“What did you just say?”
Cen Xiao’s eyes narrowed briefly before his gaze shifted to Li Rong’s reddened ear, pressed against the desk.
For once, there was a hint of color.
The classroom fell deathly silent again, as if they’d all seen a ghost.
Everyone turned their heads, silently observing the class monitor, Li Rong, yelling at Cen Xiao.
“Did the class monitor just shout at Brother Xiao?”
“Has he gone crazy from all the stress?”
“What did the class monitor yell? Not doing what?”
Cen Xiao faintly curled his lips into a smirk. He stood in the aisle, deliberately blocking most of the light, casting Li Rong into his shadow.
This domineering deprivation of light broke through the other’s comfort zone, forcing Li Rong to focus all his attention on him in an instant.
At this moment, Cen Xiao’s earlier gloom evaporated. Instead, he waited unhurriedly for Li Rong’s answer.
Li Rong, now fully awake, was stunned for a couple of seconds but quickly regained his composure. If it were truly his 17-year-old self, he might have turned red with embarrassment, wishing he could vanish. But now, he was already hardened by years of dealing with Cen Xiao.
Sitting up straight, Li Rong stretched like a lazy cat before lifting his numb arm. With a sharp smack, he slapped the chemistry test paper and nonchalantly said, “Too easy. I’m not doing it.”
The classroom erupted into murmurs again.
“What the hell? That B-level test is easy?”
“Didn’t the teacher say it was at the level of independent admissions exams?”
“Well, it’s the class monitor. Maybe it really is easy for him.”
Cen Xiao didn’t say anything. His gaze trailed along Li Rong’s rounded fingertips, sliding upwards over the pale hand dotted with faint bruises and needle marks, the slightly messy collar, and finally landing on his calm, unapologetic face.
That face was so composed, it seemed as if Li Rong’s words truly were just about the difficulty of the test.
Cen Xiao raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of intrigue flashing in his eyes.
Just as Li Rong was about to relax, Cen Xiao suddenly leaned down, propping one hand on the desk. His gaze dipped slightly, lingering on Li Rong’s sweat-dampened temples.
Li Rong’s hair, uncut for some time, was growing long. The rest was tucked behind his ears, leaving his delicate sideburns soft and slightly curled, clinging to his sharp cheekbones.
“Who hurt the class monitor’s waist?”
Cen Xiao’s voice was light, suppressed to ensure no unrelated parties could hear. Yet every word was crystal clear to Li Rong, its meaning undeniable.
At this point, Cen Xiao had yet to develop the oppressive aura he would have in the future. The chain around his collarbone swayed slightly with his movement, while his uniform carried the clean scent of osmanthus-scented laundry detergent.
Li Rong raised his eyes to meet Cen Xiao’s gaze, his own entirely steady. Though just waking up, with disheveled hair and crumpled clothes, he looked as composed as if he were sitting at a negotiation table in a suit.
His peach blossom eyes curved slightly as he smiled faintly. “Why don’t you guess?”
The classroom door suddenly burst open with a bang. Yang Fenfang stormed in on high heels, grumbling loudly.
“Talking, talking, all you ever do is talk! If the country’s future depends on you, we’re doomed! Who’s not taking the test seriously—”
Her gaze swept the classroom until it landed on Cen Xiao, still out of his seat, and then on Li Rong, whom she hadn’t seen in ages.
It was as if someone hit a mute button on Yang Fenfang. Her tirade cut off with an awkward “click.”
Li Rong gave his long-absent homeroom teacher an innocent, feeble smile before lazily rising to give up the seat to Cen Xiao.
The new seat was still cold, making him shiver slightly as he sat down.
Yang Fenfang, after a long pause, awkwardly muttered, “Li Rong, you’re… back. Come to my office after class.” Then, glancing at Cen Xiao, she took a deep breath and added with concern, “Cen Xiao, talk it over with your family. Don’t act recklessly.”
Cen Xiao didn’t respond.
Li Rong glanced at him. He knew Cen Xiao’s family situation was complicated, and asking him to talk with them was practically pointless.
After all, Cen Xiao’s biggest virtue was his complete disregard for his parents’ opinions.
When the chemistry test ended, only Li Rong and Cen Xiao turned in blank papers.
Yang Fenfang opened her mouth as if to say something to Li Rong, her face full of worry. In the end, she said nothing, merely collecting the test papers and motioning for him to follow her.
Li Rong stood up and trailed behind her.
In the office, Yang Fenfang locked the door behind them.
She let out a long sigh as she looked at Li Rong. “After everything that’s happened at home, if you need help, you can tell me—or seek support from the school counselor…”
Li Rong’s face remained calm as he interrupted her, “It’s fine.”
Yang Fenfang froze, awkwardly fiddling with the stack of chemistry papers. “Well, as long as you’re okay. You’ve always been strong. You didn’t have any conflict with Cen Xiao, did you? I saw you two earlier arguing.”
At A High, Cen Xiao and Li Rong had always been seen as representatives of two opposing factions.
Li Rong’s parents had once been honorary professors at the Hongsuo Research Institute, achieving remarkable scientific milestones and earning great renown within the country.
Cen Xiao’s father, on the other hand, was the chairman of the export trade guild under the Blue Pivot United Commerce Association, overseeing the third of eight commercial districts.
In recent years, the United Commerce Association had begun to monopolize various industries. Anyone wishing to engage in business activities was required to apply for membership in the association. While this meant paying an annual fee, it also came with the association’s support.
Only companies collaborating with the Hongsuo Research Institute refused to join the United Commerce Association. Thanks to their exclusive access to cutting-edge research, their products were irreplaceable and held a significant share of the market. Many professors at the Hongsuo Research Institute even founded their own companies.
Li Rong’s parents had established a medical equipment company. Without the need to pay membership fees to the commerce association, their costs were lower, and the company had been thriving before the tragedy struck.
The rivalry of the previous generation inevitably influenced the younger one. Even in high school, the two factions naturally formed their own cliques, frequently clashing and looking down on each other.
Cen Xiao was the undisputed leader of the Blue Pivot descendants, while Li Rong held considerable sway among the Hongsuo faction. Despite sharing the same class for over two years and sitting next to each other for two months, they remained distant, their relationship perceived by outsiders as one of mutual antagonism.
When asked about their relationship, Li Rong arched an eyebrow, a smile tinged with meaning: “Me and Cen Xiao? We’re very close. Why would we have conflicts?”
This time, Yang Fenfang, their teacher, fell silent for a long moment.
Perhaps she thought Li Rong had been traumatized, his mental state fragile and defensive, resorting to delusions to protect himself.
With the air of casual chit-chat, Li Rong asked pleasantly, “Anything else, Teacher? If not, I’ll head back.”
Yang Fenfang hesitated briefly, her gaze faltering as she avoided meeting Li Rong’s eyes.
Her face remained kindly, but her smile was less genuine. “Li Rong, I didn’t expect you to return so quickly. Our class can’t go on without a class monitor, and I was planning to have Cui Mingyang help manage things.”
Cui Mingyang also had ties to the Hongsuo Research Institute, but his academic performance was slightly inferior to Li Rong’s, leaving him overshadowed.
Now, with Li Rong’s family scandal and his parents expelled from Hongsuo, Cui Mingyang’s status had risen. He had even proposed himself as the new class monitor, confident that Li Rong wouldn’t return.
Feigning confusion, Li Rong turned to Yang Fenfang. “But I’m back, aren’t I?”
Li Rong couldn’t care less about the class monitor position, but making things uncomfortable for someone he disliked was immensely satisfying.
Yang Fenfang gave an apologetic smile, but her tone left little room for argument: “I know you want to contribute to the class, but your family situation requires your attention. You might not have the energy to handle this role. I’ve already discussed it with Cui Mingyang, and he’s willing to take on the responsibility. There’s only one year left—anyone could do it.”
Yang Fenfang had her reasons.
Li Rong’s family situation had become a widely discussed scandal, regardless of the truth, and it cast a shadow over the school. She feared keeping Li Rong as class monitor would provoke gossip.
Avoiding trouble was her priority; though she sympathized with Li Rong, she wasn’t willing to risk complications for herself.
Li Rong’s lashes lowered slightly as his lips tightened briefly, masking the mockery in his eyes with practiced ease. He replied with understanding: “Got it. I’ll head back then.”
With that, he covered his mouth with his fist, furrowing his brows as he coughed softly, then turned and left.
Yang Fenfang watched his retreating figure, hesitant to speak. Guilt weighed on her.
But she lacked both the ability and courage to protect her student.
Outside the chemistry office, Li Rong pressed a thumb to the pressure point on his neck, suppressing the urge to cough.
The calm, innocent facade he’d worn for Yang Fenfang melted away, replaced by a cold glint in his eyes.
In his previous life, he had spent much of this period in a daze, with only blurry recollections of high school events. Whether good or bad, he hadn’t had the energy to care, which gave petty people ample opportunity to take advantage.
This time, he had all the leisure in the world to play the long game.
But as he stood in the hallway, his frail and sensitive stomach began to protest again. The rice soup he’d had for breakfast wasn’t nearly enough to sustain him. Waves of acid surged, irritating his fragile stomach lining and causing a spreading ache. Feeling a lump rise in his throat, he hurried to the restroom.
Leaning over the toilet, he couldn’t stop himself from retching. The violent spasms left him dizzy, cold sweat soaking through his uniform, his hair sticking to his damp lashes. His face turned a ghostly pale, devoid of color.
After vomiting up several mouthfuls of bile, Li Rong leaned against the wall, massaging his stomach with his palm. He slowly regulated his breathing, waiting for the pain to subside. When it finally did, he stepped out of the stall on wobbly legs, heading for the sink. He bent over, cupping water to rinse his mouth.
Warm water trickled down his forearms, dripping steadily from his elbows. His damp hair clung together in strands, water beads trembling at the edges of his face like pearls about to fall.
From Cen Xiao’s vantage point, the curve of Li Rong’s hunched back was graceful and fluid. The school uniform cinched around his narrow waist before flaring over his taut hips, drawing attention to an undeniable silhouette.
For the first time, Cen Xiao saw a fragility in the otherwise proud soul before him.
It felt like witnessing—
A majestic peacock, its feathers drenched, reduced to a bedraggled captive bird.
A cold, imperious leopard, tamed into a trembling house cat.
A pitiful sight, yet irresistibly alluring.
Cen Xiao toyed with the chalkboard eraser in his hand, twirling it silently.
He had only come to clean up some chalk dust—a tedious chore. Unexpectedly, he found himself privy to an entirely different kind of spectacle.
“Cen… Xiao, the student on duty’s been waiting for you,” Cui Mingyang called hesitantly. Though he hadn’t yet been officially appointed class monitor, Cui Mingyang was already stepping into the role. No one else dared interrupt, so he had come looking himself.
Although Hongsuo and Blue Pivot were opposing factions, Cui Mingyang’s parents’ standing in Hongsuo was far less significant than the Cen Xiao family’s in Blue Pivot. As a result, he didn’t dare provoke Cen Xiao.
Cui Mingyang was cautiously talking to Cen Xiao when his gaze subconsciously followed Cen Xiao’s line of sight, landing on a disheveled Li Rong.
Cui Mingyang’s eyelid twitched, and a strange sense of satisfaction surged in his heart.
“Oh, the class monitor is here too.”
Cui Mingyang stepped past Cen Xiao and walked directly toward Li Rong.
Li Rong propped himself up on the sink with both hands and glanced at the door.
Enemies truly meet on narrow roads.
Seeing Li Rong’s thin and frail figure, Cui Mingyang felt even more triumphant. He deliberately chuckled and asked, “By the way, did the teacher tell you? It seems they’re going to announce me as the new class monitor during the self-study period this afternoon. Nobody expected you to recover and return so soon.”
Li Rong sneered, leaning against the sink, his voice weak. “You seem quite pleased with yourself.”
Cui Mingyang’s face practically radiated pride.
“Li Rong, the paper I wrote for Future Chemistry last semester was rejected by your father. How can a hypocrite like him call himself a scientist? And a son raised by someone like him—how is he qualified to be the class monitor of Class A’s experimental division?”
Li Rong feigned deep thought. “You mean the paper your parents ghostwrote for you? Didn’t they even get penalized for that?”
It was only because he still remembered that grudge, mainly due to how much his dad had complained about it at home during that time.
Cui Mingyang gritted his teeth, the veins on his forehead throbbing.
This was something he could resent for a lifetime.
What had been an unspoken, mutually beneficial arrangement—where an extra journal publication for him wouldn’t have posed any threat to Li Rong—was completely derailed by Li Qingli, who nitpicked unnecessarily and even caused Cui Mingyang’s parents to lose their chance at a title promotion.
Fury surged through Cui Mingyang as he grabbed Li Rong by the collar, the hatred in his eyes practically ablaze.
He had long wanted to get revenge on Li Rong, and now the opportunity had fallen right into his lap—especially with Li Rong looking so sickly, like he might faint at any moment.
Li Rong, held by the collar, neither avoided him nor showed fear. Instead, he looked past Cui Mingyang, glancing toward Cen Xiao by the door.
Cui Mingyang froze, suddenly realizing that Cen Xiao was standing there, watching.
Though Cui Mingyang had little interaction with Cen Xiao, Li Rong and Cen Xiao were desk mates. By all accounts, Cen Xiao was far more likely to side with Li Rong.
Cui Mingyang’s expression stiffened, and he awkwardly turned his head to look at Cen Xiao, as if waiting for some kind of approval.
Unbeknownst to him, his face was hideous—flush with rage, his features contorted with anger, yet tinged with timid hesitation, making his expression grotesquely uneven as these conflicting emotions mixed.
Cen Xiao smiled, holding a chalkboard eraser in his right hand and casually patting it against his left palm. He said nonchalantly, “Not my problem.”
Cui Mingyang’s eyes lit up instantly, his face breaking into an uncontrollable expression of glee, a sinister eagerness barely hidden beneath his features.
In contrast, Li Rong let out an almost inaudible sigh and murmured, “Alright, then.”
Just as Cui Mingyang was about to turn back and deal with Li Rong, he saw Li Rong’s expression harden. His brows furrowed, his gaze turned icy, and in the blink of an eye, Li Rong’s right hand struck out with precision and force, aiming directly at the vulnerable spot on Cui Mingyang’s neck.
Cui Mingyang’s vision went dark as he collapsed to the ground with a loud thud. By sheer bad luck, his front teeth struck the edge of the sink, cutting into his upper lip. A metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
“F*ck!” Cui Mingyang cursed, clutching his mouth in pain.
Li Rong didn’t hesitate for a second. Grabbing the hand that had been clutching his collar, he twisted Cui Mingyang’s pinky with deliberate force. Cui Mingyang immediately let out a blood-curdling scream, his body twisting in agony.
“Let go! Let go! My finger’s going to break!”
Li Rong narrowed his eyes and applied even more pressure. Only when Cui Mingyang was visibly writhing in unbearable pain did he release him with a disdainful flick of his wrist, following up with a swift kick.
The sequence of movements was clean and efficient. While Li Rong’s physical strength was somewhat lacking, his ruthlessness made up for it.
These were combat techniques he had honed over countless sleepless nights at Cen Xiao’s side.
Cui Mingyang cradled his finger, curled into a ball on the floor. His lips swelled visibly, and he flailed his legs while groaning and shouting, “Li Rong, you’re finished! My parents won’t let you get away with this! F*ck, it hurts so much!”
Cen Xiao paused, tapping the blackboard eraser in his hand. A faint cloud of chalk dust rose, swirling in the dim light.
Li Rong, pale and frail as he appeared, didn’t seem like he could handle much. That was why Cen Xiao had stayed to watch.
But now, it seemed he had overthought it.
Still, the moment Li Rong finished dealing with Cui Mingyang, he reverted to his sickly state.
He clutched his chest, coughing violently as if he might spit out his lungs. His delicate, handsome face scrunched in pain, and his drooping eyelids only added to his pitiable appearance.
“Cough, cough…”
Cen Xiao couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
After leisurely observing the drama unfold, Cen Xiao dusted off his hands, stuffed the blackboard eraser into his pocket, and turned to leave.
“Cen Xiao!”
Cen Xiao froze, turning back with an expressionless face to look at him.
Li Rong leaned on the sink, his slender, pale fingers damp and strikingly prominent. He frowned, gasping slightly as he asked, “Aren’t you going to report to the teacher that the new class monitor bullied a sickly, defenseless patient?”
Cen Xiao raised an eyebrow, glancing back and forth between the bleeding, moaning Cui Mingyang on the floor and the seemingly frail but unscathed Li Rong. His expression turned playful.
“Why should I help you?”
Li Rong’s face darkened as he said in a mournful tone, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t help me. But just remember, the next time you call for the class monitor, the one answering will be that face.”
He pointed at Cui Mingyang, whose face was now an alarming shade of purple.
Cen Xiao: “…..”
He glanced at Cui Mingyang’s face, cringed, and looked away in disgust.
That was a reason he could accept.
Seeing Cen Xiao remain silent, Li Rong smiled faintly, his eyes curving into soft arcs.
Cen Xiao loved calling him “Class Monitor” in bed.
Even a few years younger, certain deeply ingrained quirks weren’t easily changed.
That fleeting satisfaction lasted barely half a second before Li Rong concealed the curve in his eyes, lowering his head and clutching his stomach, feigning vulnerability.
His damp hair was mostly dry, and the water droplets on his face had evaporated, leaving only his lips moist and dewy. Slightly parted, they revealed his tightly clenched, pristine white teeth.
Cen Xiao stared at him for a few seconds, the corners of his lips curling slightly. “Need me to call you an ambulance again?” he quipped playfully.
Such tricks to elicit sympathy wouldn’t escape his notice.
Realizing his act was exposed, Li Rong sighed. But he quickly adjusted, lifting his alluring peach blossom eyes, lashes slightly furrowed, and his gaze drooping in apparent innocence. “It really hurts…”
His voice was soft, almost pitiful, with a hint of grievance, causing an involuntary shiver in Cen Xiao’s heart.
![The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth]](https://i2.wp.com/lazygirltranslations.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/4322s.jpg?resize=151,215 "The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth]")
