Chapter 1
"Dr. Larson, what are you still waiting for? Hurry up and draw the blood! Julia has relapsed and is in need of a blood
transfusion!"
Sophia Yancey paid little attention to her unconscious biological daughter in the hospital bed as she urgently hastened the doctor, who was holding a blood collection bag. The doctor explained hesitantly, "Mrs. Yancey, Ms. Cecilia Yancey has already lost a significant amount of blood and still hasn't regained consciousness. Drawing more blood from her would be harmful to her."
"It's only 400 ml, and this country girl is in good health. She'll be all right.”
"But Ms. Cecilia Yancey already had 400 ml of blood drawn three days ago, and she's injured and losing more blood today. If we draw another 400 ml from her, it could be life-threatening. The most we can do is 200 ml."
Hearing this, Sophia remained unfazed and even grabbed the doctor's collar, scolding angrily, "Enough with this nonsense. Just get it done!"
In her view, drawing blood from Cecilia Yancey would, at worst, leave the latter weakened.
But if they didn't give Juliana Yancey a blood transfusion immediately, Juliana would be in unbearable pain.
Though Cecilia lay on the hospital bed, unable to open her eyes, she was conscious of her surroundings.
A chilling emptiness gnawed at her heart as she listened to her biological mother's heartless words.
She had been switched at birth with Juliana and had only reunited with the Yancey family three years ago.
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Cecilia had believed that by giving her all, she would finally earn the approval of her family, but all she had really been was a mobile blood bank for Juliana all this time! Just as these bitter thoughts consumed her, she felt a familiar, prickling pain.
It was Sophia who, sensing the doctor's reluctance to draw the blood, took matters into her own hands and collected the blood herself.
Her actions were so practiced that it was clear she had done it numerous times in the past.
The cold needle penetrated Cecilia's skin like a sharp blade thrust into her heart.
In a sudden burst of resolve, she opened her eyes, swiftly removed the needle, and sat up.
Sophia was startled by Cecilia's unexpected moves.
Staring at the fresh blood trickling from the puncture mark, the former couldn't help but feel concerned.
However, her concern wasn't for Cecilia's well-being but rather for the precious Rh-negative blood going to waste.
Hence, without any regard for whether the needle had been contaminated, Sophia hastily retrieved the blood lancet from the floor and jabbed it into Cecilia's arm at the puncture mark
once more.
Her emotional manipulation continued. "Ceci, I know you're a kind-hearted and good child. I'm sure you won't want to see Julia in pain, would you?"
Cecilia withdrew her arm and applied pressure with her fingers to the still-bleeding puncture mark.
Acting as if she hadn't overheard the doctor and her mother talking, she firmly stated, "Mom, I had already transfused my blood to Juliana three days ago, and I'm injured and losing blood again today. If more blood is taken, I could go into shock
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or, worse, die."
Sophia dismissed her daughter's words, smiling with apparent affection. "Ceci, I understand it hasn't been fair to you, but Julia-"
Cecilia had gotten sick of her mother's fake smile and instantly interrupted the latter, questioning, "Will Juliana die if I don't give her a blood transfusion now?"
"Ceci, don't be so stubborn. Let's just give Julia the blood transfusion she needs. Otherwise, she'll be in a lot of pain."
Hearing this, Cecilia sneered, "She might be in pain, but I... might die!"
She continued probing, "Mom, before you took my blood, did you even check with the hospital to see if they had Rh-negative blood available? Did you ask about transferring blood from another hospital?" Sophia found herself at a loss for words in the face of Cecilia's question, a pang of guilt settling in her heart.
She had indeed never considered this aspect, as each time Juliana fell ill, she would immediately request Cecilia's blood, completely forgetting that the hospital had its own blood supply.
"Ceci, I'm sorry." She offered a perfunctory apology, then turned to the doctor at once and urged, "Hurry and check if there's any blood available in the blood bank. If not, arrange to get some from another hospital!"
After the doctor left, Cecilia, leaning against the bed and carefully avoiding her shoulder wound, declared loud and clear, "I won't give Juliana blood anymore."
Upon hearing that, Sophia instantly let go of the blood collection bag she was holding and reached out to grasp Cecilia's hand.
"Ceci, it was I who made a mistake by not considering your
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feelings, but please don't say things out of anger. How is Julia supposed to survive without your blood?"
Cecilia retracted her hand and responded coldly, "She wasn't birthed or raised by me. I'm not obligated to be responsible for her life or death.”
Just then, the ward's door was forcefully pushed open, and Gordon Yancey, the father of Cecilia and Juliana, strode in.
He had overheard Cecilia's words earlier, so his face was filled with outrage.
"Yes, you have no obligation to care about Juliana's life or death, but you are my biological child. My blood flows through your veins, and after every blood draw, I give you 40,000 dollars. I've never treated you unfairly!"
In other words, he was implying that Cecilia had benefited from this arrangement yet pretended otherwise.
Cecilia initially presumed that her heart wouldn't ache anymore, but these words did wrench at her heart at once.
It was agonizing and almost unbearable.
Yet, after the pain subsided, she felt an overwhelming sense of relief.
She reached for her phone on the nightstand and began tapping on it.
Ding!
When the phone notification chimed, Cecilia spoke calmly. "Dad, I've returned you all the money I earned from selling my blood over the past three years. Consider it repayment for bringing me to this world, then."
Gordon was initially furious at her response, but as he glanced at the bank's incoming text message, his pupils briefly constricted.
There was over 1.2 million dollars deposited into his account!
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In essence, over the span of three years since Cecilia's return to the Yancey family, she had undergone blood transfusions for Juliana on more than 30 occasions, a stark contrast to an average person's typica limit of donating blood just twice a year.
He gripped his phone tightly, his guilt manifesting in his gaze on Cecilia as he began, "Ceci..."
Unfortunately, before he could continue, the ward's door was abruptly pushed open once more.
Jonathan Yancey, the eldest of the Yancey siblings, entered with a sense of urgency and informed, "There's no blood available in the hospital, and we can't secure any from other hospitals as well. Julia has los consciousness due to the pain."
After delivering the dire news, he turned his gaze toward the pale-faced Cecilia, anticipating her to take the initiative to offer up her blood.
To his dismay, she merely raised her eyes and fixed them on him, her gaze resembling an endless, icy abyss.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, Jon, but I won't be selling my blood to Juliana anymore. Kindly find another mobile blood bank for her."
The term "mobile blood bank" hung heavily in the air,
conveying an unspoken but powerful message that was akin to landing invisible slaps on the faces of the trio.
While not explicitly stated, Cecilia's role within the Yancey family was to be the rescuer for Juliana.
Their fleeting sense of guilt quickly vanished when they witnessed Cecilia's reluctance to save Juliana.
Sophia made an emotional appeal, saying, "Ceci, Julia has always been so kind to you and shares everything nice with you. How could you turn your back on her like that?"
Gordon mentioned past support she had received from
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Juliana. "Ceci, don't forget, every time you got into trouble before, it was Julia who spoke up for you, preventing your expulsion from school."
Jonathan, too, attempted to urge Ceci to repay Juliana. "Remember when you were kidnapped? Julia was the one who found the clues, and then you were saved. You owe her your life, so giving her a blood transfusion is only fair."
Hearing these words, Cecilia genuinely couldn't help but let out a cynical chuckle.
She gazed at the three of them and sarcastically questioned, "Did I ask her to be kind to me? Did I ask her to speak up for me? Did I ask her to rescue me?"
Cecilia knew that Juliana's kindness toward her was merely superficial. In fact, behind Cecilia's back, Juliana had slandered and plotted against the former, thus tarnishing Cecilia's reputation.
Even that kidnapping incident had been orchestrated by Juliana.
Of course, Cecilia had attempted to expose Juliana's hypocrisy and even presented evidence.
Alas, the Yancey family not only refused to believe her but also accused her of being jealous of Juliana, hence making false accusations.
Gordon, Sophia, and Jonathan stared at the "cruel and unscrupulous" Cecilia with profound disappointment. They believed that not publicly acknowledging her as part of the family had been a wise choice. Gordon ordered sternly, "Cecilia Yancey, you must draw your blood to save Julia today!"
With that, he stooped down to pick up the blood collection bag from the floor.
The blood on the needle had already coagulated and been
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trodden upon, but he seemed unconcerned about it as he held the blood lancet and approached the hospital bed.
"Stretch your arm out. Don't make me get rough with you!" Cecilia released her hand that was pressing on the puncture mark. The bleeding had stopped, but the numerous puncture marks remained visible, some old and some fresh.
Instead of extending her arm, she lifted the blanket, got off the bed, and gathered her personal belongings in preparation to leave.
However, Jonathan blocked her path.
"Ceci, must you really be so heartless and fall out with your family?"
Cecilia sneered, "When have you people ever treated me as family? Step aside. Don't push my limits."
Knowing that there was no more room for negotiation, Jonathan reached out to grab Cecilia's shoulder.
Unexpectedly, she swiftly sidestepped, easily evading his grasp. Simultaneously, she delivered a forceful knee strike to his abdomen.
Jonathan let out a muffled groan and doubled over in pain. His face turned as white as a sheet, his eyes showing disbelief.
He had already remained wary of Cecilia's actions but didn't even get to see her movements clearly before he was hit.
Gordon, witnessing her willingness to hit Jonathan, grew increasingly displeased.
He threatened, "Cecilia, if you dare to leave this room, I will disown you as my daughter!"
"That's what I exactly want."
With those words, Cecilia opened the door of the ward and walked out without a backward glance.
As she passed the adjacent ward, she glanced at Juliana lying in
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the bed, and a cold smile worked its way across her face.
She mused, "Juliana Yancey, the real show's about to begin!" Now free from the constraints of the Yancey family, Cecilia was determined to repay every ounce of harm Juliana had inflicted upon her. Cecilia made a phone call after leaving the hospital.
"Professor Foster, I'd like you to see a new patient. It's Juliana Yancey in Quilton Central Hospital."
After ending the call, Cecilia hailed a taxi and returned to the Yancey residence.
Her personal belongings were still there, so she needed to pack them up before leaving.
At present, the three individuals in Cecilia's ward were still in a state of shock.
They couldn't fathom that Cecilia, who had always been obedient and accommodating, not only resorted to violence but also agreed to sever ties with the Yancey family.
After all, she had strived to become the darling daughter of the Yancey family, working hard to fit into the upper class. She was always willing to fulfill their wishes and remained
accommodating and compliant.
Jonathan speculated, "Mom, Dad, could it be that Cecilia is upset because we all rushed to save Julia but ignored her when the accident happened? Is that why she's deliberately doing this to show her
displeasure?"
That was the only reason he could come up with.
"She can't possibly want to give up her position as the daughter of the Yancey family and return to the countryside to be a farmer, right?" he pondered.
Sophia nodded in agreement and said with annoyance, "Ceci is seriously too unreasonable. Given Julia's fragile health, it's only
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natural for us to show her more affection."
Gordon sighed. "Let's not dwell on this for now. Our priority is to save Julia."
The trio returned to Juliana's ward, and the family of six discussed how to get Rh-negative blood.
Unbeknownst to them, Juliana, who was pretending to be unconscious, was secretly thrilled to learn of Cecilia's falling out with the Yancey family.
In reality, her illness had been cured a year ago through multiple blood transfusions.
However, she had bribed the hospital doctors to put on a show alongside her.
On one hand, it was to torment Cecilia, and on the other hand, it was to sway the Yancey family in her favor further.
Sympathy for the weak always worked.
She thought, "How dare a brainless country bumpkin dream of taking my place as the first daughter of the Yancey family? Over her dead body!"
With this in mind, Juliana allowed her eyelashes to flutter and gradually opened her eyes.
She adeptly portrayed herself as weak, vulnerable, and
suffering from excruciating pain, her acting utterly convincing.
"Dad, Mom, Jon, please don't worry about me. I'm fine, really." Just as she finished speaking, Gordon's phone rang.
Seeing that it was the landline in the Yancey residence, he promptly answered it.
"Mr. Yancey, Ms. Cecilia Yancey has returned and is packing her belongings in her room. It seems like she's planning to leave," said the butler.
"Stop her! She won't be going anywhere until I return!"
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With that, Gordon disconnected the call furiously.
"Cecilia is seriously out of control now. She's actually thinking of running away from home. I'll go get her and make sure we get blood for Julia!" he informed the rest.
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