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

When did you even prepare your clothes?

Good grief, they've been waiting here!

Although this place is simple, it is still the director's office, not a clothing factory. If you just casually pull out a men's uniform, how can we not tell that you came prepared?

He finally understood that all that talk the other party had given him was just a prelude to their real purpose.

So his answer was quite straightforward: "No."

"why?"

Tang Shuang's hands, full of anticipation, froze in mid-air.

Why wear it?

Xu Shi retorted, "I'm not one of your inspectors."

"That's why we were talking about this, and I wanted you to give it a try..."

Tang Shuang remained unfazed. "Even though you're dressed up, it doesn't mean you're working for the Inspection Bureau. What are you worried about?"

"You think I'll just wear it because you tell me to?"

Xu Shi didn't give her any face, "I'm not a male dress-up model, unless you have a good reason."

A suitable reason?

Where can such a thing exist?

Tang Shuang was a little embarrassed. If she really had to give a reason, it would be her own selfish desire to add some fun to her lonely nights... After all, the uniform of the Inspection Bureau was indeed well-fitting, and Xu Shi was a clothes hanger with a good figure. Just thinking about it made her know that he would look good in it, so she naturally wanted him to try it on.

But she definitely can't say that out loud; she still has her pride.

But things had come to this point, and she felt it was unfair to let Xu Shi just brush it off like that. So she stared at Xu Shi and began to think about it seriously.

"...The reason, is that it? You wait and see."

After thinking it over, she remembered something. She looked away, opened her bracelet, quickly searched through it, and then her eyes lit up. She showed the interface to Xu Shi.

“Well, according to the laws of Night City, all adult males are required to complete at least 120 hours of community service under the supervision of the Inspection Bureau, but the records show that you haven’t.”

Tang Shuang said smugly, "So, you not only have to wear it, but you have to wear it for five days."

"?!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shi's eyes widened suddenly.

So you actually managed to come up with a reason?

To be fair, Director Tang wasn't just being unreasonable; there is indeed such a clause in the law. However, not many people actually follow it, and a second-generation scion of a conglomerate like him would certainly not... He's never taken it seriously.

However, not taking it seriously doesn't mean you can ignore it. Generally speaking, you should still inform the inspection bureau, whether it's to give them a heads-up or simply change the file. In any case, it won't cause any major problems.

But his file wasn't changed by Tang Shuang; it was genuinely left there in an "incomplete" state...

This shows what?

This means that the person who was responsible for handling these trivial matters for me has also forgotten!

Ah, how can this be allowed to end!

Su Lin, you can forget about getting your salary this month! It's all gone!

Xu Shi secretly complained that it was really hard to accept that he had been at a disadvantage in his confrontation with Tang Shuang because of this.

"Ah!"

Director Su, who was far away at the company, sneezed. Did he catch a cold?

“However, I know that Chairman Xu has been busy with official business recently, so the community service matter can be put on hold for now. Anyway, you've already dragged it out for so long, a little more won't make a difference.”

Tang Shuang smiled, clearly pleased that she had Xu Shi under her thumb, as such opportunities were rare.

"But you still have to wear clothes, it's a way of showing your attitude."

"..."

Xu Shi ignored her official tone, but was too lazy to argue with her about this trivial matter, otherwise it would never end... So he simply took the clothes, casually put on the coat, and said irritably, "Is that enough?"

"What kind of thug style is this?"

Tang Shuang rolled her eyes at him, stepped forward to straighten his clothes, then took a belt and tied it for him, finally putting the hat on his head, "That's more like it."

Looking at Xu Shi, who was all dressed up, she nodded in satisfaction.

Although only half of her body was changed, the effect was undeniable. There wasn't another man in the entire inspection bureau who could pull off this look; he was even more handsome than she had imagined.

Hmph, tonight...

But when she came to her senses, she saw Xu Shi scrutinizing her with a very strange look.

"What's wrong? You're really not dressed right, uh..."

Director Tang was puzzled for a moment before he realized what was going on.

hiss.

She then realized that her contact with Xu Shijian seemed a bit too intimate, that she was too close... Especially since she wasn't short, with a pair of long, straight legs, she was only half a head shorter than Xu Shijian. If she took another step forward, she would be completely pressed against him...

What am I doing?

Her cheeks flushed crimson.

No matter how high the atmosphere had gotten, she still felt that this was a bit too improper, and quickly jumped away as if she had been electrocuted.

"Your uniforms from the Inspection Bureau are so complicated, with so many buttons."

Xu Shi seemed oblivious, continuing to straighten his clothes. "Here, could you please adjust these for me again?"

"Go away, how old are you? Can't you even dress yourself?"

Tang Shuang could easily tell he was teasing her; this guy was a master of playing dumb when he knew the truth...

"I take back what I said about recruiting you into the investigation bureau. If you were actually recruited, you'd be incredibly stupid."

she muttered.

More importantly, she realized that, given Xu Shi's personality, even if he stayed by her side as an ordinary person, he would probably still cause her trouble.

Humph.

But thinking about it, she felt relieved. She heard from people in the inspection bureau who had siblings that most younger siblings were like that; they felt uncomfortable if they didn't act up in front of their older siblings every day.

"Don't dwell on things that are impossible."

Xu Shi smiled and stopped teasing her. "But it might not be so good if I were an ordinary person. After all, many of the things I've done, if they were done by an ordinary person, Director Tang might not have seen them, right?"

At least many things are supported by his strong financial foundation; without a material basis, even the best ideas are useless.

Tang Shuang remained noncommittal.

It's not that everyone needs to be in Xu Shi's position to attract attention, but the things he did that attracted me might not have caught my eye if they were done by an unknown nobody.

Moreover, even those in high positions sometimes behave in a way that's just as appalling. The most obvious example is probably the third young master of the He family, who is utterly despicable in Tang Shuang's eyes. She doesn't know how Xu Shi could be so friendly with him...

Oh, he wasn't much better before? Never mind then.

"But since you mentioned poaching talent, I actually have similar thoughts."

Xu Shi took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "Director Tang, have you considered taking a position at 'Snake Ring'? The pay is good, the work is easy, and the benefits are great."

"Isn't this...not good?"

Tang Shuang blinked, thinking to herself, "Why does your crossed-leg posture make you look like my boss?"

"What's wrong with that? Haven't these kinds of things happened a lot before?"

Xu Shi countered, "How many people are under the city hall? Aren't they all scrambling to get into conglomerates?"

This is indeed a very common phenomenon—many key officials in the city hall, after retirement or while still in office, will switch jobs and join conglomerates.

The conglomerate was happy to accept them, partly because they were all capable veterans, and partly because they brought their own connections; hiring them was much more cost-effective than training newcomers...

Or rather, within the Night City system, the city hall is merely a stepping stone; most people's ultimate goal is still the higher-level conglomerates.

"That's all after retirement, I'm not even thirty yet."

Director Tang joked, "But since you put it that way, after I retire, I'll definitely become a consultant for 'Snake Ring' or something. Chairman Xu, you'd better not refuse then."

"If you come back then, I definitely won't want you."

Xu Shi squinted and shook his head. "You'll be retired at least 55 years old. That's almost 30 years. I don't have the patience to wait that long."

"Hey, that's not strange."

Tang Shuang glared at him. "Judging from Chairman Xu's words, do you value my abilities or me as a person?"

To be honest, Xu Shi's words were basically a clear indication: who would want to hire an old and faded inspection bureau chief? A young, beautiful, capable, and tall woman would be much more appealing.

Tang Shuang knew she wasn't bad-looking, and she also knew this guy across from her had always been quite lecherous. Come to think of it, he really did have plenty of beautiful and capable women under his wing…

"Am I a child? Do I need to choose?"

Xu Shi was also very frank, "Can't we have it all?"

He's always been outspoken about this; there's no point in hiding it.

"Anyway, the conditions are set out here, you should know very well which one is better."

He interlaced his fingers and said earnestly, "I'm afraid if I make these conditions public, your men will line up to come to me."

"maybe."

Tang Shuang sighed, "I can't control what others think, but if it were me... this would be fine."

"Otherwise, if you really do something outrageous again, who will be able to control you?"

"So you can tell me what to do now?"

"That's hard to say."

"……Alright alright."

Xu Shi didn't continue the topic.

His desire to bring Tang Shuang under his wing was not a spur-of-the-moment decision; he had had this idea for a long time—whether she was attracted to his body or valued his abilities, he might as well take it one step at a time and bring her directly under his control as his dog.

I told her before that I'd give her a favor, but now I realize that's hardly enough.