Chapter 100: Using Oneself as Bait
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Mo Niannian said, "I just want to say it to you again."
In truth, it was merely an apology—nothing difficult at all.
Mo Niannian thought this to herself, yet her mouth felt as if sealed shut with glue; no matter what, she couldn’t open it.
Jiang Hu responded with a cold, indifferent "hmm," cutting off all conversation.
The atmosphere between them turned strange once more. Mo Niannian tried to say something else, but Jiang Hu turned and walked away.
It seemed he was truly angry.
Mo Niannian’s mood grew slightly irritated.
She had never imagined it would ever be so difficult to lower her head.
Jiang Hu and Mo Niannian entered a one-sided cold war.
Jiang Hu continued to manage Mo Niannian’s daily life meticulously, yet their communication became scarce.
Whenever Mo Niannian tried to speak, Jiang Hu completely shut down the topic.
Mo Niannian found this unfamiliar.
Once again, after Jiang Hu dismissed her with a cold "hmm," Mo Niannian finally snapped.
“Jiang Hu, what exactly do you mean lately?”
Jiang Hu’s dark eyes simply stared at her, unchanged.
Though Mo Niannian felt guilty, recalling Jiang Hu’s attitude made her angry again.
“I admit, I shouldn’t have gone against what you said. You’ve been angry enough. So, just tell me—what should I do?”
She was truly annoyed; if she could, she wished to just fight with Jiang Hu.
Jiang Hu remained silent for a while, then said, “I’m not angry at Niannian. I’m angry at myself.”
Mo Niannian slowly typed out a question mark.
“I’m angry at myself for not taking good care of Niannian, for letting her get sick.”
So this was his way of punishing himself.
Mo Niannian said, “...That’s really unnecessary.”
This man had some quirks.
Jiang Hu’s sincerity made Mo Niannian even more anxious; she owed him more and more, and she worried—what if she couldn’t repay him someday?
She looked at Jiang Hu with a worried expression.
“It’s my fault, I’m sorry, Niannian,” Jiang Hu apologized again.
Mo Niannian was even more confused. From beginning to end, it was her fault—she was the one acting out, wasn’t she?
Why was Jiang Hu apologizing?
Mo Niannian felt flustered. “It’s not your fault. I did this. I deserve the pain.”
Jiang Hu took all the blame upon himself, which made Mo Niannian feel worse.
Their relationship did not ease, and Mo Niannian grew increasingly troubled.
It was like being cut by a soft blade—one cut after another, both painful and irritating.
Unable to bear it any longer, she grabbed Jiang Hu’s arm.
“Jiang Hu, I admit I was wrong about what happened before. You really don’t need to be like this.”
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Once she expressed weakness and admitted fault, Mo Niannian realized it wasn’t so hard after all.
“It’s my fault. I promised to take good care of you, Niannian, but I didn’t. I’m sorry.”
Mo Niannian frowned tightly. “Why do you keep saying that? You’re not at fault, okay?”
Jiang Hu fell silent again, refusing to communicate.
Mo Niannian grew irritated, like a tangled ball of yarn.
“Fine, fine, I’m scared of you. From now on, I’ll do whatever you say. Is that good enough?”
Otherwise, if she kept facing this version of Jiang Hu, she would surely get sick from the stress.
A faint sparkle appeared deep in Jiang Hu’s eyes before quickly vanishing.
“Is what Niannian said all true?”
“When have I ever failed to keep my word?”
There were plenty of such instances.
The system, silently observing, wished it could say this out loud.
Jiang Hu’s expression softened, and his eyes lit up again.
“Good, as long as you remember.”
This step was the right one. No matter what, the bond between him and Niannian grew ever deeper.
He hid all darkness and obsession, using himself as bait to gamble on the future.
Born in darkness, for Niannian he was willing to pretend to be full of light.
As long as he could hold Niannian, get close to her, he was willing to do anything.
[Male Lead Malice Level: -10; Current Malice Level: 54.]
Generally speaking, Mo Niannian was trustworthy; if she said she would stay and accompany Jiang Hu, then she would truly stay quietly and obediently by his side.
Jiang Hu took over every aspect of Mo Niannian’s daily life.
Mo Niannian always felt that Jiang Hu had an unspoken understanding with her. Whatever she thought or wanted to do, Jiang Hu could see right through and handle it for her.
Mo Niannian happily became a salted fish, accepting all of Jiang Hu’s actions.
Their one-sided cold war completely ended; Jiang Hu returned to his usual clingy self.
At home, he wanted to follow Mo Niannian twenty-four hours a day; outside, he sent nearly thirty messages daily.
Jiang Hu was excessively clingy, but compared to before, clingy was better than being a topic ender and cold storage creator.
During this time, through their joint efforts, Jiang Hu’s international fame continued to rise; he became a household name, often surrounded by fans on the street.
Recently, Jiang Hu completely changed his usual style, becoming extremely low-key. Except for filming and endorsements, he refused almost all shows.
Fortunately, after the previous incident, the vast majority of Jiang Hu’s remaining fans were true fans.
They knew Jiang Hu had someone he loved dearly, that he protected her well. They didn’t care about his private life, focusing instead on his work.
They vowed to support Jiang Hu forever.
Jiang Hu didn’t care about others; the only person he cared about was Mo Niannian.
Having experienced the world’s coldness, he especially longed to hold onto that single warmth.
It was the only brilliance in his life.
Fortunately, everything was currently moving in the direction he hoped.
Niannian belonged to him—always and forever.
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This time, Jiang Hu went abroad to star in a film directed by a world-renowned director. The director, screenwriter, actors, and post-production team were all internationally famous.
This film was the biggest Oscar contender of the year.
Jiang Hu had read the script—it was indeed excellent.
Everyone was scrambling to get involved; no one wanted to miss a chance to appear in such a film.
Even securing a minor role with a single scene was considered an achievement.
The film attracted global attention during the casting phase.
As the main supporting roles and the female lead were announced one by one, everyone guessed who would play the male lead.
Without making a sound, Jiang Hu secured the role.
Only when the director announced the cast did everyone realize Jiang Hu was the male lead of "The Besieged City."
The news caused a sensation both at home and abroad.
Jiang Hu’s fans naturally wept with joy, eager to recommend all his works to everyone.
The domestic fan circles went wild.
China’s entertainment industry had long been in an awkward position internationally.
There were few truly impressive works.
Until now, the only work that could be proudly presented without ridicule was "A Glance at the Rivers and Mountains."
"A Glance at the Rivers and Mountains" had won numerous awards, with many cast members honored.
Especially Jiang Hu, who won Best Supporting Actor and Most Popular Actor for his role as a general.
Beyond that, there was little else remarkable in the domestic film and television scene.
Previously, domestic fans were always at the bottom of the food chain, mocked by many.
Some domestic stars were even ashamed, pandering to foreign tastes, bragging endlessly over minor roles.
Now, Jiang Hu had become the male lead of "The Besieged City"—a truly unrivaled achievement.
He was the male lead! The big male lead!
The fan circles were as lively as during the New Year, with everyone celebrating regardless of whether they were Jiang Hu’s fans.
If foreign fans mocked them again, they would proudly show off Jiang Hu.
Even foreign fans who didn’t know Jiang Hu, or suspected he obtained the role through unfair means, were schooled by domestic fans.
For a time, Jiang Hu’s news dominated both domestic and international spheres.
Jiang Hu filmed this drama for over three months.
Post-production would take several more months.
The director was a perfectionist, demanding flawless results in everything.