Translated by: Queen Dei Mos
Novel Update Schedule: Sporadic
[dropdown title = Characters:]
Ji Bai – MC
Ji Feifei – MC’s older sister
Ji Mingzhi – MC’s father
Tao Jiazhi – MC’s mother
Old lady Ji – paternal grandmother – Ji Mingzhi’s mother
Xie Sui – ML
Cong Yuzhou – ML friend
Jiang Zhongning – ML friend
Ai Xiaoxiao – MC’s close friend
Xu Huan – MC’s close friend
Yin Xiaxia – MC’s close friend
Madam Cheng – ML’s birth mother
Chen Zheyang – Childhood friend of MC and Ji Feifei
Chen Zhenheng – Principal of Dexin High School, Father of Chen Zheyang
Director Qin – Director of Academic Affairs
Lu Weiwei – Ex-girlfriend of Jiang Zhongning
Assistant Qin – Assistant of Old Lady Ji
Ji Jing – Cousin from Eldest Uncle (Brother of Ji Mingzhi)
Li Chen – Young master of the Li Group
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you[mfn](Original Text): 您 – nín. (English): you – formal, courteous you.[/mfn] = formal speech
*Some words that are in bold were English in the original text
Ji Bai finished her homework, but Xie Sui hadn’t come back yet. Feeling a bit anxious, she sent Xie Sui a text, “Um, you know how to buy it, right?”
Xie Sui responded with a string of ellipses.
What did this mean?
Ji Bai texted him the brand she usually used, and told him to ask a store employee if he was unsure what to get.
Xie Sui replied with a few words: “I’m not an idiot.”
Who doesn’t know how to buy sanitary pads for their girlfriend!
Ji Bai just shrugged, put her phone down, and went back to reading. However, it wasn’t long before her father, Ji Mingzhi, called again. Ji Bai frowned, but picked up the phone nonetheless.
“Ji Bai! So you do know how to answer the phone?!”
From the sound of Ji Mingzhi’s voice, Ji Bai felt like he was about to go crazy, “You come to the hospital right now! This instant! If anything bad happens to your older sister, just you wait! Laozi will beat you to death tomorrow!”
Tao Jiazhi, her mother, grabbed the phone, her voice sharp with urgency. “Ji Bai, you better think this through! If anything happens to your older sister, you’ll become a murderer who stood by and did nothing!”
The good mood Ji Bai had managed to regain evaporated in a flash, leaving her feeling extremely agitated. “A murderer? Ji Feifei cut her own wrists. How can you blame me for that?”
“Why wouldn’t we blame you? You’re hiding and refusing to give her a blood transfusion. If she dies, you’ll have her blood on your hands!”
“Mom, what are you even saying? Ji Feifei herself didn’t want to live. Am I supposed to give her a blood transfusion every day she tries to commit suicide?”
“Saving your sister is your responsibility and obligation!” Ji Mingzhi’s voice, now devoid of reason, echoed from the phone. “If you don’t come to the hospital tonight, and anything happens to your older sister, we won’t let you off!”
Ji Bai’s voice grew colder. “Dad, I’m not going to the hospital. Instead of wasting your time trying to force me, why don’t you try finding a matching blood type for Ji Feifei at the blood bank?”
With that, Ji Bai slammed her finger down on the power button, turning off her phone, and then hurled it across the room as hard as she could.
Already emotionally sensitive due to her period, Ji Bai was pushed to her breaking point by her parents’ relentless pressure.
In the previous life, Ji Bai had been coerced and pressured by her parents in the same way. During the most terrifying time, she was imprisoned in a ruthless private hospital, treated like a lifeless blood-making machine. Every day, fresh blood was drawn from her causing her to grow increasingly thin and developing anemia.
Blood debts must be repaid with blood…
Every day, those were the only words Ji Bai kept repeating to herself.
Yes, blood debts must be repaid with blood.
As a result, Ji Bai was reborn.
……
A little over ten minutes later, Xie Sui unlocked the apartment with his key.
The apartment was dark and completely silent.
He frowned, reached for the switch on the wall, and flicked it on.
“Xiao Bai?”
The room was empty, and there was no trace of the girl.
Did she leave?
The large bag slipped from Xie Sui’s grasp and landed with a thud. He sat dejectedly on the sofa, rubbing his temples.
He had never felt so lonely before. He really wanted her to stay, even if it was just for one night, he wanted her to stay by his side.
At that very moment, the sound of rushing water came from the bathroom. Xie Sui sprang to his feet and headed for the bathroom.
“Xiao Bai!”
The bathroom door was half open, leaving a gap. Xie Sui didn’t go straight in, instead, he stood by the door and knocked, “Are you in there?”
Ji Bai remained silent.
“Can I come in?”
Unable to shake off his worry, Xie Sui pushed open the bathroom door.
The girl stood with her back to him under the shower, cold water steadily streaming down her body, but she seemed completely oblivious, as if in a daze.
“Are you crazy?!”
She wasn’t crazy, but Xie Sui certainly was. He rushed over disregarding everything turned off the showerhead, and then hugged her tightly.
The girl, like a rag doll, fell softly into his embrace, allowing the young man to hold her body.
Early spring weather isn’t exactly warm, coupled with tonight’s rain, even a light sweater wouldn’t be enough to ward off the chill.
The burning heat radiating off him snapped Ji Bai out of it, and she instinctively clung to him, like he was her only source of warmth.
Her body was already icy cold, and her trembling lips were muttering something about a blood debt being repaid in blood.
Xie Sui didn’t have time to listen to what she was rambling on about. He grabbed a bath towel, wrapped her in it, and wiped her trembling body.
He said, his voice full of anger, “Showering in cold water during your period, do you even want to have a baby in the future?!”
Ji Bai suddenly burst into tears, shook her head desperately, and cried in a raw, broken voice, “Xie Sui, don’t be fierce with me…I just wanted to take a shower, but I tried for so long and couldn’t get any hot water.”
As soon as she started crying, Xie Sui’s expression softened, and he frantically wiped the tears from her face with his palm.
“I’m not angry with you.” He said, pulling the bath towel away, and added helplessly, “You have to turn on the water heater valve first to get hot water. You should have waited for me to come back.”
The girl obediently nodded her head.
“Your clothes are wet and can’t be worn. Did you bring a change of clothes?”
Ji Bai held onto his waist for dear life, her eyes squeezed shut, and didn’t speak.
It looks like she didn’t bring any either.
Xie Sui tugged lightly on her soaked collar, “Are you going to take these off yourself, or should I help you?”
Ji Bai finally seemed to register what he was saying, and she whispered, “I’ll do it myself. You go out.”
He set the shower to the hot water setting, then looked back and said, “I’ll be right outside, keeping watch. Call me if you need anything.”
“Mmh.”
He closed the bathroom door, then still uneasy, warned, “Don’t go crazy again, or laozi will really get mad.”
“Mmh.”
Xie Sui found one of his own hoodies for Ji Bai. Luckily, he had the foresight to also buy her two pairs of pink, cartoon-patterned underwear. He slipped them inside the hoodie with a sanitary napkin and handed it through the bathroom door..
The girl extended a wet, fair arm and pulled the clothes inside.
“Thank you.”
The young man grunted in response.
When Ji Bai saw the items tucked inside the clothes, a wave of warmth spread through her heart.
“Is the water temperature okay?” The young man’s concerned voice came from outside the door. “Turn the water temperature up a bit, don’t catch a cold.”
“I know, it’s not cold.” Ji Bai’s voice sounded muffled.
The fact that she was showering in his bathroom was actually quite stimulating for Xie Sui.
But right now, any hint of desire he had had completely disappeared. He couldn’t stop replaying the image of the girl’s distress and desperation in the cold shower, it tore at his heart.
Xie Sui had long since noticed that Ji Bai had something on her mind. She usually acted like everything was normal, as long as no one touched that most sensitive nerve in her heart.
Xie Sui saw the phone she had thrown into the corner. He picked it up, gently dusted it off, and then put it into her school bag.
After half an hour, the bathroom door opened, and the girl walked out, enveloped in a cloud of warm mist
Her jet-black hair, still damp from the shower, cascaded over her shoulders. Her skin was fair like fresh snow, her lips as red as ripe cherries, and her curled eyelashes still held tiny droplets of water.
She was wearing Xie Sui’s oversized hoodie, which reached just above her knees, revealing her slender and beautiful legs.
Xie Sui stood by a cabinet, plugged the hairdryer into the outlet, and said in a deep voice, “Come here.”
Ji Bai obediently went over, Xie Sui lifted her up as easily as if she were a doll, and sat her on the cabinet. He switched on the hairdryer and began to dry her hair.
The hairdryer made a roaring sound, and sent warm air through Ji Bai’s damp hair.
She could feel the young man’s calloused hands gently tousling her hair, lifting one strand at a time and then another, carefully blow drying each section.
Ji Bai sat obediently on the cabinet, clutching the hem of the oversized hoodie to cover her fair thighs. She was as docile as a kitten, occasionally nuzzling his wrist with her cheek.
“Xie Sui, you’re so good to me.”
Xie Sui let out a sarcastic hmph, “Now you know laozi is good?”
“No, I knew that before.” Ji Bai’s voice was faint, “But before, I didn’t dare get close to you…”
“Scared?”
Ji Bai lowered her head, laughing quietly, revealing a glimpse of her perfect white teeth, “I’m really scared of you.”
She was so afraid she would implicate Xie Sui, so afraid something would happen to him, causing him to give up on himself like in their previous life. She was also so afraid of…him going crazy for her.
Naturally, Xie Sui had no idea what was going through Ji Bai’s mind. His hand faltered briefly, then he resumed gently stroking her hair.
“Don’t be afraid of me. I don’t have the heart to bully you.”
Ji Bai raised her beautiful deer-like eyes and looked at him.
Under the soft glow of the light, his sharp features also appeared more gentle. With pronounced eyebrows that shaded his dark eyes, giving him a dangerous yet affectionate look
Ji Bai knew that choosing Xie Sui would mean a much more treacherous and difficult path. Xie Sui would become the only thing tying her to her life, for better or worse.
Once a person has attachments, they’ll be riddled with weaknesses.
But this solitary young man could also become her sole comfort and refuge in this cold and indifferent world.
Ji Bai spotted the red string dangling from Xie Sui’s neck. Following the string, she pulled out the crying white jade Guanyin pendant that hung from it.
The shiny and warm jade carried his body temperature. Ji Bai gently stroked the white jade Guanyin and whispered, “Xie Sui, please always stay safe and sound.”
“Why do you always have to say those words to me?” Xie Sui furrowed his eyebrows, “It’s as if laozi is really going to get into trouble.”
Ji Bai spat out a “Pah, pah, pah!” and patted his shoulder with force, “Don’t talk nonsense. I just want you to be careful.”
Xie Sui put the Guanyin back inside his collar and said impatiently, “Again, I’m not an idiot. Nobody sees danger and deliberately walks right into it.”
“Some people are just plain idiots.”
“Who are you talking about?!”
“Who’s talking about whom?!”
Xie Sui messed up Ji Bai’s long hair. Ji Bai laughed and playfully wrestled with him, but she couldn’t match Xie Sui. With a few swift moves, Xie Sui subdued her, picked her up, and tossed her onto the soft single bed. However, his center of gravity was also unstable, and he tumbled into the blanket with her.
The two looked at each other, their breathing somewhat hurried.
In the quiet air, an ambiguous atmosphere slowly fermented.
Ji Bai gave him a shove, but couldn’t push him away. So, she rolled herself into the corner, covered her entire body with the bedsheet, burrowed into the blanket, and muffled a response——
“Xie Sui, go to the sofa.”
“What’s there to be scared of?” The young man said, lying flat beside her, his elbows propping up the back of his head. He gazed at the ceiling and murmured, “You have that, what could I possibly do to you?”
It was her time of the month. Even if he wanted to…he couldn’t.
He reached over and turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness.
Ji Bai poked her small head out from under the blanket, secretly looking at the boy beside her. A single ray of streetlight filtered in from outside the window, landing perfectly on the young man’s long eyelashes. His eyes were closed, as if he were asleep.
“Xiao Bai, marry me in the future.” He said out of the blue.
A blush crept up Ji Bai’s cheeks, and she burrowed deeper under the blanket, her voice muffled as she asked, “Why would you say something like that out of nowhere?”
“Marry me. I’ll hold you every night while you sleep. Wouldn’t that be great?” Having said this, he leaned in and gathered the girl, who was wrapped in the blanket like a silkworm, into his arms.
“Hey… you…don’t push your luck!”
What happened to sleeping on the sofa?!
Xie Sui chuckled softly, then nudged her neck with his firm nose. He then reluctantly let her go and moved to sleep by the very edge of the bed, “Sleep with ease, laozi won’t touch you.”
Ji Bai scooted towards the inner side of the bed, where it was against the wall, giving her a full sense of security.
Her hands were placed on her chest, clutching the soft bedsheet. The covers carried the scent of down feathers and also a hint of the young man’s scent.
She closed her eyes with a sense of calm.
Beside her, his breathing gradually became even.
Perhaps feeling a bit restless in an unfamiliar bed, Ji Bai hadn’t fallen asleep yet. She gently called out Xie Sui’s name, but he didn’t respond.
He seemed to be sound asleep.
Ji Bai slowly nestled against his broad back, covered him with the bedsheet, and then curled up behind him like a kitten.
Leaning against the young man’s side, Ji Bai could fall asleep peacefully, even if it were the end of the world tomorrow.
“I will marry you.” She whispered, pressing her forehead against his firm back, her voice a low, velvety whisper that sounded like a dream. “Xie Sui, I will marry you.”
**
That night, Xie Sui couldn’t sleep well.
Having spent a great deal of energy at the boxing gym, he should have slept soundly until dawn. Yet with the girl pressed against his back, he simply couldn’t bring himself to sleep.
The girl slept peacefully, her delicate features as soft as a flower, and her scent enveloped him.
He couldn’t bring himself to move, not even a little. It wasn’t just that she was on her period today, even if she weren’t, Xie Sui would never intentionally hurt her.
He could only endure it himself.
He gently disentangled himself from her, even nudging her slightly away, and turned away, shutting his eyes tight.
However, the girl’s sleep also seemed particularly restless. She instinctively sought out warmth, and before long, she snuggled behind Xie Sui once again.
Xie Sui helplessly opened his eyes in the dark.
Sleep was out of the question.
……
Early in the morning, Ji Bai woke up, still half-asleep, to find the space beside her empty, with no trace of the young man.
Ji Bai sat up and put on Xie Sui’s oversized flip-flops. She wandered around the room and spotted him out on the balcony.
He stood shirtless with his back to her, gazing into the distance from the balcony, where the first light of the sun was coming through.
A sharp golden line divided night and day in the east, while the fiery clouds of the first light of the morning painted half the sky red.
The young man’s sharp profile was perfectly aligned with the rising sun, which bathed him in a soft, golden light.
His upper body was upright, with smooth, sculpted muscles. He leaned with one hand on the balcony railing, while the other held a half-finished cigarette. In the sunlight, his light brown eyes appeared clear and bright.
Ji Bai glanced down at the time, it was just after six o’clock.
“You’re up so early.”
Upon hearing her, Xie Sui instantly put out the half-finished cigarette and said. “Didn’t wake up early, didn’t get any fucking…”
sleep at all.
Xie Sui cut himself off mid-sentence. Walking over, he roughly picked up the girl and carried her back inside. “You sleep a little longer. I’ll go out and buy you breakfast.”
Ji Bai’s body felt a bit sore, so she obediently climbed back into the soft bed.
It was Saturday today, so there was no need to wake up early. Still feeling drowsy, she burrowed back into the blanket and fished out her phone.
Her mother, Tao Jiazhi, had gone on a posting spree on her WeChat Moments last night. She shared several “koi” posts in a row, praying for her daughter’s well-being. The last one was a thank-you post koi for fulfilling her wish, with the caption——
“Her father spent all night pulling every connection he had to find compatible blood for Fei Fei at the provincial blood bank. Our child walked the line between life and death and her mental state is not good. But the doctors say she’s out of danger. Thanks to everyone who showed concern for Fei Fei. We’re deeply grateful!”
Seeing this message, Ji Bai wasn’t really surprised.
While Ji Feifei’s panda blood was rare, in a city the size of Jiang City, there were bound to be compatible donors if they looked hard enough.
After Ji Bai ran away from the hospital in the previous life, didn’t Ji Feifei end up perfectly alive and well anyway?
Her parents just felt that with Ji Bai as a ready-made “blood bank”, there was no need to bother searching for other donors.
Therefore, only when they realized that Ji Bai wouldn’t unconditionally provide blood for Ji Feifei in times of danger, would they consider other ways to solve the problem.
Ji Bai set her phone aside, shut her eyes as exhaustion washed over her again.
This time, she completely let go of her heart and drifted off into a deep and peaceful sleep, pushing all her worries to the back of her mind.
Xie Sui’s single bed wasn’t big, but he had put on a newly sun-dried down blanket. He had gone out of his way to add several mattress toppers for her, making it so soft and incredibly comfortable to sleep on.
Yet, this narrow single bed also freed Ji Bai from worry and gave a feeling of home.
Here, she could let her guard down completely and be free from all disputes and worries.
Xie Sui came back with warm buns, soy milk, and fried dough sticks in hand. The girl was already fast asleep. He put the food into an insulated box, quietly approached the side of the bed, knelt down, and gazed at her gentle and beautiful sleeping face.
She was in a deep asleep, her breaths soft and steady, her face showing an innocent and defenseless expression.
Xie Sui couldn’t help but smile. He then extended a long finger and gently traced the outline of the girl’s delicate features, from her eyebrows to her eyes.
“Xiao Bai.” he softly called her. “Xiao Bai~”
The girl stirred vaguely letting out a sleepy, “Hmm?”
He leaned closer to her ear and whispered, “Who does Xiao Bai like the most in this world?”
“Not…telling you.” The girl unconsciously turned over, continuing to sleep.
“Let’s try a different question.” Xie Sui crawled to the other side of the bed, his voice still hushed, “Why does Xiao Bai like Xie Sui?”
“Then…you have to keep it a secret”
“Of course.”
Then the girl, in a soft, dreamlike murmur, gently said, “He’s good to me…”
Xie Sui smiled with his head down, affectionately stroking her hair, “Little fool, you like him just because he treats you well?”
“Back then, he became a taxi driver and saved up a thousand yuan to buy me a gorgeous black swan necklace. I absolutely adored it…”
Xie Sui’s lips twitched slightly. He brought his hand near Ji Bai’s face, tempted to wake her up and ask her more about it.
When did he ever drive a taxi, let alone buy a thousand yuan necklace?
Still, he stopped for a second, and decided to let her continue to sleep.
This girl was probably just dreaming.
……
When Ji Bai woke up again, it was already 9 AM. Xie Sui had his long legs crossed on the desk, leaning against the chair, and engrossed in a math textbook. Every now and then, he would pick up a calculator and tap away.
Hugging her blanket, she rolled around on the bed a couple of times, then stretched with a long, satisfying yawn, “Ahhh~~I slept great! It’s like being on vacation.”
As he solved problems on the side, Xie Sui offhandedly commented, “Then, Miss Bai, you’re welcome to have a vacation here every day.”
“Tsk, why call me Miss Bai.” Ji Bai sat up, letting her legs dangle over the side of the bed, and asked him with a smile, “Can I sleep in your bed every day?”
“Naturally.” Xie Sui said, a faint smile playing on his lips. “Though, I can’t guarantee that next time you’ll be so lucky, arriving in one piece and leaving in one piece…”
Ji Bai didn’t catch the hidden meaning in his words. She put on her flip-flops and asked, her curiosity piqued, “So, Brother Sui, are you planning to dismember my arms or legs?”
“Why would I dismember your arms or legs?”
“Then what do you want to do?”
Xie Sui closed his textbook, looked at Ji Bai, a mischievous smirk playing on his lips, “I want (to do) you.”
He mouthed the last word, “you” with a sensual curve of his lips.
“……”
Okay, Ji Bai got it, and didn’t say another word.
Ji Bai stayed at Xie Sui’s house until the afternoon before leaving, but instead of going home, she went straight to the hospital.
She knew that in the hospital, what awaited her would be a battlefield, but she had to go, there was no avoiding it.
Ji Feifei had always stayed in high-end private hospitals. These hospitals offered much better conditions and facilities than public ones, but at the same time, because of the sky-high medical bills, they served only the wealthy elite. This meant there were many unknown shady dealings within.
In the previous life, Ji Bai was imprisoned in a private hospital like this. Driven by hefty rewards, the doctors abandoned their professional ethics, disregarded her health and well-being, and drew her blood relentlessly.
Had it been a public hospital instead, such a thing would have been completely impossible.
Ji Bai waited until both their parents had left Ji Feifei’s VIP room before she finally went in.
In the brightly lit room, Ji Feifei was lying on the hospital bed. Beside her were complex medical monitoring equipment. Her left hand was receiving an IV drip, and her right wrist, which had bled, was wrapped in white bandages.
Her face was completely drained of color, exceptionally pale, and her overall condition was extremely poor, making her look utterly lifeless.
Upon seeing Ji Bai silently walk into the hospital room, Ji Feifei got nervous, “What are you doing here?! What are you planning to do to me?!”
She was afraid of Ji Bai.
Only people who have a guilty conscience would show such a frightened expression.
Ji Bai walked to the bedside and looked down at her, “Rest assured, I’m not going to do anything to you.”
She didn’t want to dirty her hands.
The fear on Ji Feifei’s face morphed into hatred, almost contorting her features, “I hate you!”
With a blank face, Ji Bai stated, “I know.”
“Yesterday you almost…got me killed!”
Ji Bai extended her hand to feel her bandaged right wrist, “Me, harm you? Ji Feifei, from start to finish, it was you harming yourself. You wanted to use this method to get revenge on me, did you really think I would just unconditionally cater to your every need?”
“Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?!” Ji Feifei bit her lip, staring daggers at her, “This is your fate. You were born for my sake, and you should also die for my sake!”
“I’ve already died for you once.” Ji Bai said, her voice tight with suppressed emotion. “If death comes without a price, then life holds no value. Blood debts must be repaid with blood, Ji Feifei, your good days are behind you.”
Ji Feifei’s eyes trembled for a long time. She looked at Ji Bai standing before her, like she was seeing a demon that crawled out of hell.
Was she there to take her life?!
Last night, when Ji Feifei repeatedly went into shock from excessive blood loss, never before had she been so close to death.
Previously, due to the excellent medical attention her parents arranged, she hadn’t felt how terrifying her illness was. On the contrary, the illness had brought her countless benefits, fame and fortune, filling the bottomless pit of vanity of a young girl.
It was only last night, as she narrowly escaped death again and again, that she truly felt fear, a bone-chilling terror.
She didn’t want to die, she really didn’t want to die!
Yet, her “blood bank” abruptly disappeared, and no one could reach her. That night, Ji Feifei finally understood what true despair was.
Her eyes bloodshot, Ji Feifei asked, “Ji Bai, why…why have you become like this?”
It’s not supposed to be this way! Her younger sister, the cowardly one who never dared to say a word even when scolded, the one who was taught from a young age to always yield to her older sister, and prioritize sibling bonds, how could she have turned out like this?
Ji Feifei really couldn’t wrap her head around it.
“Do you want to know?” Ji Bai let go of her wrist, bent down close, and said in a deathly cold voice, “Then I’ll tell you a secret, Ji Bai died once, and now she’s been reborn.”
Ji Feifei’s eyes suddenly narrowed, and then her entire body began to tremble uncontrollably, “You…what kind of ghost story are you spinning?!”
“A ghost story?” Ji Bai laughed, coldly admiring the twisted expression on her face, “In that small room, I was chained to a freezing hospital bed. How scared and desperate I was then, Ji Feifei, and you call that a ghost story? Let me tell you, that feeling was ten thousand times more horrifying than any ghost story!”
Ji Feifei remained trapped in immense fear, unable to come back to her senses.
She gently patted Ji Feifei’s deathly pale cheek, “It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. Everything I’ve been through…older sister will experience it one by one.”
T/N:
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