Blood Draw
In the darkness, Ji Bai caught the scent of disinfectant.
She opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was the hospital wall, covered in cold white tiles.
Suddenly, a faint prick of pain came from her left arm.
Ji Bai lowered her head and saw that the sharp needle had already pierced her pale skin. Dark-red blood slowly crawled through the long, narrow tube like an earthworm.
She jerked backwards, instinctively reaching to pull out the blood-drawing needle.
At that moment, a pair of warm, firm hands pressed down hard on her shoulders.
“Bai Bai, don’t be afraid. It’ll be over soon.”
Ji Bai turned her head and saw the gentle, kindly smile of her mother, Tao Jiazhi.
At this time, Tao Jiazhi’s black hair was still thick, her face smooth and youthful, with hardly any wrinkles. She looked much younger, and her expression was far gentler than Ji Bai remembered.
Ji Bai had been reborn.
She had returned to the year she was seventeen.
Her mother spoke softly beside her ear. “Don’t be afraid. They’re only taking one bag of blood. Bai Bai is the great hero protecting her big sister.”
Tao Jiazhi had repeated those words ever since Ji Bai was old enough to remember, continuing all the way until she turned twenty-five.
Ji Bai’s older sister, Ji Feifei, had been diagnosed with haemophilia at birth. She suffered from a severe blood-clotting disorder and required regular blood transfusions.
Unfortunately, she also had the extremely rare Rh-negative AB blood type—the so-called “panda blood.” It was almost impossible to find such precious blood in the hospital’s blood bank. Their parents were Rh-negative type A and type B respectively, so neither could donate blood to her.
To treat their eldest daughter’s illness, their parents put everything on the line and decided to have another child who could serve as her “living blood bank.”
And so, Ji Bai was born the following year.
Fortunately for them, Ji Bai also had Rh-negative AB blood. Her blood type was a perfect match for her sister’s.
That was when Ji Bai’s nightmare began…
In the early years, her sister’s physical condition had been relatively stable, and her complications had not been too severe. At most, she required a transfusion once every six months.
However, after Ji Feifei entered university, her condition began to deteriorate. The frequency of the blood draws increased—from once every six months to once every three months, then once a month, and eventually once every few days.
In her previous life, Ji Bai had not wanted to have her blood drawn all the time. She was terrified of pain.
Her parents had responded by morally blackmailing her. If she refused, then she was heartless and did not care about her own family.
Because of the frequent blood draws, Ji Bai developed anaemia. When she finally refused to continue donating blood to her sister, her parents fiercely condemned her. They even locked her inside the hospital and forced her to give blood.
Later, Ji Bai died in an accident.
Her mother cried.
She cried as she said that Feifei had lost her source of blood, so what was she supposed to do in the future?
In the eyes of her “gentle and loving” parents, Ji Bai’s only value had been as her sister’s living blood bank.
Now that she had returned to the age of seventeen, Ji Bai did not want to repeat the tragedy of her previous life.
She wanted a normal life.
While her thoughts wandered, the doctor finished drawing two hundred millilitres of blood. He said to Tao Jiazhi, “When you get home, make her some food that helps replenish the blood, such as stir-fried pork liver. Try to help her recover as much as possible.”
Tao Jiazhi repeatedly nodded before stroking Ji Bai’s head.
“Bai Bai is such a good girl. What would you like to eat tonight? Mummy will make it for you.”
Ji Bai tilted her head slightly, avoiding her touch.
She stood and walked out of the room, leaning against the hospital’s cold wall. Her brain was temporarily receiving insufficient blood, leaving her slightly dizzy.
Just then, Ji Feifei came out carrying her test results.
She asked with concern, “Xiao Bai, are you all right? Are you feeling unwell?”
In her previous life, her sister had also appeared to care for and protect her like this.
Ji Bai had actually believed that Ji Feifei genuinely treated her well.
But beneath that hypocritical exterior, Ji Feifei had endlessly deprived and exploited her.
It was not merely Ji Bai’s body and health that she had taken, but also their parents’ love, their relatives’ concern…
Every resource Ji Bai should have received while growing up had been stolen by Ji Feifei.
This time, she would not be fooled again.
Ji Bai coldly avoided her and turned away, waiting for the dizziness to pass.
Tao Jiazhi gently helped Ji Feifei roll up her sleeve as they waited for the doctor to process the freshly drawn blood.
Ji Feifei glanced at her younger sister standing in the corner and said worriedly, “Little Sister seems to be blaming me. She won’t even speak to me. Mum, I feel so guilty.”
Tao Jiazhi comforted her. “It’s only natural for her to supply you with blood. You’re biological sisters, after all.”
Ji Feifei lowered her head sadly and said with great sincerity, “Little Sister, please don’t blame me, all right?”
Here she went again.
Ji Feifei always portrayed herself as the most pitiful child in the world. The entire family felt sorry for her because she was not only sick, but also burdened with guilt.
Meanwhile, whenever Ji Bai fiercely resisted, their relatives would criticise her.
Why couldn’t she think about her sister for once?
Couldn’t she see how pitifully her sister was crying?
Her parents had given her life, so what was wrong with giving her sister a little blood?
Under pressure from the entire family, Ji Bai had rolled up her sleeve again and again.
Just like now, when Tao Jiazhi reproached her, “Bai Bai, your sister is only concerned about you. How can you ignore her?”
This time, Ji Bai was much calmer.
She said indifferently, “Big Sister is overthinking it. We’re sisters, so we should help one another. I don’t blame you.”
Ji Feifei froze slightly before nodding vigorously.
By the time the transfusion was finished, it was already six in the evening.
Their father, Ji Mingzhi, had parked his Mercedes outside the hospital.
After their mother led the sisters into the car, Ji Mingzhi asked, “What did the doctor say?”
“Feifei’s condition is still relatively stable.”
“That’s a relief.”
Ji Bai remembered that her sister’s condition had been stable throughout their high school years. She had not needed transfusions often—once every six months at most—which was still within a range Ji Bai could endure.
However, after her sister turned twenty-three, her illness relapsed. The frequency of Ji Bai’s blood draws increased sharply, eventually causing Ji Bai to develop anaemia as well.
Ji Bai silently made up her mind.
She would use this period to escape from her parents’ grasp. She would never allow them to control her again.
Now that she had been given a second chance, she did not want to remain nothing more than an accessory used to prolong her sister’s life.
Ji Bai rested her head against the car window, quietly envisioning her future.
Through the rear-view mirror, Tao Jiazhi noticed Ji Bai’s listless appearance and asked with concern, “Bai Bai, are you tired?”
Ji Bai gave a quiet hum. “A little.”
“Then take a nap in the car,” Tao Jiazhi said. “You still need to memorise your script when we get home. There are only a few days left before the press interview. You must cooperate fully with your sister.”
“I understand.”
Because Ji Feifei had fought bravely against her illness, she had previously been featured by the news media. She now had a certain degree of fame and had become an inspirational Weibo celebrity with more than a million followers.
To further promote her bright, cheerful and positive image, Dexin High School had invited reporters from CCTV to organise a large-scale inspirational interview.
Ji Bai had also been invited onstage to tell the story of her sister’s battle against illness.
In her previous life, a reporter had asked Ji Bai whether she had voluntarily donated blood to her sister.
Ji Bai had answered bluntly, “No. I don’t want to because having my blood drawn hurts.”
Later, her words—“I don’t want to because it hurts”—were furiously attacked by enraged netizens.
“Selfish and heartless!”
“Have you ever thought about your sister, who is suffering from an illness? Does it hurt you more than it hurts her?”
“It’s only a needle! Why are you being so dramatic?”
Ji Bai suffered relentless online abuse from countless strangers, and at one point, her emotions completely broke down.
This time, she would not be so foolish.
—
The interview was scheduled to take place inside the school’s lecture theatre.
The two sisters arrived backstage early to prepare.
In front of the brightly lit makeup mirror, a makeup artist was applying foundation to Ji Bai’s face. She tried several different shades but was dissatisfied with all of them.
The young girl’s skin was simply too pale!
It was also smooth, radiant and completely flawless. Even the lightest porcelain foundation was unable to match her complexion.
“Young lady, your skin is incredible!”
The makeup artist clicked her tongue in admiration.
Ji Bai was not only fair-skinned, but also extraordinarily beautiful. The makeup artist had worked in the industry for many years and seen countless pretty girls, yet this young lady was different from all of them.
She had beautiful black eyes, clear and luminous, making her resemble a porcelain doll. There was also an indescribable liveliness and intelligence about her.
“With your looks, you don’t even need makeup.”
“Thank you.”
Ji Bai smiled politely, revealing two adorable little rabbit teeth.
She truly possessed an appearance that others would envy.
Unfortunately, after developing anaemia in her previous life, her skin had gradually lost its lustre. She had become pale and sickly, and was no longer beautiful.
The makeup artist was still selecting a suitable foundation for Ji Bai when her sister emerged wearing a beautiful dress.
Ji Feifei said to the makeup artist, “My makeup has smudged. Come and touch it up for me.”
“But I’m not finished over here yet. Could you wait for a moment?”
“She’ll only be interviewed for a few minutes, so she doesn’t really need makeup. I’m the main subject today.”
The makeup artist glanced at Ji Bai.
Ji Bai said, “It’s fine. Go and do my sister’s makeup.”
The makeup artist had no choice but to pick up her makeup palette and walk over to Ji Feifei.
Compared with Ji Bai, Ji Feifei’s appearance was far more ordinary.
Although her features bore some resemblance to Ji Bai’s, her face was slightly swollen from excess nutrition, making her features appear less defined. Her complexion was not particularly healthy either.
Ji Bai remained seated alone in front of the mirror and began applying her own makeup.
At that moment, her phone received an encouraging meme from her group chat with her best friends.
“Bai Bai, you’ve got this! You’re the fattest!”
Ji Bai smiled and replied with another meme:
“I really want to beat the crap out of all of you, but I’m afraid of going to prison.”
“Are you all in the studio already?”
“Yeah, yeah! We’re all waiting for you in the audience. It’s an interview with CCTV! This is a rare opportunity, so don’t embarrass yourself!”
Ji Bai was still typing her response when the girls abruptly changed the subject.
“By the way, I think I just saw Xie Sui.”
“What? Our school’s Xie Sui? The Xie Sui who’s insanely good at both boxing and racing?”
“That’s him!”
“Why would he come to watch the interview?”
“Who knows?”
…
Her best friends continued discussing him among themselves.
Xie Sui was a rather mysterious person.
It would not be wrong to call him one of the school’s big shots, but he was nothing like those arrogant tyrants who strutted around campus as though they owned the world.
He kept a low profile and never openly showed off in public places at school by smoking or fighting.
But everyone knew he was no good boy.
Every day, he and several of his friends went in and out of underground boxing gyms, earning money through fights.
He was also obsessed with racing. On high-speed bends, he was always the driver with the least regard for his own life…
In her previous life, Ji Bai had barely interacted with Xie Sui at school.
There was something wicked and unsettling about the way he smiled, and it had always made her skin crawl.
However, her sister, Ji Feifei, seemed to be very fond of bad boys like him.
On that snowy night, Ji Bai had escaped from the hospital.
Because of the extreme cold and her severe anaemia, she collapsed on the street.
It was Xie Sui who carried her back to his home and took meticulous care of her.
They had only spent a few short months together, yet in those dark, bottomless eyes of his, Ji Bai had seen a kind of love and tenderness carved deep into his bones.
…
Ji Bai took a deep breath and put down her phone.
Facing the mirror, she applied her lipstick herself.
Almost unconsciously, she chose the vivid, true red shade that Xie Sui had always liked most.
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