The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 87

Li Rong spent the day at the apartment with Cen Xiao. The next morning, he skipped Zhang Zhaohe’s orientation speech to accompany Cen Xiao to District Nine to report to duty.

Since he couldn’t enter District Nine building, he waited at a nearby bakery, ordered a milkshake, and got a hand-torn bread.

Before leaving, Cen Xiao clasped Li Rong’s hand, squeezing his soft palm.

“Not sure how long this will take.”

Li Rong sat in a chair, while Cen Xiao stood beside him. Their hand-holding, though intimate, didn’t draw much attention.

“This time, you’ll face Han Jiang and Du Mingli directly,” Li Rong said softly.

Even if Han Jiang didn’t know about Cen Xiao’s relationship with Li Rong, he’d naturally oppose Cen Xiao.

No one wanted their power divided, especially by someone backed by the influential Cen family.

Cen Xiao smiled. “Don’t worry. At the very least, Han Jiang won’t dare to act against me openly.”

After all, Cen Qing was the president of the Third District, a significant figure in the Blue Pivot United Commerce Association. Before moving against Cen Xiao, Han Jiang would have to consider Cen Qing’s reaction carefully.

It’s not that District Nine fears the other presidents; it’s just that disciplining individual non-compliant businesses is easy, but going head-to-head with the president of an entire commerce association isn’t so straightforward.

Li Rong suddenly leaned forward, resting his face against Cen Xiao’s waist and rubbing gently before straightening up. “Go on.”

Cen Xiao’s gaze softened with affection. Reluctantly, he let go of Li Rong’s hand. “If I don’t make it back for lunch, eat on your own. Your stomach just recovered—don’t upset it again.”

After the reminder, Cen Xiao adjusted his emotions, pushed open the bakery door, and walked straight toward the District Nine building.

District Nine was different now compared to a few years later. After Han Jiang stepped down, under Du Mingli’s orders, District Nine underwent a complete renovation, costing a significant amount of money.

Du Mingli publicly claimed that the renovation symbolized a fresh start for District Nine. However, Cen Xiao believed it was more about erasing all traces of Han Jiang’s presence.

As Cen Xiao had once said to Du Mingli: for someone who has never experienced the taste of power, once they possess it, it’s almost impossible to resist its allure.

The Ghost Eye Division’s recruitment meeting was held in the first-floor lecture hall. 

Attendees included newly recruited members who had passed the exam and representatives of outstanding veteran employees.

From the expressions on everyone’s faces, it was easy to distinguish newcomers from veterans. Newcomers were often anxious, carrying both expectations and fear.

While Han Jiang’s performance over the years might have been debatable, his authority was unquestionably well-established.

“When will Team Leader Han arrive?”

“I’m so nervous! Should we sit closer to the front to leave an impression?”

“Better not. Didn’t you hear? Team Leader Han doesn’t like bootlicking. Better drop the idea.”

“Wow, he’s really upright!”

“Of course! Do you think anyone can become the leader of the Ghost Eye Division? With the ‘upward challenge’ system, if he were biased, he’d have been ousted long ago…”

“Why are all the veterans so serious? Not a single smile.”

“District Nines is a serious place. If we’re still joking around, how can we pressure non-compliant companies?”

“By the way, I heard this year’s top recruit is only 19. That’s so young! Can someone that age lead a team? In the past, recruits always had more social experience.”

“True, but what can you do? The exam results speak for themselves. Team Leader might have some arrangements in mind.”

….

Cen Xiao tuned out the discussions about him, heading straight to the front row and placing his notebook on the desk. 

There was no need for him to keep a low profile since, according to procedure, Han Jiang would appoint him as the new leader of Team One at the meeting.

Du Mingli arrived slightly later. Upon seeing where Cen Xiao sat, he smiled and deliberately took a seat in the first row of the adjacent section, separated by the central aisle.

By now, Du Mingli was certain that he and Cen Xiao represented the interests of two different groups. 

Du Mingli stood for those with humble beginnings like himself, while Cen Xiao likely represented capital. 

Thus, even if he stumbled at the start, Du Mingli was determined not to lose the long-term game.

Twenty recruits had arrived and found their seats. The room naturally fell silent.

Soon, the door opened, and Han Jiang strode in with an assistant.

Han Jiang’s face was square, with prominent cheekbones and a sharp jawline. Standing at the front, he swept his sharp gaze across the room. He exuded an intimidating authority even before speaking.

Several newcomers instinctively lowered their heads, unable to meet his piercing stare. Only Cen Xiao and Du Mingli remained unruffled, seemingly unaffected by Han Jiang’s pressure.

After a long pause, Han Jiang finally spoke in a deep voice: “Greetings. I am Han Jiang, the current leader of the Ghost Eye Division in District Nine.”

Though he hardly needed to introduce himself, the title alone carried significant weight.

Han Jiang’s voice was strong and resonant, betraying no signs of his nearing sixty years of age. 

As soon as he finished speaking, the room erupted into cautious, synchronized applause. He waved it off.

“No need to applaud me. And drop the idea of pandering. Those in the Ghost Eye Division know me—I care only about results and tangible work. Anyone harboring ulterior motives won’t last in District Nine.”

He let his words sink in, his sharp eyes landing briefly on Cen Xiao in the front row before shifting to the back.

“In the past, our recruitment meetings were more relaxed—perhaps held in a restaurant or teahouse. But this year is different. From this very first meeting, I’ll be assigning tasks.” Han Jiang’s serious tone silenced the room further as his assistant connected a projector.

The entire hall fell into a tense quiet, sensing the gravity of the situation. 

Many of the recruits were perplexed: how could they handle tasks when they had just arrived and knew little about District Nine’s operations?

Cen Xiao narrowed his eyes slightly, uncapping his pen as he glanced at the glowing projection.

With a tap on the keyboard, Han Jiang displayed a document via the projector.

“Some of you may have heard about the Meijiang Pharmaceuticals case,” Han Jiang began, casting a fleeting glance at Cen Xiao.

The screen now showed an introduction to Meijiang Pharmaceuticals.

The company was a small pharmaceutical enterprise, most known for a generic drug called Qingrui, a treatment for arteriosclerosis and cholesterol reduction.

Years ago, Meijiang skirted legal boundaries by using offshore shell companies to mass-produce patented generic drugs and sell them to consumers through intermediaries. 

While the cost of these generics was low, they sold for only a third less than the original, allowing the company to rake in massive profits.

Although the company faced consequences once the scheme was uncovered, instead of disappearing like most speculative small firms, it survived thanks to financial backing from Suhe Biotech.

Years later, when the original drug patent expired, Meijiang began openly producing Qingrui.

If it were just these issues, it wouldn’t be a big deal. Businesses are given opportunities to correct their mistakes; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to successfully join the District Six Medical Industry.

Han Jiang: “Last year, we received a tip from an informant that another generic drug from Meijiang Pharmaceuticals—Yuanhesheng—also seemed to have issues. Acting in the spirit of responsibility to the industry, the Ghost Eye Team dispatched an investigative squad to the company to gather details. Unfortunately, the outcome was not favorable. Shortly after the investigation began, several of our employees resigned from Ghost Eye in unison. From what I’ve heard, they’re now living quite comfortably. Another employee didn’t resign but tragically fell from a balcony, losing his life.”

Han Jiang paused at this point, and the room was filled with the sound of people sharply inhaling in shock.

“So there’s more to this story? I thought it was just an accident?”

“Does this mean it wasn’t an accident, and someone died because they questioned Meijiang Pharmaceuticals?”

“This small pharmaceutical company is unbelievably audacious!”

“Despicable. Utterly shameless. They even dared to challenge the Ghost Eye Team!”

…

Han Jiang: “We are not a law enforcement agency. We can only challenge our member companies’ violations from a commercial standpoint. Unfortunately, since the judiciary determined that the employee’s death was accidental, we had no grounds to demand a thorough investigation into Meijiang Pharmaceuticals. Subsequent teams we sent also came back empty-handed. Meijiang Pharmaceuticals had already cleaned up any traces of wrongdoing.”

The first time Cen Xiao heard of Meijiang Pharmaceuticals was at the Changheng Inn across from the Seven Star Hotel, when Li Rong mentioned it to him. At the time, Li Rong also brought up Qingrui, another generic drug from the company, and they even saw a heavily promoted advertisement for it on television.

Han Jiang: “As you all know, the case of Li Qingli and Gu Nong, involving illicit wealth accumulation and embezzlement of public funds, has had an extremely damaging impact on the medical industry. As a result, the relevant authorities and the Blue Pivot United Commerce Association have decided to dissolve District Six. The process is already underway, and within a few months, an official announcement will be issued. Once that happens, we will no longer have legitimate grounds to investigate Meijiang Pharmaceuticals, and the employee who died in that so-called accident will never receive the justice they deserve.”

The news of District Six’s impending dissolution was already circulating.

“So it’s because of Li Qingli’s case that District Six is being dissolved…”

“I knew it. That incident cast a huge shadow over the industry. He developed Luyinxu, which caused deaths, and his company embezzled research funds. It’s like he placed a black mark on all of us in the field.”

“Everyone impacted by this couple’s actions must hate them with a passion, right?”

“Of course. That’s why they got what they deserved!”

…

Cen Xiao looked at Han Jiang’s righteous expression and couldn’t help but curl his lips into a faint smile, trying not to make it appear too mocking.

Han Jiang continued earnestly: “Given the gravity of this situation, I have decided that for this task, two captains will be appointed to lead the investigation into Meijiang Pharmaceuticals. I hope you can uncover the loopholes they’ve tried to cover up and put a stop to their unscrupulous profiteering before District Six is dissolved.”

“Two captains?”

“Does this mean each captain will have half as many team members, and there’ll be fewer people to get the work done?”

“Exactly. Some of us will probably be reassigned to other teams, leaving even fewer behind, right?”

“This task is going to be really tough.”

“Yeah, it’s overwhelming to face something this big right after joining. If the new captains can’t handle this, it’ll be super embarrassing.”

“Embarrassing? More like disastrous. Given how seriously Han Jiang is taking this, if the two captains don’t achieve anything with Meijiang Pharmaceuticals, they’ll probably be dismissed.”

…

Han Jiang took a deep breath and announced firmly: “The two captains will be Cen Xiao and Du Mingli.”

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