The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 79

The warm water washed away the sticky residue from his body as the water heater let out a low warning hum. Li Rong, supporting himself against the wall, dragged his weary, sore body to a spot out of reach of the spray. Pulling down a towel, he began drying himself off.

A few faint red marks on his body stood out, made especially alluring under the sheen of water. But as soon as the soft towel wrapped around him, it hid all those enticing traces away.

Li Rong’s Adam’s apple moved as he tilted his head back in contentment, eyes half-closed, letting his damp hair cling to his face. Droplets of water trailed down his firm shoulders, slid along his toned back and flexible waist, and finally disappeared into the plush towel.

It had been a long time since he’d felt this sense of fullness and satisfaction.

Though this posture left his body aching with exhaustion, it wasn’t anything serious. After all, he was younger now and recovered faster.

A faint smile played on his lips as he looked at Cen Xiao, who was still under the shower. His eyes curved slightly, his expression carrying a teasing ambiguity. “Is someone’s stamina not what it used to be?”

He knew perfectly well that Cen Xiao was already drained from three days of exams, not to mention the injuries on his body.

But it was a rare opportunity to tease Cen Xiao about something like this, and he wasn’t about to let it slip by.

Cen Xiao paused and, catching Li Rong’s sly smile, curved his lips into a faint grin. “Point taken. I’ll work on getting back to my former stamina.”

Though neither of them said it outright, they both knew perfectly well what “former” referred to.

Those indulgent, unrestrained scenes from their past life were still vivid in their memories.

Li Rong gripped the edge of his towel with one hand while supporting himself on the sink with the other.

Hearing Cen Xiao’s words, he narrowed his eyes, grabbed the bath sponge hanging from the rack, and tossed it at him with feigned anger. “Don’t you dare!”

Cen Xiao raised his hand, effortlessly caught it, and began squeezing body wash onto it to use.

Li Rong glanced around and, finding nothing else throwable, pouted in dissatisfaction. Tossing the towel over his head, he started drying his dripping hair.

Once he’d mostly dried off, he placed the towel on the sink and picked up his clothes. “I’m too tired. I’m heading back to the bedroom. Here, dry off when you’re done,” he said, gesturing at his towel with a slight tilt of his chin.

Cen Xiao, covered in suds, managed to squint under the water and asked, “You’re not going to put your clothes on properly?”

Li Rong, now at the bathroom door, lazily retorted without even looking back, “The curtains are drawn—what’s there to be scared of?”

Yawning, he slipped out, casually wiping his wet footprints on the floor mat.

“Blow-dry your hair before you sleep!” Cen Xiao called after him.

Li Rong waved dismissively behind him, not bothering to turn around. “Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

When Cen Xiao finally finished his shower, having used up the last bit of hot water, he stepped into the bedroom and saw Li Rong sprawled across the bed. Half-covered by the blanket, his soft breathing signaled he was already fast asleep.

Li Rong had tossed his sleepwear into the corner of the bed, clearly having collapsed straight into the sheets upon entering. His damp hair had left a faint wet patch on the pillowcase.

Cen Xiao sighed softly and began rummaging through the cabinets in Li Rong’s house for a hairdryer.

Fortunately, having lived together with Li Rong for two years, he was familiar with Li Rong’s habits. He found a hairdryer in the cupboard above the shoe rack.

When he returned to the bedroom, Li Rong had already fallen into a deep sleep. His eyes were softly closed, long eyelashes relaxed, and the side of his face glowed faintly red from the moisture. His lips parted slightly with each breath.

The room held a 1.8-meter-wide double bed, but Li Rong, stretching out his limbs, occupied most of the space. It wasn’t intentional; the single pillow he shared with Cen Xiao forced him to move closer to the middle.

This wasn’t Cen Xiao’s first time watching Li Rong sleep. Countless times in the past, he had gazed at Li Rong in his peaceful, unguarded state, finding fleeting moments of sweetness.

To Cen Xiao, Li Rong had always held a fatal attraction. Even when doing nothing, simply lying there, he captivated Cen Xiao’s gaze entirely.

There was a time when Cen Xiao resisted this attraction, warning himself again and again not to develop feelings of affection or tenderness toward Li Qingli’s son. He knew that once he let himself care for Li Rong, he would be completely ensnared.

But human emotions cannot be controlled. His bond of motherly affection with Xiao Muran was distant, yet he couldn’t escape the deep genetic connection or the strikingly similar sense of aesthetics they shared.

When he first saw Li Rong, confident and radiant at A University, the guarded fortress of his heart began to crumble.

Amid resentment and hatred, an inexplicable mixture of curiosity, admiration, and affection crept in, taking root.

This complex swirl of feelings trapped him for years until he finally gave up trying to resist them.

Li Rong, to him, was the strongest-willed person he had ever known.

It was hard to imagine someone raised with unconditional love and admiration having such unyielding resilience and determination.

He once thought the sudden calamities that befell Li Rong would destroy him. Few could endure the overwhelming insults, slander, and hatred Li Rong had faced.

Li Rong had been left utterly alone, with no one to rely on, forced to process all the hurt by himself.

Most people would not survive such an ordeal unscathed.

Cen Xiao had often wanted to step in and shield Li Rong, but Xiao Muran’s volatile emotions toward Li Qingli made him suppress these hidden feelings.

Just when he thought Li Rong was on the verge of breaking down, Li Rong returned to school.

Apart from looking more haggard and pale, he seemed unchanged.

At school, Li Rong’s situation didn’t improve. His class monitor position was replaced by Cui Mingyang, he was humiliated by Song Yuanyuan’s mother at her birthday party, and even the guaranteed university recommendation he worked for slipped away.

Sometimes, when you think life has hit rock bottom, you discover there’s an abyss beneath, and you can fall even further.

But Li Rong became the top scorer in the city that year, earning a spot in the best class of A University’s Biochemistry Department with an exceptional score that others could hardly dream of.

He joined Hongsuo later and remained outstanding, leaving everyone else far behind.

Even Li Qingli in his prime hadn’t achieved as much as Li Rong at the same age.

Perhaps talent was the only compensation fate granted Li Rong.

Cen Xiao had helped Li Rong get into Hongsuo. By then, his attraction to Li Rong had obliterated all reason. He was willing to pay any price to have Li Rong.

By then, Cen Xiao had gained considerable influence in District Three, enough that even Cen Qing couldn’t overrule him.

Cen Qing simply warned, “By doing this, you’re throwing him into the lion’s den.”

Cen Xiao tensed up and looked defensive. “Do you know something…”

Cen Qing shook his head.

District Three oversaw trade and had minimal connection to the Hongsuo Research Institute.

Cen Qing snorted coldly. “I don’t know the specifics and don’t care, but if the Hongsuo Institute were so impenetrable, Li Qingli and Gu Nong wouldn’t have ended up like this.”

Despite his growing authority, Cen Xiao always carried a deep fear of losing Li Rong, wanting to keep him close at all times.

He had forgotten that Li Rong’s strength didn’t come from being protected but from his own will and determination to claw his way out of the abyss.

Cen Xiao had never seen Li Rong shrink in fear, collapse emotionally, or wallow in self-pity, no matter how much injustice or slander he faced.

Yet, Cen Xiao loved him deeply.

Cen Xiao reached out, lightly brushing Li Rong’s cheek, and spoke softly, “Let me dry your hair.”

Li Rong was fast asleep and didn’t hear him.

With no other choice, Cen Xiao sat on the edge of the bed, gently lifting Li Rong’s head to rest on his lap. Plugging in the hairdryer, he used the smallest, quietest setting to dry Li Rong’s damp hair.

Li Rong’s hair was soft and fine, as if it had no resistance, and the warm breeze spread the faint fragrance of his shampoo.

Even with the gentlest movements, Li Rong stirred slightly, frowning as he slowly regained awareness. When he realized what Cen Xiao was doing, he was too tired to open his eyes and let Cen Xiao continue stroking his hair.

The low airflow made the process slow. As Li Rong adjusted to the background hum, he began to relax again, the occasional flutter of his eyelids the only sign he was still partially awake.

When Cen Xiao finished drying Li Rong’s hair and turned off the dryer, he looked down at Li Rong, resting on his lap, and murmured, “I love you, baby.”

Li Rong didn’t move a muscle.

Just as Cen Xiao thought he’d fallen asleep, Li Rong suddenly shifted, nuzzling into Cen Xiao’s leg. Stretching an arm from under the blanket, he wrapped it softly around Cen Xiao’s waist and let out a faint hum of acknowledgment.