Bad Blood - Chapter 1

“Two years ago, Li Mujin sexually assaulted and tortured a female student from the same school, evading legal punishment due to ‘insufficient evidence’ and ‘schizophrenia.’ Last night, a reporter spotted him, supposedly under treatment, at a bar street, flanked by a woman on each arm and surrounded by friends.”

Li Mujin, male, eighteen years old, comes from a prominent family background: his grandfather was the former director of the Political Department of the provincial People’s Procuratorate, his father is the commissioner of the Public Security Department, his mother a deputy head of the Air Force Art Troupe and a national first-class actress, and his aunt is the founder of one of the top 100 enterprises in the country…

Early in the morning, the mist enveloped Jiu Mountain. The serene mid-mountain villa was so quiet that the loud and clear voice of a female TV anchor penetrated the air, waking up the woman in bed.

She got out of bed naked, staggered into the bathroom in three steps.

Atop Jiu Mountain, there’s a temple where the morning bells and evening drums resonate in a clear, long-lasting rhythm, sounding like pebbles thrown into a deep pond, their echo spreading like ripples across the water.

After her shower, the woman gathered her clothes from around the room, dressed, grabbed a piece of candy from the table, popped it into her mouth, and started stuffing the scattered money into her bag. Before leaving, she glanced at Li Mujin, who was still sound asleep on the bed.

The morning sun lit up half of his body, an unfortunate beauty wasted on a scoundrel.

With a cold laugh, she decided not to linger. Just as she reached the door, it was kicked open from outside, a gust of wind blowing her hair.

A middle-aged man stormed in, rushed to the bed, grabbed Li Mujin by the hair, and yanked him up, delivering a loud slap across his face.

The woman screamed in fright, covered her mouth, and retreated, turning to run. However, a middle-aged woman who followed him in quickly grabbed her and handed her over to two bodyguards at the door, whispering, “Keep an eye on her.”

A flurry of punches and kicks ensued at the bedside, accompanied by curses, “Useless trash! What use are you to me! Always causing trouble! Just how much trouble do I have to clean up after you! Who the hell let you go out? And to a bar! Flirting around!”

When his hands weren’t enough, the man picked up a guitar and struck Li Mujin on the head, blood spattering, a horrifying sight.

“People even saw you! Did I slaughter your entire family in a past life to deserve you as a son in this one, to settle your debts!” His eyes red, veins bulging as if to deny their father-son relationship, “Not even Manjusri can restrain you! What are you if not a cursed being!”

The woman watched indifferently, her expression only slightly changing when the blood flowed, as if disassociating herself from her maternal relationship with Li Mujin.

Li Mujin numbly endured it all, his expression zombie-like.

The violence lasted for half an hour until the man received a phone call and had to leave, throwing out a warning as he departed, “Behave! If you make the news again, I’ll kill you myself!”

After the man left, the woman dared to call a doctor to clean up the blood on his face, her tears falling as she wiped, “Are they trying to drive me to my grave? If you want a woman, just tell me, don’t go out hunting on your own. If another one dies, your father’s blood pressure will shoot through the roof.”

Li Mujin remained indifferent.

“You father is up for a deputy ministerial level this year, many eyes are watching. If you screw this up, neither of us will survive. Listen, son, I’m giving you a no-limit credit card, let’s endure this for now…”

Her words were cut short by a phone call. She glanced at the caller ID, her expression changing, wiped her tears, and stepped aside to answer. Unfortunately, the tranquility of the mountains made every sound crystal clear-

“Can’t you wait until tonight? Are you that desperate?”

“Miss me, or just out of money again?”

“Stop talking, just bring your brothers to the yacht, I’ll be there this afternoon.”

After hanging up, the woman returned to the bedside, her voice soft and gentle, “Son, I bought you a new yacht. It’ll be delivered in a couple of days; you can take your friends out to play.”

She couldn’t even wait for Li Mujin’s response, her words barely finished before she hurried away.

As the morning bell faded, the mist cleared, and the mountains shared a hue.

Li Mujin got out of bed, walked towards the bathroom, his pants loose, unable to conceal his long, straight legs, his upper body bare, muscles like carved jade yet bursting with power.

He stood in front of the mirror, expressionless, wiping the blood away, tossing the towel into the sink.

He was a light sleeper. He had heard the morning news, the sound of water in the bathroom, the bell of Shanyin Temple, and even knew that the bell-ringer monk was slacking off today.

He was not at all concerned about his parents’ rampage earlier, but rather puzzled why there was one less sound than usual.

Jiuzhou City, located on the North China Plain, is a key northern port city. Its trade and manufacturing industries are well-developed and it has considerable soft power, naturally attracting attention with any slight disturbance.

Before the morning news finished, the story had already spread across all the major schools, and Li Mujin enjoyed another round of cyberbullying.

During the eight-thirty Unified Modeling Language class, Shu Rui was dozing off at his desk while Zhao Jing sat beside him chatting on WeChat, excitedly discussing with another girl. Shu Rui, not having slept well, put on his hat, got up, and asked the teacher for permission to leave for the restroom, leaving class early.

Zhao Jing was originally accompanying him for the early class, but once he left, she also claimed she needed to use the restroom.

The teacher clicked his tongue, “You two share a bladder?”

Laughter filled the room.

“Teacher, I really can’t hold it!” Zhao Jing said as she grabbed her bag and ran out of the classroom, clutching her stomach.

Shu Rui hadn’t gone far when Zhao Jing caught up to him, bumping his arm, “What’s up!”

Shu Rui continued walking, one hand in his pocket, the other on his phone, not even looking up, “Keep your mouth shut.”

Zhao Jing understood he was upset about her talking about Li Mujin, “The news is out, if I pretend I didn’t see it, it’s obvious I know the truth. So, I’m just trying to blend in to keep the secret.”

Shu Rui couldn’t be bothered and drove off without her, locking the car doors.

Zhao Jing stood on the roadside cursing, “Shu Rui, do you even understand my heart! From middle school to university, how much longer do you want me to wait!” Her last words were a whisper, “What about the graphics card, do you still want it…”

Frustrated, she kicked a stone.

That was all she could do.

She, Shu Rui, and Li Mujin had been at the same school since middle school. Li Mujin was often expelled for misconduct; initially, his family pressured the school to keep him, but after repeated incidents, even his father got tired of it and sent him abroad. There, he proved himself capable by joining local gangs to rob and assault people with firearms.

Even the most capable father couldn’t clean up after Li Mujin forever, so he was eventually brought back to China and confined to an international school.

Shu Rui, being close to Li Mujin, accompanied him, and it was during that time that the incident occurred.

She only knew that the girl who died by Li Mujin’s hand was excessively beautiful, and her name was Ding Ke.

So, what could she possibly reveal?

She just wanted to make some noise to catch Shu Rui’s attention.

Today, the Southern District golf course was closed, but the private club was alive with music and bustling with over a dozen scantily clad young people enjoying themselves. On the second floor, a couple made love by the infinity pool, while others in the lounge area chatted and drank, an all-too-familiar scene.

Shu Rui was catching up on sleep on a third-floor sofa when Fu Zhizhi sat across from him, blocking the light. Shu Rui opened his eyes, annoyed, “Move.”

“You’re always so gentle with him, but if it were Mujin, the nicest thing you’d say is ‘get lost.'”

Shu Rui ignored him and closed his eyes again.

Suddenly, a recording played-

A loud reprimand, “Do you remember her?”

A sickeningly warm laugh, “I remember, she was very pleasant.”

An angry voice, “What do you mean ‘very pleasant’!”

The voice, tones shifting, almost psychotically, “Her screams were, very pleasant.”

Slamming the table, voice breaking, “Li Mujin, I warn you! You’re suspected of rape and intentional harm, two capital offenses! Don’t play games with me!”

Shu Rui’s eyebrows were furrowed halfway through, and when he saw Fu Zhizhi playing the leaked interrogation video, he grabbed the phone and deleted it, cursing, “If you’re looking to die, find a place to bury yourself. Playing this stuff on his turf, are you asking for trouble?”

Fu Zhizhi, emboldened by alcohol, retorted, “Whether Mujin shows up is another matter.”

As he spoke, a thunderous noise descended from above, and everyone went outside, standing by the glass railing to see a supercar tearing across half the golf course, its expensive turf marked by deep, long furrows.

It was Li Mujin.

“Damn, he’s cool. Good thing it’s his own course, otherwise, that stunt would cost a fortune,” someone joked, raising a glass.

The girls in bikinis whispered to each other, cheeks flushed like maple leaves.

Everyone knew of Li Mujin’s misdeeds, but none would refuse to be an exception for him.

Li Mujin didn’t drive to the club. He got out halfway, walked to the door, went to the garage’s tool shed, picked up a shotgun, turned around, loaded the gun, aimed at the supercar’s fuel tank, and without hesitation-Bang!

An explosion!

The faces of those recently immersed in debauchery went blank, staring at the blazing flames, not daring to look again at Li Mujin, who had orchestrated the spectacle.

They had all seen the news. Follow-up reports stated that Li Mujin’s father claimed ignorance and promised to keep his son out of the public eye to avoid further trouble.

“Should we comfort him? Mujin seems furious,” someone ventured.

No one responded.

After a moment, someone else spoke, “Arguing with his dad, we’re not skilled enough to comfort him properly.”

“Didn’t you see his face is bruised? Definitely was a fierce fight this morning, no need to think about it.”

A girl commented, “Men, they say it’s the ones who get beaten who look the most pitiful and attractive.”

“You’re really twisted.”

…

Shu Rui lazily yawned and went back inside to catch up on sleep.

Just as he was about to doze off, Li Mujin came upstairs.

He decided not to sleep, sitting up, “Looks like this is going to keep blowing up, school’s probably off the table again this year.”

“Why bother?” Li Mujin asked as if questioning why Shu Rui would even ask something so obvious.

Shu Rui remembered Li Mujin hated school and, seeing his bruised face, cut to the chase, “What did Mr. Li say? Grounded again?”

“I forgot.”

It was the truth.

Shu Rui didn’t doubt it.

They all guessed Li Mujin was fuming because of the news, because his father was upset. In reality, he didn’t need a reason to be angry, nor did he feel sadness.

But he was indeed troubled, unable to find a reason to live, not knowing what drove him to get up each day.

It seemed like he had everything, yet he had nothing.

He desperately needed a new amusement.

In the middle of this, a girl approached, her eyes filled with adoration for Li Mujin, “Thank you for inviting me. No matter what others say, as long as the law finds you innocent, you don’t have to worry or be afraid.”

Li Mujin didn’t even look up, “Who told you to come up here?”

The girl was taken aback, suddenly speechless.

Shu Rui, worried Li Mujin might snap, immediately got up and shooed her away, “Didn’t I tell you not to come up to the third floor without permission?”

They hadn’t reached the staircase when Zhao Jing rushed up, frantic.

The girl looked at Zhao Jing, then at Shu Rui, as if asking why this girl was allowed.

Shu Rui couldn’t explain, signaling Fu Zhizhi to take her downstairs. Returning to the sofa area, Zhao Jing had already finished his drink. Before he could scold her, she spoke first, “Zhan City Normal University School of Political Science and Law! There’s a girl! She looks exactly like Ding Ke! And her name is also Ding Ke!”

“What are you talking about?” Shu Rui said urgently, afraid to see Li Mujin’s expression at that moment.

“It’s true! I was buying a graphics card in Zhan City, I saw and heard it with my own eyes!”

Shu Rui insisted it was impossible, and they began to argue.

Thump-

Their conversation blurred in the background as Li Mujin only heard the clear, long-lasting bell, like a pebble hitting the deep pond of his heart, rippling outwards.

It turned out the bell that the monk missed that morning had struck his heart.