The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 89

The work ID and contract for Cen Xiao’s new position in District Nine had yet to be finalized. Without proper authorization, he couldn’t act freely.

For now, he focused on gathering data while waiting for the permissions to go “visit” Meijiang Pharmaceuticals.

Jian Fu complained over the phone, speaking in a muffled voice from under his blanket, “I haven’t even officially gotten my internship status in District One, and you’re already diving into investigations over there? Things move way too fast on your end.”

Cen Xiao, “It’s not progress; it’s a District Nine assignment. Han Jiang wants me to investigate Meijiang Pharmaceuticals. Can you get some intel from District One?”

Jian Fu grumbled, “Fine… give me until tomorrow. I’ll ‘borrow’ some access from the management group.”

Cen Xiao reminded him, “If you get caught, just blame Cen Qing. He always has an excuse ready.”

Jian Fu clicked his tongue. “You’ve got no reservations about throwing your own dad under the bus, huh?”

He wasn’t entirely wrong. If he was caught, everyone would know he was helping Cen Xiao. Dropping Cen Qing’s name was simply a preemptive move to shut down any objections.

By the next afternoon, Jian Fu had somehow managed to deliver a pile of documents to Cen Xiao.

The files were physical, not digital, and had to be shredded after review to avoid causing trouble for District One.

Li Rong pulled the papers toward him, casually asking, “Was it easy to get the authorization?”

Jian Fu shrugged, crossing his legs lazily. “I was blatant about it. Anyone looking at the surveillance footage will see me. But since I only accessed information on Meijiang Pharmaceuticals and didn’t touch anything highly classified, they’ll likely turn a blind eye and not report me to my parents.”

Li Rong flipped through the documents and praised, “Impressive.”

Jian Fu replied, “Punishment records and annual reports can all be found online. Since they’re publicly disclosed, they shouldn’t be an issue. Meijiang Pharmaceuticals got into trouble a few years ago, faced massive fines, and was on the brink of bankruptcy. But Suhe Biotech swooped in with funding, effectively saving them.”

He smirked knowingly and added, “Suhe Biotech is a financial powerhouse. I made quite a bit investing in their stock. Even though Meijiang Pharmaceuticals’ official records still list He Dayong as their legal representative and executive director, the real profits flow into Suhe Biotech’s coffers. They’ve likely signed private contracts, making Meijiang Pharmaceuticals little more than Suhe’s puppet.”

Cen Xiao frowned slightly. “The true beneficiaries rarely serve as the legal representatives. So, Meijiang Pharmaceuticals became a puppet of Suhe Biotech years ago?”

Jian Fu: “You could say that Suhe Biotech is quite ambitious. They’ve invested in more than just a small pharmaceutical company like Meijiang. Their goal is likely to dominate the market and achieve industry monopoly.” As he spoke, Jian Fu gave a sly smile and motioned for Li Rong and Cen Xiao to lean in closer. “Here’s a little insider info: the president of District Six, Jiang Zhong, used to be a senior executive at Suhe Biotech. After leaving, he joined the Blue Pivot United Commerce Association and climbed all the way to the president’s position. If this is true, don’t you think he’d make things easier for Suhe Biotech?”

Cen Xiao said softly, “Be cautious about sharing such insider information publicly. The dissolution of District Six is a complex matter, but Jiang Zhong managed to come out of it unscathed. If he really had problems, there’s no way District Nine would remain completely silent about it.”

If Han Jiang was letting them investigate Meijiang Pharmaceuticals, he clearly wasn’t worried about Suhe Biotech’s involvement. 

At the very least, it indicated that the Ghost Eye Team in District Nine had no vested interest in Suhe Biotech.

Han Jiang, despite his various flaws, had resisted numerous monetary temptations over the years and had proven himself resilient to such tests. However, after holding power for so long, it was inevitable for him to fall into the traps of power balancing.

The only thing Cen Xiao couldn’t figure out was why Han Jiang had gotten involved in Li Qingli’s case alongside Liu Tanzhi. It didn’t benefit him at all.

The leverage Du Mingli had over Han Jiang probably had to do with Han Jiang’s involvement in that case. Unfortunately, he hadn’t had the chance to extract the full truth from Du Mingli.

Jian Fu shrugged, “Fair point. Let’s not get off track. Back to Meijiang Pharmaceuticals. I’ve even dug up He Dayong’s private social media account. Years ago, he was determined to turn Meijiang into the world’s number one pharmaceutical company. But after being repeatedly beaten down by reality, he shifted focus entirely to making money, which is how he ended up taking risks with something like Qingrui.”

He continued, “Now that Meijiang is controlled by Suhe Biotech, it seems like He Dayong has lost all ambition. These days, he spends his time playing with cats, walking dogs, or worrying about his son’s academics and love life. Oh, and his son got into A University this year. His name’s… He Changfeng! He Dayong keeps complaining on his private account about how a bunch of influencer girls are flocking around his son, obviously interested in their money.”

Li Rong paused flipping through the documents and raised his eyes slightly. “He Changfeng is my roommate.”

Jian Fu was stunned. “What? No way! What are the odds?”

He had looked up He Dayong’s private account purely out of curiosity. Despite He Dayong’s questionable business practices, he came across as a fairly ordinary middle-aged man online—getting angry about people walking dogs without leashes, being upset over stolen parking spaces, and ranting about influencers pursuing his son. Jian Fu even thought He Dayong’s chubby frame and slightly bulging eyes made him resemble an angry pufferfish.

Li Rong nodded in agreement, his voice calm. “Yes, quite the coincidence.”

He had always been indifferent toward his two roommates, his friendliness never extending beyond surface-level politeness. 

Yet he hadn’t realized that He Changfeng was the son of He Dayong from Meijiang Pharmaceuticals.

Judging by He Changfeng’s demeanor, his family was clearly wealthy and carefree. But from Jian Fu’s description, it seemed Suhe Biotech had crushed He Dayong’s professional drive.

Having lost his own ambitions, He Dayong had likely placed all his hopes on his son. 

He’d pushed He Changfeng to study biochemistry and wanted to keep frivolous influencers from distracting him, probably in the hope that He Changfeng could achieve something meaningful.

Li Rong took a deep breath and handed the documents he’d reviewed to Cen Xiao. “I won’t be going to your apartment tonight. I’ll see if I can get anything out of He Changfeng.”

As Cen Xiao took the documents, he ground his teeth slightly. “I’ll make sure to hold Han Jiang accountable for this.”

Li Rong couldn’t suppress a chuckle and turned his head to avoid Cen Xiao’s gaze.

Jian Fu: “Huh? You’re staying at my brother’s apartment now? Didn’t you say you were fine living in the dorms?”

Li Rong shot him a glance and replied matter-of-factly, “If there’s a better option, why should I settle for less? I’m not into self-torture.”

For once, Jian Fu had no retort.

He also wished for better accommodations and disliked sharing a bathroom with two other guys.

A University required all first-year students to live in dormitories, allowing exceptions to move off-campus in their second year only for special reasons.

Cen Xiao had received approval to live in his apartment for work at District 9. The apartment was conveniently located between A University and District 9.

Now Jian Fu started scheming ways to move out earlier, thinking about good neighborhoods between A University and the Film Academy.

Mid-thought, he jolted back to reality. 

Why was he even thinking about neighborhoods near the Film Academy? 

He didn’t have a job there!

***

That evening, Li Rong returned to the dormitory only to learn he was the only one who had missed Zhang Zhaohe’s motivational meeting.

As it was still the start of the semester, most students were willing to show face for their advisors. 

However, Zhang Zhaohe maintained his usual good-natured demeanor. He pretended not to notice Li Rong’s absence and even complimented the attending students for their positive spirit.

In the common room, He Changfeng lounged with a bucket of fried chicken, eating as he watched a soccer match.

He Changfeng: “Haven’t seen you for two days. Skipping nights out this early in the term?”

Having not made it into Class A seemed to hit He Changfeng hard. He’d been in a bad mood lately, eating more junk food than ever.

For the first time, Li Rong truly paid attention to He Changfeng.

He quietly observed his roommate before softly asking, “That TV in the common area—your family sent it?”

He Changfeng bit into a drumstick, his cheeks puffed with food, and mumbled, “Yeah, the screen was too small to enjoy.”

His contributions had nearly filled the common area with his stuff, though he’d offered everything for communal use. So far, no one had dared to touch it.

Just as Li Rong was about to ask more, their other roommate, Song He, suddenly emerged from his room.

Song He’s hair was disheveled, and the dim light from his room suggested he had just woken up. Spotting Li Rong, he nervously rubbed his palms together and forced a smile.

Song He: “You’ve been out for two days. Was there something urgent at home?”

Li Rong looked at Song He but didn’t answer immediately. 

Something felt strange.

Unlike He Changfeng, who didn’t care whether Li Rong responded, Song He seemed genuinely curious about his whereabouts. Yet, he had previously been aloof, leaving early and returning late to avoid interacting with them.

Now, why was Song He suddenly so interested?

Song He became visibly uncomfortable, his lips pressed into a tight line and his hand gripping the door handle with excessive force.

From the side, He Changfeng finally glanced away from the TV and interjected, “You’re acting weird. Weren’t you the one spending all your time in the study rooms? Why’d you stop going these past two days?”

He Changfeng had no interest in Li Rong’s answer; he just wanted the dorm to himself. If not for the school rules, he’d have moved out already.

Song He quickly explained, “I thought we’d have a placement exam, and the seniors are already studying for grad school. If you don’t get to the library by 5:30 a.m., there’s no chance of finding a seat.”

Li Rong raised an eyebrow, looking slightly surprised.

Even He Changfeng turned to stare at Song He. His exaggerated response seemed oddly defensive, as if he felt exposed and was scrambling to justify himself.

Yet none of them had cared enough to question him deeply in the first place.

Song He realized that his behavior was a little unusual.

Probably still groggy from just waking up, he rubbed his face hard with his palm, finally calming down a bit. “By the way, Li Rong, you know we’re going to have a unified public class, right? We can go to school together after that.”

Li Rong blinked. He hadn’t known about this—he had muted the class group chat long ago.

Li Rong: “What public class?”

Song He: “Professor Xiao Muran’s Art History. The whole department will attend together. It was just added to the academic system today.”