The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 73

Boyfriend.

The word had a delicate quality, stirring a long-lost restlessness within.

Under the cover of night, Cen Xiao lightly bit Li Rong’s lips, his gaze slipping past stray locks of hair to focus on Li Rong’s slightly dazed and impassioned eyes.

At times, Li Rong seemed effortlessly composed and witty, yet other times, he exuded a reckless wildness that seemed embedded in his very core.

Like now. Here he was, at a bustling street corner under flashing streetlights, tugging Cen Xiao by his collar and brushing their lips together in his favorite, most intimate way.

At least for this moment, Cen Xiao could be sure—Li Rong was utterly unrestrained.

The swaying shadows of trees, the hurried footsteps of passersby, and the hazy glow of streetlights—none of it mattered. Nothing could stop him from acting on what he wanted in the here and now.

And this aggressive, domineering stance? It should have belonged to Cen Xiao.

Cen Xiao released Li Rong’s lips with a hint of reluctance, his lashes trembling briefly. He brushed aside the messy strands of hair covering Li Rong’s eyes, then leaned in with a more forceful kiss.

Softly, he murmured, “What did you call me?”

Li Rong, still catching his breath, had lips that were swollen and reddened, his eyes shimmering. Yet, he managed to quirk a small smile, replying in a halting voice, “Don’t… try to trick me. I know you heard it.”

Having cast aside any sense of shame long ago, rebirth had taught him to be bolder. He didn’t feel embarrassed about calling Cen Xiao such titles. He simply didn’t want Cen Xiao to get too full of himself—after all, he’d take a mile if given an inch.

Cen Xiao, calmer and less out of breath, asked leisurely, “Acting so bold in public, aren’t you afraid of being seen?”

Li Rong licked his lower lip, leaning his forehead against Cen Xiao’s as he slightly opened his eyes.

Their gazes met, and in that instant, Li Rong swallowed hard, his throat visibly tightening.

His fingers clenched Cen Xiao’s collar, his knuckles brushing against the heat of Cen Xiao’s collarbone. The contrast between his cold fingertips and the warmth was striking.

Li Rong’s eyes curved into crescents as he spoke slowly and deliberately: “Haven’t you… been looking forward to this?”

His gaze was as clear as a tranquil pond, but the intensity behind it was irresistible. It was a look one couldn’t avoid meeting without revealing guilt.

Cen Xiao paused for a few seconds before letting out a soft laugh.

He lightly touched Li Rong’s lips and quickly pulled away, repeating the motion several times. Before long, Li Rong’s initially sharp gaze softened into one of languid satisfaction, like a contented cat half-closing its eyes, enjoying the gentle attention.

At that point, Li Rong couldn’t even be bothered to press Cen Xiao for an answer about whether he had anticipated being so bold in public.

The scene brought back memories of a similar evening, bathed in warm city lights. In his previous life, there was a time when Li Rong had stepped out of a bathroom, dripping wet, only to see the wide-open curtains of Cen Xiao’s meticulously constructed “golden cage.” Overwhelmed by embarrassment and anger, he had stormed back into the bathroom.

From behind the frosted glass, he had yelled, “Close the curtains!”

Cen Xiao, meanwhile, had lounged leisurely, fiddling with the belt of a bathrobe, replying nonchalantly, “Already flustered? What if we went out on the streets…”

“Shut up!” Li Rong had snapped, cutting him off.

The memory lingered vividly, as if it had only happened yesterday.

Li Rong had kissed enough for the moment. He loosened his grip on Cen Xiao’s now-crumpled collar, retreating a step to create some distance. His fingers gently traced his swollen lips as he sighed, “I regret…”

Cen Xiao furrowed his brows while adjusting his clothes. “Regret what?”

Li Rong sighed again. “Not teaming up with you earlier. Maybe then I wouldn’t have been bullied right under my nose.”

Too many opportunities had been wasted, including in his past life.

He thought he was merely utilizing Cen Xiao’s resources but overlooked the information Cen Xiao could provide him in return.

Because he refused to communicate, there was always a gap in understanding between him and Cen Xiao.

Li Rong understood the intricate and dubious internal relationships within Hongsuo, just as Cen Xiao must have had insights into the United Commerce Association and even District Nine.

However, they never exchanged these insights. As a result, their differing exposures to information only caused their behavioral conflicts to escalate further.

He couldn’t help but wonder: was Cen Xiao’s airtight protection of him an indication that he had sensed something?

Two high school students claiming to join forces to stir up trouble seemed far-fetched, especially given that the incident involving Li Rong’s family had occurred just nine months ago—they hadn’t even delayed for long.

Yet, Cen Xiao didn’t find Li Rong’s words questionable. Instead, he remarked meaningfully, “It’s not too late even now.”

During the college entrance exams, the weather was surprisingly cooperative. Not a drop of rain fell, and the thin clouds shielded the sun, keeping the ground from becoming unbearably hot.

Li Rong hadn’t forgotten the reward he had promised Cui Mingyang. Before the exams, he compiled some materials and personally handed them to him. Naturally, Lin Zhen and the others didn’t miss out either.

Cui Mingyang now had complex feelings toward Li Rong.

He hadn’t forgotten how much he used to dislike him, but perhaps because graduation was near, and they were about to enter different fields with no further competition, his resentment had significantly subsided.

He had also heard updates about the vague theft case at A University that had caused such a stir. Judging by his parents’ evasiveness, Cui Mingyang knew that Xu Wei—who hadn’t dared to return—must have done something significant.

And the reason this incident was exposed at all was thanks to Li Rong—or rather, because Cui Mingyang himself had accidentally mentioned the street vendor.

Everyone, including his parents, believed Xu Wei had ulterior motives and harbored ill intent. However, Cui Mingyang thought differently.

From the moment he casually mentioned the vendor’s theft, every subsequent event bore traces of Li Rong’s involvement.

The incident hadn’t ended where it was supposed to. Someone must have pieced these elements together—or even orchestrated them entirely.

The more Cui Mingyang thought about it, the more a chill ran down his spine.

Suddenly, he felt a surge of relief knowing he was entering a law program, something entirely unrelated to the biochemical program Li Rong was set on.

He would no longer have to chase after Li Rong endlessly, struggling to keep up.

With that thought, Cui Mingyang’s outlook on life seemed brighter.

***

On the 20th day after the college entrance exams, Li Rong received a call from A University’s admissions office, informing him to choose a direct-admit program.

Li Rong logged into the academic system and located the code for the biochemistry program among A University’s many offerings. He stared at it quietly for a few seconds.

There was no need for him to waste another four years on an undergraduate biochemistry degree. Everything A University could teach him, he already knew. What he had was five years’ worth of groundbreaking research ahead of the rest of the world.

But he couldn’t release these findings early. Even advancing them by a single day could save countless lives, but he understood the complexities of scientific research too well.

Honor belonged to those who truly earned it, and no alteration to that principle could be allowed.

Honor was the driving force behind progress in this field, and he couldn’t deprive any passionate scientist of their chance to earn it.

As for himself, he had no choice but to interrupt his beloved research and stir up chaos in the boundless abyss.

Fortunately, he didn’t mind making people pay the price.

Li Rong’s fingers moved slightly as he entered the biochemistry program code and clicked confirm.

The data traveled through the network to A University’s admissions office, which was engulfed in a flurry of activity. The staff, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of work, barely had time to sit. Multiple printers hummed, churning out piles of documents and files. The papers, still warm, were snatched up and disappeared in an instant.

Amid this chaotic environment, someone repeatedly refreshed Li Rong’s information on a work computer.

Finally, at 11:05 a.m., the newly submitted information appeared.

Biochemistry program. No transfers accepted.

***

On the 23rd day after the college entrance exams, the results were released.

Li Rong accompanied Cen Xiao, Jian Fu, and the others to school to pick up their application materials.

As soon as Jian Fu saw Lin Zhen, he couldn’t help but pounce on him, throwing an arm around his neck and shouting excitedly, “I passed the cut-off! I passed!”

Lin Zhen, choking, rolled his eyes and smacked Jian Fu’s arm a couple of times. But Jian Fu, seemingly numb to pain, refused to let go.

Left with no choice, Lin Zhen stayed locked in his grip, glaring at him disdainfully. “With the lowered admission standards from A University, even an idiot could’ve passed!”

Jian Fu clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction, tightening his grip and pulling Lin Zhen even closer. “What? You think you’re some big-shot celebrity now and can look down on us regular folks?”

Lin Zhen had scored high enough to pass the entrance exam for a prestigious film academy, and with his impressive interview performance, he was poised to be this year’s top candidate.

He glanced up and realized how close he and Jian Fu were—so close that the slightest misstep in their playful tussling would make them touch.

Flustered, he turned his face away and awkwardly retreated toward Li Rong. “Class monitor, look at him!”

Jian Fu gritted his teeth. “He’s not the class monitor anymore after graduation! What’s the point of tattling to him? Like he can control me!”

Li Rong, who was suddenly addressed, nonchalantly popped a piece of yogurt candy into his mouth and said with a cheerful smile, “I can’t control you, but if Cen Xiao can, that’s enough.”

Jian Fu paused, realizing this argument was unbeatable.

With how indulgent his brother was toward Li Rong, anything Li Rong said, no matter how softly, would be obeyed.

Though it was a bit strange, it was undeniably true.

Lin Zhen glanced at Cen Xiao, then at Li Rong, and after watching them for a while, his face inexplicably turned red.

Quickly, he averted his gaze and cleared his throat. “Exactly, so let go of me already!”

Li Rong casually handed a yogurt candy to Ji Xiaochuan, who had just changed her hairstyle to reveal her forehead. Then, in a mock-serious tone, he said to Jian Fu, “I told you to stop bullying Lin Zhen. Complaints to me always work.”

Jian Fu turned to Cen Xiao. “Brother, are you just going to let this slide?”

Cen Xiao, calm and unbothered, replied, “It’s you he’s targeting, not me. Why would I care?”

Jian Fu: “…”

After collecting their application documents in the classroom, the others were all in high spirits. Only Cen Xiao had a looming challenge—a grueling District Nine Assessment a week later.

Whenever Li Rong thought about the upcoming week, his smile would gradually fade.

Jian Fu suddenly slapped his forehead. “Oh, right! My brother still has to take the District Nine exam.”

Unfamiliar with it, Ji Xiaochuan asked, “What’s District Nine?”

Jian Fu sighed. “It’s a super hard-to-enter but powerful organization. Every year when District Nine conducts assessments, my parents always get really stressed out.”

Ji Xiaochuan: “So Cen Xiao… will he have to balance studying and working at the same time?”

Cen Xiao scanned the group’s faces and answered lightly, “District Nine will make arrangements. At most, it’ll mean busier days. But if someone can’t manage their time well, they won’t make it into District Nine anyway.”

Lin Zhen hesitantly asked, “If you get in, does that mean you’ll be able to help the class monitor find out the truth?”

Li Rong and Cen Xiao exchanged a silent glance, unsure how to respond.

Joining District Nine would mean working under Han Jiang. Not long ago, they had confirmed Han Jiang’s close relationship with Liu Tanzhi, whose role in the larger scheme was still unclear.

A sense of guilt weighed on Li Rong.

The challenging road ahead wasn’t just for him in the biochemistry department but also for Cen Xiao under Han Jiang’s watchful eye.

Cen Xiao shouldn’t have had any ties to Li Rong’s family’s troubles, nor any reason to be involved.

Yet Cen Xiao had said—”You can use me as much as you like.”

And he truly meant it.

Taking a deep breath, Li Rong solemnly said, “Maybe we were lucky to achieve some victories this time, but it was mainly because the enemy underestimated us. To completely overturn the interest group orchestrating all this will be an incredibly difficult task. So I hope that no matter what, you all protect yourselves—for your families and so I won’t feel guilty.”

Li Rong turned to look at Cen Xiao, his eyelids trembling slightly. He pressed his lips together, his voice low. “Cen Xiao…”

He paused for a few seconds, as if suppressing his emotions, before exhaling deeply and saying, “Du Mingli is formidable. Be careful. Stay safe.”

He knew how formidable Du Mingli was—Han Jiang had been taken down by him. Du Mingli’s skill in gathering evidence and leveraging it was undoubtedly impressive. And the relationship between Cen Xiao and himself was undoubtedly their greatest vulnerability.

Saying these words now might reveal something critical, but he no longer had the energy to care.

When he first reborn, he could manipulate Cen Xiao without hesitation. But now, that was no longer the case.

When you care, your emotions inevitably cloud your judgment. No one is immune to this.

Jian Fu, who had been listening in confusion, asked, “Who’s Du Mingli?”

Li Rong was adept at concealing his emotions, but Cen Xiao could still detect a hint of anxiety in his tone.

Cen Xiao chuckled softly, leaned forward, and got so close to Li Rong’s ear that his lips almost brushed against the delicate earlobe. 

With one hand casually in his pocket, he tilted his head slightly and said in a voice only the two of them could hear: “If there’s ever someone who can take down Du Mingli, that person will be me.”

Li Rong immediately sensed something. 

He grabbed Cen Xiao’s arm and turned to face him, his sharp eyes locking onto Cen Xiao’s calm expression.