seemingly perfect images again and again. To cling to the present and fear the act of starting over ensures the ultimate goal remains out of reach.

The hospital was steeped in the bitter scent of medicine and an indescribable air of sorrow.

Inside the consultation room, Shen Gui fell to her knees with a thud in front of Zhai Ning. “Doctor, please save my daughter! I’m begging you!”

Her sobs echoed in the pristine clinic. Tears streamed down her weathered face, marked by years of hardship. Her frail body and coarse hands trembled incessantly against the backdrop of the immaculate room. Tangled strands of thinning hair framed her desperate expression like a solitary, defeated bird fleeing in panic.

Tongtong stood beside her, silently crying. Her large, beautiful eyes brimmed with fear and helplessness.

Zhai Ning was momentarily stunned, stepping back in shock. It took her a few seconds to recover from the scene before she reached out to lift Shen Gui’s arm. “Get up! What are you doing? Speak—what illness does she have?”

After years as a doctor, Zhai Ning had witnessed countless similar scenarios. In the face of life and death, human dignity was often the first thing to be cast aside.

But she hadn’t forgotten compassion.

She knew women who looked like Shen Gui likely hadn’t been able to secure her appointment. The expert slots in her hospital were often monopolized by scalpers, leaving the poor unable to afford them. The patients she saw typically came from relatively affluent families—a situation she could do little to change.

Thus, she didn’t ask Shen Gui for an appointment slip.

With trembling lips, Shen Gui stammered, “My daughter has bacterial progeria syndrome. Doctor, please save her.”

Zhai Ning’s heart sank, and the grip on Shen Gui’s arm loosened. Frowning, she said, “Bacterial progeria syndrome already has a prescribed treatment. You just need to get Jiaketing.”

Shen Gui’s expression twisted further with anguish. Her voice broke as she lowered her head to the ground. Large tears splashed onto the floor as she cried bitterly, “We can’t afford it anymore. Even if we sell everything and live on the streets, we can’t afford it! I’m useless; this disease is a bottomless pit. Ordinary people like us can’t even see a sliver of hope. We used to wait for Luyinxu, but it turned out to be fake! Now I have no choice but to send my child to an orphanage. At least she can live like a normal child there. But I can’t bear it… Doctor Zhai, you’re the best pediatrician. Can’t you help me save her? I beg you!”

Shen Gui wasn’t sure if she was acting or genuinely crying out from her heart. No one could perform with as much authenticity as she did.

Her pain was real, her despair unfeigned. This despair, this soul-crushing hopelessness, had played out countless times in her life.

Tongtong clung tightly to Shen Gui’s clothes, her childish voice trembling with fear as she cried, “Mom, don’t leave me. Mom, don’t abandon me. Even if I die, I want to die by your side…”

Her delicate face, worn thin from years of illness, only accentuated the innocence and clarity in her large eyes.

The collapse of an adult might evoke pity, but the cries of a child could transform guilt into a sharp blade, piercing through even the most numbed hearts.

Zhai Ning looked into Tongtong’s eyes and saw her younger self, struggling to survive in an unkind family, fighting just to live.

She staggered back, clutching her chest against the suffocating pressure.

She heard the name “Luyinxu.” Two years had passed since it faded from public view. Life was supposed to have resumed its usual rhythm.

Yet, the butterfly’s fluttering wings had unleashed a storm, one that would inevitably sweep over them all.

From the moment Luyinxu vanished, this scene had replayed daily in countless places.

The escalating bank balances, the prostrate cries of desperate adults, the revelry in five-star hotels, and the heart-wrenching separations of loved ones.

Profit and conscience, selfishness and guilt, enshrouded their souls layer by layer.

Beneath the vast sky, amid bustling cities and quiet, hidden mountains, truths remained buried.

Jiang Xunwei turned to Sui Wanjun with a grave expression, gripping her frail wrist firmly. “Old Director, the problem isn’t just with the medication.”

Sui Wanjun blinked, confusion flickering in her tired eyes. Her rough fingers twitched slightly as she tried to grasp his meaning. “Dr. Jiang…. what do you mean by that?”

Her slight figure seemed swallowed by the towering foliage, trapped like a frog at the bottom of a well, unable to escape the confines of her narrow world.

Jiang Xunwei sighed deeply, gazing up at the heavens. Through gaps in the leaves, he could still see the remnants of the crimson sunset fading into a serene, unbroken blue.

“Director Sui, there were too many inconsistencies back then. I had suspicions but kept silent, as I lacked the clout to speak out. Now that I’m retired, unburdened by responsibilities, I owe it to the deceased to tell the truth. At the very least, you, as their guardian, deserve to know.”

Hong Ru froze, hesitant to interject, realizing she had no place in this conversation.

Sui Wanjun, on edge, urged, “Dr. Jiang, stop stalling! Tell me—what doubts are you talking about?”

Jiang Xunwei’s voice turned grave: “I suspect those children never received Luyinxu at all. What they got were substandard, unsanitary, and cheap counterfeit drugs. These inferior medications not only failed to curb the illness but caused organ infections. For children with pre-existing conditions and low immunity, this led to organ failure and their eventual deaths!”

Sui Wanjun exclaimed, “How is that possible?”

Jiang Xunwei closed his eyes and said, “I once saw Director Zhou Hong having close interactions with people from Suhe Biotech. If Luyinxu succeeded, the biggest loser would have been Suhe’s Jiaketing. Cutting off someone’s profits is like killing their parents.”

Sui Wanjun’s lips trembled as she slowly shook her head. “I don’t believe it. I’ll call Ah Ning right now and get to the bottom of this. Who would dare falsify something so serious?”

“Director Sui!” Jiang Xunwei raised his voice sharply, his tone now stern. “Have you ever thought about why most of the children who died were from Xiaochengxiang Orphanage? Why were children with pre-existing conditions able to pass the hospital’s review? If they didn’t have those conditions, even with substandard drugs, they would have been fine like the other kids! Is their death solely because of Luyinxu? If what I’m saying is true and Luyinxu was swapped out for something else, have you considered the consequences? Li Qingli and Gu Nong became eternal scapegoats, taking their own lives. Thousands of children lost the chance for a complete cure. Countless families faced ruin. You’re a good person, Director Sui. You may be able to save a few pitiful souls like those at Hongning Mountain, but can you save all the suffering people in the world? Li Qingli and Gu Nong could have! Luyinxu could have!”

Sui Wanjun stood in stunned silence, the mountain wind tousling her meticulously combed hair, making her thin figure appear disheveled.

Of course, she didn’t want to accept Jiang Xunwei’s version of the truth. In fact, she didn’t fully believe him.

On one side was a stranger, and on the other were her son and daughter. Who could say whether this doctor had ulterior motives?

But Jiang Xunwei’s words painted a terrifying picture. No one could shoulder such consequences or bear such guilt.

She didn’t storm off but instead continued listening to him for one reason: there were still children at her orphanage suffering from bacterial progeria syndrome.

Zhai Ning was her child, and so were the children of Xiaochengxiang. She felt anger for the doubt cast on Zhai Ning and sorrow for the children who might yet be cured.

She found herself trapped in a deep emotional conflict, unsure how to react.

After a long pause, Sui Wanjun said hoarsely, “This is just your speculation.”

Jiang Xunwei nodded. “After Luyinxu passed animal trials, Li Qingli publicly declared that it wouldn’t be used for profit and would be affordable for all children. But he ended up with his family destroyed. If you have any compassion for this scientist or hope that sick children can live normal lives, would you join me in confronting Director Zhai?”

Sui Wanjun didn’t answer, but she didn’t refuse either.

The sun had fully set into the mountains, and mist began to rise.

At Jiajia Central Hospital, the night lights flickered on. Zhai Ning paced her office, running her hand through her hair in frustration.

Security guards formed a circle around Shen Gui and Tongtong, who were kneeling on the ground. The girl sobbed helplessly while her mother wailed hysterically.

The guards knew they should remove the troublemakers disrupting hospital order, but none stepped forward.

The scene was too pitiful. No one wanted to be the one to appear monstrous in the clear, innocent eyes of the little girl. No one wanted to carry the heavy burden of guilt afterward.

Perhaps if they all moved together, each contributing a little effort and sharing the blame, they could remove the mother and daughter. But who would make the first move?

If even Zhai Ning said nothing, what right did they have to act?

Eventually, Zhai Ning slammed four boxes of Jiaketing onto the ground in front of Shen Gui and said coldly, “This is medicine I bought with my own money. The maximum I can get is four boxes at a time. This is all I can do for you. The hospital is not a charity. If you really can’t afford it, try applying for aid from a public welfare fund. If approved, your child will have medicine.”

She didn’t mention what would happen if the application wasn’t approved. There were too many unfortunate people in this world. She couldn’t help them all, nor could she support even one person for a lifetime.

The girl was pretty. It would be a pity if she couldn’t get the medicine.

After handing over the medicine, Zhai Ning bypassed Shen Gui without looking back, her expression deliberately cold and unyielding. She couldn’t give people hope because she had none to offer.

There was no way she could tell Shen Gui to send her child to Xiaochengxiang, where Suhe Biotech would supply medicine indefinitely.

Shen Gui trembled, reaching out to grab Zhai Ning’s pant leg, but the doctor ruthlessly shook her off.

With no other choice, Shen Gui hunched over and clung tightly to the four boxes of Jiaketing.

Her face pressed against the cold floor. In the moment she had tried to grab Zhai Ning, she could feel that her action had left a heavy psychological burden on the doctor.

Her task was complete.

Security watched as the mother and daughter were escorted out of the hospital. Shen Gui clutched the medicine tightly, looking up at the glowing red letters on the seventh-floor sign:

Jiajia Central Hospital.

They shone brightly, unreachable, and bloodstained.

Two wild geese flew across the sky, their smooth, broad wings extended as though they could pierce through the clouds and touch the last lingering rays of light.

Tongtong gently tugged on Shen Gui’s arm, her red, puffy eyes looking up earnestly. “Mom, how did I do?”

Shen Gui crouched down, gently wiping the tears from Tongtong’s face. “You did great,” she said softly.

Meanwhile, Zhai Ning, about to start her car, received a call from Jiang Xunwei.

She froze for a moment, seemingly surprised to hear the name again, but after a brief hesitation, she answered.

“Dinner? Tonight?”

The sky had turned a deep blue, like spilled paint covering the heavens. Time slipped along the faint threads of clouds, and the wind moved in the direction of A City.

With a crisp “click,” Li Rong placed the perfectly solved 9×9 Rubik’s Cube onto the car’s storage console. The once-scrambled reds and blues had come together in harmony once more.

Jian Fu, who had been nodding off, jerked upright in surprise. “Whoa! You actually solved it?!”

Cen Xiao, unsurprised, picked up the cube, carefully examining it and turning it in his hands. After weighing it in his palm, he said lightly, “Next up, the 11×11?”

Li Rong lazily smiled, “Not playing anymore. It doesn’t bring me any sense of achievement.”

Same destination, just a way to kill time.

Cen Xiao reached out to wipe the thin layer of sweat that had formed on Li Rong’s face from his intense concentration. He rubbed it lightly between his fingers. “It’s a good omen.”

Li Rong brushed back his sweat-dampened hair, his eyes as clear as obsidian freshly fished out of a mountain spring. “I think so too.”

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