Bad Blood - Chapter 8

Ding Ke couldn’t ignore her brother during his burn recovery period. She worked eight jobs just to afford the best medical treatment for him. Li Mujin used her brother to blackmail her; compromise was her only option.

On a stifling day that threatened rain, inside Mujin’s car, he neither drove nor turned on the air conditioning.

Ding Ke sat numbly, staring blankly ahead as tree shadows swayed, casting a deceptive coolness on the scorched road.

As the car’s temperature climbed, sweat beaded on Ding Ke’s forehead and nose, trickling down her face, dampening her hair and streaming down her slender neck onto her white sleeveless top.

Mujin was like a frozen corpse, utterly motionless and without a hint of sweat.

His fury dissipated the moment Ding Ke agreed to follow him.

Resting his head on his hand and leaning towards her, he watched her sweat in the heat, her cheeks ripening to pink under the mist of heat; her plump, apricot lips parted slightly, moist without lipstick; the high temperature made her breathe faster, her chest rising and falling. Even her hair and eyelashes appeared damp.

Her eyes fluttered lightly, no man could resist loving her.

Yet there she was, verbally and physically resisting, yet emitting signals of allure.

At Prestige Mountain Residence, she was cornered against the fence, seemingly trapped; when picking up a button, her hair fell over his arm; at the entrance of the Southeast District police station, she suddenly leaned on him, dizzy; in the bakery, she moved to the window to wipe the sweat off her palms; just now at the alley, she struggled and called someone scum.

Driving him mad, then appearing pitifully helpless, stepping back as she was pushed, showing herself to be coerced, exploited. Making his character seem even more sinister, making others believe unquestionably in her innocence.

Either she was truly innocent, or she was ruthlessly cunning.

He tended towards the latter.

The coincidences were too numerous, first making him suspicious, then convinced; she would deny when asked, plunging him back into doubt, over and over.

He saw through this, hence his gaze was icy, as if he was the only man who didn’t want to love her.

Ding Ke finally couldn’t bear it anymore: “Either turn on the air conditioning or let me go.”

Mujin opened the glove compartment, pulled out a box, took out a handkerchief, folded it neatly, and tenderly wiped her sweat, asking in a twisted tone, “Feel better?”

Ding Ke didn’t flinch, allowing him to wipe her sweat, watching him, “Can I go now?”

Mujin slowly shook his head, a feigned look of grievance on his face.

Seeing his act, Ding Ke couldn’t stand such a terrifying person, brushed away his hand, and reached for her phone to call the police, only to realize it was missing.

Mujin then tossed her phone to her.

It turned out her phone had fallen and she hadn’t noticed. She unlocked the screen to see missed calls and messages-

“I’m at the First Surgical Hospital in the burns repair and reconstruction ward 2. There’s nobody by Mao’s side, he said you were almost off from your part-time job, so I let the nursing assistant go to lunch. This won’t do, grade 2 burns can’t be left alone.”

“And remember to pick up the household register, your aunt is beside me, it’s needed for you and your brother’s residency transfer to Zhan City.”

The messages were from her uncle, Mao referred to Ding Mao, her brother.

So Mujin knew about her brother’s condition from seeing the messages.

She fell silent again, a new wave of sweat began as the heat inside the car continued unabated.

Mujin rolled down the windows, the warm air wasn’t cool but it did help her sweat evaporate, leaving a sticky sheen on her skin.

After a while, Mujin closed the windows and turned on the air conditioning, activated the navigation system, and used voice input but said nothing.

A bit later, Ding Ke gave her home address.

Mujin drove Ding Ke home to get the household register, then to the surgical hospital.

The corridor of the burns repair and reconstruction ward 2 was colder than the air-conditioned car, chilling despite the lack of wind.

The busiest places in the hospital were the emergency hall and outside the operating rooms, often echoing with heart-wrenching cries. In the Inpatient Department, even the cleaning staff seemed burdened, their faces eternally clouded with gloom.

Ding Ke didn’t bother with what Mujin would do; whether he stayed or left was beyond anyone’s control, his mood as unpredictable as the weather.

Her uncle and aunt had arrived early, making the four-person ward lively for the first time. Ding Mao seemed more talkative, saying to his uncle, “It’s much better now, doesn’t hurt like before. Just looks ugly, makes me look both pale and dark.”

His aunt peeled an apple for him, then handed it to the uncle. The uncle glanced at her displeased, but catching her more displeased look, took it and halved it, handing it to Ding Mao from a distance, as if afraid Ding Mao’s drool might end up on his hand.

His aunt chuckled on the side, “That’s good, otherwise your uncle would be worried sick about you. He’s always busy with the factory and can’t come to see you.”

Ding Mao, sensible despite his severely burned face, forced a smile, “No need to worry about me, this four-person ward is quite lively. Their families and friends come every day to chat with me, I’m never alone. And don’t worry about my condition either, the doctors and nurses are great, and the nursing assistant my sister hired is wonderful, and my sister comes every day too.”

After feeding Ding Mao the apple, his uncle quickly discarded the core and continued with concerned words, his movements of wiping his hands with a wet wipe unceasing.

Ding Ke walked into the ward just in time to hear this but saw everything.

Her uncle looked up at Ding Ke and said with concern, “Off from work? Was your part-time job tiring?”

“Not really.” After Ding Ke responded, she walked up to Ding Mao, took the half-eaten apple from his hand, and tossed it in the trash, “You shouldn’t eat this if you have digestive issues.”

Her uncle and aunt exchanged looks but said nothing.

The ward fell silent, and after a long pause, her uncle spoke again, “Did you bring the household register? Let your aunt handle the transfer out first, then the residency.”

Her aunt used to work in the Household Registration Department at the police station and was familiar with the relocation process. It had been a while since they moved from Jinshui City to Zhan City, and it was high time to transfer their residency, but they were always too busy.

After her uncle finished speaking, her aunt took photos of a few pages of the household register with her phone. “A photocopy will do. I’ll take a photo and print it at the office. I have something to do in Jinshui this afternoon, so I can handle it for you.”

Once the photos were taken, there was no reason to stay. They exchanged glances and rose to leave, her uncle leading the way, “Alright, we have some things to take care of; we’ll come to see you again next time.”

Ding Mao, polite despite everything, said goodbye and reminded them to drive safely and be careful.

Ding Ke didn’t say a word, which her aunt felt was impolite, so she turned and walked away first.

Her uncle caught up to her but then turned back and called out, “Ke, come here for a moment.”

After tidying up the table they had dirtied, Ding Ke stepped out of the ward.

Her uncle and aunt were waiting at the door, seemingly having discussed it already. Her uncle gave Ding Ke five hundred yuan, and her aunt said, “You and your sister have it tough. You have to study and work part-time to afford Mao’s medical bills. It’s too hard on you. But you know, your uncle and I are just ordinary workers. We don’t have much money. Here’s five hundred for emergencies.”

Ding Ke naturally refused and was about to hand it back when a haughty voice came from behind, “Five hundred yuan, such a huge sum, she won’t be able to spend it all.”

Her uncle and aunt looked in the direction of the voice.

Ding Ke knew from the tone and the degree of sarcasm that it was Li Mujin.

In the midst of their conversation, Li Mujin walked up to them, didn’t bother with the five hundred yuan, took Ding Ke’s phone from her hand, opened the QR code for receiving payments, and transferred two hundred thousand yuan to her.

Two hundred thousand was the daily limit for transfers, not because that was all he had.

All three of them saw it clearly.

Ding Ke looked up at him, her usually emotionless face filled with confusion. But considering his attire from head to toe, two hundred thousand seemed to him like what twenty yuan would to an ordinary person.

She thought this, but her uncle and aunt assumed she had snagged a wealthy man, exchanging glances and sizing up Li Mujin.

Her aunt smiled, her eye sockets sinking and wrinkles deepening, “And this gentleman is…?”

“Nobody.” Ding Ke stuffed the five hundred yuan back, forcefully ignoring Li Mujin.

Her aunt wanted to inquire further, but her uncle, feeling embarrassed by the presence of a stranger who had just doled out two hundred thousand yuan compared to his mere five hundred, frowned, hung his head, tightened his face, and pulled his wife away.

Ding Ke reached for Li Mujin’s phone.

Li Mujin knew she wanted to transfer the money back, as arrogantly as ever, “I used to pay for your food, clothes, and everything else, never saw you being so polite then.”

Ding Ke bristled, “I’m not that Ding Ke, nor am I someone who blurs her lines for money. What’s so great about that?”

“So what then?”

Ding Ke was rendered speechless by his retort.

It seemed that in this world, having money was indeed great. Money won respect, money broke rules, money was the all-access pass.

But then, “You just happened to be born into it, what does it have to do with you?”

Li Mujin didn’t deny it, “Hmm, came by it dishonestly, might as well spend it freely.”

Ding Ke was stuck.

“You keep yours, if anything happens, I’ll be the one to go in, what are you afraid of?”

Stuck again.

After a long pause, Ding Ke said, “Whether it came by honestly or not, it’s from you, it comes with a price, I can’t fulfill any of your unreasonable demands, I can’t pay that price.”

Li Mujin found her troublesome, walked to the nurse’s station, asked for paper and pen, wrote “No conditions, willingly gifted,” and threw it back to her, “Just two hundred thousand, as if I gave you two billion.”

Ding Ke’s understanding of his sickness deepened day by day, and again, she was left speechless.

A nurse passing by reminded her that her deposit was running out, and since they were familiar with each other, joked, “Boyfriend’s quite handsome.”

“Not my boyfriend,” said Ding Ke.

“Thanks,” Li Mujin replied.

Ding Ke rushed to pay the deposit, too annoyed to deal with him. Not everything online was baseless speculation; at least they summed up his psychopathy very accurately.

Li Mujin watched her stride away, her figure disappearing, then turned and entered the ward.

In the four-person ward, only the southeastern corner bed was solitary, with a boy on it, barely a fifth of his skin intact.

He walked over, hands in pockets, and silently observed.

“Are you my sister’s boyfriend?” Ding Mao turned toward Li Mujin, his face severely burned, even the positions of his eyes indiscernible.

Li Mujin pulled up a chair and sat down, “Where did you get that idea?”

“Heard the nurse say it, also heard you gave her money, two hundred thousand.”

Li Mujin nodded, “Last month I spent six hundred thousand on horse gear, by your logic, the horse is also my girlfriend.”

Ding Mao fell silent.

Li Mujin then asked, “Is she your real sister?”

“Can’t you tell?”

“Eyes all burned away, still can confirm?”

Ding Mao forced a smile, “Whether she’s my sister or not, why confirm with eyes? Just because you have eyes, does that mean you can see clearly?”

Li Mujin raised an eyebrow, amused by the conversation. In the silence that followed, he glanced at the household register on the bedside table, picked it up, and casually flipped through it.

The household head page listed “Ding Wenlan” with a red stamp marking her death.

The second page was Ding Ke, with no previous names, just Ding Ke. Born two years earlier than his Ke, and on a different date.

The third page was Ding Mao, also with no name changes, and today was his sixteenth birthday.

Their registered residence was in Jinshui City.

And his Ke had always been from Jiuzhou.

Ding Mao, blind to the images but sensitive to shadows, and with ears more acute than before, knew the visitor had picked up his family’s household register, “What do you want to know?”

Li Mujin put it down, “Want to know about your sister.”

“Why do you want to know?”

Li Mujin tilted his head back slightly, slowly closed his eyes, then opened them, as if he had concocted a reason, “Because… I want to be her boyfriend.”

Ding Mao paused for a moment, then began to tell the story of their family.

Their mother, Ding Wenlan, was young when she was deceived by a man from Jinshui. He psychologically manipulated Ding Wenlan, leading her to defy her parents’ wishes, drop out of school, and elope with him from Zhan City to Jinshui.

But the man’s deceit didn’t stop there; infidelity, domestic violence, and even the thought of selling her child after knowing she was pregnant.

She fought desperately to keep the child, at the cost of entertaining clients to earn his gambling money.

Later, she became pregnant with a client’s child, which also brought a turning point.

After the child was born, the client wanted to take her and the children away, including Ding Ke, whom she had with her first man, but that man refused. They fought with knives at the train station, resulting in one dead and one disabled.

Ding Wenlan broke free from the man and started a new life.

Unfortunately, bad luck always finds those who have suffered the most.

Ding Wenlan raised two children. Ding Ke worked hard and got into Zhan City Normal University. Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, but the disabled first man never gave up on revenge. He set a fire that destroyed Ding Wenlan’s family’s good life, and they perished in the flames together.

Ding Ke was spared because she was at school, but Ding Mao wasn’t as lucky. He was rescued but couldn’t escape the fate of second-degree burns. Over two years later, he still couldn’t leave the hospital, a city that never sleeps.

The poor siblings were taken back to Zhan City by their grandfather, living in the house he left for his daughter. It seemed like life could still be patched up and carried on, but then their grandfather suddenly died of a heart attack. On his deathbed, he dismissed everyone, called a lawyer, and recorded a will. Their uncle could inherit his two houses, provided he settled Ding Ke and her brother.

Their uncle and aunt came today, not to visit their nephew, but eager to help them settle down. Only when they were firmly established in Zhan City could the couple receive everything their grandfather left behind.

After Ding Mao finished speaking, he turned to Li Mujin, “Heard it all? My sister has me as a burden. Do you still want to be her boyfriend?”

Li Mujin didn’t respond.

He was thinking, what a flawless story.

Ding Mao seemed to have anticipated his reaction and didn’t blame him. He just said, “Do you know how many suitors my sister has?”

Of course, he knew.

That face, that figure, that spirit, enough to be many people’s unattainable love.

They gave her a lot, but also made her lose a lot.

“If it weren’t for me, who could reach her? You? You have a lot of money, but you’re still not worthy,” Ding Mao said.

Li Mujin remained calm, his eyebrows twitched, and he slightly raised the corners of his lips. He didn’t realize that familiar grip was back, “What if she loves me?”

“Think about it, thinking isn’t illegal,” Ding Mao finished, and the parent from the next bed returned, offering him a bowl of porridge, “Mao, have some porridge I made.”

Ding Mao suddenly became lively, politely saying, “Thank you, Auntie.”

Li Mujin wasn’t surprised. Children without backing learn to read people and adapt to situations.

Ding Mao didn’t say more to him, picked up the porridge bowl, seemingly to avoid Ding Ke coming back to feed him, moving quickly. But the bowl was hot, and he kept hissing.

He was too clumsy, and Li Mujin found it annoying. He pulled a chair closer, took the porridge bowl, scooped a spoonful, blew on it, and fed him.

Ding Ke returned just in time to see this scene, stopped, stared blankly for a moment, then backed out to lean against the wall beside the hospital room door, looking up at the swaying light in the corridor.

Tick, tick.

The second hand moved in her heart.

After half a minute, she re-entered the room, placing the fruits Ding Mao liked and could eat on the bedside table.

Li Mujin seemed to finally realize how absurd it was to feed Ding Mao porridge, stood up, straightened his clothes, and left.

Ding Mao swallowed the last mouthful, “He doesn’t seem to mind you have a tagalong.”

Ding Ke continued tidying up, not responding.

“The radio says love can give people energy. If you like him, you could try.”

Ding Ke wiped the table, “I won’t wrong myself because of you. I don’t date for only one reason, I don’t fancy them.”

“Good.” Ding Mao’s tone was genuinely happy, he wanted her to be well.

Ding Ke left the hospital only after the nursing assistant started their shift. Exiting the Inpatient Department, she saw Li Mujin’s car, didn’t stop, walked past, and continued out.

She didn’t look at the car, but she felt his gaze. Near the entrance, she turned back, returned, and got in the car.

This time, Li Mujin had the air conditioning on.

Ding Ke didn’t beat around the bush, “Give me your phone, I’ll transfer the money back.”

Li Mujin fiddled with his phone, handed it to her by a corner.

Ding Ke saw the QR code to add a friend, immediately exited, but before she could complete the action, Li Mujin said, “Add me, then transfer.”

Ding Ke hesitated, paused.

After a moment of silence, Ding Ke turned her upper body to face him, “You’ve seen my brother, you should know I’m not the Ding Ke you knew, no need to entangle anymore.”

Li Mujin looked at her, listened, but didn’t react.

Considering his recent gentleness towards Ding Mao, she patiently continued, “I did know you were there at Prestige Mountain Residence, but I wouldn’t use myself as bait just to get close to you. I’m not interested in you beyond the case. Besides, the interest was before that.”

She spoke sincerely, but Li Mujin remained inscrutable, his palms sweating again, unconsciously rubbing his hands together.

Li Mujin pulled her hand over, “It used to sweat too.”

Ding Ke pulled her hand back, “Sweaty palms are common, nine out of ten people have it! I’m not her! You care about her, so when someone with many similarities appears, you only see the similarities, not the many differences between us. Not to mention those differences, just that I have a brother, did she have a brother? As far as I know, no, right? Didn’t your dad handle all the arrangements? That news dominated the headlines for half a month. If she had family, it wouldn’t have been your dad making the news, would it?”

Li Mujin said nothing.

Ding Ke was about to go crazy, “Still don’t believe?”

Still no response.

Seeing his indifferent demeanor, Ding Ke felt like she was punching cotton, truly insane, she bit her lip, clenched her fist, and impulsively leaned over to kiss him.

Li Mujin, who had been watching her performance with ease, was stunned, not reacting as he should.

Ding Ke didn’t just give a light kiss, she pried his mouth open, tangled tongues, kissing loudly.

The scent of cheap face cream, honey, and milk was strong. Although she was hot and sweaty, having run around the hospital all day, the scent hadn’t completely faded. Her lips were moist and soft, her whole being like a sweet and sticky mochi, how could he refuse?

Ding Ke kissed for a minute, fully in control. When she left his lips, it was almost in slow motion, as if reluctant. But she knew it was because it was hot in the summer, and his lips were cool, very refreshing.

Sitting back properly, Ding Ke resumed facing forward.

An awkward silence filled the car.

Li Mujin suddenly appeared, wiping sweat, getting fierce, inexplicably. Her sudden kiss was also inexplicable, and considering how fierce he was to her that afternoon, it seemed like they were mortal enemies, yet a second later they were kissing, it was too crazy.

Though there was the interlude of him caring for Ding Mao, it was because of that she softened towards him, but kissing wasn’t normal.

Thinking of this, Ding Ke felt embarrassed, couldn’t help but swallow to ease the awkwardness, not expecting the car to be so quiet, making the sound of swallowing extremely clear.

Instantly, even more awkward.

“Already reminiscing before leaving.”

“…”

Ding Ke, bracing herself, explained according to her thoughts, “If I were the victim Ding Ke, regardless of whether you killed me or not, just the real invasion and abuse that came out, I’d hate you to death, like just now, taking the initiative… that with you, might as well kill me.

“I can, because I’m not her.

“I have no irreconcilable past with you, even if I judge you as scum through the news, you haven’t scummed me, so kissing you isn’t that hard for me.”

Li Mujin said, “Kiss is a kiss, why make up a reason.”

“…”

Ding Ke no longer tried to wake him up, “How cheap does a person have to be to make up a reason to kiss you after you almost suffocated me? It’s you who are delusional, already causing trouble in my life. I’m saving myself.”

Li Mujin opened his phone, found a video, showed it to her.

Ding Ke glanced over, the video showed a girl in a mermaid costume playing with fish in an aquarium. She only needed one look to recognize herself, working everywhere to earn money.

“With your lung capacity, could I suffocate you in a minute?” Li Mujin bluntly stated, “You were just pretending to be fragile.”

Ding Ke only asked him, “How do you have this video?”

“You should ask why I went to the aquarium.”

Ding Ke didn’t ask, she was heat-sensitive, even with air conditioning she was sweating. Li Mujin continued unhurriedly wiping her forehead sweat, speaking slowly, “I know these ‘good places’ thanks to Fu Zhizhi, why he knows these ‘good places’, you should ask yourself. Didn’t you coincidentally work part-time at the gym?”

Ding Ke dodged slightly, at this moment finding his calmness terrifying.

Li Mujin pinched her face, preventing her from moving, making her face him, then continued gently wiping sweat, “Every ‘good place’ you revealed to him has your traces, I can know you and my Ke have so many similarities, thanks to your meticulous efforts.”

“What does that prove?” Ding Ke didn’t understand.

“Whether you are or not, the fact that you’re approaching me, making me remember you, is the reality presented.” Li Mujin finished wiping, gently lifted her hand, placed it by his lips, and kissed softly, “The question is, if you’re not, why approach me? Want to know about the case? But you just denied it, said you’re not interested in the case anymore.”

Ding Ke felt the place he kissed was like being scorched by fire.

Li Mujin’s oppressive presence was related to his personality, but also not entirely. His thoughts were too clear, his mind turned too fast. Such a person inevitably instilled fear.

Ding Ke confessed, “I did want to know the details of your case.”

“Liar.” Li Mujin reached out, brushed aside her forehead hair, his voice, tone making one’s hair stand on end, he didn’t know. He also didn’t know, the more frightened the listener, the more intense he became.

Ding Ke’s mind was in turmoil.

“To know case details, do you need to entangle me?”

“Don’t imagine things, at most I feared your aversion, so couldn’t help but test, who entangled you?” Ding Ke finished, as if suddenly discovering a key point, her eyes fixed, asking, “Why are you so persistent about whether I’m her?”

Li Mujin faced this question, unflustered.

“Isn’t the normal reaction to seeing someone dead come back to life to think it’s a conspiracy?” Ding Ke slightly tilted her head, “So, actually, you’re not sure if that Ding Ke from two years ago is dead or alive.”

Li Mujin didn’t react, nor did he answer.

Instead, Ding Ke showed a moment of panic, then switched to a declarative tone, “You didn’t kill anyone.”

High-speed railway east station.

Zhao Jing hadn’t entered the station yet, wanting to spend a little more time with Shu Rui.

Shu Rui kept looking at his phone, occasionally typing a couple of words, not knowing who he was chatting with.

Zhao Jing turned to look at him, his profile seemed tailor-made for her aesthetic, not just his profile, everywhere was, she had regarded him as her ideal for almost ten years.

She knew him very well, she even knew he wasn’t interested in any topic she brought up, except when mentioning Li Mujin.

Knowing the answer, yet still probing, mainly to find some self-inflicted pain.

“You still haven’t answered me, isn’t Li Mujin a bit too obsessed? So focused on a fake, he probably doesn’t love the real one, right? He just likes the name Ding Ke, and a face like that, a figure like that.”

Shu Rui indeed looked up, no longer looking at his phone.

Zhao Jing pursed her lips, thinking Shu Rui was lying, he must like Li Mujin, right? Look at him like this.

Shu Rui seemed to have thought it over, his expression slightly changed, he locked his phone, turned to Zhao Jing, speaking to her, but also to himself, “Isn’t there a possibility that his obsession with whether this Ding Ke is real stems from the fact that he’s not sure if the Ding Ke from two years ago is dead or alive.”

Zhao Jing frowned, slowly understanding his words, gradually surprised, her eyes widening.

Shu Rui nodded as he thought, as if confirming his words, “Yes, that’s it.”

“You mean…”

“The fire that burned Ding Ke wasn’t set by him.”