The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 161

Afterward, Li Rong laid utterly spent, staring blankly at the ceiling as he panted for breath.

His muscles ached from exhaustion, and sweat had drenched the sheets.

It had been intense.

Ever since reconciling with Cen Xiao in this life, Li Rong could feel that Cen Xiao had always been very restrained, afraid of hurting him.

This was the first time he regained the intense, almost bloodthirsty passion they used to have.

It was certainly effective—fatigue and soreness emptied his mind completely, leaving him unable to remember a word Zhang Zhaohe had said.

Right now, he was hungry, exhausted, and sore. His basic needs had completely replaced his mental struggles—nothing mattered more than simply living comfortably.

Several scratches marked Cen Xiao’s body, where Li Rong had gripped him. Sweat trickled over the red marks, which couldn’t have felt great either.

After resting for a while, Cen Xiao finally had the energy to shower. Li Rong, however, laid sprawled on the bed, looking like he had no will to live.

“Was that brutal enough?” Cen Xiao hooked his pinky around Li Rong’s, deliberately teasing him.

Li Rong’s eyes shifted slightly as he turned to look at him, speaking weakly: “You did great, but next time, it won’t be necessary.”

Cen Xiao chuckled at that, wrapping Li Rong’s hand in his palm and gently caressing it. “Ungrateful. I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Cen Xiao understood Li Rong needed an outlet. Perhaps because Li Rong had seemed far too “normal” in this life, Cen Xiao almost forgot that he once had been the kind of person who could slit his own arm with a blank expression.

Li Rong had claimed it was to test a new hemostatic drug developed by the research group, insisting it wasn’t an act of self-harm. But Cen Xiao didn’t believe him.

When people hurt themselves, there is always a psychological barrier at play. And yet, Cen Xiao had seen it clearly—when Li Rong cut himself, he was numb, decisive. That was what truly frightened him.

When pain itself becomes a form of release, it’s a sign of severe illness.

But Li Rong was also incredibly brave. He could recognize his own psychological issues, face them, and in this new life, work to change himself—giving himself the chance to make new choices and to breathe freely.

Cen Xiao was immensely grateful for Li Rong’s courage. Otherwise, he surely would have lost him again.

“It’s too late to make dinner. I’ll order something, then give you a massage afterward.”

Cen Xiao pulled the blanket up, covering Li Rong’s sweaty, bare body. Then he leaned down and placed a kiss on his lips.

Just as he was about to get up, Li Rong grabbed his shoulder, his damp eyes gazing up at him. “I’m planning to apply to Jiang Weide to restart Luyinxu.”

Cen Xiao looked at him and paused for a moment before nodding. “Alright, let’s plan how to put pressure on Jiang Weide. My maternal grandfather holds some status in the cultural community—if he leads the call, it should get some people to follow suit. Then we can ask Jian Fu’s father to lend a hand to build momentum. My mom would undoubtedly go all out; I think… we could get her to initiate a joint petition at the university. College students are a powerful force. We can consult more people and see if there are other ways, too.”

“Hey, don’t you think I’m being too hasty? You’re not even trying to stop me?” Li Rong softly rubbed the hollow of Cen Xiao’s neck with his fingertip, his gaze deeply affectionate.

Cen Xiao whispered, “I told you—you can do whatever you want. Even if you want them dead right now, I’ll make it happen.”

Li Rong tilted his head slightly, affectionately nuzzling against Cen Xiao’s neck without saying anything.

He really did need this kind of unconditional support.

He was rational enough to know what he should do, but at times, he couldn’t help feeling anxious or impatient. Only Cen Xiao knew how to calm him down.

Cen Xiao went to shower first. By the time dinner arrived, Li Rong had already fallen asleep in the bedroom.

Li Rong was so exhausted today that he didn’t even have the strength to eat.

Cen Xiao quickly ate a few bites, put the leftovers in the fridge, and climbed back into bed, wrapping Li Rong tightly in his arms.

Li Rong’s eyelids fluttered, his legs shifting slightly before he nestled deeper into Cen Xiao’s embrace.

Cen Xiao’s body radiated warmth, while Li Rong’s hands and feet were always cold. Having someone to warm him was truly comforting.

Li Rong slept straight through to noon the next day. When he kicked the blanket off and woke up, Cen Xiao had already been exercising on the treadmill on the balcony for a while.

Rubbing his sore waist, Li Rong yawned and got up with determination.

Leaning against the doorframe, he looked toward the living room and called out, “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Cen Xiao gave a meaningful look and smirked. “I was too rough last night and worried someone might take it out on me if they didn’t rest well.”

Li Rong’s eyes glinted with amusement as he turned back to get dressed.

Yesterday, he’d fallen asleep without realizing it and hadn’t even bothered to put on pajamas.

Cen Xiao stood behind him, appreciating the elegant curve of Li Rong’s back as he nonchalantly remarked, “There’s something I need to tell you.”

“Hm?” Li Rong bent over to pull on his pants.

“My mom,” Cen Xiao began, “remember when she helped probe Han Ying last time? She has a request—she wants to meet you.”

Li Rong paused mid-action, turning back in surprise. “Meet me?”

“Last semester, she had four public lectures, and you only attended one.”

Li Rong thought for a moment. “I don’t mind, but our relationship…”

“For now, we don’t need to tell her.”

Li Rong speculated that Xiao Muran likely wanted to see him because she missed his father.

The ordeal his parents had gone through had left wounds not just on him but on everyone who truly cared for them. These wounds wouldn’t heal until the matter reached a satisfying conclusion.

In a stable emotional state, he was willing to offer some warmth to others, especially since this was Cen Xiao’s Mother.

When Xiao Muran received Cen Xiao’s message, she was unexpectedly nervous.

She hadn’t expected Li Rong to agree so readily. She had thought his avoidance of her lectures last semester indicated a dislike for her.

Flustered, she instructed the housekeeper to prepare some fruit, snacks, and tea, carefully dressed herself in dignified yet formal attire, and sat quietly on the sofa, waiting.

About half an hour later, the doorbell rang. The housekeeper hurried to answer it, while the sound caused the family cat, Little Wu, to leap off the couch. The cat, with its blue eyes, lifted its head to gaze curiously toward the door.

Li Rong appeared relaxed. As a guest, he even brought a small gift for Xiao Muran.

The moment he entered, he subtly maintained a bit of distance from Cen Xiao, handed the gift to the housekeeper, and greeted Xiao Muran with a polite smile. “Professor Xiao.”

Xiao Muran wasn’t particularly concerned about the gift; her attention was entirely on Li Rong.

Gripping her hands nervously, she stood and returned his smile with gentle warmth. “Please, sit down. Would you like something to eat? We have fruit and pastries. I wasn’t sure what you liked and didn’t have time to prepare properly—Cen Xiao told me too late.”

Li Rong cast a glance at Cen Xiao, replying unhurriedly, “You don’t need to trouble yourself. I’m just a… good friend of Cen Xiao’s. Whatever he eats, I’ll have the same.”

Hearing the term “good friend,” Cen Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly, then bluntly exposed Li Rong. “He has entirely opposite tastes from mine—he prefers light flavors and sweets.”

Li Rong: “…”

Xiao Muran quickly chimed in, “Alright, light dishes it is. I like light flavors, too. Housekeeper, please prepare some.”

At that moment, Little Wu trotted over, flicking its tail and curling its whiskers, playfully pawing at Li Rong’s pant leg.

Normally, Xiao Muran would have instinctively moved the cat away if it got too close to a guest, but she didn’t react at all to Little Wu approaching Li Rong.

Li Rong bore some resemblance to Li Qingli, though he had a more delicate appearance. It wasn’t immediately obvious where the similarity lay, but one look at him made it clear they were father and son.

Xiao Muran was momentarily lost in thought.

Time had flown by so quickly. In the blink of an eye, Cen Xiao and Li Rong were already in university, though it felt like only yesterday that she herself had been in college.

Cen Xiao broke her reverie. “Where’s Dad?”

Xiao Muran answered softly, “He’s on a business trip with your Uncle Jian.”

“Where to?” Cen Xiao asked.

“I’m not sure,” Xiao Muran shook her head.

Cen Xiao understood. 

His parents rarely discussed work with each other. Maintaining surface harmony and mutual respect over the years had already been an achievement.

Xiao Muran returned her gaze to Li Rong, studying him carefully with a mix of guilt and affection. “Have you been well lately? The temperature difference between day and night is quite stark. Don’t neglect your health just because you’re young.”

Li Rong gently rubbed his fingertips and lowered his eyes, sipping his tea. “I’m doing well.”

He avoided direct eye contact with Xiao Muran, not out of guilt over hiding his relationship with Cen Xiao but because of the complex emotions she evoked in him.

Counting his previous life, it had been eight years since he lost his parents. This kind of maternal concern was something he hadn’t felt in all that time.

Even though he knew that all of Xiao Muran’s empathy and affection for him stemmed from her feelings for his father.

Cen Xiao, aware that Xiao Muran’s attention was entirely on Li Rong, peeled an orange on his own. He split it in half, initially intending to feed a piece directly into Li Rong’s mouth, but then reconsidered since they were still pretending to be just friends. Changing course, he handed it to Li Rong instead.

“Try it.”

Li Rong looked at the orange segment in his palm, met Cen Xiao’s gaze briefly, and then both of them tacitly shifted their eyes away.

Li Rong put the orange in his mouth and chewed slowly.

In truth, he felt that such restraint might arouse more suspicion. Good friends were supposed to interact casually, without scrutinizing every gesture for appropriateness. Yet their relationship was so intimate that they had forgotten how to behave as mere friends.

Little Wu, lying on the carpet, looked suspiciously from Cen Xiao to Li Rong. As a cat, it sensed something odd between them but could only twitch its ears and let out a few meows.

Xiao Muran, however, remained oblivious.

Most of the time, she was in a low mood and relied on melatonin to fall asleep at night. Li Rong’s visit had finally lifted her spirits.

After exchanging pleasantries, it was time to discuss serious matters.

Xiao Muran said, “I know you and Cen Xiao are working together to clear your parents’ names. For you to recover so quickly and muster the courage to fight back, I’m sure your parents would be very proud. I’m not much help, but if there’s anything I can do, I’ll do my utmost.”

“There is something I’d like to ask for your help with.” Li Rong’s eyelids trembled slightly as he set down his teacup.

His visit today was, in part, to take advantage of Xiao Muran’s improved mood to address a lingering question.

“What is it? Feel free to tell me,” Xiao Muran said earnestly.

Li Rong replied, “Cen Xiao said that his grandfather knows some past matters regarding Zhu Yan, the director of the Hongsuo Research Institute, but he refuses to talk about it. I’m not sure if Zhu Yan has any connection to my parents, but the institute’s silence in this entire affair leaves me uneasy. I want to learn more about this person.”

Cen Xiao had tried everything—cajoling, pestering—but no matter what, Father Xiao wouldn’t open up.

People of that generation tended to uphold their dignity and refrained from gossiping without concrete evidence.

Xiao Muran frowned. “My father refuses to talk? Cen Xiao, have you asked him?”

Cen Xiao nodded. “Of course.”

Xiao Muran knew her parents’ temperament all too well. They firmly believed in their principles and often imposed their views on others.

Most people, out of respect for their status or to avoid conflict, wouldn’t argue back, which only reinforced their sense of righteousness.

Xiao Muran was a submissive person, accustomed to enduring rather than resisting.

But that didn’t mean she was unaware of her parents’ vulnerabilities.

“I’ll ask him about this,” Xiao Muran said. “Don’t worry. If I find anything, I’ll let you know as soon as possible. Anything that might help, I’ll do my best to address.”

For Li Qingli, she had to try.

The Hongsuo Research Institute’s silence on this matter reeked of hidden truths.

She had her suspicions but had initially thought the greater likelihood of guilt lay with the Blue Pivot and Cen Qing.

Li Rong smiled knowingly, his tone sweet. “Thank you, Professor Xiao. No wonder Cen Xiao always says you have such a soft heart.”

“This… this is nothing,” Xiao Muran said, flustered by the compliment.

Cen Xiao smirked, giving Li Rong a meaningful look.

He had known that Li Rong’s visit wasn’t purely casual.

Still, he hadn’t anticipated that Li Rong doubted his ability to uncover the truth and had instead come to Xiao Muran for help.

Cen Xiao felt a bit challenged but also found Li Rong’s careful scheming endearingly lively.

After having lunch with Xiao Muran, Cen Xiao found an excuse to take Li Rong away in the afternoon.

Xiao Muran escorted them all the way to the door, watching their car leave.

As the car turned the corner, Li Rong immediately leaned in and planted a kiss on Cen Xiao’s cheek. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that compared to Professor Xiao, your grandfather might still see you as a kid.”

Cen Xiao admired Li Rong’s sharpness and wit. He deliberately let out a hum. “I bet if our relationship were ever made public, my mom would be more likely to kick me out than you.”