Chapter 106: Not a Match for a Single Finger of Jiang Hu

The company's young elites were swarming around Mo Niannian.

Mo Niannian felt a bit annoyed. "Could you please step aside?"

No sooner had she spoken than Jiang Hu walked in through the doorway. "Niannian," he called out.

He walked over to her side and, with an intimate air, took the cake from her hands. "Why did it take so long just to pick up a cake?"

He cast a look at the people around them, his expression somewhere between a smile and a sneer. "I was starting to think you’d been carried off by someone."

Mo Niannian: ??

He took her hand and led her out of the crowd. "Niannian, you must stay close to me. If you get lost following someone else, I’ll go insane."

Mo Niannian was even more bewildered. What kind of nonsense was Jiang Hu spouting today? She couldn't understand a word of it.

Realizing that Mo Niannian was already spoken for, the young elites felt a wave of disappointment. Most of them gave up, though, naturally, a small number kept their eyes fixed on her. The interests behind Mo Niannian were simply too vast; no one wanted to give up just like that. Even seeing Jiang Hu standing guard, they still wanted to try their luck.

They stepped forward to curry favor with her, making small talk. Mo Niannian responded with a cold, perfunctory attitude.

Jiang Hu’s expression shifted between stormy and sullen, his gaze toward these people growing increasingly hostile. They were truly detestable—insufferably annoying. Niannian belonged to him; why couldn't these people understand that? Why did they insist on bothering them?

Jiang Hu’s irritation reached a boiling point. He longed to kill everyone in front of him, struggling desperately to suppress the intense murderous intent surging in his heart.

He reached out and tugged at Mo Niannian.

She turned to look at him. "What is it?"

Jiang Hu looked grim. "Niannian, I want to go home."

Mo Niannian wasn't fond of this kind of occasion either, and seeing how troubled Jiang Hu looked, she said a quick word to her parents and took him home.

Worried about him, she asked, "What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Jiang Hu clung to her, looking listless. "A little."

A sudden realization struck Mo Niannian. She asked, "Could it be because of those people?" Jiang Hu was paranoid and possessive; it was very likely that this was the reason.

"Yes. I don't like them."

He hated them. He wanted to kill them. He loathed them to the core. But he kept his disgust and malice buried deep. Niannian wouldn't like that. In her eyes, he was already tiresome enough; he couldn't let her grow to hate him further. He knew he was paranoid, overbearing, and gloomy—his personality was far from likable. If he pulled in his claws, could he trade that for a little of her pity?

"I didn't even say two words to them," Mo Niannian said, feeling a mix of speechlessness and helplessness.

The thorn buried deepest in Jiang Hu’s heart remained Huang Xiuwen. Huang was more mature than him, more charismatic, and knew better how to please women. Huang Xiuwen was a movie star, and Niannian loved his work. He also called her "Niannian." The two had chatted happily on several occasions, and Niannian had even set a date for their next meal together.

The more he thought about it, the deeper the thorn pierced. He felt a mad desire to kill Huang Xiuwen; anyone who coveted his treasure deserved to die.

Seeing Jiang Hu still looking sullen, Mo Niannian tried to explain again. "I really didn't say more than five sentences to them."

"Mhm."

Several seconds passed before Mo Niannian snapped out of it. Wait, why was she explaining anything to Jiang Hu? She had no relationship with those people anyway.

Mo Niannian had a headache. It seemed she was becoming more and more like Jiang Hu.

"Is Niannian going out tomorrow?" Jiang Hu asked, feigning nonchalance.

Mo Niannian found this strange. "How did you know?" Did her parents tell him? Wasn't she just supposed to have a meal and socialize with the company executives?

Jiang Hu’s eyes grew chillingly cold. So, Niannian really was going to go out alone to have dinner with Huang Xiuwen. Was her favorite idol now Huang Xiuwen? He would never allow it.

[Male Lead's malice value +5. Current malice value: 54.]

Mo Niannian, "..." This damn male lead's malice value fluctuated all day long. And for no reason at all! She had already explained that she had no relationship with those people, so why was he still hung up on it? Mo Niannian couldn't be bothered anymore. Let Jiang Hu do whatever he wanted.

All night long, she listened to the malice value rising and falling, finally settling at sixty. She had worked so hard on this mission for so long, yet the damn male lead’s malice wouldn't drop. It was still at a dangerously high level of sixty. Forget it, let him be.

Jiang Hu had tossed and turned all night, and Mo Niannian had been forced to suffer along with him. She woke up with two huge dark circles under her eyes, her entire face broadcasting, "I am very angry; do not provoke me." She didn't say a word to Jiang Hu, changed her clothes, and left.

Jiang Hu stared at her retreating back for a long time, then let out a cold laugh. Why did Niannian have to be so disobedient?

...

Mo Niannian met with the company executives and had a meal. Her parents were still young, so the company wouldn't be falling into her hands anytime soon. The meeting went smoothly, but while they were eating, they ran into Huang Xiuwen again.

Huang greeted her parents. The two had a good relationship, and Huang had always been polite. Mo’s mother invited him, "What a coincidence, Xiuwen! Since you're here, why not sit down and have a meal with us?"

Huang Xiuwen replied graciously, "All right. As it happens, I had an appointment with Niannian, so I shall accept your kind invitation."

"You and Niannian?" Mo’s mother’s eyes lit up as if she had discovered a new continent.

"We had an appointment for yesterday, but Niannian had a last-minute matter to attend to and sent someone else instead. We just finished and happened to run into you all." Huang explained the reason for his presence in a few short sentences.

Mo Niannian couldn't very well say in front of everyone that she had sent someone else because she didn't want to go out alone with him. She was forced to say, "Yes, I did have some things to take care of."

"No matter, we've set another date."

Mo Niannian, "..." This person was getting annoying.

Mo’s mother stared at the two of them for a long time, her eyes shining with inexplicable excitement. She pulled Huang aside and began asking him one question after another. Huang was skilled at pleasing his elders, and with a few words, he had Mo’s mother beaming with delight.

Mo Niannian ate absentmindedly; the food tasted average, and after a few bites, she lost her appetite. She thought of Jiang Hu again. If he knew she had met Huang Xiuwen again, he would probably explode with rage. Forget it, she would go back and coax him; Jiang Hu was still easy to coax.

Mo Niannian whispered to her mother, "Mom, I’m going to head back now."

Her mother glared at her. "You spend all your time huddled at home, and the one time you finally go out, you can't even stay for a while?"

"I have things to do at home."

Her mother waved her hand dismissively, looking slightly annoyed. "Fine, fine, go on then." She claimed she didn't like Jiang Hu, but if that were true, why was she always in such a rush to get home? She had never been this much of a homebody before; ever since Jiang Hu moved in, she seemed to want to rot away at home. So, what was really going on between Niannian and Jiang Hu? If they could make it work, that would be a joyous occasion.

"Niannian is leaving? Let me drive you," Huang said, rising with his car keys.

Mo Niannian thought for a moment and did not refuse.

Once outside in the garage, Mo Niannian decided to lay it all out. "Mr. Huang, I’d like to clarify something. It was me who arranged for my company colleague to accompany you today; there was no other reason for it. I was grateful for your help last time, which is why I agreed to the meal, but if you have other intentions, I’m afraid I cannot accept them."

Huang’s appearance was too coincidental. Once, twice, three times... the more it happened, the more it felt intentional. Mo Niannian didn't want to think of him that way, but the facts spoke for themselves. The place she had arranged for him to eat today was over two kilometers away; how could he have just happened to be walking by?

The smile vanished from Huang’s face. "Is Niannian so repulsed by me? Is it because of Jiang Hu?"

"It’s not entirely because of him, though he certainly plays a part."

"There’s no need to reject me so quickly, Niannian. We could give it a try; you’d find that I’m much more suitable for you than Jiang Hu."

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Huang. Let me be even clearer: I don't like you, and I never will. Is that clear enough?"

"You’ve set your heart on Jiang Hu, haven't you? To be honest, he isn't right for you. He lacks emotional maturity, and being with someone like him will be very exhausting." Huang continued his analysis. "Jiang Hu—what you call persistence, I call obsession. A person like that—"

Mo Niannian’s face instantly chilled. She interrupted his long-winded speech. "Mr. Huang, I’ll be honest with you: all of you combined aren't worth a single finger of Jiang Hu." In other words, who did he think he was to be talking like that? No matter how flawed Jiang Hu was, Mo Niannian would never tolerate anyone else speaking ill of him.

"You don't need to drive me. I’ve made myself very clear. Oh, and from now on, please call me Miss Mo." With that, Mo Niannian turned and strode away.

Huang Xiuwen’s face darkened. This was the first time he had been humiliated like this, and he couldn't control his expression. Since she had been so blunt, if he kept pestering her, he would only lower his own status. He tried to convince himself that she wasn't worth the trouble.

He took two steps forward, only to be suddenly grabbed by a hand and pulled into the shadows. He was dragged into a blind spot of the surveillance cameras and held tightly in a firm grip. His eyes widened, and he let out a muffled cry.

He couldn't see anything in the darkness; he strained his eyes, but could only make out a blurry figure beside him. He struggled, but he was held fast, his arms pinned behind his back.

"Who are you? Let me go! You'll regret this! Release me!" He struggled and shouted.

The person holding him spoke, their voice low and slow, like a demon from the darkest night. "I told you long ago: you shouldn't covet what doesn't belong to you."

The voice was hauntingly familiar. Huang Xiuwen’s pupils dilated once more.