The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 66

Li Qingli had said this when Li Rong was five years old. By coincidence, it seemed to be around the time Xu Tanghui was wrongfully expelled.

Both his parents were idealists with lofty aspirations for academia.

In his memory, Li Qingli had laughed freely, and because he hadn’t understood the words, Li Rong hadn’t thought much of them.

It wasn’t until now that he truly grasped what Li Qingli might have felt back then.

Years later, when recalling the event, Li Qingli had only lightly remarked, “The voice of the powerless falls on deaf ears—deeply regrettable.”

But seeing how his father had never forgotten Aunt Hui and had continued to help her in any way possible, Li Rong knew the incident had left a lasting mark on him.

Though Li Rong couldn’t picture the exact scene, he understood his father. Li Qingli, for all his persistence, had likely done everything within his power, only for it to be ignored. The decision-makers—his predecessors, superiors, or colleagues—must have held esteemed social statuses and impressive academic achievements.

So, many things were fated from the start. His parents had always chosen to bear the scars, finding beauty in the struggle.

Li Rong felt proud to have such parents, but he wouldn’t follow their path.

What was the point of being a lone crusader?

Suddenly, his heart calmed, and with it, all the anger and anxiety dissipated.

He looked up at the guard, his gaze steady and firm. “And then?”

The guard was confused. “What?”

Li Rong clarified, “If there’s no evidence, what happens next? Did the student apologize?”

The guard chuckled, thinking Li Rong must’ve been so engrossed in his studies that he’d gone soft in the head. “You really think she didn’t steal it? Then why would an outsider go to A University’s computer lab? To browse the internet? Play games? Study? Can you blame us for being suspicious? Even the school leadership came to question her, asking why she was there, and she still wouldn’t say. The police took her in twice and tried every tactic, but she wouldn’t talk. What else can you do?”

Li Rong replied coolly, “Maybe she really was just browsing, studying, or doing something entirely unrelated to this case.”

The guard perked up, his fingers tapping the counter. “You know, she kept claiming she didn’t steal anything, just used the computer. If she’d at least come up with a believable excuse—like watching TV dramas—it’d be something!”

Li Rong’s eyelids fluttered slightly as he let out a light laugh. “So, the thief hasn’t been caught, and the school leadership must be quite upset.”

The guard snorted and rolled his eyes, unable to hold back his sarcasm. “Of course they’re angry. And who do they vent on? Us! Writing reports, making corrections, holding endless meetings—this whole thing’s a never-ending hassle.” He suddenly remembered something, slamming his fist on the table. “Oh, and we found that woman selling goods on campus afterward, at the square. It’s always crowded with people. I was so pissed I overturned her stall. Every time she came, I flipped it again until she stopped coming.”

Li Rong’s brows knitted tightly, his gaze instantly turning icy.

Cen Xiao grabbed Li Rong’s hand and pulled him behind himself, his tone steady. “Setting up stalls on campus is indeed against the rules. And that square really does have too many vendors.”

The guard, feeling they shared the same view, couldn’t help but say more. “It’s mostly just locals from around here. We used to turn a blind eye, and students didn’t mind either. But she caused trouble, making us work overtime, so yeah, we took it out on her.”

Cen Xiao nodded. “It doesn’t seem like a big deal. When I was in high school, things got stolen too. At most, they’d put up a notice. But A University’s management is really something. I’ve heard from seniors that even the advisors and class heads spread the word.”

The guard sighed. “Not just spreading it. They posted it on the campus forum, public platforms, and even A University’s official website. Makes you wonder if someone’s checking up on us. They’ve never been this strict before. We’re talking about something worth just a couple thousand yuan. People lose phones worth four or five thousand all the time, and nobody makes this big a fuss.”

Cen Xiao lightly squeezed Li Rong’s clenched fist, then raised his other hand to smooth down Li Rong’s wind-tousled hair.

“I’m done asking.”

Li Rong’s Adam’s apple bobbed slightly as he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, all traces of politeness were gone.

He looked at the guard with a frosty expression. “I have something to say to you.”

The guard, sensing Li Rong’s displeasure but unsure of its cause, looked confused.

Li Rong enunciated each word clearly: “The brave direct their anger towards the strong; the cowardly vent it on the weak.”

The guard caught every word, but it took a moment for the meaning to sink in and connect to himself.

By the time he realized Li Rong was criticizing him, Cen Xiao had already pulled Li Rong away.

The guard glanced down at the pack of cigarettes on the table beside him. Though it was an expensive brand, it suddenly seemed unappealing. He cursed under his breath, pretending to throw the pack into the trash can, but hesitated and couldn’t bring himself to waste it. Frustrated, he ripped open the packaging, yanked out a cigarette, and lit it with a forceful drag.

After leaving the security office, Li Rong walked briskly, his pace almost a march.

He now understood why that woman had said Aunt Hui had returned to her hometown.

To her, Li Rong was just a random customer, while Aunt Hui was a long-time companion. Naturally, she didn’t want to expose Aunt Hui’s most humiliating and destitute state. People of that age often believed that family shame should remain hidden.

Standing in the center of the fountain square, Li Rong took several deep breaths, feeling his lungs fill completely with fresh air before finally succumbing to a couple of coughs.

Cen Xiao stood quietly behind him, waiting. Only after Li Rong had calmed down did he ask, “Feel any better?”

Li Rong nodded, deliberately avoiding looking at the spot where Aunt Hui had once been.

Cen Xiao said, “I have some thoughts. Can we talk now?”

Despite the heaviness in his heart, Li Rong felt a warmth.

Cen Xiao hadn’t always been like this. He used to make decisions quickly, disliked dissent, and was often overbearing, making him difficult to deal with.

But now, Cen Xiao frequently asked for his opinion, carefully respecting his thoughts and choosing his words with care. He had been working to break the habits that Li Rong found most off-putting.

Li Rong said, “I have some thoughts too. I think—”

Cen Xiao interrupted with a low voice, “The missing hard drive is a pretense; investigating the thesis is the real goal.”

Li Rong raised an eyebrow. Though he wasn’t surprised Cen Xiao had deduced this, the fact that it aligned perfectly with his own thoughts showed a rare mutual understanding.

Li Rong pursed his lips and let out a self-deprecating laugh. “It’s too coincidental. The day Aunt Hui went there, a student just happened to lose something, and it happened to be nearby. Actually, forcibly breaking into my dad’s account to check submission emails would easily point to Aunt Hui. I shouldn’t have expected them to respect the privacy of the deceased.”

Cen Xiao added, “But Jiang Weide has already publicly announced that Li Qingli’s paper was published in Hongsuo. So they can’t openly investigate and have to use the excuse of a student losing something.”

Li Rong said, “Involving the police, posting announcements on every platform, forwarding them in every student group—this level of escalation, which even the security office thinks is overkill, must have been instigated by someone.”

Cen Xiao nodded. “Their aim isn’t to catch a thief but to force the person who submitted the thesis to reveal themselves—if that person cares about Xu Tanghui.”

Li Rong shook his head lightly. “It’s a pity I’ve been too idle these past days, not looking into anything related to A University. I completely missed their announcements. If it weren’t for Cui Mingyang…”

Cen Xiao said, “Since they’re still spreading this in A University’s student groups, it shows they’re not sure that person is you.”

Li Rong smirked. “After all, I’m just a high school student—”

He cut himself off mid-sentence, a flicker of panic in his eyes.

He had been about to say that his identity as a high school student was the perfect cover, making it inconceivable that he could have responded to reviewers’ emails.

Cen Xiao should have been among those who found this hard to believe. Yet, he had never probed too deeply.

Cen Xiao didn’t dwell on the inconsistency. He merely gave Li Rong a deep look and continued, “You haven’t even stepped onto A University’s campus yet. Logically, you should lie low for now. Although Xu Tanghui has been wronged, the losses aren’t too severe. I can help her find a shop with better foot traffic. If she wants to switch to another business, I can find someone to teach her. That would be much better than running a stall at A University.”

He deliberately emphasized logically because he knew that, in his eyes, this was the best solution—but not for Li Rong.

Sure enough, Li Rong smiled.

Cen Xiao seemed to see it again—that night when Li Rong gripped a blade, the edge bloodstained, his gaze sharp and resolute.

He said he had enough.

Now, Li Rong raised his head slightly, stray locks of hair slipping from his forehead to reveal a profile delicate as white porcelain under the sunlight.

“What happened over a decade ago won’t happen again, not with me. I am not my parents.”

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