The Sickly Beauty Gives Up Struggling [Rebirth] Chapter 90

“Art History? Why is our major taking an art history class?” Li Rong asked, puzzled.

Song He froze for a moment, clearly unprepared to answer. 

He had only brought up the topic to steer the conversation away from himself and had never considered why the class was suddenly added.

He Changfeng snorted, clearly displeased about the unexpected addition. “You don’t know Xiao Muran is a guest professor? When she wants to teach, the school immediately arranges it. Since it’s a general lecture for the year, you can skip it if you want—no one cares.”

Song He dryly added, “We don’t have many classes this semester anyway. Besides, this professor is famous. When the time comes… we could go together.”

Even just suggesting they attend the class together made Song He blush. His clenched fists trembled slightly with nervousness.

Li Rong could tell at a glance that Song He had ulterior motives. 

He was far too tense and seemed internally conflicted, which made his actions appear awkward.

Li Rong glanced at Song He meaningfully before turning his attention to He Changfeng. “A randomly scheduled class like this should be for humanities students. Why is it assigned to our science and engineering department?”

He wasn’t genuinely interested in the question—he just wanted to sidestep Song He’s invitation.

He Changfeng shrugged, placing his bucket of chicken wings on the small table and wiping his oily hands with a tissue. “Who knows? It’s just four lectures, and there’s no exam.”

Li Rong frowned. “How annoying. I’m only interested in biochemistry, not art.”

He Changfeng gave him a sidelong glance, his expression unreadable. “Heh, I’m not even interested in biochemistry.”

He thought to himself, Li Rong has the nerve to say he’s interested in biochemistry? If he were truly passionate, he’d be in Zhang Zhaohe’s class? That so-called interest is as good as gone.

Li Rong raised an eyebrow. “Oh, was it your province’s guaranteed admissions policy that restricted your choice of majors?”

He Changfeng scratched his head irritably, bouncing his knee. “No, my dad insisted I choose it.”

Li Rong lowered his gaze slightly, subtly coaxing, “With your family’s wealth, why pick such a demanding and competitive major?”

Song He, sensing he couldn’t get a word in, moved his lips but ultimately gave up trying to interject.

Still, he didn’t return to his room, opting instead to quietly listen.

He Changfeng pursed his lips. “My family runs a pharmaceutical company. If I don’t study this, how am I supposed to inherit it one day?”

When he mentioned his family’s company, his tone carried a sense of pride. 

Clearly, the comfortable life his father He Dayong had provided satisfied him.

He Changfeng seemed unaware of his father’s frustrations, believing his pursuit of biochemistry was solely for the sake of inheriting the company. In truth, He Dayong likely wanted him to forge his own path and make a name for himself.

Li Rong: “A pharmaceutical company… I’ve only heard of Suhe Biotech.”

He Changfeng frowned slightly. “Suhe? Our family’s close with them. My dad often dines with their CEO.”

Although he knew Meijiang Pharmaceuticals wasn’t as prominent, his pride wouldn’t allow him to lose face. He quickly emphasized their strong ties with Suhe Biotech.

Li Rong smiled faintly, a trace of admiration in his expression. “Then you won’t have to worry about internships in the future. Suhe Biotech’s positions are highly competitive.”

He Changfeng enjoyed the subtle praise. “Getting into Suhe as an intern isn’t that hard. I’ve seen lots of interns when I visited their offices. But it’s tough to land a permanent position.”

In reality, even securing an internship at Suhe was challenging. Thanks to their flagship product, Jiaketing, the company had grown rapidly in recent years, becoming one of the top pharmaceutical companies in the country. They attracted a flood of applicants, selecting only the cream of the crop.

Song He, unfamiliar with Suhe Biotech, didn’t interrupt. His socioeconomic background had left him with limited exposure to such information.

For the first 18 years of his life, he had been focused solely on excelling in academics within the rigid framework of standardized education. It wasn’t until university that he realized how much others knew—and how little he did.

Sharing a dorm with someone like He Changfeng further highlighted the stark differences in their social standing.

But what about Li Rong?

Song He couldn’t figure him out. On one hand, Li Rong didn’t flaunt wealth like He Changfeng, nor did his family intervene to transfer him out of Zhang Zhaohe’s class after he was mistakenly placed there.

On the other hand, Li Rong didn’t seem insecure or lacking confidence, as Song He himself often felt.

Li Rong smiled as he grabbed a yogurt from He Changfeng’s stockpile and waved it in front of him. “Borrowing this. I’m heading back to my room.”

He Changfeng, generous as always, said, “Take it, it’s yours.”

Exchanging small items like this signified a subtle improvement in their dormitory dynamics.

Besides, He Changfeng had a latent need for validation as a “rich second generation.” Li Rong, by indulging this need, managed to lower his guard.

Back in his room, Li Rong set the yogurt aside and logged into the academic system to check his schedule.

Sure enough, the newly added Art History course was listed.

The class was only four sessions long, one per week, and would conclude within a month.

Curious, Li Rong searched for more information and discovered that Professor Xiao Muran was teaching only two majors this term: the literature department and the biochemistry department. They hadn’t even scheduled a class for Cen Xiao’s business management department.

This made it hard for Li Rong to dismiss the suspicion that Xiao Muran’s actions were directed at him.

Pressing his temples, Li Rong couldn’t shake the feeling that trouble was brewing.

In his previous life, even with all the reckless things he and Cen Xiao had done, Xiao Muran had restrained herself and stayed out of sight. Why was she showing up so quickly this time?

Cen Qing and Xiao Muran must have realized by now that Cen Xiao entered District Nine to help overturn his case.

Li Rong, putting himself in Xiao Muran’s shoes, figured Xiao Muran probably wouldn’t want Cen Xiao risking everything for him and involving the Xiao and Cen families in the process.

Unbidden, the scene from Song Yuanyuan’s birthday party replayed in his mind.

If Xiao Muran were to toss him a wad of cash as well, how would he explain that he and Cen Xiao were still madly in love and reluctant to part? 

Perhaps it would be better not to explain at all—arguing might only make Xiao Muran angrier.

Li Rong sighed softly.

When he hadn’t cared about Cen Xiao, he never feared offending Xiao Muran or Cen Qing. In fact, he found their meddling entertaining—the more chaos, the better.

But now, things were different. Caring meant worrying about how to get along with Cen Xiao’s parents.

This wasn’t something he could shoulder alone. He immediately called Cen Xiao.

The moment Cen Xiao answered, before Li Rong could say anything, Cen Xiao spoke in a low voice: “I was just thinking about you.”

The bed felt unbearably empty, filling him with discomfort. He touched the pillow beside him, which still seemed to carry Li Rong’s scent.

All he could think was that once this ordeal was over, he had to bring Li Rong back to bed.

Li Rong chuckled lightly, eyes fixed on the course selection screen, his hand propping up his chin. “Your mom’s teaching a class in our department this Wednesday. What are you going to do about it?”

Cen Xiao responded with a question: “My mom?”

Li Rong sighed. “Give me one good reason she’s not here because of me.”

After a moment of silence, Cen Xiao broke Li Rong’s delusion with brutal honesty. “She probably is here because of you.”

Li Rong frowned in frustration. “If she tells me to stay away from you, should I lie to her?”

Cen Xiao smiled, his voice reassuring. “Don’t worry, she won’t treat you like that.”

“Ugh,” Li Rong muttered, pursing his lips. “How can you be so sure?”

Cen Xiao replied, “I have to go to District Nine on Wednesday to submit some documents, but after that, I’ll come find you. When you meet her… you’ll understand.”

Cen Xiao understood Xiao Muran’s intentions—she was probably unsatisfied with just petting cats and couldn’t resist coming to “pet” the real-life version.

If Xiao Muran had managed to restrain herself in the past—avoiding any contact with Li Qingli and steering clear of the Li family—that restraint seemed to have crumbled after learning that Cen Xiao had gotten involved. It was as if she had decided to throw caution to the wind.

With Li Qingli now having only Li Rong as a descendant, Xiao Muran’s feelings of guilt and regret for Li Qingli were bound to extend to Li Rong as well.

The more support they could garner for their plans, the better.

The Xiao family, in this generation, had only Xiao Muran as a daughter. Now that she was involved, the Xiao family might be forced to step into the fray as well.

Her grandparents, pillars of the cultural world and respected figures with great influence, could prove useful in the future.

Li Rong narrowed his eyes slightly and warned, “If your mom gives me a hard time, I’ll hold you accountable for it.”

Cen Xiao chuckled softly. “When have you not held me accountable for everything? Apple?”

Li Rong: “…”

Though they both tacitly understood the subtext of their conversation, openly bringing up matters from their past lives like this—was that really appropriate?

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