The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 74

Just as Li Rong felt some secrets were on the verge of being revealed, Cen Xiao subtly broke eye contact and pulled away, creating a deliberate distance between them.

His evasive manner made it clear to Li Rong that his suspicions were no illusion.

Jian Fu enthusiastically approached, slinging an arm over Cen Xiao’s shoulder. “What were you two whispering about? Keeping secrets from us?”

Cen Xiao casually replied, “Nothing.”

Li Rong composed himself, his scrutinizing gaze lingering on Cen Xiao for a few seconds before finally withdrawing.

He released Cen Xiao’s sleeve and said nonchalantly, “It’s really nothing. You all should take a few days off—go somewhere to relax. I’ll stay here and help Cen Xiao prepare for his exam.”

If Cen Xiao didn’t want to explain, then Li Rong wouldn’t press him.

After all, he wasn’t quite sure how to face what might be revealed.

That said, judging by Cen Xiao’s attitude, while Du Mingli was a master manipulator, he was not a threat to be feared.

It now made sense why, during their first encounter at the training center, Cen Xiao had shown disdain but no fear toward Du Mingli.

As long as Cen Xiao was prepared, Li Rong could relax.

***

In July, the north wind in A City had barely settled when endless drizzle took over. 

The air was heavy with the oppressive heat of midsummer, and the ground remained perpetually damp. The rising steam wasn’t refreshing—it carried a sticky, sweltering humidity.

The Ninth District’s unified closed examination was held at the city’s Economic and Cultural Center. 

The exam lasted three days, during which candidates stayed in designated dormitories with their phones turned off, strictly prohibited from contacting the outside world.

Ten business days after the exam, the results would be announced on the Blue Pivot United Commerce Association website. In earlier years, these results were subject to public scrutiny, but over recent decades, as Blue Pivot grew increasingly monopolistic, the public disclosures became mere formalities. The applicants and the examiners often came from the same organizations, making impartiality questionable.

In a way, Du Mingli’s concerns were not unfounded. As more companies joined the United Commerce Association, the threshold for the Ninth District continued to rise. The entry qualifications were firmly in the hands of those with vested interests, leaving smaller enterprises too intimidated to challenge decisions for fear of alienation.

The prestigious reputation established by the first-generation Ghost Eye Group leader had gradually eroded over time.

Even so, Han Jiang outwardly maintained a façade of fairness.

The evening before the exam, Cen Qing and Xiao Muran were unexpectedly both at home.

The Cen family’s relationships were distant and fraught with superficial harmony. Yet, familial bonds were hard to sever, leading to years of entanglement.

Cen Qing had, more than once, considered walking away.

He had hoped Cen Xiao would follow his careful plans, but Cen Xiao’s ambitions had clearly exceeded what could be deemed “safe.”

Cen Xiao wanted to join the Ninth District not for Cen Qing, but for Li.

And in turn, Cen Qing found himself reluctantly dragged into murky waters, constrained by familial ties.

Taking a deep breath, Cen Qing reached for a cigarette but stopped midway, remembering he was at home. Xiao Muran detested the smell of smoke. Lighting one now would only spark an argument.

He decided to let it go.

“I hope you’re ready,” he said. “Balancing A University and working in the Ninth District isn’t easy. Their tradition of ‘managing up and challenging down’ is still alive. If you don’t perform well enough, you’ll be eliminated. Don’t expect me to help.”

Cen Xiao smirked and crouched down to pet a blue-golden chinchilla that had wandered over curiously.

The cat, Wuwangwo, gazed up at him with its enchanting eyes, tilting its head as it sniffed his leg. 

It swished its tail lazily, opened its mouth, and let out a soft meow, revealing sharp little teeth.

The cat had detected a foreign scent on Cen Xiao—one that was friendly and close.

Cen Xiao had only just parted ways with Li Rong. On their drive, Li Rong had mischievously nudged Cen Xiao’s leg with his propped-up ankle.

Dusting off the stray fur from his fingers, Cen Xiao straightened up and said nonchalantly, “If I wasn’t confident, I wouldn’t be taking the exam.”

“Why are you getting yourself involved in this mess?” 

Her appearance had grown gaunt in recent months. 

Ever since Li Qingli’s hypothesis was published, she had been on an emotional rollercoaster.

As a visiting professor at A University, she had heard about the theft scandal and the aftermath it caused.

She had learned of Jiang Weide’s lies and that the groundbreaking hypothesis was the result of immense effort by Li Qingli’s son. The knowledge only deepened her turmoil.

When the Li family tragedy unfolded last summer, Xiao Muran had chosen to escape. 

She fled to a distant island, shutting herself off from any unpleasant news.

Bound by loyalty to both the Cen and Xiao families, she couldn’t speak up for justice without jeopardizing her own ties.

She carried too many concerns, burdens, and ties. Despite knowing full well what kind of person Li Qingli was, she couldn’t step forward.

She kept trouble away from anyone connected to her, but she herself was constantly consumed by pain and guilt. Exhausted and sleepless, she suffered alone.

That day at the association meeting, upon hearing that Li Qingli’s hypothesis from when he was alive had been published—submitted by the Hongsuo Research Institute no less—she did feel a fleeting sense of false relief.

She thought that perhaps the institute still believed in Li Qingli’s innocence and had submitted his research despite the pressure. 

It was the only solace she’d had in months, making her think that the environment wasn’t entirely hopeless.

But by May, even that small comfort had been shattered.

No one cared whether Li Qingli had been wronged. All of it had been sealed in the past, buried with the downfall of the Li family. If it hadn’t been for Xu Wei, Li Rong, and that auntie with the street stall, his hypothesis would’ve been lost to oblivion.

Xiao Muran had been an avid reader since childhood, but the older she grew, the more she realized that no amount of books could help her understand this reality.

Cen Xiao looked at Xiao Muran’s tear-filled eyes and felt only helplessness and sorrow.

His mother seemed like a flower in the Garden of Eden, protected and pristine, untouched by hardship, and utterly devoid of the courage to take risks. When faced with injustice and blows, all she could do was stay silent and torment herself.

But this was normal. The world had far more people accustomed to enduring and tolerating than those willing to act courageously. Courage was a rare thing.

“Because I have the capability, and I’m ready to bear the consequences,” Cen Xiao said lightly.

Xiao Muran closed her eyes, shaking her head with force. Her face was full of weariness. “You’ve just graduated from high school. What do you even know about consequences? Your grandfather said—”

“Everything my grandfather says, you treat as gospel. I’m not like you.” Cen Xiao looked at Xiao Muran calmly. It was the first time he openly acknowledged the unspoken wounds in their family. “For someone who feels like a soulmate, I’m willing to pay any price.”

Xiao Muran’s face turned pale instantly.

Cen Qing finally couldn’t stand it anymore, speaking in a low reprimand: “Enough. What’s done is done. There’s no point in discussing this further.”

***

The next morning, the weather was as oppressively dull as always.

Li Rong had made a point to head to the Economic and Cultural Activity Center to see Cen Xiao off for the exam.

“Have you eaten?” Li Rong lowered his head, nudging Cen Xiao’s shoe tip with his own, then tilted his head up to gaze at Cen Xiao closely from a very intimate distance.

His eyes carried a smile, his eyelids lowered slightly, and his unkempt hair fluttered in the wind, occasionally brushing across his high-bridged nose.

Cen Xiao arched a brow faintly, glancing down at Li Rong’s soft lips. He asked with deliberate ambiguity, “Which kind of meal are you referring to?”

Li Rong’s smile deepened. He bent his knee slightly and nudged Cen Xiao’s shoe again. “The kind that fills your stomach.”

“That, I’ve eaten.” Cen Xiao leaned forward by an inch, almost catching the sweet, yogurt-like scent of Li Rong’s breath. “Still, I’d like to have something else.”

Li Rong licked his lower lip with the tip of his tongue, his gaze playful yet tender. He placed a hand on Cen Xiao’s chest to stop him from coming closer. “Aren’t you afraid of losing focus in the exam?”

Cen Xiao sighed. “Afraid. That’s why I told you not to come. I’ll call you after the exam.”

Li Rong’s smile grew more earnest. He relaxed his palm, letting it slide slowly down from Cen Xiao’s chest. “I, too, feel the impulse to spend just one more second with you.”

“Oh! Meeting again!”

A warm and casual voice came from a distance. Instinctively, Li Rong stepped back from Cen Xiao and turned warily toward the source of the sound.

Du Mingli approached, his face wearing a smile, carrying a transparent document bag under his arm. He was dressed formally in a shirt and trousers, his gaze shifting between Li Rong and Cen Xiao.

Perhaps due to his frequent outdoor activities in the summer, his skin seemed even darker than before, and the faint brown scar on the back of his hand was barely noticeable.

Cen Xiao’s attitude toward Du Mingli remained indifferent. When he greeted them, Cen Xiao only glanced at him briefly, showing no intention of replying.

Li Rong cast a quick glance at the entrance to the Economic and Cultural Activity Center.

Outside the door lay a wide, open parking lot. The entryway jutted outward, covering a radius of over two hundred degrees. With such a spacious area for candidates to enter, it was nearly impossible to run into anyone by chance.

Where they stood was particularly out of the way, far from the entrance. If they still managed to bump into Du Mingli, it was… quite the coincidence.

Li Rong chuckled softly. “Oh, what a coincidence.”

Du Mingli’s smile remained gentle. “There will be plenty of opportunities to meet in the future, once we’re all in District Nine.”

Li Rong replied with a smirk, “You’re so confident you’ll make it into District Nine?”

Du Mingli studied Li Rong carefully. Though he was sure this was just a high school graduate, there was an inexplicable complexity about the boy that unsettled him—a blend of beauty and contradiction.

Du Mingli replied candidly, “Indeed. I don’t just aim to enter District Nine. I’ll strive to become the top-ranked candidate and contribute my part to societal progress.”

Li Rong glanced at Cen Xiao and replied with feigned nonchalance, “Oh, first place? We have the same goal.”

Du Mingli’s smile turned sly, his tone suddenly sharper: “I’ve heard that the son of the Third District chairman is also taking this exam.”

Cen Xiao knew exactly what Du Mingli was insinuating. He responded with a casual smirk, “You’re overthinking. It won’t even get to the point where backgrounds matter.”