In this cyberpunk era, why are you still playing the traditional villain?

As for Jiang Chengcheng, she simply watched all of this quietly.

Of course she knew what had happened here. Putting everything else aside, Su Lin's flushed face and sweaty forehead already spoke volumes.

However, she didn't say anything, and even had a meaningful smile on her face.

To be honest, if it were someone else, even if it wasn't obvious on the surface, Jiang Chengcheng definitely wouldn't feel good about it.

She harbored a strange dependence and possessiveness towards Xu Shi. She was already displeased when she saw Xu Shi tying Lin Yue up...

But if it's Su Lin, then it's alright.

After all, they are best friends. Although it has been many years since they last met, there is no denying that for her, there are only two important people in this world now: Xu Shi and Su Lin.

So even if Xu Shi intended to do something to Su Lin, Jiang Chengcheng wouldn't care if she actually saw the two of them having sex. In fact, she even had a vague expectation in her subconscious.

However, she won't say it to his face right now.

"Is there a problem?"

Xu Shi was unaware of her inner thoughts, but he knew she must have something important to discuss with him, so he suppressed his teasing and quickly became serious.

"I'm here to report to you on the placement of those new recruits."

Jiang Chengcheng shook her head to come to her senses and handed him the processed documents.

Xu Shi glanced at it and was quite satisfied with her arrangement.

Jiang Chengcheng is actually quite good at handling things. It's true that she personally selected the most skilled and talented people, but she didn't assign them any important positions. On the contrary, they were all positions that required a lot of labor and were not easy to get promoted or receive a raise.

Commonly known as the scapegoat position, if things go well, the credit usually goes to the leader; if things don't go well, they can be used as scapegoats.

It's clear that after being by Jiang Fengshan's side for so many years, she understands some things without needing to be taught; she's naturally learned them through observation and experience.

This coincided with Xu Shi's own thoughts, and just like Shen Qin's, no one would entrust these "forgotten ones" with important tasks.

This has nothing to do with ability, but rather that people still harbor a sense of "those who are not of our kind must have different hearts," making it impossible to truly entrust them with key positions... Even if they were, it would never have been given to them at the very beginning of the immigration wave. These things often require time to settle, at least several years or even a decade? Perhaps even longer.

This is precisely the difficulty for outsiders to make a name for themselves.

but.

"These arrangements haven't been implemented yet, have they? Then don't jump to conclusions."

Xu Shi still offered some more advice: "Pick a few exceptionally capable individuals and place them in relatively important but not core positions, then give them appropriate special treatment... Ideally, these should be individuals who already have a certain reputation among them, understand?"

The people of Night City have their own considerations, but such a relentless suppression will inevitably make the "Forgotten Ones" an unstable factor... A rebound after hitting rock bottom would be bad.

If you want to subtly transform them into obedient subjects, you need to shift the conflict to their internal affairs. It's not that I won't promote you, but that you're not capable enough. Then it's not my problem. Maybe if you work your butt off, you'll succeed, right?

Placing the "forgotten ones," who originally held significant influence, in important positions inadvertently fostered antagonism between them and the other "forgotten ones." The fact that he didn't suppress the most prestigious Shen Qin too harshly was precisely due to this consideration.

"……I see."

Jiang Chengcheng wholeheartedly agreed, acknowledging that this arrangement was indeed more comprehensive and thorough than anything she had considered.

Su Lin agreed with this, saying that the young master's skills in managing his subordinates were quite good.

And apart from that.

"Does the development of the second-phase chip need to officially begin now?"

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 130 Braised Pork and Boiled Fish

Compared to personnel arrangements, the "Over-Limit Plan" was the main event Jiang Chengcheng wanted to discuss.

She had already started working on the second phase of chip development, but unfortunately the results were somewhat unsatisfactory.

But now these problems are easy to solve. On the one hand, her own abilities are there, so it's not difficult to fill in the gaps.

Along with the acceptance of the "Forgotten Ones," a wealth of scientific research data and "Rust Fog" mineral resources also came into being.

With these things as a reference, it's like upgrading from a slingshot to a cannon. If you still can't win this kind of battle with all your resources, you might as well buy a block of tofu and smash your head against it.

However, Jiang Chengcheng still wanted to consult Xu Shi's opinion. They had previously said it was a secret research and development project, but what about now? Should they continue to work on their own in silence, or restart their cooperation with "Prism"?

It's best to ask her directly; she'd rather follow orders anyway.

"...Of course it should be made public."

Xu Shi had already considered this. "Su Lin, you should talk to Ye Shanshan about it later. She'll understand what we mean if she listens to our words."

The Forgotten Ones' technological resources are all publicly available to the six major conglomerates. Trying to gain access secretly is not very effective and may even be hampered by technological shortcomings. The Serpent Ring is not yet able to completely break away from the Prism and operate independently; it still needs their help in some aspects of biotechnology.

Not to mention that the situation of "Prism" is also unstable. Shen Qin has come to their side, but there is also the even more slick Song Chen with Xie Qingyan. That kind of person has many thoughts. At this critical juncture, "Snake Ring" and "Prism" are at odds with each other, which makes it easier for such a person to gain benefits.

However, resolving this wouldn't be difficult; it's just a matter of a few words. With all the benefits laid out before her, what other disagreements could Xie Qingyan possibly hold onto? If she did, she wouldn't be Xie Qingyan. Besides, the "Snake Ring" can't exist without the "Prism," and the "Prism" can't exist without the "Snake Ring" either.

They all complement each other; that's all I can say.

"Okay, I'll contact them now."

Su Lin nodded.

"Don't worry."

Xu Shi stopped her at that moment, saying, "I haven't finished yet."

"The information is out in the open, but remember to make it clear to Ye Shanshan that the direction we are jointly developing this time is the drugs they are good at."

He continued, "We should try to take care of them as much as possible, and we can appropriately give them the initiative."

"Yes."

Su Lin was a little surprised when she heard this. This was not like the young master's style. Giving up the control that he had already firmly grasped?

But upon closer reflection, she realized that there was nothing wrong with this operation.

On the one hand, it's for maintaining stability, especially since Xie Qingyan had previously taken the initiative to curry favor with Xu Shi. This can be seen as a form of reciprocation, demonstrating the sincerity of "Snake Ring". If things go well, everyone will benefit. This isn't just about earning reputation for "Snake Ring".

Secondly, if the first phase of products is chips, and the second phase is the same, then the advantage of that generation of products will quickly decline, and the expected returns may not even be fully achieved.

This is similar to a restaurant cooking. If their signature dish is braised pork, there's no need to rush to develop an "enhanced version" of braised pork. Instead, they should add a dish like boiled fish to give people a change of pace. This way, they not only increase the variety of dishes, but people will still still eat braised pork.

This is about expanding market breadth, rather than blindly pursuing length. Broader coverage gives consumers more choices, and whatever they choose won't affect the interests of the conglomerate itself.

"...What about chips? Are they no longer being developed at all?"

The decision wasn't inherently wrong, but Jiang Chengcheng felt a little disappointed upon hearing it. After all, medicine wasn't her area of ​​expertise, which meant she couldn't do much more for Xu Shi...

"I didn't say that."

Xu Shi smiled and waved his hand, "Of course we need to develop chips, but the priority is lower... And you don't need to be in charge of this, I'll hand it over to someone else."

"Who is it?"

Jiang Chengcheng was even more confused.

"Let's leave it to... the highly respected Elder Lin."

Xu Shi smiled and spread his hands, saying, "I will officially appoint him at the meeting later. You can then allocate some manpower, make some modifications to the previous information, and let him get busy."

"The previous data? There's a problem with the previous data... Oh."

Having said that, Su Lin and Jiang Chengcheng immediately understood everything.

Xu Shi's true intention was not what it seemed.

It's more like they're using this as an opportunity to eliminate Lin Wenhua than to claim they're developing chips.

The old man wasn't particularly skilled in engineering either. He might not be able to play a significant role in normal research and development. He could only serve as a leader in overall management, while the specific tasks had to be delegated to his subordinates.

Of course, this is actually harmless. Apart from someone like Jiang Chengcheng, what leader really does everything personally? But if Xu Shi is deliberately trying to mess with him, then the situation will be different.

Lin Wenhua is too powerful to control, but if he makes a major mistake on such an important project, then there will be a perfect excuse to get rid of him. It's a very respectable way, and no one can object to it.

Lowering the priority of chip research and development can also reduce the losses caused by it.

As for Xu Shi's mention of "modifying the data," the subtext is self-evident: it means making it appear fine on the surface, but actually riddled with problems...

The truth is that Chairman Xu originally intended this, but the appearance of the "Forgotten Ones" made it seem more logical—we have obtained new data and resources, so what's wrong with investing heavily in scientific research? Transferring you, Lin Wenhua, to take charge seems more like a matter of manpower shortage; we don't expect you to make any great contributions, just to avoid any mistakes.

"But Lin Wenhua might not agree, right?"

Su Lin was still a little worried about this. The old man had been scheming all his life and might not be able to see through Xu Shi's intentions. If he made excuses like taking leave or being sick, wouldn't the young master's plan fall through?

"Don't worry, he can't refuse."

Xu Shi smiled and shook his head, "Even if he knows it's a trap, he might still take the gamble."

There are only a few possibilities. If Lin Wenhua really does refuse in every way as Su Lin said, it reflects that he is no longer suitable to continue to hold an important position. If you can't be relied on for anything, then don't cling to it. Wouldn't it be better to retire quietly?

That would be a further weakening of it; if it remains silent, it will die in silence.

On the contrary, taking on this task is the only way to regain his reputation and status in the company. From an outsider's perspective, there is no reason for Xu Shi to touch him again. The old man is still strong despite his age, and you still have to keep using him.

or……

In short, that's the gist of it. At this critical juncture, assigning such a task to Lin Wenhua is better than not accepting it.

"We'll see how he reacts then."

Xu Shi wasn't worried about this at all, especially since such an operation had another benefit.

Jiang Chengcheng was able to extricate herself from the situation as much as possible and then have some free time.

Then.

"I'll have to ask Chengcheng to lead the team and begin the most crucial part of the 'Overlimit Project.'"

The book club group is almost full, so we'll start a new one in the next couple of days.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 131 I Don't Like Bald Heads

Jiang Chengcheng is a human being, not a machine that never sleeps or rests.

Or perhaps the machine still needs maintenance, and the fact that she worked so hard, burning the midnight oil and taking on most of the engineering development work herself, shows how dedicated she was.