Chapter 4: Blood Ties and Betrayal

“Wait, sister, just hear me out!”
My brother paced the basement, dragging his chain anxiously.
“Uncle told you the boss’s son has a completely different blood type from yours, right?”

I nodded.

“I have a way to prove he’s lying. The boss’s son has the same blood type as you—an extremely rare RH type.”

“You’re lying again!”
I no longer trusted a word he said.

“You need to get close to the boss’s son. Pretend to fall in love with him.
Find a way to check his blood type. Once you do, you’ll see I was telling the truth.”

He raised his right hand and swore,
“I swear on my life—his blood type is identical to yours!”

I stared at the ground, lost in thought.
After a long silence, I replied coldly,
“Fine. I’ll approach the boss’s son and find out.
But this has nothing to do with you. Why tell me this? You’re just Uncle’s old comrade’s son—what do you gain?”

My brother scratched his head awkwardly.
“I just want one thing—freedom. Let me out.”

I nodded slowly.
“Alright. If his blood type matches mine, I’ll let you out.”

With that, I climbed up the ladder from the well, replaced the cover, and hid the key in its usual spot.
Back in my room, I sat silently, heart unsettled.

The next day, I went to a hospital near Shi Lei’s house.
If he had any medical records, they’d be there.

I found the blood testing lab and tried to bribe the doctor for information.
But the doctor immediately refused and waved me off.
“Patient information is confidential. That’s hospital policy.”

I increased the bribe—but still, he refused.

Leaving the hospital, I messaged Shi Lei, asking him to go shopping with me.
He showed up quickly, smiling playfully.
“I knew it! We’re so alike. I was just thinking of going shopping too.”

I smiled, pretending to be affectionate. We walked and chatted for hours, buying nothing but sharing a lot.
Our relationship progressed quickly.

When he offered to buy me things, I politely declined.
It was clear he liked me.

I planned to wait until things went further—then ask him to take a blood test.

That evening, as I passed Uncle’s room, I overheard him on the phone.
The villa was quiet, so I could hear every word clearly.

Uncle said,
“Don’t worry, Boss. In three days, Qiqi’s lung calcification from TB will be complete.
She’ll be fully recovered, and once that happens, she’ll be locked up—an eternal, living blood bank.
Trust me. I know exactly what to do.”

My eyes widened in horror.
I crept away and locked myself in my bedroom.

I had tuberculosis, and people with TB can’t donate blood.
But Uncle said I’d be fully recovered in three days—and then he planned to imprison me?

Who was this "boss"?
Could it be Shi Lei’s father?

I had rare RH-negative blood—panda blood.
Uncle really was planning to harvest my blood!

I pushed my nightstand against the door.
My hands trembled. My entire body felt ice cold.

Was Uncle going to harm me?
Was my adoption part of a bigger conspiracy?

Three days from now, my body would be his for the taking.
What should I do?

I pulled out a small knife from the drawer and gripped it tightly, sitting in my chair, too afraid to close my eyes.

The next day, I messaged Shi Lei.
We met in a park.

I hadn’t slept a wink. The dark circles under my eyes were obvious.

He took my hand gently and said calmly,
“My blood type is RH too—just like yours.”

I looked up, stunned.
He handed me a blood test report.
It clearly stated his blood type—RH-negative.

Exactly like mine.

My brother had been telling the truth.
Uncle was the liar.

Shi Lei said,
“I knew from the start that you approached me to figure out my blood type.
I suffer from severe anemia and need constant blood transfusions to survive.
My father is wealthy, and normally, my blood is flown in from abroad.
But once your uncle told him about you, everything changed.
They came up with a plan.
Once your tuberculosis healed, they’d imprison you.
You’d become my lifelong blood bank.”

His voice was calm, but my mind was in chaos.

I asked,
“If it’s a plot, why wait until I’m cured? Why not imprison me now?”

“Because your health is still fragile.
If you’re imprisoned too soon, it could worsen your condition or lead to unexpected complications.
Your blood is too valuable. They don’t want to take that risk.”

“Then why are you telling me this?
Now that I know the plan, I might run. Or kill myself. That doesn’t help you at all.”

I was on the edge, imagining a future chained like my brother, forever in a basement.
Tears welled up.

“Why tell me?” I shouted.

“I love you,” Shi Lei said quietly.

He looked into my eyes, held my shoulders, and said each word with burning sincerity.
“I fell for you.”

“What? We were just pretending—how could you take it seriously?”

“Same interests. Same vibe. I can’t lie to myself anymore.”

He pulled out a tissue and wiped my tears.
“But in three days, they’ll lock me away. What then?”

Shi Lei lowered his head, thinking. Then he clenched his fists.
“Let me handle this. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

I nodded.

“I’ll install a bug on your uncle’s phone. That way, I can monitor everything.”

We sat in the park, going over every detail of the plan.

Then I returned home, pretending everything was normal.

That night, Uncle brought home another package—more imported medicine.
He said it was for my amnesia.

I pretended to be excited and took it to my room.
But inside, I was frozen solid.

That night, I planned to free my brother.
But I reconsidered.

It was too risky.
Better to wait until Uncle’s plan was fully exposed—after he was arrested—before letting my brother out.
Otherwise, Uncle might notice and act prematurely.

On the third day, Uncle took me to the hospital for a checkup.
My lung calcification had fully resolved—I was cured.

He was thrilled.
To celebrate, he took me to a fancy restaurant for a feast.

The next day, Shi Lei messaged me.
He said that dinner tonight—with his father and my uncle—was the moment the imprisonment plan would begin.

My heart raced.

That afternoon, Uncle called me.
“We’re having dinner at the boss’s house. You’re coming.”

I agreed cheerfully.
Then I went straight to the police station and told them everything.

They agreed to intervene the moment I called.
It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Shi Lei—I just wanted a backup plan.
I had to be sure.

That night, Uncle brought me to Shi Lei’s family villa.

Shi Lei’s father greeted us warmly. Shi Lei stayed close to me.

But instead of heading to the dining room, we went straight to the living room.
Four bodyguards stood outside the door, staring me down.

Shi Lei’s father sat opposite me and got straight to the point:
“Qiqi, your blood type is identical to Shi Lei’s.
He has a rare, incurable anemia.
He’ll need continuous transfusions for life.
So, I’ve decided—I’ll pay your uncle ten million yuan to buy you for life.”

My mind exploded.
Even though I was prepared, the shock was unbearable.

Uncle, seeing my expression, said gently,
“I wanted you to marry Shi Lei, but the boss didn’t agree.
So we’ll have to imprison you.
Don’t blame me, Qiqi—my farm is on the brink of bankruptcy. I need the boss’s money.”

“I won’t blame you,” I said.

Why did I have to be the one born with rare blood?
Why was my life so cheap?

But I wasn’t going to let them win.

“Kidnapping someone is illegal.
You should really think about what you’re doing.”

Shi Lei’s father frowned.
“Take her. Lock her in the special room.”

Four bodyguards rushed in and grabbed me.
I turned toward Shi Lei—but he sat still, expressionless.

Just then—two police officers burst through the door.
Everyone froze.

Uncle. The boss. The guards.
All of us were taken to the police station.