The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 57

Jian Fu wasn’t officially part of District One, but in some ways, he had more freedom to act than a formal employee there. He could easily act under his father’s name.

Getting a platform to push social news wasn’t a big deal. 

Those uncles wouldn’t even bother verifying it with his father. By the time his father found out, the matter would already be a done deal.

The public notice period for the talented students admission program began tomorrow. “They” currently seemed content to follow proper procedures, planning to cancel Li Rong’s qualification while standing on the moral high ground. But they seemed to forget that the moral high ground was a double-edged sword, one that anyone could wield.

Jian Fu let his imagination run wild, picturing those old geezers huffing and puffing, their efforts ultimately in vain. He couldn’t help but excitedly shake his sleeves, as if his soul were dancing in the clouds.

If Li Rong couldn’t get into A University, he wouldn’t have access to Li Baishou, Liu Tanzhi, or Jiang Weide. Without interacting with these suspicious individuals, the truth would drift further away, and revenge would become a mere fantasy.

This meant that winning this public opinion battle was a pivotal turning point in their little team’s history of stirring things up!

Of course, he was the soul of the team—why else would such a monumental task fall on his shoulders? He was destined to turn the tide and secure victory from miles away!

Jian Fu, practically floating with joy, shook his shoulders in delight. Grinning from ear to ear, he fished out his phone, started scrolling through his contacts, and strutted out of the classroom, shaking his head and wagging his tail.

Yang Fenfang was just about to enter the classroom with a stack of papers when she almost collided with Jian Fu.

Her eyebrows shot up as she yelled at him, “Class is about to start! Where are you running off to?”

Jian Fu’s voice echoed down the hallway: “My cousin’s having a baby! My parents told me to go right away!”

Yang Fenfang was furious. “What does your cousin having a baby have to do with you?”

But Jian Fu had already disappeared down the hallway, out of earshot. With class about to begin, Yang Fenfang couldn’t waste time chasing after him.

Besides, Jian Fu had already been specially recruited by A University. With the lowered admission threshold, as long as he didn’t completely lose his mind, he was practically guaranteed to get in. Yang Fenfang decided she couldn’t be bothered to care.

Meanwhile, Cui Mingyang sat uneasily, anxiously staring after Jian Fu’s retreating figure.

He knew Li Rong and Cen Xiao must have come up with some plan and sent Jian Fu to execute it.

He wasn’t sure if their “arm” could twist the “leg,” but he knew this all started because of his own slip of the tongue.

The more he thought about it, the more anxious he became. He was afraid the outcome wouldn’t be what he had anticipated, that it might escalate into something much bigger.

Could Li Rong pull it off?

Finding similar news stories wouldn’t be hard.

All it took was a quick keyword search to uncover plenty of similar incidents across the country.

One of the most representative cases was reported by the Changguang Evening News.

The article featured a young woman, alias “Little Ni,” who ranked first in the written exams for a university administrative position during the autumn recruitment. The university was recruiting ten people in total, so Little Ni’s spot should have been secure.

But as someone who had always excelled academically, Little Ni didn’t let her guard down. Having heard numerous stories of people being replaced, she diligently prepared for the interview.

When the results came out, Little Ni’s total score placed her eleventh, perfectly excluded from the top ten.

This individual had poor academic performance, bad character, and a sleazy appearance, yet they came from a well-connected family. With these advantages, they were protected all the way through graduation and successfully landed a job.

Little Ni, unwilling to accept this, reported the top-ranking candidate to the school. If the recruitment requirements were strictly followed, that candidate would have been disqualified, allowing Little Ni to claim the tenth spot.

However, her report disappeared into the void, with no response whatsoever.

Not only that, Little Ni received an anonymous threat letter, warning her that if she continued to stir up trouble, she wouldn’t live to see the next day.

For someone timid, this might have been the end of it. But Little Ni was strong-willed and couldn’t swallow this injustice. She turned to a journalist at Changguang Evening News to expose the story.

Unfortunately, Changguang was a small town, and the newspaper’s account had fewer than 10,000 followers. It was the end of the year, and the trending topics were dominated by celebrity weddings, red carpet events, and performances. Little Ni’s story was buried under the entertainment flood, garnering only 3,000 shares before fading into obscurity.

Without traffic, the news failed to gain traction. The newspaper lost interest in pursuing Little Ni’s story further and switched to posting uninspired motivational content, with most comments coming from low-quality bot accounts.

In this world, injustice happens every moment, and most people never see justice served. They are left to lick their wounds alone, seeking temporary solace in clichéd motivational quotes like “adversity is a blessing” or “rise from hardship.” These empty platitudes help them numb themselves to an unfair world and continue surviving in despair.

Little Ni was no exception.

But at midnight, two months after Changguang Evening News published its initial report, the story suddenly began appearing on homepages across various platforms.

Although the newspaper lacked the stamina to champion justice, the journalist who wrote the piece was highly professional. The article was well-structured, with sharp contradictions and incisive arguments that struck at the core of the issue.

Late-night users, bored and scrolling through their feeds, were quick to become emotionally invested. They were outraged and began sharing the article in droves.

In less than half an hour, the post had been shared over 10,000 times. Discussions multiplied as more people joined in, with some sharing their own experiences and expressing sympathy for Little Ni.

The announcement period for the talented students program began at 10 a.m., an hour after the admissions office at A University opened.

By 10 a.m., Little Ni’s story had climbed to the top of the trending charts.

Trending hashtags included not only the original report by Changguang Evening News but also several posts by platform-affiliated accounts with evocative headlines like:

“Fairness may be the utopia we chase our entire lives.”

“We’re not Little Ni, but we could all be the next Little Ni.”

“Little Ni deserves an explanation, but the public deserves even more answers.”

“If this hadn’t trended, what would have happened to Little Ni and others like her?”

“Is Little Ni safe now?”

Under the weight of public pressure, the university finally issued a statement.

The school claimed that the recruitment team leader’s lack of thorough review had caused a misunderstanding. The top-ranking candidate’s qualification was revoked, and Little Ni, as the tenth-ranked candidate, was allowed to take the position.

This evasive announcement, which shifted blame and downplayed the issue, only fueled public outrage. The comment section was soon flooded with over 100,000 angry remarks:

“What is this nonsense? Do they think we’re idiots?”

“Explain this: how did Little Ni, who ranked first in the written exam and has a stellar record of hosting events and winning speech competitions, suddenly fall to eleventh after the interview?”

“Are all ten spots filled with insiders? This is ridiculous. You’re hiring ten people, and all of them have connections?”

“This makes me sick. If this hadn’t been exposed, Little Ni would’ve been forced to swallow this injustice quietly.”

“Protect Little Ni. The p*rvert who secretly filmed under girls’ skirts even had the nerve to threaten her!”

“I can’t stand injustice. I’ve had my spot taken before too.”

“If I don’t speak out today, this could happen to me tomorrow. I’m not as outstanding as Little Ni, who’s practically a perfect victim!”

“If schools can’t uphold fairness, how can they educate future generations?”

“Heh, a top-tier university cracking down on academic misconduct… never heard of something like this happening at A University.”

…

Once the news began to gain traction, it no longer needed any deliberate push. Public opinion could generate a feast of criticism on its own.

In addition to Little Ni’s case, other similar news stories were also being circulated.

By the end of the first day of the public disclosure period, the uproar hadn’t subsided. The implicated university had no choice but to issue another apology letter and carefully curate the comments it allowed.

Yet the repost sections were still filled with scathing remarks.

Meanwhile, A University’s official website remained calm and unperturbed, showing no signs of conflict.

Li Rong continued attending school as usual, calmly reading casual books and sipping tea, as if the entire matter had nothing to do with him.

Cui Mingyang, on the other hand, had developed two ulcers in his mouth. Usually the model of classroom discipline, he couldn’t resist sneaking glances at his phone when the teacher wasn’t looking, frantically checking for real-time updates on the spreading public opinion.

Cen Xiao’s phone vibrated incessantly, with private messages pouring in from Jian Fu.

“How about that? My connections came through, didn’t they?”

“D*mn, I’ve sacrificed so much—I practically had to bow and call them godfathers! What’s Big Panda’s plan to reward me?”

“Oh cr*p, I think my parents found out. I blamed it on you, okay?”

“I see Liu Tanzhi’s accounts starting to stir, but my dad told those uncles I caused the fuss. I’m not sure if they’ll still throttle their visibility…”

Li Rong turned a page in his book, asking lazily, “Have the promotional articles by the marketing accounts gone out yet?”

Cen Xiao responded with a quick “yes” before putting his phone down and nodding.

Hearing this, Li Rong’s eyes lowered slightly, and a faint smile played on his lips.

That same day, amidst the trending topics about Little Ni, certain entertainment marketing accounts began praising A University:

“A certain insincere apology letter—let’s take a look at how A University, the nation’s top institution, has been leading by example over the years!”

“Fairness—A University does it best, without exception.”

“If Little Ni had applied to A University, this would never have happened.”

“With college entrance exams approaching, we welcome everyone to apply to A University!”

….

A University, known for having the highest entrance exam scores nationwide, has long been an untouchable dream for many. The more unattainable it seems, the more it gets mythologized in people’s imaginations. Moreover, the institution indeed has countless merits worth praising.

The comments section overflowed with praise for A University, elevating it as the ultimate benchmark, a paragon of fairness, and placing it firmly on a pedestal.

Deifying an institution, however, is a dangerous thing. 

A deity is not allowed to have any flaws. If people’s illusions are shattered, the backlash will be many times stronger than the initial adoration.

People forget that A University is an abstract concept. Behind the facade of this grand institution are real, living people who run it.

And people, unlike gods, make mistakes. People have personal agendas.

Some media accounts under Fengguang Culture subtly began discussing whether Li Qingli’s son should be granted direct admission. However, due to the ongoing shockwaves from Little Ni’s case, the comments were sharply divided. Under these circumstances, stripping Li Rong of his rightful spot to mitigate backlash could harm A University’s reputation, which was currently riding high.

A few hours later, those media accounts had no choice but to delete their articles.

By the second day, the A University official website remained serene.

With only one day left in the public announcement period, reversing public opinion was no longer feasible. 

A University pivoted and began leaning into the narrative, using its official account to post about the campus scenery, stunning graduation photos, world-class faculty, teaching facilities, and academic achievements. The posts ended with cute emojis and a warm invitation for this year’s college applicants to consider A University.

The comments section was lively and celebratory:

“Hahaha, A University is the biggest winner!”

“Caught in the crossfire but still praised. Keep it up, I’m rooting for you!”

“Randomly dragged into the situation and suddenly showered with compliments. The official account is adorable today!”

“Future applicants, is there a lottery for admission letters?”

“Proud of my alma mater! A University is truly the pinnacle of fairness and justice. The public sees it clearly!”

….

By the third day of the announcement period, nothing new had surfaced, and the list was finalized. Li Rong secured a spot in the Talent Students Program, granting him admission to any science or engineering major of his choice at A University.

No one knew what kind of struggles the A University admissions office endured in these three days or how reluctantly they accepted this outcome.

With the dust settled, Cui Mingyang finally saw the cold sores on his lips recede. 

He strolled over to Li Rong’s desk, forcing a lighthearted grin. “Congratulations! You got in, and now I’ll be the city’s top scorer. You’ve got great luck—three days of peace during the announcement period!”

He could only chalk the entire situation up to Li Rong’s luck and the coincidence of Little Ni’s news breaking at just the right time. For the sake of preserving its reputation, “they” had no choice but to let Li Rong keep his spot.

Because if it wasn’t luck, then Li Rong would be terrifying—a person who seemed to predict the trajectory of public opinion, hitting “their” weak spots at every turn, forcing retreat after retreat until “they” could do nothing but silently swallow their losses.

The thought that he had once antagonized Li Rong sent shivers down Cui Mingyang’s spine.

Li Rong glanced at him with clear, bright eyes but said nothing, his faint smile unchanging.

Cui Mingyang felt a chill creep up his spine. Dropping the pretense, he walked back to his seat, his awkward smile barely holding.

***

By the end of February, A High School received a reply from A University, along with a formal certificate of guaranteed admission.

As tradition dictates, these certificates are personally signed by scholars of considerable social standing.

On Li Rong’s certificate, the elegant, flowing handwriting displayed his name, with the signature at the bottom reading: 

Jiang Weide.

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