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

"Leaving now?"

Grandpa Wen, however, seemed a little unsatisfied and asked reluctantly, "Speaking of which, didn't you say you were going to bring your pet to see me? How could you forget about that?"

The little black dog beside it whimpered twice, seemingly disappointed at not seeing a new friend.

"A pet? When are we going to get one... um?"

Gu Yi was still a little dizzy. She had barely started to speak when Xu Shi forced a smile and pulled her away, saying, "I came in a hurry. I'll definitely come next time."

Hasn't this shown you what I mean?

Not only is it a cute little puppy, it's also an adorably stupid illiterate little puppy!

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 136 Call me Daddy! A hundred times, a hundred times!

"Wasn't I incredibly embarrassing just now...?"

On the way back, Miss Black Rabbit was still reeling from what happened at the "Pan-fried Dumpling Center" and asked, as if talking to herself.

"It's not that serious."

He called her a silly dog, but Xu Shi didn't really care. "I can only say that there are techniques to flattery. I really don't know how to just say that she is healthy and energetic... If you have to do something you're not sure of, it's no wonder you make a fool of yourself."

Anyway, this principle applies to everyone—compliment a woman by praising her beauty and good maintenance; compliment an elderly person by praising their good health; compliment a child by praising their cuteness and intelligence; compliment a man by praising his success in his career. As long as it's not an outrageous exception, you can't go wrong.

Fortunately, this wasn't a big problem. Given Old Master Wen's magnanimity, he wouldn't get angry over a misread word. On the contrary, Gu Yi's actions seemed to have backfired, making the other party like her even more. He even offered to "teach her to write."

"Know it."

Miss Black Rabbit sighed, but her tone gradually became more sincere, "Your grandfather... is a good man."

Finally, after thinking for a moment, she added, "You are one of them too."

These are heartfelt words. She had overheard the grandfather and granddaughter chatting, and while she only vaguely understood some of the other things, she could grasp the core message.

Wen Shengkui genuinely wanted to improve the environment of Sin City—a rare thing indeed, as few people had ever considered this aspect. From its very origins, "Dragon City" had been distorted, governed in a simple and brutal manner through gangs, from top to bottom.

Maintaining stability through such means is possible, and it can even be said to be very simple, but the lives and deaths of ordinary people are not within their consideration.

Needless to say, the people of Night City always consider the people of Sin City to be inferior... In this light, Old Master Wen seems to be an anomaly.

Xu Shi was no exception. He didn't just follow the crowd; he had seriously discussed the specific details of the matter with Wen Shengkui beforehand. He wasn't just being perfunctory. Otherwise, he could have just done a quick job without going through all this trouble.

This deeply moved Gu Yi, a native of Sin City who had personally experienced the chaos there. If this blueprint could truly be realized, then the things that happened to her and her mother would definitely become less and less, right...?

"What do you mean by 'consider it'? I've always been a great person."

Xu Shi was very dissatisfied with her prefix and reached out to tug at her face.

"Be content, hmph."

Miss Black Rabbit teased, but couldn't hide her happiness. Her goodwill towards Xu Shi increased even more. No, her goodwill was already at its peak, so this was just icing on the cake.

She boldly set a new goal: "I want to learn calligraphy!"

"Grandpa and Grandma are so happy, they're rewarding you with your favorite food... cough, if you really have that kind of spirit, then study hard. I'll give you Ning Wei's contact information later, you can go by yourself if you want."

Xu Shi did not object, and even added a reminder, "Be smart, the old man can teach you more than just calligraphy."

This is true.

Given his age and status, Grandpa is definitely a great teacher. On a small scale, he can teach you music, chess, calligraphy, and painting; on a larger scale, he can teach you life experience, interpersonal skills, and communication skills—all of which are things that Miss Black Rabbit lacks. In short, he can teach you more than she can.

She really can't live like this forever, only speaking eloquently and confidently online and in front of herself, but cowering like a quail in front of outsiders...

Now that such an opportunity is right in front of us, many people would kill for it.

"Okay, I understand!"

Gu Yi also cherished this opportunity, nodding earnestly and forcefully, "And, in this way, does that mean I'm considered your grandfather's student?"

"Yeah, what's the problem?"

Xu Shi didn't understand what she was trying to say. If you're not a student, what are you?

"If we're talking about seniority, then I'll be your elder, you bastard Xu, right?"

Standing at the door after getting off the train, Miss Black Rabbit counted on her fingers, "You're his grandson, and I'm a student, so... I'm a generation older than you!"

Based on this alone, even though she was still a little afraid of Old Master Wen's aura, she had to give it a shot!

"Hey hey, hurry up and call her auntie!"

Gu Yi was quite smug, hands on her hips, looking up at Xu Shi, "Or how should I put it, call me Martial Uncle?"

"..."

Xu didn't say anything, silently scanned his iris and opened the door.

Then, as soon as he went in, he pressed the little black rabbit down on the sofa and angrily spanked its bottom.

"Are you going to rebel?"

So this is all you're thinking about?

You're hopeless!

"I'll let you have your uncle-master's power! I'll let you have your aunt's power!"

Mr. Xu trembled with anger at her short-sighted gaze. "Call me Dad! A hundred times, a hundred times!"

Poor Gu Yi was no match for him. She was beaten until she cried out in pain and finally had no choice but to submit. She reluctantly called him "Dad" a few times before being humiliated and released by Xu Shi.

Well, her bottom, which had finally healed, couldn't sit still again, so Miss Black Rabbit had no choice but to turn around and kneel down on the seat, looking just like a little puppy now...

……

Within a few days, an invitation from "Dragon City" was placed on Xu Shi's desk, inviting him to Sin City for a chat, saying that they had something to discuss.

Still here.

This was roughly what he had expected. Long Tianding's talks with Wen Shengkui, or with anyone else, were not really about doing anything beyond his control; it was merely a preliminary preparation.

The issues in Districts Six and Seven are unavoidable; in the end, he still came to him.

"...Should we change it up and find a more neutral location? Or maybe a remote video call?"

Upon seeing this message, Su Lin's first reaction was to worry about the young master's safety, as if she was immediately inviting him into a dangerous situation.

"No need. Just have the field operations department send some people to follow me secretly, and then you can come with me."

Xu Shi wasn't too worried. "If he really wanted to make a move, he would have done it already. There's no need for him to get himself into this mess."

In the martial arts world, harmony is paramount. Reaching an agreement is better than anything else. Assassination is a last resort.

If we follow Su Lin's advice, we'll be at a disadvantage in terms of momentum before we even start, making it seem like we're afraid of Long Tianding, which is completely unnecessary.

"You seem to be saying things without thinking lately, what's wrong with you?"

He looked at Su Lin with great interest. "Where did the thoughtful and considerate Director Su go? If you know, please give her back to me."

Faced with such teasing, Su Lin simply rolled her eyes at him.

However, she does indeed need to think less and less; the young master's considerations are much more thorough than hers, and she just needs to do as he instructs.

But under such circumstances, Su Lin felt that she couldn't calm down lately, especially the desire to prove that "I am the one who cares about the young master the most" became stronger and stronger, just like just now.

But this seems to have backfired, and it seems that Xu Shi is not satisfied with it?

Well……

"...Okay, I'll get on it right now."

Director Su shook his head and sighed silently to himself.

Before long, the two arrived at the first district.

Located in the heart of Sin City, this place feels like a Bagua formation sitting in the center. The common people of Sin City do not live here; everyone inside and outside is Long Tianding's trusted subordinates.

This was Xu Shi’s first time stepping into this place, but at first glance it felt somewhat familiar. Upon closer inspection, wasn’t this exactly the same as Ding Jun’s outfit in the Seventh District?

No, it should be that he imitated the Dragon Heaven Cauldron; at best, it's a fake. This is the real, genuine product.

Looking at it this way, Chief Ding really knows how to handle things. He learns from his superiors in everything, big or small? This is a very common way to flatter, or rather, to show loyalty... If used well, it can be very effective.

"Chairman Xu, welcome, welcome."

Long Tianding personally greeted him in front of the pavilion, a faint smile on his face. "You brought Director Su with you? Please come in."

"After not seeing him for a while, Chairman Xu seems even more spirited and energetic."

After taking their seats, they naturally exchanged pleasantries first.

"Lord Long is not bad either. I didn't pay much attention to him at the city hall before, but now he seems to be quite a handsome man."

Xu Shi responded with a smile.

He had hardly ever had any contact with the other party before, and this was his first time having a formal face-to-face negotiation.

The information obtained from the original work was also limited, but judging from this point of intersection alone, this statement is not entirely a compliment.

At least he didn't create any unnecessary trouble by setting up a threshold for security checks or other shady practices. Someone with a smaller mindset would probably have used this as a way to intimidate him rather than welcoming him personally without any precautions.

This alone reveals a lot. Of course, everyone knows this perfectly well; no one would be foolish enough to resort to violence in such a situation, and no one would fall for it.

"Mr. Xu, you flatter me. I'm already an old man, not as young and talented as you or Mr. Xie from 'Prism'."

Long Tianding waved his hand. In fact, he was only in his early forties, in the middle-aged category... He was just making fun of himself.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, he went straight to the point, "Chairman Xu should know why I invited you here?"

"Lord Long, you might as well put it more clearly."

Xu Shi pretended to be confused, saying, "There could be many reasons why you invited me here."

"...Did you instigate the events in District Six?"

Upon hearing this, Long Tianding paused for a moment before saying, "I was completely unaware of the reshuffling of the two major districts in Sin City beforehand... Isn't what Chairman Xu is doing a bit unethical?"

"Oh, so Lord Long has come to demand an explanation?"

Xu Shi didn't back down. "All I know is that 'Disgay' is restless, and those who ate 'Spark' are trying to take advantage of me again. You and I both know who did the bombing in District 19. If I hadn't reacted in time and it had caused a disaster, you would have been the one held accountable, and it wouldn't have been just me."