Chapter Eighty-Two: Retribution

Mo Nianian rubbed her chin. “I’d say it wasn’t easy at all.”
After all, she’d spent considerable effort to get these things, hadn’t she?
Zhou Ze was so furious that his face turned red and his neck swelled; he almost couldn’t catch his breath. “Mo Nianian! You’re being utterly unreasonable! Do you really think I have no resources, yet I’ve survived in the entertainment industry for so many years?”
“Don’t get so worked up. If you faint, I won’t bother calling an ambulance.”
Mo Nianian was a bit tired from standing, so she plopped herself onto his stool. “Are you talking about Gu Jianhua, Liu Yuan Zheng, Chang Wenrui, and the others? Save your breath. Call them, see if they’ll even answer you now.”
The names she listed were well-known across various fields, some even holding considerable power.
This was one reason why Zhou Ze had been so arrogant and fearless.
Mo Nianian looked completely confident, making Zhou Ze’s heart skip a beat.
Now he was truly panicking; he hurriedly pulled out his phone and dialed several numbers, hands trembling.
All lines were busy, and Zhou Ze’s face turned pale in an instant.
Mo Nianian spread her hands. “I told you, let Jiang Hu go and you wouldn’t listen. Now look where you are.”
His greatest backers and shields were gone; he was utterly finished.
Malice burned in his eyes, thick enough to wish death upon Mo Nianian and Jiang Hu. “So what? We have a twenty-year contract with Jiang Hu, and the penalty for breach is astronomical!”
Even if he had to go down, he would drag the two of them with him.
Money? Mo Nianian never lacked money. In the past, she would have paid without hesitation, especially after poaching someone as talented as Jiang Hu.
But now, she had no intention of giving in.
Zhou Ze was truly detestable. Mo Nianian snapped her fingers. “As for the penalty, talk to my lawyer.”
As soon as she finished speaking, another person entered from outside, dressed like a professional. He spoke in a measured, formal tone, “President Zhou, pleasure to meet you.”
Seeing who stood before him, Zhou Ze nearly fainted; he had truly lost everything.
“Over to you,” Mo Nianian said to the lawyer, then left with Jiang Hu.
Mo Nianian led him out of the building, out of the oppressive place that had imprisoned him for years.
“Brother, you’re free now!” Mo Nianian’s voice was sweet and syrupy, her eyes shining.
It was as if a spoonful of sugar had melted not only in Jiang Hu’s mouth, but all the way into his heart.
It felt as if, for once, he had gambled right. For the first time in his ruined life, he glimpsed a ray of light.

Mo Nianian was chattering about something, but Jiang Hu didn’t quite catch it; her presence was growing deeper in his heart.
[Male protagonist’s malice value -5, current malice value 84.]
Mo Nianian was nearly moved to tears—at last, she had found a normal male lead.
Look at how things were progressing; everything was just as she expected.
Clenching her fists, Mo Nianian declared, “Don’t worry, I’ll make you an international superstar! Then those people will really see!”
“Yes, I’ll work hard.”
Mo Nianian had been so busy arguing with Zhou Ze earlier that she hadn’t really looked at Jiang Hu. Now, as she glanced up, she noticed the injuries on his face.
Her smile vanished instantly. “Did Zhou Ze do this? That old bastard!”
“Wait here; I’ll avenge you now!” Mo Nianian dialed her lawyer. “Forget the terms we discussed before. He won’t get a cent, and he must compensate Jiang Hu for years of emotional distress.”
The lawyer paused for two seconds. “Miss Mo, that will be difficult.”
“I trust you. Double the reward if you succeed.”
“Understood, no problem.” The lawyer agreed at once.
Mo Nianian hung up. “Done. Let’s go to the hospital and get you checked out. It’d be a shame if such a handsome face were ruined.”
Perhaps it was Mo Nianian’s unwavering protectiveness in that moment that made Jiang Hu’s long-dormant heart begin to stir.
He looked at her deeply.
Suddenly, Mo Nianian remembered she had accidentally exposed her true nature. She immediately adopted a coquettish tone, hugging Jiang Hu’s arm. “Brother, you’re hurt! I feel so bad—I want to kiss it better for you~”
Jiang Hu awkwardly withdrew his arm from her embrace. “That’s not necessary.”
“Oh, but I just want to be closer to you~”
Watching Mo Nianian perform beside him, a hint of amusement appeared in Jiang Hu’s eyes. After a while, she was actually rather cute.
Jiang Hu suddenly interrupted her melodramatic act. “By the way, I have something about Zhou Ze that you might find useful.”
“What is it?”
“It’s at my house. You’ll know when you see it.”
Zhou Ze deserved whatever punishment he got! Forgiving him so easily was out of the question.
The art of using others to do one’s dirty work became quite second nature after a while.

Mo Nianian didn’t ask further, only reminding Jiang Hu to remember to give her the materials.
Jiang Hu wasted no time; the next day, he delivered the items to Mo Nianian—and they were even more useful than she had imagined.
They contained a detailed account of Zhou Ze forcing company artists to serve certain shady individuals, involving dozens of artists big and small.
One had refused and ended up committing suicide by jumping from a building. Zhou Ze suppressed the news, destroying all records and evidence.
Mo Nianian had previously uncovered rumors about Zhou Ze during her investigation, but he was cautious and protected by powerful people.
All evidence of such incidents had been wiped out.
The minor celebrities, for various reasons, were unwilling to come forward.
That was why Mo Nianian hadn’t exposed these matters—she never expected Jiang Hu to have a complete set of evidence. Who knew how long he’d been preparing in secret?
Mo Nianian immediately sent the materials to the media, urging them to publicize the story widely.
As the scandal exploded, the country was shaken. No one expected someone could commit such atrocities.
It was utterly depraved, beyond redemption.
Among the evidence was a murder case; Zhou Ze was placed under criminal investigation.
His artists turned on him, publicly denouncing his cruelty.
When the wall collapses, everyone piles on—the misdeeds Zhou Ze had committed over the years were all exposed. His company’s stock plummeted twice, and finally, beyond saving, it declared bankruptcy.
Zhou Ze himself was about to pay dearly for his actions.
Jiang Hu’s own unfair treatment at the company was also revealed, enraging his fans, who flooded Zhou Ze’s official account with abuse until the platform shut it down.
For a week straight, hashtags expressing sympathy for Jiang Hu topped the trending charts, and his fan base grew at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Now, he couldn’t leave the house without a mask—he risked being recognized anywhere. Jiang Hu became famous overnight, nationwide.
After dealing with Zhou Ze, Jiang Hu’s malice value dropped another five points.
Mo Nianian found Jiang Hu more and more pleasing to the eye—he was the first male lead to follow her plan perfectly.
In this little world, he didn’t cling to her, focusing solely on his career. The more Mo Nianian thought about it, the more satisfied she became.