Chapter 122: A New Test Subject

Mo Niannian was full of vigor. Even though Jiang Hu’s malice value had only dropped by one point—leaving the remaining amount terrifyingly high—it could not dampen her high spirits.

This was the dawn of victory.

Full of confidence, Mo Niannian poured all her patience into the task, treating Jiang Hu with an unbelievable level of kindness. If Jiang Hu wanted water, she poured it; if he was conducting experiments, she helped.

In this lifetime—no, for as many years as she could remember—she had never served anyone the way she served this ancestor.

She had assumed that once the malice value started to budge, it would plummet quickly. Instead, after hitting 99, it never dropped again.

Mo Niannian even cooked a bowl of noodles for Jiang Hu herself. After one bite, Jiang Hu declared it disgusting and didn't touch it again. Mo Niannian was furious. Even if the noodles weren't great, it was still a gesture of her sincerity, wasn't it? That wretched male lead was infuriating.

Mo Niannian took a bite herself, and in less than a second, she decided to forgive Jiang Hu. With a blank expression, she dumped the noodles out. It was the same process: boiling water, adding noodles, adding seasoning—how could the taste be so different? It certainly wasn't her fault; it had to be the noodles' fault!

Jiang Hu’s life was incredibly boring; it seemed that nothing remained in his existence but experiments. Mo Niannian only knew he was working on something combining transplantation and hypnosis, though she didn’t fully understand the details. When Jiang Hu worked, he would forget to eat or sleep. He treated himself like an iron man, ignoring any changes in his physical state. Mo Niannian had no choice but to watch over him and occasionally urge him to take care; she hadn't even been this attentive raising a child.

However, even a clay figurine has a temper, and Mo Niannian’s temper had never been particularly mild. When Jiang Hu once again forgot to eat and let his hand wound become inflamed from neglect, Mo Niannian finally exploded. She pointed a finger at Jiang Hu and gave him a stern dressing-down.

Jiang Hu didn't say a word, just stared at her gloomily. His eyes, hidden behind gold-rimmed spectacles, were narrowed, their color impossible to read. Mo Niannian felt a twinge of regret, but she hadn't been in the wrong, so she absolutely refused to apologize.

After a long silence, Jiang Hu spoke: "Are you concerned about me?"

Mo Niannian’s mouth moved faster than her brain: "Who’s concerned about you? I’m just worried you’ll die in here!"

She wanted to slap herself. Why was her mouth so fast? What if Jiang Hu got annoyed and killed her? Mo Niannian deeply missed the "little angel" version of Jiang Hu from before. She hadn't cherished the sweet, gentle boy when he was right in front of her, and only realized her regret after the chance had passed. She broke into a cold sweat for her own life.

[Male lead’s malice value -1. Current malice value: 98.]

Mo Niannian: "..."

For a moment, she didn't know whether to be happy or worried. The male lead’s malice value dropped with no discernible pattern whatsoever—what was she supposed to do with that?

Jiang Hu experienced the taste of being cared for for the first time. It was... strange. Mo Niannian was truly an interesting person, and even now, he couldn't see through her. He hadn't expected that someone he’d randomly snatched off the street would suit his tastes so well; he was starting to feel reluctant to let her go.

However, the experiments had to continue. When the time came, he would surely treat his new toy well. At the thought of this, the smile on his face became genuinely pleased and bright.

He rose early for once, took off his white coat, and cooked a meal himself. It had been so long since Mo Niannian had eaten anything prepared by Jiang Hu. For the sake of convenience, he usually lived on bread and sandwiches. When Mo Niannian saw the table full of food, her eyes lit up, and tears of joy practically threatened to spill from the corners of her mouth. She took a bite and found it to be a culinary masterpiece. For the time being, she forgave Jiang Hu for all his recent behavior.

"Jiang Hu, what made you cook today?" Mo Niannian asked, her eyes narrowing in satisfaction.

Jiang Hu smiled faintly. "I wanted Niannian to have something good to eat."

After all, there wouldn't be many more chances for this. It was a pity. Jiang Hu looked at Mo Niannian with a gaze both deep and scorching.

After only two bites, Mo Niannian immediately sensed something was wrong. Wait! There was something in the food!

[System, what’s going on?]

The system panicked as it scanned the food: [The male lead put drugs in the meal; he wants to knock you out.]

The male lead hadn't given up on the idea of using the host for his experiments! Both Mo Niannian and the system had been too certain that Jiang Hu wouldn't do anything to harm her; they hadn't expected such a sudden, stinging reality check.

[Host, think of something! Otherwise, this plane will definitely be a failure!]

Mo Niannian’s eyes flickered, but she pretended not to notice anything. "Jiang Hu, your cooking is delicious. You’re amazing." She looked at him with sparkling eyes. "You should cook for me more often; I’ll help you prep. There are so many good things in this world you haven't tasted yet. But you’re so smart, you’d learn them after seeing them once. We could try all eight major cuisines. If you get tired of it, I can cook—provided you don't mind. And about your experiments, although I don't fully understand them, I’d love to discuss them with you."

The side effects of the drug began to kick in. Mo Niannian’s vision started to darken, but she forced herself to act as if nothing was wrong, walking around the room. "It’s too dark in here. We could renovate it later, leave this space open for a bay window—a panoramic one."

She tried hard to demonstrate her value, terrified that Jiang Hu would get annoyed and drag her off to be an experimental subject. She rambled on about everything and nothing, practically wearing a sign that said "I am actually very useful."

Jiang Hu’s expression flickered for a moment. He had never imagined a future that included anyone else. He disliked people and didn't like dealing with them; he understood the definitions of joy and sorrow, yet he couldn't empathize with them. He knew he wasn't normal, but he didn't want to change, nor did he intend to.

What would it be like if there really were someone else in his future? Just thinking about it caused a visceral, psychological rejection. Yet, when he replaced that someone with Mo Niannian, the rejection didn't seem as strong; there was even a faint sense of anticipation.

It seemed he really... couldn't bring himself to do it. If she became a toy, she wouldn't be able to chat or eat with him anymore. He didn't care for those things, but Mo Niannian’s presence made him feel as if he were still living among humans.

Jiang Hu reined in his intense killing intent and looked at Mo Niannian gently. He would let her stay. He could decide how to deal with the situation whenever he grew tired of her. Since his current experimental subject was no longer usable, it was time to head out and scout for a new candidate.

Jiang Hu’s eyes dimmed slightly, shimmering with a light that appeared exceptionally joyful and tender.