Chapter 143: A Major Crisis Has Occurred

Mo Niannian felt an urge to hurl the garment straight into Jiang Hu's face.

Jiang Hu raised an eyebrow, his expression enigmatic. "If Niannian wishes to walk out just like that, I have no objections."

They were completely alone in the laboratory; whatever Niannian chose to do, he would welcome it.

As he spoke, Jiang Hu picked up the shirt.

What an absolute scoundrel Jiang Hu was!

Mo Niannian nearly ground her back teeth to dust. "I'll wear it."

She reached out, and Jiang Hu, with a gentle smile, handed her the shirt. Leaning in slightly, he asked, "Does Niannian need any help?"

Mo Niannian smiled sweetly. "I need you to get the hell as far away as possible."

Jiang Hu chuckled, a sound originating from the very depths of his soul, his chest vibrating slightly, his tone low and resonant. "Niannian knows very well that is impossible."

Mo Niannian rolled her eyes dramatically. "Then could you please turn around?"

Knowing better than to push Mo Niannian too far, Jiang Hu obediently turned his back to her.

Swiftly stepping out of the bathtub, Mo Niannian slipped into Jiang Hu's shirt.

The shirt was oversized; even with the topmost button fastened, it hung loosely on her frame, making her feel rather awkward.

"Hey, where are the pants?"

Jiang Hu spun around abruptly. The moment his eyes landed on Mo Niannian, they darkened, and his Adam's apple bobbed slightly. "Niannian looks perfect just like this."

The shirt clung to Mo Niannian, outlining her flawless curves. Her slender, straight legs stood bare within the bathtub, looking somewhat self-conscious.

Her damp, long hair fell in wet strands down her back, and the soaked fabric revealed her jade-like skin.

She resembled the finest porcelain—snow-white and impeccably smooth.

This time, Mo Niannian's vessel bore an eighty percent resemblance to her true form, a breathtaking beauty in every respect.

Jiang Hu's gaze grew increasingly scorching, tinged with a hint of frenzied gloom and paranoia.

Niannian wearing his clothes made it seem as though she were steeped in his scent from head to toe, a realization that filled Jiang Hu with profound satisfaction.

His look was so intense it felt as though he might devour her alive. Mo Niannian shivered involuntarily. "Let's go. Let's get out of here first."

Places like bathrooms were far too dangerous.

The corners of Jiang Hu's lips curled upward as he obediently followed behind Mo Niannian.

Clad in nothing but that shirt, Mo Niannian felt a chilling breeze against her upper thighs, especially with such a scoundrel trailing right behind her.

She wished she could drape a bedsheet over herself.

And indeed, she did precisely that. The moment she returned to the room, she immediately grabbed a bedsheet and wrapped it around her body.

Swaddling herself tightly, she cast a wary glance at Jiang Hu. "When will my clothes dry?"

Jiang Hu's look of disappointment was far too obvious. He reined in his expression and said, "I had new ones ordered for Niannian."

Just as Mo Niannian was about to bristle, Jiang Hu leisurely added, "They won't arrive until tomorrow."

Her burst of anger choked right in the middle of her throat.

"...Fine!"

The male lead's gaze was becoming increasingly abnormal, and Mo Niannian felt a rising wave of panic.

The pace of their development completely exceeded her expectations. Jiang Hu was already getting handsy before they were even officially together; what would happen if they actually became a couple?

Mo Niannian spent the entire night wrapped in a bedsheet.

Fortunately, nothing untoward happened that night.

The clothing delivery arranged by Jiang Hu arrived as promised. He had ordered enough to fill half the laboratory for her, prompting Mo Niannian to briefly forgive him.

Once she changed into her own clothes, Mo Niannian finally breathed a sigh of relief, feeling much less awkward.

Tossing her hair back, she stepped out. "Jiang Hu, did you see the shirt I left on the chair? I'll wash it and return it to you."

Before her words had even faded, Mo Niannian watched in horror as Jiang Hu put on that very garment—the one she had just taken off.

With deliberate, unhurried movements, his slender, well-defined fingers slowly fastened the buttons.

Smoothing down his sleeves, he smiled faintly at Mo Niannian. "Is this the one Niannian was referring to?"

Mo Niannian felt her face grow scorching hot. This was simply too humiliating!

What on earth was the male lead playing at?

For a fleeting second, Mo Niannian had the fierce urge to rip the shirt right off his body.

With great difficulty, she suppressed this dangerous impulse in her mind.

She could only watch helplessly as Jiang Hu swaggered away wearing the shirt.

The longer Mo Niannian looked at him, the more uneasy she felt.

Jiang Hu paraded around in front of her wearing that outfit all day long. Finally reaching her breaking point and struggling to stay awake, Mo Niannian resolved to destroy the evidence in the dead of night.

She really couldn't take it anymore.

That jerk Jiang Hu was completely out of hand.

As it turned out, Jiang Hu went straight to sleep wearing it, showing no intention of taking it off whatsoever.

Mo Niannian was utterly speechless. "Jiang Hu, don't you find it uncomfortable to sleep in clothes?"

"Is Niannian feeling shy?" Jiang Hu lay on his side, his gaze fixed entirely on her.

Mo Niannian straightened her back and raised her voice a notch. "You must be joking! How could I possibly be shy?"

"The clothes carry Niannian's scent; I can't bear to take them off." Jiang Hu's voice was soft and lingering, sounding precisely like a lover's whisper, his eyes growing increasingly gentle.

Mo Niannian fell silent.

Her heart gave a couple of rapid thuds. Darting her eyes away, she quickly regained her composure. Refusing to look at Jiang Hu any longer, she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

[Host, you...] the system began, hesitating.

Overcome with embarrassment and annoyance, Mo Niannian snapped, [Shut up!]

The system cowered and vanished.

Pulling the blanket over her head, Mo Niannian felt her face flush an even deeper red.

For a brief second, she had actually thought Jiang Hu looked somewhat handsome.

Damn it, she must have spent too much time with the scoundrel lead and lost her mind.

Indeed, Mo Niannian showed no signs of wanting to flee or escape.

As she quietly stayed by Jiang Hu's side, his malice value began to steadily decline.

It dropped all the way down to thirty.

Mo Niannian didn't dare hope for it to hit zero, but she was quite satisfied with this progress.

At the very least, she no longer had to worry about Jiang Hu running off on a murderous rampage the moment she looked away.

Accompanied by Mo Niannian's utterly non-existent survival anxiety, Jiang Hu gradually relaxed his restrictions on her. He unlocked the bracelet and stopped watching her every single second.

Aside from forbidding her from leaving the laboratory, he loosened many of the rules.

Of course, Mo Niannian had no desire to go outside anyway; she was utterly terrified of Mo Ran.

Mo Niannian had repeatedly tried to persuade Jiang Hu to relocate, but for reasons unknown, he held an obsessive attachment to this place and stubbornly refused to leave.

Moreover, the laboratory housed too many high-end instruments, sophisticated equipment, and confidential documents, making relocation no simple task.

Mo Niannian temporarily shelved the idea.

Yet, a lingering sense of unease gnawed at her heart.

She soon discovered the source of her anxiety.

Mo Ran had tracked them down to the laboratory.

That day, as Mo Niannian was apathetically playing a single-player game, an alarm sounded outside, signaling a forced intrusion.

Mo Niannian moved to check the situation, but Jiang Hu blocked her path, clutching a lethal weapon in his hand. "Niannian, stay here. I'll go take a look."

Leaving no room for argument, Jiang Hu switched on the surveillance feeds covering the perimeter of the laboratory.

The alarms had startled the intruder, and the monitors showed no figures—evidently, the person had gone into hiding.

Holding his weapon, Jiang Hu unlocked the main laboratory doors.

Catching a fleeting glimpse of a familiar figure dart across the monitor, Mo Niannian abruptly grabbed Jiang Hu's arm. "Wait! I saw it, it was just a stray cat."

Clinging to him desperately, she pleaded, "There's really no need to go out. What's so interesting about a stray cat?"

Jiang Hu paused, casting a cryptic look at Mo Niannian.

Stiffening her neck, she insisted, "Playing video games alone is so boring. Stay here and keep me company."

Fearing her tone sounded too harsh, she softened her voice. "Please."

"Just play a round with me."

Mo Niannian looked at Jiang Hu with a slightly coaxing expression.

Jiang Hu sat down, taking the phone from her hands.

His gaze swept over the monitor screen, growing heavy and dark.

Who was outside? Did Niannian know them?

His eyes chilled further.

Mo Niannian kept Jiang Hu occupied with games the entire day, even accidentally disabling the perimeter cameras midway through.

Jiang Hu noticed but said nothing.

Mo Ran soon vanished from outside the laboratory, leaving Mo Niannian torn between relief and trepidation.

She had a strong feeling Mo Ran would not give up so easily.

Her headache worsened.

What would it take to keep Jiang Hu from killing Mo Ran?

Jiang Hu possessed a bone-deep paranoia and an off-the-charts desire for control. Even though she had repeatedly told him Mo Ran was her brother—her biological brother—Jiang Hu still despised him with a vengeance that made him want to erase him from existence.

Before Mo Niannian could figure out a way to bridge the gap between Jiang Hu and Mo Ran, a much larger crisis struck.

Jiang Hu was arrested.

Several police officers hauled Jiang Hu away from the laboratory.

Mo Niannian's lingering premonition of disaster had finally come true.

Simultaneously, Jiang Hu's laboratory was sealed off.

She had always said that scoundrel's unbridled recklessness would eventually land him in trouble!

And now look where they were!

Mo Niannian was taken into custody as well.

To this day, she could still recall Jiang Hu's parting look—one that clearly promised trouble ahead.

Because Mo Niannian was implicated in the case, she was temporarily detained and would be released once the investigation concluded.

The real danger lay with Jiang Hu.

Once his illegal human experimentation came to light, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Mo Niannian recalled that in the original timeline, Jiang Hu's crimes were not exposed until several years later.

The timeline had advanced once again.

Back then, Jiang Hu had turned the entire minor world upside down.

"Mo Niannian, someone is here to see you," an officer announced.

Led out of her cell, Mo Niannian found Mo Ran standing right across from her.

Darkness swirled within his eyes as he looked at her. "Niannian, you've suffered during this time."