Chapter 142: Bathing

Mo Ran's pupils dilated slightly, filled with sheer disbelief. "Mo Niannian! You are simply... impossible to reason with!"

Mo Niannian desperately held Jiang Hu back. "Brother, I'm not a child anymore. I can handle things on my own; you don't need to worry about me."

Big brother, I'm begging you, please just leave quickly.

If you say another word or two, I can't guarantee how far your head will be able to fly.

Disappointment filled Mo Ran's eyes. "Mo Niannian, take a look at what you've done!"

He had watched Mo Niannian grow up with his own eyes, and he never could have imagined she would do something so outrageous. He was angry—angry with an unprecedented fury.

A slight tremor rippled through Mo Niannian's heart. She avoided Mo Ran's gaze and said with a nonchalant tone, "I'm not a kid anymore either. Stop meddling in my affairs, I know what I'm doing."

Beside himself with rage, Mo Ran snapped, "Fine! Excellent! Mo Niannian, you've really grown some backbone, haven't you?"

With that, Mo Ran stormed out in anger.

Mo Niannian stared at Mo Ran's retreating back for a long while. Now she was the ungrateful one who didn't know what was good for her.

She had already usurped his sister's body, and now she kept angering him over and over again. Ah, truly ungrateful indeed.

"Is Niannian still thinking about him?" Jiang Hu stared in the direction where Mo Ran had left.

That look in his eyes made it seem as though he wanted to rush over and kill him right then and there.

Moreover, Jiang Hu was a person characterized by paranoia and off-the-charts possessiveness.

Mo Niannian hurriedly grabbed his arm. "Not at all. Let's head back quickly."

Mo Niannian was still pondering the matter of moving. If Mo Ran came back a couple more times like this, her poor little heart definitely wouldn't be able to take it.

With their own respective thoughts, the two returned to the laboratory.

As soon as they got back, Jiang Hu started puttering around with his experiments, brewing up two items containing deadly poisons.

The kind where a single drop would leave even the greatest immortals powerless to save you.

Jiang Hu had just seen Mo Ran, so it went without saying who Jiang Hu intended to use those poisons on.

Mo Niannian sighed, "Jiang Hu... this is a society governed by law."

No wonder the minor world was on the verge of collapsing; with Jiang Hu tossing things about like this, it would be strange if it didn't collapse.

Jiang Hu smiled faintly. "I know."

Every time Mo Niannian saw Jiang Hu smile like that, she couldn't help but get goosebumps all over her body.

She had almost fallen for Jiang Hu's smile. Was this what they called "the more beautiful the smile, the more ruthless the strike"?

Mo Niannian now began to feel fortunate that there was still that bracelet connecting them.

Because of its existence, she knew whatever Jiang Hu was up to, which also saved Mo Ran from being quietly murdered by Jiang Hu.

As for the matter of clinging to each other, Mo Niannian didn't find it as smooth sailing as Jiang Hu did, but fortunately, the two of them basically stayed together, and Jiang Hu hadn't made any overly drastic moves so far.

Yet Mo Niannian remained worried.

Past lessons told her that the more calm and indifferent Jiang Hu appeared, the exact opposite would be true of the actual outcome.

This wretched scoundrel was a master of disguise.

With this thought in mind, Mo Niannian became even less inclined to leave Jiang Hu's side.

Having gotten used to the bracelet, it didn't affect daily life for the most part.

Except... going to the restroom and taking a bath were simply acts of sheer torture.

Compared to taking a bath, going to the restroom was already as good as it could possibly get.

At first, Mo Niannian had vehemently refused. No matter what, even if she smelled to high heaven, she wouldn't set foot in the bathroom.

Jiang Hu, on the other hand, didn't care at all, and washed up several times right in front of Mo Niannian.

This kind of situation entirely proved that as long as you aren't embarrassed, the person who feels awkward is someone else.

Adopting the mindset that there was no reason not to look since it was free, Mo Niannian stared straight at Jiang Hu.

Jiang Hu felt not the least bit uncomfortable. Without his glasses, Jiang Hu looked even more like an alluring sprite.

Watching an alluring sprite bathe made Mo Niannian's blood boil all over.

Her throat felt a bit dry.

Jiang Hu's physique was truly incredible. He holed up in the laboratory all day long, so how on earth did he maintain a body like that?

He actually even had abdominal muscles.

Mo Niannian glanced down at her own flat belly, and could only conclude that comparing oneself to others could drive a person mad.

"Has Niannian enjoyed enough of the view?"

Vapor filled the bathroom, and viewing Jiang Hu through the hazy mist added another layer of ethereal beauty.

Mo Niannian felt not a single shred of embarrassment. "You're the one who let me look."

Since it was free, she might as well watch.

Having enjoyed a free show, Mo Niannian declared herself thoroughly satisfied.

Jiang Hu began to put on his clothes, unhurriedly and with great elegance. He cast a sideways glance at Mo Niannian through his slender, narrow eyes. "In our dealings, we always emphasize reciprocity."

Mo Niannian let out a cold snort. "In your dreams! Don't even think about it!"

Even if she smelled foul, there was no way she would ever take a bath in front of Jiang Hu!!

However, Mo Niannian didn't even last three days before suffering a humiliating defeat.

She truly felt uncomfortable all over, as if countless ants were crawling across her skin.

That sensation was agonizingly unbearable.

Mo Niannian felt as though she could actually smell a sour, musty odor emanating from her own body.

It was miserable, far too miserable.

She couldn't take it anymore. "I want to take a bath."

Wearing an "I-knew-it-would-come-to-this" expression, Jiang Hu put down what he was holding and slowly stood up. "Niannian, lead the way."

His gaze was profoundly meaningful.

Hh, you scoundrel.

Mo Niannian didn't let Jiang Hu get his way; she chose to take a soak in the tub instead.

She scattered a thick, impenetrable layer of flower petals across the surface of the water in the bathtub. She spent a long time arranging it just to ensure Jiang Hu wouldn't be able to see a single thing.

Jiang Hu looked at the bathtub and raised an eyebrow, seeing nothing at all.

Having finally managed to claw back a victory, Mo Niannian was overwhelmingly excited. The wretched scoundrel actually had a day where he was thwarted; it felt utterly fantastic.

Suppressing the smile on her face, Mo Niannian gave a light cough. "I'm going to bathe now, turn around."

Jiang Hu smiled with indulgent tolerance. "Alright."

Mo Niannian didn't quite trust Jiang Hu. Moving on tiptoes, she stripped off her clothes, though still feeling uneasy about him, she kept on a single undergarment before stepping into the bathtub.

Jiang Hu heard the faint, rustling sounds of fabric rubbing together from behind him.

The less he could see, the more acute his other senses became.

The fragrance of flower petals and Mo Niannian's own subtle scent drifted through the air.

Filling the bathroom to the brim, growing richer by the moment.

Mo Niannian removing her clothes, Mo Niannian entering the bathtub, water droplets being splashed upward, the sound of her stirring the water and droplets falling back into the tub—every single noise was crystal clear.

The fire within Jiang Hu spread outward from the depths of his body. His gaze sank, his Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his fingertips curled inward uncontrollably.

He was reaching the limit of his self-control.

The beast inside his body roared incessantly, eager to tear apart its prey, to fiercely possess her and make her belong to him entirely, from the inside out.

Jiang Hu stood in the humid bathroom, enveloped in a fine mist of water.

He remained completely motionless.

A moment later, he stiffly lifted a foot and took a step in the opposite direction, but he "forgot" that the bracelet connecting the two of them was still linked.

With that movement of his, Mo Niannian was given a sudden yank on her end.

"Hey, hey! Jiang Hu, what are you doing?"

Jiang Hu's face stiffened. "Apologies."

With his back to Mo Niannian, she couldn't see the expression on his face.

Out of a desire for retaliation, she gave the bracelet a tug.

Truth be told, she hadn't used much force at all, but as a result, whether the jerk hadn't stood steadily or had done it on purpose, he pitched forward straight into Mo Niannian's bathtub.

Before Mo Niannian even had time to let out a gasp of alarm, Jiang Hu was crammed into the tub right alongside her.

She stared at Jiang Hu in sheer terror. Jiang Hu offered a faint smile. "If Niannian wanted me here, you only had to say so."

The clothes across his chest were soaked through by the water, revealing a vast expanse of his powerful, muscular chest.

He took off his glasses, set them aside, and untied his tie, his slender hands moving to the buttons of his shirt.

Unbuttoning them slowly in an exceptionally alluring fashion.

His voice dropped even lower, soft and unhurried, much like a seducing sprite.

"Niannian, do you need some help?" He breathed against Mo Niannian, the heat turning her earlobes scarlet.

Mo Niannian's face was flushed beyond belief. Squeezed together with such an alluring demon in the cramped bathtub, she found herself caught in a dilemma of advancing or retreating, and she felt utterly hopeless.

Gritting her teeth, she hissed, "Jiang Hu, get up."

Jiang Hu looked slightly puzzled. "Wasn't it you, Niannian, who pulled me over?"

"I did not!!"

Wearing an expression of helpless indulgence, Jiang Hu replied, "Fine, fine, fine, if you say you didn't, then you didn't."

"You jerk, Jiang Hu! Get up right now!"

Jiang Hu was nothing more than a scoundrel of a male protagonist; there was simply no protagonist more despicable than him!!

Seeing that Mo Niannian was genuinely about to lose her temper, Jiang Hu finally rose at a leisurely pace.

The clothes on his body were completely drenched, hanging loosely off his frame.

Whatever material they were made of, once soaked in water, they had unexpectedly turned translucent.

Mo Niannian looked up and was greeted by a boundless expanse of springtime scenery.

Unfortunately, Mo Niannian was in no mood to appreciate it right now; she wanted to murder Jiang Hu with every fiber of her being.

She tried to stand up, looking around frantically. "Jiang Hu, where are my clothes?"

Jiang Hu blinked. "They're all in the wash. Did you forget, Niannian?"

Mo Niannian froze.

It was as if she had been struck by lightning; she stiffened in place, completely motionless.

She had actually forgotten such a crucial detail!