Chapter Thirty-Four: The Collar

The system watched the entire process in silence, feeling a mix of emotions—Mo Nianian, when serious, was even colder and more ruthless than it had imagined. The tenderness she once showed Jiang Hu had now become cruelty in equal measure. It was as if, overnight, Mo Nianian had withdrawn all her favor. The system observed a moment of silence for the male lead, and for itself as well. This was already the third day, and it still hadn’t managed to establish a passage to the next world. Perhaps it would be better to just blow up together with the male lead and be done with it.

Mo Nianian stared at the doorway, lost in thought, her mind unreadable. The system glanced at her, immensely relieved that she hadn’t asked about the passage—it meant it could survive a little longer.

The door opened again, and, unsurprisingly, it was Jiang Hu. He had reverted to his usual self: warm and enthusiastic. “Sister, it’s time to eat.” This was his daily greeting, and Mo Nianian was growing tired of it. To be honest, this endless entanglement with Jiang Hu had long since lost its appeal. She seemed deaf to his words, giving no reaction whatsoever.

“Sister, aren’t you going to eat?” Jiang Hu sat across from her, his tone languid and seductive. “If you don’t want to eat, I’ll just have to go to the trouble of feeding you myself.” All the madness and morbid obsession in his eyes surged forth, his desire utterly unconcealed.

Mo Nianian hadn’t yet grasped the gravity of the situation. She was still debating whether, if she couldn’t leave today, she should dismantle the system or recompile its data. “Sister, you’re being so naughty,” Jiang Hu’s voice rose at the end, drawing out the syllables with an alluring undertone. It was like a low, seductive murmur in the night, or the whispered incantation of a fairy.

He gripped Mo Nianian’s chin and, with his mouth, fed her spoonfuls of porridge. Mo Nianian’s eyes widened in shock before she began to struggle wildly. But she had long since been drugged by Jiang Hu and had yet to recover—right now she was as frail as a sickly beauty. She would be hard-pressed to overpower a regular woman, let alone Jiang Hu.

Once, Jiang Hu had indulged her, yielded to her, never fighting back or answering her sharp words. But now he saw the futility—whether he was gentle or not, Mo Nianian still didn’t care for him. So why bother pretending, why continue to hide?

He held her tight, relentless, invading her mouth with abandon, forcing every drop of porridge into her.

After a long while, he finally released her and licked his lips. “Sister, you’re so sweet.” Sweeter than he’d imagined, more addictive than he’d ever dreamed.

Mo Nianian’s chest heaved with fury, and she slapped Jiang Hu hard across the face, holding nothing back this time—his cheek immediately began to swell. This was all the strength she could muster under the effects of the drug.

Jiang Hu touched his face, a deranged obsession flickering in his eyes. “The harder you hit me, the happier I am,” he murmured. “Whatever you give me, I like it all. Did your hand get hurt? Let me blow on it for you.” His sticky gaze lingered over Mo Nianian, as though he wished to see right through her.

Rage boiled within her—she couldn’t go on with this task. Even if she failed, she’d rather kill this wretched man. Her killing intent surged, and the system panicked. Surely it wouldn’t come to this—the first mission a failure, and now the threat of destroying an entire miniature world?

The system whirled in confusion until an order came from above. It hastily relayed the message, [If you violate the miniature world’s laws, the agreement we made is null and void.] Mo Nianian fell silent for two seconds, her murderous intent slowly ebbing away.

The system breathed a sigh of relief—at least the world wasn’t collapsing, or it really would become a laughingstock among systems. But an agreement? What agreement? Weren’t they here just to reduce the male lead’s malice and save the world?

The system didn’t know, nor did it dare to ask, dreading that Mo Nianian would vent her anger on it. It curled up in the corner, wallowing in misery.

Jiang Hu gently massaged Mo Nianian’s reddened hand, blowing on it with concern before giving it a quick kiss. “Next time, be careful. If you’re really angry, there are other things you could use.” He handed her the fruit knife from the table. “Next time, use this, so you don’t hurt yourself. I’d hate for you to be in pain.”

Mo Nianian was at a loss for words—just for a moment, she truly wanted to kill him. The system, too, was stunned. The male lead was truly ruthless.

When Mo Nianian refused the knife, Jiang Hu simply placed it on the bedside table. “Time for your afternoon nap. Have a good rest. Sweet dreams.” He pressed another forceful kiss to her lips and withdrew before she could react, smiling brightly as he left. “Sister, dream well.”

Mo Nianian was simmering with fury, her temper growing increasingly volatile. In all her years, this was the first time anyone had dared to take such liberties with her. If she’d known, she would never have accepted this accursed mission! That wretched male lead—she never should have pitied him! Someone as twisted as him clearly hadn’t suffered enough.

If she weren’t in a miniature world, Mo Nianian would have long ago vented her rage by destroying several uninhabited planets.

[Don’t be angry,] the system said meekly. [Headquarters has already rated your mission at the highest S level.] It had hoped this would soothe her, but forgot that Mo Nianian was already teetering on the edge. Inevitably, the system became her scapegoat.

[Is the passage ready?]

[...No.]

Damn this mouth of mine, the system thought. It should have just stayed silent in its corner—why couldn’t it keep quiet? It was doomed now, truly doomed.

[Rebuild from scratch or wipe your data and start over. Choose one.]

Either option spelled utter annihilation for the system.

[Please, please... I think I can be saved,] it whimpered.

[I don’t want to hear your excuses.]

[...I promise, at the latest by tomorrow, I’ll have the passage sorted out!]

With that, the system swore a solemn oath and vanished. With only a day left, if it couldn’t manage this, it really would be saying goodbye forever. This was its first mission, after all—how was it to know that bridging two miniature worlds would consume so much energy? It hadn’t come prepared... oh, woe!

Mo Nianian forced down her anger and began searching for a way to escape. The system was unreliable—who knew what blunders it might make? She could only rely on herself.

She paced around the room, but the chain was short, allowing her only limited movement nearby. Even if she freed herself, escaping the building would be a daunting challenge. There were at least a dozen cameras nearby, with no fewer than three in her room alone.

She couldn’t help but think, wasn’t this exactly what one would expect from a male lead gone dark?