07

 After the

live ended, Jiang Nian let out a heavy sigh. He told the system, "I feel like I'm not far from crashing and burning."

The system pondered for a moment and agreed, "It's okay, the timing should be about right now."

Jiang Nian's fingers tapped rapidly on the screen, replying softly to the patrons on WeChat. Then he checked the comments from his fans in the background. After everything was settled, Jiang Nian replied to Xue Rongfeng, who had been sending him messages.

Pervert: Baby, what happened to you?

Pervert: Reply to me, I know you and Luo Guanhan have nothing to do with each other.

Pervert: Transfer money.

Pervert: Do you want me to come and keep you company?

Pervert: I miss you.

Nian Nian: No need, don't come over, it's nothing serious, I can handle it myself.

Pervert: Okay, I'll always support you.

Upon seeing this comment, Jiang Nian seemed lost in thought. He chatted idly with the system, saying, "Feelings are such strange things."

The system, while also unfamiliar with emotions, continued to collect and study the complete guide to human romance. It asked, "What's so strange about it?"

Jiang Nian had no memories of his past and didn't know if he had ever been in love or loved anyone before. He simply couldn't understand it, which was understandable; a little over a month wasn't enough time for him to meet many people and form many bonds.

"Hmm... nothing much, just a spontaneous thought." Jiang Nian decided to let it go. He wasn't bound to a love system, but rather a cannon fodder system.

What did love have to do with being cannon fodder?

Jiang Nian turned on the projector and started watching a sci-fi movie. He planned to stop livestreaming for the next few days and take a break. He hugged a cute pillow and ate the fruit the system had peeled for him, completely ignoring the uproar in the comments section and forums caused by his words.

After the movie ended and the credits rolled, Jiang Nian suddenly said, "I feel like I used to be a star."

"Hmm? Why?" The system didn't actually have a clear past for Jiang Nian; it lacked the necessary permissions. It would have to guide Jiang Nian through various worlds and accumulate many points before it could unlock his memories.

Jiang Nian chewed on a pitted cherry, the sweetness spreading through his mouth and taste buds. He happily squinted his eyes and said cheerfully, "Because I discovered I quite enjoy acting." "

Or maybe I used to be a little liar." Jiang Nian thought for a moment, considering that possibility.

"A little liar? That's cute too." The system liked Jiang Nian as its host, and it also enjoyed coaxing him and watching him act cute.

It wanted its host to be happy while completing tasks.

A very simple, fatherly mentality.

"If you were a little liar, then I must be a big fool who was fooled by you,"

the system said.

Jiang Nian chuckled softly, like a wind chime playing a melodious tune.

A few days later, at the Xue family mansion.

On the third floor, in the solitary confinement cell, the heavy, carved wooden door suddenly swung open, and a young man with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a tall, muscular build emerged. He was shirtless, revealing clearly defined muscles wrapped in white bandages, and wore only simple black trousers.

The man was strikingly handsome, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, his pupils a light brown. His hair was styled in a wild, spiky wolf tail, long reaching his shoulders, the ends dyed silver while the rest remained black, resembling the tail of a true wolf king from afar.

The man tightened the bandages on his wrist, tying a knot.

He spoke calmly to the servant who rushed up to him, "Give me my phone."

The servant was already prepared, holding a tray with a handkerchief and a phone on it.

The man was, of course, Xue Taihe. He took the phone, turned it on, and immediately logged into WeChat, eager to chat with his beloved streamer, Nian Nian.

He hadn't seen Nian Nian's smiling face for eleven days, and the longing made his heart ache.

He had just logged onto WeChat when he was bombarded with teasing messages from his friends and a bunch of random links.

Xue Taihe frowned, but prioritized opening the WeChat account labeled "Wife," carefully reading every word and phrase Nian Nian had sent. He finally zoomed in on her beautiful photo, scrutinizing every detail, and saved it before sending a few messages.

Tai: I miss you too, my wife. I was locked up by my family before, but I didn't mean to leave you.

Tai: Transfer money.

Tai: All the money in my account is yours, don't be angry with me.

After waiting a long time, Jiang Nian didn't reply. Xue Taihe walked down the spiral staircase, lost in thought. He clicked on a link his friend had sent.

Friend: [Link] [The whole story of nn's hiatus]

Friend: Dude, you've fallen in love with the sea.

At first, Xue Taihe just glanced at it casually, but the more he read, the more bloodshot his pupils became. Finally, he squinted and read the entire post quickly.

After reading it, Xue Taihe didn't know how he felt.

Heartache mixed with anger.

The anger was directed at Nian Nian, or perhaps at the contemptuous yet alluring comments about her in the post.

Xue Taihe only knew that he had been locked up for eleven days, and his sweet, affectionate wife had been tricked by two men.

Xue Taihe pressed his forehead, feeling almost suffocating. He stopped on the stairs, took a deep breath, and sent a message to his friend.

Tai: Help me find Nian Nian's address.

...

When Jiang Nian saw Xue Taihe's message, he was sitting at a roadside stall. He was dressed simply today, in a plain blue t-shirt and black athletic shorts, revealing his straight, fair legs.

Jiang Nian was eating a bowl of extremely spicy hot pot, steaming hot, so hot that he couldn't help but drink soy milk while eating, yet his tongue was still red and swollen from the pain. Jiang

Nian didn't usually use his phone while eating, but it kept ringing. Unable to stop, he put down his chopsticks, took out his phone, and checked who was bothering him.

He saw Xue Taihe's message.

Number One: Speak.

Number One: What's going on between you and those two strange men?

Number One: Laughing in exasperation. Is it because I've been too good to you that you think I can tolerate this?

Jiang Nian glanced at it a few times, then looked away, put down his phone, and continued eating his spicy hot pot.

He had seen far too many of these threats.

Jiang Nian had quite a few wealthy fans, but when they threatened him, they always used the same few phrases over and over. Coupled with recent events, they all seemed like highly flammable explosives.

Jiang Nian decided to handle it calmly.

Normally, given Jiang Nian's personality, he would either say a few soft words to smooth things over or be direct and blunt.

But remembering what Luo Guanhan had told him—that Xue Taihe could smash an adult's head with one punch—

Jiang Nian decided after much consideration to let Xue Taihe calm down before saying anything else.

After finishing his meal, Jiang Nian wanted to pay, but the stall owner told him someone had already paid for him. Following the stall owner's gaze, he saw a group of boys looking at him, blushing and waving at him.

Jiang Nian smiled in return.

The boys visibly panicked, and finally pushed a handsome boy forward. The boy stammered and slowly asked, "Which high school are you from?"

Jiang Nian was dressed too youthfully, and with his young face, he looked like a high school senior. Seeing this, Jiang Nian, carrying his unfinished soy milk, kindly said, "I'm already working, little brother, and you're still a high school student? I'll transfer the money to you."

"Oh... no need to transfer it to me, a bowl of spicy hot pot didn't cost much. Can you give me your WeChat ID?" The boy looked at Jiang Nian expectantly, but Jiang Nian just smiled and said, "Study hard, little brother."

The boy was a little disappointed, but he didn't continue to pester him, only glancing back at Jiang Nian every few steps.

Jiang Nian had no intention of hooking up with the boy, and slightly turned his head away, pretending not to see him.

This incident made Jiang Nian forget about Xue Taihe. Instead of going home immediately, he went to a nearby shopping mall to enjoy the air conditioning and then went into a cat cafe to play with the cats. He played until dark before reluctantly taking a taxi home.

However, as soon as he reached the entrance of his apartment complex, he felt someone easily lift him up from behind. The person was too tall, forcing Jiang Nian to dangle in mid-air, his toes off the ground.

A strange male voice sounded in his ear, "Nian Nian?"

Oh no, he'd been caught by a fan in person.

The thought flashed through Jiang Nian's mind, and his first reaction was to deny it, "Put me down quickly, you've mistaken me for someone else."

"I won't mistake you. I watch every single one of your live streams." The man was forceful. He covered Jiang Nian's mouth, half-carrying him, and dragged him to a bench by the roadside.

Only after Jiang Nian sat properly did the man release his hand. Now, the moon had set, and only the streetlights illuminated the scene. In the dim light, only Jiang Nian's snow-white face and shimmering green eyes could be seen.

Xue Taihe stroked Jiang Nian's eyelids, savoring the sensation with a deep gaze. He said, "It really is you, Nian Nian."

Seeing she couldn't avoid it, Jiang Nian asked, "Then who are you?"

"Your number one on the list."

"Xue Taihe?"

Xue Taihe raised an eyebrow, a gesture that revealed a hint of roguishness. He hadn't expected Nian Nian to know him—no…it should be obvious, Luo Guanhan had told him.

Before coming, Xue Taihe hadn't just checked Jiang Nian's address; he'd also looked at GH's information, discovering she was from the Luo family, all at the same level. What they needed to know, they knew.

As for the man who hadn't shown his face during the first incident, Xue Taihe couldn't find him.

Perhaps he truly hadn't existed.

Xue Taihe had originally wanted to beat up Luo Guanhan, but his wife was more important than his rival.

"It's me," Xue Taihe replied briefly, then looked suspiciously at the panting Jiang Nian. He brushed aside the stray hairs from her forehead, gazing at the beauty he had longed for day and night, the one who kept him awake at night.

Undeniably, she looked far better in person than on screen, without a trace of disappointment in real life, instead radiating warmth like the gentle glow of spring.

However…

“Wife, why do you have such short hair? You look like a boy.”

Jiang Nian: “…”

Hearing this, he didn’t know how to react. At least he’d met a normal person. Before, neither Xue Rongfeng nor the Luo family uncle and nephew had reacted to the fact that he was actually a boy, almost making him forget that questioning his gender was the right thing to do.

Jiang Nian coughed a few times, straightened his chest, and was about to reveal his true gender when he heard Xue Taihe say, “It’s okay, it’s fine if my wife likes short hair.”

“No, I don’t look like a boy.” Jiang Nian gently pushed Xue Taihe onto the seat, pressing her entire body against him, their body heat mingling through the fabric.

Given Jiang Nian’s size, Xue Taihe could easily lift her up with one hand, but now, let alone pushing her away, even the moment he instinctively reached out and touched Jiang Nian’s smooth, delicate thigh, his brow twitched.

The person in his arms was incredibly soft, like a cute ball of cotton. Xue Taihe dared not tighten his grip any further, afraid of hurting the one he loved.

Jiang Nian tilted her head back, cupping Xue Taihe's sharply defined chin in her hands, then slowly moved closer to his half-closed eyelids, which were drooping with nervousness. But Xue Taihe's hawk-like eyes were fixed sharply on Jiang Nian, as if he wanted to devour her whole. Jiang Nian's expression in the dim light was different from her usual innocent shyness; it seemed so practiced, as if seducing a man was as easy as breathing.

Xue Taihe's heart pounded wildly, as if it wanted to leap out of his chest against his will, to let Jiang Nian see its excitement, its love.

Just as Xue Taihe thought Jiang Nian's crimson lips were about to land on his cheek, Jiang Nian chuckled softly, straightened up, and said innocently, "Brother, you're so close, haven't you noticed?"

"Notice what?" The sudden release of the warmth from his embrace left Xue Taihe's mouth dry, and he longed to pull Jiang Nian back into his arms.

He didn't understand the deeper meaning in Jiang Nian's words.

Jiang Nian laughed even more heartily. He released Xue Taihe, sat beside him, and smiled broadly, his alabaster fingertips trembling with his laughter, attracting Xue Taihe's attention.

He wanted... wanted to hold them in his mouth and lick them gently.

But Jiang Nian's next words were like a thunderbolt, striking Xue Taihe and sending chills down his spine.

"What else can you tell? Of course, it's that I'm actually a boy."

Jiang Nian's smile faded, but a hint of amusement lingered at the corners of his mouth. He wiped away the tears that had welled up in his eyes, his gaze fixed intently on the incredulous Xue Taihe. He felt an unexpected sense of satisfaction, a feeling that things were finally on the right track.

This was how the mission was supposed to go.

It was just that the people they'd encountered before were too strange.

Jiang Nian wasn't wrong; the fact that he was a boy was something Xue Taihe couldn't accept at all.

It wasn't that Xue Taihe was straight. He'd never liked anyone since childhood, had no interest in men or women, and remained incredibly pure-hearted, a traditional man who believed that one's first time should be saved for the wedding night.

But Xue Taihe considered himself straight.

He had originally come to ask his wife if she was having an affair, but things had developed to this point, and the cuckoldry was no longer important.

Because Xue Taihe's heart was broken, and his dreams were shattered.

He had planned that after his wife apologized, he would feign a few days of cold war, then forgive her, get their marriage certificate quickly, marry her soon after, have her pregnant, have the child take her surname, and live a harmonious life as a family of three. He would work hard outside while his wife and child enjoyed a warm home, growing old together, watching their children grow up and establish their own families, and finally, their children and grandchildren would bury them together, allowing them to leave this world without any regrets.

But all these steps in life went awry at the very first step.

His wife was a man.

Shock, pain, rage, disbelief—a multitude of emotions clashed within Xue Taihe, disturbing his peace. But among all these feelings, there was no disgust or resentment.

Xue Taihe hesitated for a moment, then, amidst Jiang Nian's surprised expression, he grabbed her cheek. His initial shock hadn't calmed him down; it was as if boiling water had scalded his brain.

However, his expression was intimidating—expressionless, radiating an imposing aura—and his inherently frightening appearance made Jiang Nian belatedly begin to feel afraid.

Xue Taihe was strong; though not to the point of killing her, he still managed to pinch Jiang Nian's red lips slightly, parting them a crack to reveal her pure white teeth and a slightly shy little tongue that instinctively flinched away. Xue Taihe

's gaze was like a nail, pinning Jiang Nian to the spot, yet also like a pair of merciless hands licking every inch of her cheek, giving Jiang Nian a fleeting, burning sensation.

Xue Taihe stared for what seemed like an eternity before finally letting out a disdainful sneer. "You're pretending to be a woman to fool me?"

Jiang Nian could still manage a smile in this situation, but only a slight upturn of his lips; he couldn't manage more. He managed to utter a few words with difficulty, "I'm not fooling you." "

You're fooling everyone."

Xue Taihe's face darkened completely, his grip tightening unconsciously. He had already been quite gentle, but Jiang Nian still winced in pain.

This wince made Xue Taihe loosen his grip slightly, a pang in his heart, but he hardened his heart and continued to ask, "Why?"

Xue Taihe seemed determined to get to the bottom of things. Clearly, if Jiang Nian said some nice things and covered it up with lies, this matter might be resolved peacefully. But…

while Jiang Nian wasn't exactly dedicated to his missions, he had made some plans.

In this world, in his spare time, he would read some male-oriented revenge novels, trying to understand the personalities of the cannon fodder characters, their actions, and the reasons for their eventual fates.

So Jiang Nian wasn't going to beg for mercy from Xue Taihe; he was going to say something infuriating.

Despite his terrible state, Jiang Nian looked down on everyone with such arrogance. He stared at Xue Taihe, who assumed he would say something about lacking money, sexual orientation, hobbies… or perhaps a lack of love.

But Jiang Nian, with his perfect appearance and angelic face, uttered the most hurtful words, "Why?"

"Because I find it fun."

Taking advantage of Xue Taihe's momentary lapse in concentration, Jiang Nian pushed away Xue Taihe's restraining hands, stood up from the chair, and continued to deliver what he had carefully considered—the words that would most hurt his fans and make him seem like cannon fodder—"Watching you all fawn over me every day, thinking I'm

a pure and innocent 'girl,' I find it very interesting, extremely interesting." "I really want to know your expressions when you find out that the streamer you like like dogs is actually a man, and not innocent at all. That must be very… delicious."

"It makes me happy."

Jiang Nian's beauty was always gentle, without any aggression, but the coldness now on his face gave him a breathtaking, captivating beauty.

Like an unsheathed knife, or shattered glass.

Either way, it was sharp.

…

Xue Taihe should hate Jiang Nian.

His first love was with someone who so casually trampled on others' feelings. He should have felt disgusted, he should have sought revenge, but he didn't, not at all.

On the contrary, the instincts previously suppressed by reason, like a wild beast chained up, struggled uncontrollably, breaking free of all shackles, just to rush out and embrace the contemptuous, heartless little devil before him, to possess her alone.

Xue Taihe thought dully.

It seemed that no matter what, he liked Jiang Nian.

Now, her ruthless behavior also made his blood boil, all the excitement rushing to that point, almost causing him to lose his composure in public.

Xue Taihe hadn't figured it out yet, but his subconscious told him that he couldn't let go.

Jiang Nian's wicked personality, her enjoyment of playing with emotions, her liking to see people suffer—these weren't problems.

Xue Taihe felt he could control them.

He originally had no empathy; it was only when he met Jiang Nian that he put on a mask, pretending to be a normal human being.

So, Xue Taihe cruelly said, "It's okay..."

"You like dressing as a woman, you like lying, it's all okay."

Xue Taihe easily grabbed Jiang Nian, who tried to escape when things went wrong.

"I still like you, so you can just stay by my side wearing women's clothes."

Xue Taihe grabbed Jiang Nian's hands, lifted them up so she couldn't escape, and then revealed a dangerous smile, saying even more terrifying words, "I originally wanted to treat you well."

"But you're worse than I thought."

Xue Taihe bent down and bit Jiang Nian's small Adam's apple, grinding it carefully with his sharp teeth. Only after leaving teeth marks on Jiang Nian's skin did he release her, no longer feeling resentful.

Like a wolf that had eaten its fill, he looked at the wildcat pinned down by its claws and spoke the deepest malice in his heart, "So, I can now feel safe to treat you even worse."

"My darling."

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