Chapter Eighteen: Comfort

Mo Nianian had never fallen into such a huge pit before. The more she thought about it through the night, the angrier she became.

How could she lose her first kiss just by completing a task?

Honestly, if she didn’t hunt down that person and make them pay, she would be betraying her own identity.

From then on, Mo Nianian began wandering around the school more often.

That night, when all the lights had gone out, she could only see the vague outline of that person—around six foot, not fat, decently built, a match even for Jiang Hu.

Jiang Hu seemed to vaguely guess Mo Nianian’s intentions, but he said nothing, simply accompanying her everywhere.

Rumors about Mo Nianian and Jiang Hu grew wilder by the day. Eventually, everyone simply accepted that the two of them were a couple.

Some claimed that at the commitment party, Jiang Hu's girlfriend had pressed him up against a wall and gotten quite handsy. The mere thought was enough to make people blush.

Mo Nianian searched for a week, but still found no clue. Helpless, she gave up. She needed to be better prepared next time; that person was quick and skilled. If he dared show up again, she would make him regret everything he’d done that night!

Fuming, Mo Nianian went home to continue lying around, while Jiang Hu ran into his own trouble.

That night, the greasy man whom Jiang Hu had beaten up finally got out of the hospital.

He showed up with a gang to ambush Jiang Hu.

His face was bruised, one arm in a sling, his eyes full of malice. “Finally got you, huh?”

Jiang Hu’s expression was as calm as ever. “And then?”

The greasy man spat at his feet. “Pah! Who the hell do you think you are, Jiang Hu? You dare lay a hand on me? Where the hell did you get that kind of nerve?”

His gaze was vicious as he ordered the boys behind him, “Get him! If you kill him, I’ll take the blame!”

Jiang Hu, an orphan with nothing to his name—how could he possibly go up against him? Even if he died here, nobody would care.

And this good-for-nothing orphan, he had dared to hit him?

The greasy man’s lackeys surged forward, armed with iron rods and other deadly weapons.

Jiang Hu, one hand in his pocket, gave them a casual glance. Truthfully, these men were hardly worth his time.

He didn’t waste words. With a few swift moves, he disarmed them all and tossed the weapons right back at them.

In no time at all, the dozen or so lackeys were writhing and groaning on the ground.

The greasy man went weak at the knees, cursing his fallen men. “What the hell are you doing? Get up! Get up now!”

Jiang Hu, iron rod in hand, stepped over the moaning bodies and confronted the greasy man.

The man was trembling so hard he could barely stand.

“You… what do you want?” he stammered.

Jiang Hu leaned in, his voice low and ghostly. “You should be grateful you didn’t touch her.”

The greasy man wasn’t convinced, stubbornly lifting his chin. “I’m warning you, don’t mess with me… My father is Wang Qiang, general manager of Wang Construction Materials!”

His father was a big deal; everyone had heard of him. Surely this little bastard wouldn’t dare provoke him.

“Wang Qiang.”

A sudden change flickered in Jiang Hu’s eyes. Darkness gathered, and his fingers tightened around the greasy man’s throat.

He repeated Wang Qiang’s name, as though wanting to tear it apart in his mouth, to shred and chew it up.

“So it really is… a small world.”

After that day, no one at school ever saw Wang Jiancai again—he vanished as if into thin air.

Rumor had it he’d suffered some kind of mental breakdown, screaming and shouting all day. His parents couldn’t take it and sent him abroad for treatment.

To everyone at school, it was just a minor incident. Soon enough, people forgot all about it, and it was never mentioned again.

…

Jiang Hu’s desk was covered in magazines, all about Wang Qiang.

As a prominent local entrepreneur, Wang Qiang was often featured in business reports.

Jiang Hu flipped through the pages one by one.

He still couldn’t forget the look in his parents’ eyes before they died, pleading with him to live well.

And yet, the man who had destroyed everything for him was living better than anyone.

Jiang Hu’s expression grew colder and colder. The system began to blare with frantic warnings: [Alert! Male lead’s malice levels are too high! Host, please address this at once! Please address this at once!]

The system was in a panic—if the male lead’s malice grew any higher, he might act irrationally, and the mission would be a disaster.

Mo Nianian was just as troubled. [What’s gotten into this brat? He was fine not long ago!]

Without delay, she got up and headed to the school to check on Jiang Hu.

On the way, she bought a piece of his favorite cake.

Using the system to locate him, she went straight to Jiang Hu’s dorm.

He was lucky enough to have a room to himself; otherwise, Mo Nianian would never have had the courage to march right in.

She knocked. “Jiang Hu? Open up, are you there?”

Lost in thoughts of his parents’ death, Jiang Hu was startled awake by her voice. He slowly lifted his head, some of the darkness in his eyes dissipating.

He almost thought he was hallucinating. After all, how could his sister be here, at this hour, in this place?

Mo Nianian, patience wearing thin, knocked again. “Jiang Hu, hurry up and open the door. I’m right outside.”

This time, he was sure—it really was her.

Jiang Hu leapt to his feet, stumbling in his haste and nearly falling. He staggered to the door and flung it open.

The person he cherished most stood right there in front of him.

Mo Nianian walked in without a care. “I’m exhausted. I waited half an hour for the school bus but it never came, so I walked all the way from the gate.”

She set the cake on the desk and raised an eyebrow. “What are you standing there for? Come in.”

Jiang Hu stood frozen at the door, his whole body stiff.

“Hey, I came all this way to bring you food, show a little appreciation, will you?”

Like a puppet on strings, Jiang Hu only moved when he heard her words, limping awkwardly toward her, his eyes still dazed and hollow.

“Did you come all this way just to bring me something to eat?” he asked.

“What else? I’m not bored enough to come this far for no reason.”

Mo Nianian opened the cake box. “Come on, try it and see how it tastes.”

Her eyes were shining. Jiang Hu saw, reflected in her gaze, that there was only him—as if he were the only person in the world.

A sharp pain tore through Jiang Hu’s heart, unable to restrain the torrent of emotion surging inside him.

He lunged at Mo Nianian, hugging her tightly.

Caught off guard, she was knocked to the ground beneath him.

But in the very instant they fell, Jiang Hu shifted positions, cushioning her on top of himself so she was completely unharmed.

Meanwhile, his own head struck the floor hard.

Mo Nianian, slightly alarmed, asked, “Are you alright?”

Jiang Hu stubbornly buried his head in her embrace. “I’m fine, I just wanted to hold you.”

He was so close that Mo Nianian felt a little uncomfortable.