The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 65

At A University’s fountain square, the scene was as lively as ever.

Aunt Hui was still nowhere to be found, and her usual spot had been taken by a vendor collecting old books.

The vendor had spread a plastic sheet on the ground and propped up a sign scrawled with the words “Old Books Wanted” in red marker.

It was graduation season, and fourth-year students were busy clearing out their dorms, discarding books and other items. Around this time every year, the campus gates were crowded with people buying and selling secondhand goods.

In universities, textbooks aren’t used frequently; by the end of a semester, they often look brand new. These secondhand book dealers typically buy them for two to five yuan and then sell them to freshmen at double or triple the price when the new term begins.

A University doesn’t even allow reserving spots in its self-study classrooms, let alone staking out public areas.

However, seeing a stranger in a familiar spot still stirred a deep resentment within Li Rong.

He rubbed his palm lightly, took a deep breath, and strode toward the campus security office.

The campus security office was in a secluded corner of the southeast side of Fountain Square, housed in a small, old brick building. From the outside, it appeared ancient, weathered enough to crumble with a shake, but the interior was surprisingly modern.

As a century-old institution, A University placed great emphasis on preserving historical architecture. Buildings with historical significance were carefully maintained each year rather than being demolished for new ones.

Outside the brick building, climbing ivy wound its way through the cracks in the coarse red bricks. The leaves weren’t a vibrant green but rather a somber gray, reflecting the plant’s considerable age.

Cen Xiao followed Li Rong’s steps, his gaze lingering meaningfully on Li Rong’s back.

The way Li Rong unerringly navigated to the security office, tucked away in such an obscure location, suggested a level of familiarity with A University that went beyond casual.

However, Cen Xiao said nothing, slipping his hands into his pockets and quickening his pace to walk beside Li Rong.

The sun was glaring. The fountain water trembled in the light breeze, while unknown petals tumbled unsteadily through the air. In the shade of green trees, cicadas and birds called faintly, their cries blending into the ambient noise.

Li Rong stopped in front of the red brick building and paused. “I came here once as a child with my parents. Nothing seems to have changed.”

Cen Xiao curled his lips into a knowing smile and suddenly grabbed Li Rong’s arm. “Wait for me here.”

Li Rong, puzzled, stood still and watched as Cen Xiao rounded the corner and entered a small convenience store behind the security office.

Moments later, Cen Xiao returned, carrying a box of cigarettes.

Li Rong raised an eyebrow, his gaze shifting from the cigarettes in Cen Xiao’s hand to the convenience store’s entrance.

A University’s expansive campus made bicycles essential for students to get around. 

Given its size, the campus was self-sufficient, complete with facilities like hospitals, gyms, parks, milk tea shops, high-end restaurants, theaters, and supermarkets.

Scattered throughout the campus were smaller establishments like convenience stores and newsstands. Unless someone was intimately familiar with the campus, it was impossible to remember the exact location of these nooks and crannies.

Cen Xiao walked up to Li Rong, his demeanor casual. “I used to come here with my mom.”

Li Rong’s sharp gaze locked onto Cen Xiao’s eyes. After a long silence, he gave a faint, noncommittal smile. “I see.”

Cen Xiao’s mother, Xiao Muran, hailed from a family of true literary pedigree. Tracing back dozens of generations, her ancestors included renowned historical figures in literature and calligraphy, with their works still preserved in cultural museums.

Raised in a scholarly environment, Xiao Muran was well-versed in history and classics from a young age.

Although she didn’t work at A University, her family’s prestige and her own talent earned her a position as a guest professor. She would teach courses at her leisure.

Li Rong doubted that Xiao Muran knew which way the convenience store doors faced.

But if Cen Xiao said so… then so be it.

Most of the campus security staff were out on patrol, leaving only one or two on duty.

The officer on duty sat at the window, cracking sunflower seeds and watching a show on his phone. When he noticed Li Rong and Cen Xiao out of the corner of his eye, he lazily asked, “Bicycle registration?”

Li Rong’s eyes scanned the office, noting the lack of public announcements on the walls. He withdrew his gaze and smiled. “I’m a student admitted to A University through the guaranteed admission program. I’m just here to look around.”

The officer paused mid-bite, set his phone down, and gave Li Rong a serious once-over.

Students admitted to A University via guaranteed admission were the best of the best from across the country, genuinely top-tier talents. The officer couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration and respect for such brilliance.

“Oh… guaranteed admission. I don’t have a map here, but you can find a current student to show you around. The school organizes volunteer guides for that.”

Cen Xiao lowered his eyes and casually slid the box of cigarettes onto the counter before the officer could react. Without giving the officer a chance to decline, he followed up with a question. “We heard from some seniors that there have been a lot of thefts on campus lately. He’s planning to buy an expensive laptop and is a bit worried.”

The officer initially intended to politely refuse the cigarettes but was caught off guard by the abrupt topic change. Not wanting to seem ungrateful or uptight, he decided to go along with it.

His attitude toward Li Rong and Cen Xiao immediately became much more enthusiastic.

“There’s no need to worry. Students love to exaggerate. There’s only been one theft recently, and it was resolved quickly. We’ve held several meetings, and security is much tighter now. With these eyes, I can spot non-students at a glance.”

Li Rong chuckled softly, letting go of the earlier slight of being mistaken for a university student.

“Was it someone from outside the campus who stole something?”

The officer straightened up, leaning halfway out the window as he gestured toward the bustling crowd in Fountain Square. “Look at all these people from outside. You can’t rule out a few bad apples. Students here have money and are easy targets—who else would they steal from?”

Li Rong followed his pointing finger and fixed his gaze on the crowd at the square. Lightly, he asked, “What was stolen recently?”

The officer hesitated briefly.

He found it odd that a student who hadn’t officially started school yet was so interested in theft cases. Still, having accepted the cigarettes, he felt obligated to answer.

“They say it was an external hard drive. The student was in some science-related field and had a lot of experimental data on it for their thesis. They didn’t have a backup, so they were worried about not graduating. That’s why it caused such a fuss. The hard drive itself wasn’t even particularly expensive, just a thousand or two yuan.”

Li Rong furrowed his brows slightly. “Often doing experiments—could it be the Biochemistry Department?”

The guard waved his hand dismissively. “Probably not. A University has a chaotic mix of majors. I can’t quite remember.”

Seeing Li Rong grow a bit impatient, Cen Xiao immediately took over the conversation. “A graduation thesis is such an important thing. Good thing it was resolved quickly; otherwise, it could’ve really delayed someone’s graduation.”

The guard let out a sarcastic laugh and curled his lips. “Ha! Resolved? They haven’t even found it yet. There’s a suspect, sure, but no evidence. That thing is so small it could fit in someone’s pocket and be carried away. And those desks in the computer lab? They’ve got tall dividers. You know how surveillance cameras have blind spots, right?”

Cen Xiao added, “So the suspect refuses to admit it?”

The guard gave him a patronizing look, as if speaking to someone naive. “Of course, they won’t admit it! There’s no footage, so why would they? And that’s why the school’s been taking it out on us. We’ve had meeting after meeting this past month. Used to take shifts; now we’re practically patrolling full-time. My back’s about to give out from all this work.”

Cen Xiao placed a reassuring hand on Li Rong’s back, giving him a look of calm reassurance.

At least now they knew Xu Tanghui hadn’t been caught or filmed stealing. This incident would most likely just fizzle out.

Li Rong, however, didn’t feel relieved. Instead, his expression grew heavier.

“If there’s no evidence, maybe she didn’t steal it.”

The guard retorted, “We’ve reviewed the surveillance. She was the only outsider who came in that day. She somehow managed to get her hands on a campus card—not one of those fake IDs you can get outside but a legitimate, working one. When asked where she got it, she refused to say. Tell me, doesn’t that sound suspicious? It’s definitely her, just playing dumb and taking advantage of how timid the students are. Even the police couldn’t do anything.”

Li Rong took a deep breath. A suffocating pain spread through his chest.

So, others, like Cui Mingyang, pieced together irrelevant details to conclude someone’s guilt.

No evidence, no explanation—just prejudice, enough to convict someone.

This prejudice wasn’t just in the guard handling the case but also in people like the accomplished and high-achieving Cui Mingyang and his equally esteemed parents.

Education, wealth, and power might bring a halo of prestige, but beneath it all, they were just ordinary souls.

When he was little and first realized his parents’ unique status, he, too, couldn’t help feeling a bit proud.

He’d tilt his head up eagerly in kindergarten, boasting, “My mom’s a professor at a university. So is my dad. They’ve written tons of papers and are super amazing! They even work at the Hongsuo Research Institute.”

One day, Gu Nong overheard his bragging while picking him up. She frowned slightly.

Later, Li Qingli called him into the study and read him a passage from The Weeds by Lu Xun:

“I think if the Palace of Art imposes such troublesome restrictions, it’s better not to enter; instead, stand in the desert, watch the flying sands and stones, laugh heartily when happy, shout loudly when sad, and curse fiercely when angry. Even if the sand strikes and scars the body, causing bloody wounds, one might feel the texture of those scars, and they might not be less beautiful than patterns.”

He didn’t understand it. Li Qingli just laughed heartily and didn’t scold or criticize him. He didn’t even try to curb his vanity.

All Li Qingli said was, “Then read more books. You’ll understand someday.”

Gu Nong, however, had simply handed him a fragrant, sweet mango, her voice as gentle as water: “It’s okay if you don’t understand. It’s better that way.”