The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 164

“Li Rong!” Cen Xiao’s voice was relatively calm, but his trembling hands betrayed his emotions as he wiped the blood from the corner of Li Rong’s mouth.

He couldn’t control himself. The touch of warm blood triggered a flood of vivid, terrifying memories, bringing a fear that had never dissipated back to the surface.

“I’m fine…” Li Rong’s voice was hoarse yet steady. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, swallowed the metallic taste, and used his clean hand to hang up the call.

Cen Xiao quickly turned on the lights. Li Rong looked terrifying.

The blood he had coughed up stained his entire palm, trickling through his fingers and forming a small crimson patch on the ivory bedsheet.

His face was pallid, his lips drained of color, and his eyelids drooped heavily. His lashes rested gently over his black-and-white eyes, giving him a frail appearance as though he could collapse at any moment.

Gritting his teeth, Cen Xiao clenched his trembling fist. His bloodshot eyes remained restrained as he said firmly, “We’re going to the hospital.”

Li Rong turned his bloodied hand away, forced a faint smile, and teased, “Look at you, so nervous. It’s probably just my stomach acting up. Let me wash my hands first.”

Despite his reassurance, even speaking left him drained.

He acknowledged that Zheng Zhupan’s actions deeply rattled him, but he wouldn’t allow this to defeat him. The darkest days were behind him. Things would only get better from here.

They had to get better.

Cen Xiao fought to suppress his fear, grabbing Li Rong’s phone to call Zhai Ning. He quickly arranged for an emergency examination, then pulled Li Rong out of bed despite the latter’s sigh of resignation.

Li Rong didn’t want to be fussed over, but he could sense Cen Xiao’s fear and panic. He had never seen him this way before. Normally composed, Cen Xiao now tried desperately to appear calm, though his efforts only made him seem more chaotic.

He thought, perhaps Cen Xiao always seemed too strong, so he’d overlooked the fact that Cen Xiao might also need to see a therapist.

Cen Xiao supported Li Rong, helping him move step by step to the bathroom.

Li Rong felt like his chest had been scorched by fire—raw and bitter. Suppressing the discomfort, he stood in front of the sink, glanced at his pale and weakened reflection in the mirror, and then lowered his head to wash off the partially dried blood on his hands.

The crimson gradually faded, swirling down the drain with the water. His fingers returned to their clean, fair state, though the chill lingered on his fingertips, making even the water feel warm by comparison.

Li Rong closed his eyes, realizing that in his current state, trying to reassure Cen Xiao would be unconvincing. So, he gave up struggling.

At Jiajia Central Hospital, Zhai Ning arranged for him to take an emergency pathway. After a series of complex examinations, dawn had already broken.

Li Rong laid with his eyes closed on the hospital bed, too exhausted and sleepy to speak. If not for the steady rise and fall of his chest, Cen Xiao might have completely snapped from the tension.

Zhai Ning, glancing at the test results, let out a sigh of relief and softly said to Cen Xiao, “Acute gastric ulcer caused by a sudden spike in blood pressure that ruptured a blood vessel. Luckily, it’s not too serious. His stomach has been injured before and is relatively fragile. Even after taking medication, he’ll need to be extra cautious.”

Cen Xiao closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and replied in a hoarse voice, “Thank you.”

Zhai Ning, however, looked at Cen Xiao with concern. His entire body was tense, his face unusually flushed, and his temples damp with sweat.

Throughout Li Rong’s examination, he’d been on edge as if facing a mortal threat. His bloodshot eyes and trembling fingers only relaxed after confirming that Li Rong was fine.

It was just an acute gastric ulcer, Zhai Ning thought. She’d seen countless patients far worse off than Li Rong, yet she’d never seen a family member react like Cen Xiao.

Unable to help herself, Zhai Ning added, “Li Rong will be fine. But as for you—I suspect you might have symptoms of PTSD. You should consider getting evaluated by the psychiatry department.”

Cen Xiao said nothing.

Zhai Ning sighed and didn’t press further. After all, the things they had endured were something most people wouldn’t experience in a lifetime. In the face of such relentless harm, simply surviving and finding the courage to resist was already a rare feat.

For now, with pressing matters at hand, there was no time for them to heal.

Moreover, Zhai Ning hadn’t had the chance to mention it earlier, but what she’d said about the securities commission review nearing its end wasn’t an exaggeration—it was coming fast. So fast, there wasn’t even time to plan a response.

Yet at this moment, she simply couldn’t bring herself to bring it up again.

After taking his medication, Li Rong’s stomach no longer hurt, but his body was still utterly drained, and the weight of Suhe Biotech’s threats hadn’t lifted.

Cen Xiao sat by his bedside, having stayed awake the entire night. The fear that had haunted his eyes was now gone, replaced by a calm, unfathomable depth, like a dark, bottomless pool.

He held Li Rong’s hand tightly, warming his cold fingers. In a low, steady voice, he murmured, “Why not just let Zheng Zhupan die?”

His tone was as casual as if he were discussing the rare clear weather outside the window.

Li Rong weakly dragged his ring finger across Cen Xiao’s palm and muttered, “Like how you killed Du Mingli?”

Cen Xiao slowly shook his head. “Du Mingli died too easily. I have far crueler methods in mind for Zheng Zhupan.”

Li Rong pouted. “That’s not enough. Just dying isn’t enough.”

Cen Xiao indulged him endlessly. “You’re right. I was being impatient.”

Fortunately, the emergency room they were in was private. If any innocent patients overheard their conversation, they might recover from sheer fright and leave the hospital early.

The matter of Li Rong coughing up blood was kept between them and Zhai Ning.

He hadn’t expected his stomach to be so delicate. It had seemed fine for a long time, yet it proved far more fragile than he thought.

After resting until the afternoon, they regained some energy. 

Li Rong showered and dressed, taking a moment to inspect himself in the mirror. 

His eyes were still spirited, but his complexion remained unnervingly pale. Still, he couldn’t afford to let that stop him; Zhai Ning had delivered critical information in time, and doing nothing wasn’t an option.

Though Cen Xiao was worried, he knew he shouldn’t hold him back.

Li Rong contacted Jiang Weide and arranged a meeting.

Jiang Weide, while surprised, agreed to the appointment.

At 7:30 PM, Cen Xiao dropped Li Rong off at Hongsuo Research Institute. Li Rong returned to the headquarters after years, looking at the grand white buildings, vast grounds, and strict security with mixed feelings.

He used to come and go as freely as he would at home. Now, he had to register at the gate.

Inside, the layout hadn’t changed much in years, thanks to Zhu Yan’s conservative management style. While the research equipment was regularly upgraded, everything else remained untouched.

Older people tend to cling to familiar things, wary of anything novel or unfamiliar.

Jiang Weide’s office was on the sixth floor, a spacious 20 square meters. 

Having visited it countless times before, Li Rong was entirely indifferent to its furnishings.

He went straight to Jiang Weide, gazing at him with the resolve of someone staring down fate. His voice was calm yet carried an undercurrent of intensity: “Teacher.”

Jiang Weide had intended to leave work early that day to go furniture shopping with his wife, but upon receiving Li Rong’s call, he immediately postponed his plans.

Though pleased to see Li Rong, his joy was dampened upon noting how frail he looked. “What’s wrong with you? You look so unwell.”

Li Rong didn’t answer but instead asked, “How’s the friend I introduced for an internship?”

Jiang Weide paused, caught off guard. “Ah… I haven’t checked.”

He rarely had time to concern himself with people outside of Li Rong. Offering the opportunity had been a favor for Li Rong, and no complaints had reached his ears.

Li Rong nodded. He knew Jiang Weide wouldn’t concern himself with such trivial matters, but Jiang Weide’s response was tactful and considerate of his emotions.

After all, he really did look quite miserable right now.

Li Rong didn’t plan on beating around the bush. He no longer had the patience or time for that. Looking at Jiang Weide with unprecedented resolve, he said, “Teacher, I want to restart the research on Luyinxu.”

It was a simple sentence, spoken gently, yet Jiang Weide was so shocked that he stood up from his seat. “What did you say?”

The name Luyinxu was an unavoidable topic, but it hadn’t been mentioned for a long time. So long, in fact, that people seemed to have developed a tacit understanding—wisely avoiding the subject.

For someone as sharp as Li Rong, he should have shared this same understanding.

“I want to restart the research on Luyinxu.” Li Rong repeated calmly. Despite his weakened appearance, he exuded an indescribable sense of pressure.

Jiang Weide’s expression turned solemn as he said in a heavy tone, “Li Rong, I know it’s hard for you to move past the pain. You’re still young. What’s most important now is to build a solid foundation step by step.”

Li Rong smiled faintly and glanced downward, clearly not taking Jiang Weide’s words to heart. He said coolly, “You know very well how unreasonable it was to completely seal off Luyinxu. Even if the drug development failed, the proper process should have been to analyze the causes, summarize the experience, and try new variables based on the original research—not just seal it away and abandon the disease altogether.”

Jiang Weide knew Li Rong was telling the truth. Yet sometimes, admitting the truth was the hardest thing of all.

“Li Rong, this matter is very complicated. You don’t understand.”

Li Rong raised an eyebrow and countered, “Is it that I don’t understand, or that some people are pretending not to?”

Jiang Weide fell silent for a moment, reevaluating Li Rong.

Something about him had changed. Although he looked paler than usual, the once cheerful and carefree student seemed to have vanished. In his place stood a calm and sharp-edged young man who spoke with quiet confidence.

Jiang Weide’s right eyelid twitched slightly as he said gravely, “Luyinxu caused an extremely negative societal impact. This is no longer just about the drug’s failure. The situation surrounding it is incredibly complex, and even after nearly two years, the repercussions haven’t fully disappeared. Restarting Luyinxu isn’t impossible, but you have to understand that all researchers are ordinary people. The public still harbors intense negative emotions toward Luyinxu, and at a time like this, no one wants to invite trouble.”

“Sealing off Luyinxu was Hongsuo Research Institute’s necessary stance. I know you feel deeply wronged, but often, there’s a huge gap between ideals and reality. Li Rong, I’ve already said more than I should. I believe this will all pass, and Luyinxu will be restarted someday—but not now.”

Li Rong closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, his gaze had grown much colder.

He’d already seen too much of the world’s indifference and fickleness.

Ever since his parents’ incident, everyone had shown him their true faces.

Li Rong said, “No one else needs to take the blame. Give me the Luyinxu data, and I’ll do it.”

Jiang Weide looked as though he’d heard something absurd. His face was filled with both pain and helplessness as he slowly shook his head. “Focus on improving yourself. When you’ve truly mastered the skills, I promise I’ll apply to the director and the investigation team to hand Luyinxu over to you. But right now, you’re being reckless!”

Li Rong’s voice turned cold. “And what if I’m not being reckless?”

Jiang Weide grew agitated, his fingers pounding the desk with dull thuds as he raised his voice, questioning sharply, “Do you have any idea how difficult Luyinxu research is? Do you even know how much you’ve learned? Can you understand the materials your parents left behind?”

Instead of being flustered, Li Rong calmly smiled at Jiang Weide, a look of confidence tinged with pity crossing his face. “Of course I can understand them. After all, The CAR-T Optimization and CRS Mitigation Hypothesis was compiled and published by me, Teacher.”

He emphasized the word “Teacher” with deliberate weight, laced with a hint of mockery.

Jiang Weide seemed thunderstruck. His body swayed slightly, and his expression immediately changed.