Chapter Thirty-Seven: Guilt

Mo Nian Nian tugged twice, but couldn’t pull away; instead, their hands ended up interlaced, fingers tightly woven together.

She really wanted to kill Jiang Hu.

“We should just talk,” Mo Nian Nian forced out, word by word, from her throat.

Jiang Hu seemed regretful, but he knew not to push her too hard. With a sigh, he released her hand.

He sat quietly, waiting for Mo Nian Nian to continue.

The atmosphere fell into an inexplicable silence.

Damn it! What are they even supposed to talk about?

Mo Nian Nian had little experience; even when she tried to force a conversation, she couldn’t find a topic.

She held back for a long time, finally squeezing out, “What do you want to do in the future?”

She really was trying her best...

Jiang Hu propped his head with one hand, his gaze intense. “As long as I’m with you, sister, I’ll be happy doing anything.”

Thank you, but that’s really unnecessary.

The conversation hit another dead end. Mo Nian Nian was so awkward she wished she could scratch out an entire apartment with her toes.

Afraid Jiang Hu might revert to his beastly ways, she hurriedly suggested, “Um, how about we plant some flowers? I saw lots of seeds in the greenhouse.”

“Do you like flowers, sister?”

Mo Nian Nian nodded with tears in her eyes—at this moment, even if she didn’t, she had to pretend she did.

Jiang Hu’s eyes curved with delight. “Then let’s go. Just thinking about planting flowers together with you makes me happy.”

Finally, Mo Nian Nian had found something to pass the time. She showed enthusiastic interest.

Jiang Hu carried her over, and Mo Nian Nian gestured for him to unlock the chains on her wrists.

Jiang Hu hesitated for a moment.

“Relax, do you really think I could run?”

“That’s not certain. Sister, you have so many tricks I don’t know about.”

He even suspected she might disappear before his very eyes.

There were too many things about Mo Nian Nian that defied explanation.

But he couldn’t bear to let her down, so he unlocked the chains.

Mo Nian Nian flexed her wrists and brought over a flowerpot.

She set it in front of her, picking through the pile of seeds.

She didn’t know them, couldn’t tell good from bad, so she randomly grabbed a few and tossed them all into the soil.

Jiang Hu took the tools from her hand. “That’s not the right way, sister. We need to prepare the soil first. These seeds are delicate and need rich earth for potting.”

He spoke softly as he worked, pulling out a large bag of soil from behind, scooping some into the pot—a third full—then adding fertilizer.

More soil, filling it halfway, then the seeds, covering them with a thin layer until the pot was eight-tenths full, and watering thoroughly.

Jiang Hu’s voice remained gentle, explaining each step as he performed it.

Soon, all the pots before them had seeds planted.

Most of the steps were handled by him.

Only at the end did he hold Mo Nian Nian’s hand, guiding her to water each pot.

Now, all these flowers had been planted by him and his sister together.

Together, they had nurtured them.

Honestly, there seemed to be nothing Jiang Hu couldn’t do. In all her time with him, Mo Nian Nian had never seen him stumped by anything.

Mo Nian Nian kept sneaking glances at the clock, counting down the moments until she could leave.

The villa’s doorbell rang—someone had arrived.

Jiang Hu’s place was very secluded; normally, no one could possibly find it.

He glanced at the monitors. Unexpectedly, someone he didn’t anticipate was standing outside.

His expression darkened. He scooped up Mo Nian Nian, who was still fiddling with the flowers.

Mo Nian Nian was confused. “What are you doing?”

He carried her to the bedroom, set her down on the bed, and kissed her forehead. “Be good, sister. I’ll be back soon.”

With that, he closed the bedroom door.

He had modified it—only he could open it, and from outside, there was nothing unusual to see.

Jiang Hu opened the villa door, his face regaining its usual composure. “May I help you?”

At the door stood Bai Wei and two people dressed as police officers.

Bai Wei eyed Jiang Hu warily, shrinking behind the officers.

This man was strange—full of schemes and hidden malice.

She had accidentally scratched Jiang Hu once, and afterward, something just felt off.

She hadn’t used much force, the restaurant’s cutlery was dull, and she’d been quite far from him—he’d run into her himself.

She’d felt guilty for days because of it.

But the more she thought, the more she realized something was wrong.

Combined with Jiang Hu’s behavior that night and his inexplicable hostility, Bai Wei understood.

What could she do? She could only admit her bad luck and quietly resolve never to get close to Jiang Hu again.

If he could be so ruthless to himself, Bai Wei believed there was nothing he wouldn’t do.

If possible, she hoped never to cross paths with Jiang Hu again. But now, Mo Nian Nian had disappeared—gone for a long time—and the police had contacted everyone connected to her.

For some unknown reason, Bai Wei suspected Jiang Hu, which led to this scene.

“Hello, we’re from the Capital Public Security Bureau. You previously reported your sister missing, and there are a few things we need you to assist with.”

“What things?” Jiang Hu’s face was cold.

“We’d like to look around inside. Is that convenient?”

Jiang Hu paused for a moment, then stepped aside to let them in. “Please.”

The two officers and Bai Wei entered. Bai Wei was so intimidated by Jiang Hu she wanted to keep as far from him as possible.

The police circled the villa but found nothing amiss.

“Could you describe in detail what happened the day your sister disappeared?”

Jiang Hu lowered his head, seeming sorrowful. “That day, my sister and I had a disagreement, a quarrel. She got angry, packed her things, and left. Since she was upset, I didn’t chase after her.”

He appeared pained. “After a long time passed and she hadn’t returned, I searched everywhere but couldn’t find her, so I reported it to the police.”

Jiang Hu’s story was airtight; he had prepared for everything. To the outside world, Mo Nian Nian had vanished completely.

His sister would never get out.

A flash of joy flickered in Jiang Hu’s eyes.

The two officers exchanged glances, nodding slightly. Everything Jiang Hu said matched the facts.

Someone had seen Mo Nian Nian leave home, just as Jiang Hu described.

She checked into a nearby hotel, then vanished from there.

They searched all nearby surveillance footage but found no trace of her.

Hotel staff couldn’t explain how she disappeared.

With no leads whatsoever, they contacted those close to Mo Nian Nian, hoping for a breakthrough.

Her social circle was small; it was Bai Wei who had suggested investigating Jiang Hu more thoroughly.

The police asked several more questions, but Jiang Hu answered flawlessly. Since they found nothing suspicious, their doubts gradually faded.

“Your sister has been missing for quite some time. Are you not worried at all?”