Chapter Seventy-Nine: Taking Jiang Hu Away

The spoon in Jiang Hu’s hand trembled, nearly slipping from his grasp. He composed himself, managing an awkward smile.

Mo Nianian could clearly sense that Jiang Hu’s patience had reached its limit, which thrilled her to no end. In their two separate worlds—each a small universe of its own—she’d never found a way to truly deal with Jiang Hu. But now, at last, she had the upper hand.

The thought made her voice even more saccharine. “Brother, why are you ignoring me~?”

The system retched: [Ugh!] Sorry, I couldn’t hold it back—I had to throw up first.

A vein throbbed at Jiang Hu’s temple, his expression darkening to the extreme. “Let’s just eat.”

“Oh come on~ I’d rather talk with you, brother~” Mo Nianian pressed her advantage, nearly draping herself over him.

Jiang Hu abruptly stood up. “Sorry, I just remembered something urgent. I won’t see you out.”

Mo Nianian feigned reluctance. “Alright, I’ll be waiting for you.” She blew him a kiss. “Brother, don’t forget to miss me.”

Jiang Hu’s pace quickened, and he soon disappeared from her sight.

Mo Nianian watched his retreating back, reluctant to look away. After a long moment, she doubled over in laughter.

As expected of herself, she’d found a way to make Jiang Hu thoroughly despise her in no time. Ah, how clever she was.

She gave herself a mental pat on the back for her wit, and only then did she leave at a leisurely pace.

Jiang Hu’s face was cold and stern, his gaze deep as he ascended to the second floor and stopped before a man.

The man’s real name was Zhou Ze, a burly fellow with a vicious look. He laughed heartily. “Not bad, not bad. It seems Mo Nianian is truly taken with you.”

“So, boss, about what we discussed earlier?”

“Obviously, Mo Nianian is the key. She’s the only daughter of the Mo family. If you can win her heart, what worries could you possibly have?”

Zhou Ze got up and clapped Jiang Hu on the shoulder. “Jiang Hu, I’m doing this for your own good. Your parents owe billions—how long would it take you to pay that back? But if you stick with her, things will be different.”

Jiang Hu lowered his gaze, hiding the flicker in his eyes. “I understand.”

“Hahaha! Good! I’ll lighten your workload for now. Remember to invite Mo Nianian out for some fun. She’s just a young girl—I’m sure you can win her over.”

[Male lead’s malice level +1, current value: 91.]

The system was on the verge of collapse. [Host, if you don’t hurry and finish the mission, you’ll fail completely.]

Mo Nianian replied, [What’s the rush? I’m working on it.]

All of Jiang Hu’s misfortunes stemmed from the man beside him. Mo Nianian decided she needed to deal with him. Why not poach him for herself? With a snap decision, she resolved to start a talent agency.

She called her parents. They were exceedingly busy, but after a few concerned questions, they transferred her a large sum of money. Their only words were: Have fun. If you need more, there’s plenty.

Now Mo Nianian had no worries at all. If she lacked people, she’d make up for it with money. With enough cash, there was nothing she couldn’t solve.

In less than two days, Mo Nianian’s Superstar Entertainment was founded. She recruited seasoned veterans from the industry; everything was in place except for the artist.

She had no intention of signing other talent—the entire company would exist solely for Jiang Hu.

Surely, he would be moved. Even Mo Nianian herself was touched by her own gesture.

With a sense of purpose, she gathered her things and headed to Zhou Ze’s company.

When Zhou Ze heard Mo Nianian was visiting, he beamed as if the God of Wealth had arrived. “Miss Mo, what brings you to my humble establishment today?”

To Mo Nianian, he looked every bit the shifty villain—his very face was an eyesore.

She plopped down in front of him. “Let’s not beat around the bush. I’m here to take someone.”

Zhou Ze feigned ignorance. “I’m not sure what you mean, Miss Mo. Who from my company could you possibly want?”

“Jiang Hu,” Mo Nianian replied, crossing her legs. “Name your price—how much to let him go?”

Zhou Ze knew she was interested in Jiang Hu, but hadn’t expected her to come straight out and ask. Jiang Hu was his company’s golden goose—he couldn’t possibly let him go so easily.

He put on a troubled face. “Miss Mo, it’s not that I’m unwilling, but you know Jiang Hu is the backbone of our company. If you take him, how can we go on?”

“What’s more, Jiang Hu sold himself to us. We paid off his debts—he still owes us billions.”

Mo Nianian dug at her ear, barely listening to his nonsense. “One billion.”

Zhou Ze’s eyes sparkled, but he kept up the act. “Miss Mo, please don’t make things difficult for me.”

“1.2 billion.”

“Miss Mo, it’s really not about the money.”

“1.5 billion.”

Mo Nianian said it as if she were tossing away scraps of paper, not money.

Zhou Ze’s eyes reddened—1.5 billion! That was far more than Jiang Hu was worth now, enough to buy two companies like his. She really was a nouveau riche, untouched by worldly hardship.

But if she was willing to pay that much, it meant Jiang Hu was worth even more to her. If he kept a tight hold on this money-maker, wouldn’t the wealth keep coming? Should he take a one-time windfall, or opt for long-term profit?

Without hesitation, Zhou Ze chose the latter.

He composed himself. “Miss Mo, I truly don’t mean to be unreasonable, but Jiang Hu signed a twenty-year contract with us. Our company invested heavily to make him what he is today.”

He spread his hands apologetically. “Jiang Hu’s just become popular. We haven’t even recouped one percent of our investment. If I let him go now, my employees would starve.”

Mo Nianian was growing impatient—this man was insufferably long-winded. If he kept refusing, she’d have to use less conventional methods.

Before she could speak, Zhou Ze continued, “How about this, Miss Mo? Since Jiang Hu has caught your eye, it’s his honor. I’ll let him accompany you for a couple of days, how about that?”

He gave her a meaningful smile, so repugnant that Mo Nianian longed to hurl her teacup at his face.

Seeing her silence, Zhou Ze assumed she was tempted but too embarrassed to say so. He promptly called his secretary and told them to summon Jiang Hu.

Fine, Mo Nianian hadn’t expected him to let go of Jiang Hu so easily anyway. Back then, Jiang Hu had to fight tooth and nail to escape his clutches.

She hadn’t seen Jiang Hu in two days and, truth be told, she rather missed him. What should she do today? If possible, she’d like to throw herself at him and give him a kiss, just to see how he’d react. Would he try to scrape that spot off his face?

Jiang Hu hurried in, likely having just come from an event. His face was lightly made up, stray hair tied back, his good looks more striking than ever.