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

I thought I'd take this opportunity to test the waters, but it seems she still doesn't have that intention.

So Xu Shi stopped pressuring it—it's said that forced melons aren't sweet but they quench thirst, but he already had sweet melons at home that were both thirst-quenching and sweet, so there was no need to rush.

Anyway, the other party's attitude towards me is no longer the same as it was at the beginning, so I have plenty of time to manipulate her.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

He stood up, waved his hand, and took off his inspection bureau uniform. "Here, take your clothes back."

"You can take the clothes back with you."

Tang Shuang said, "How could I let someone else wear the clothes you've worn?"

"You can keep it for me."

Xu Shi laughed and said, "Otherwise, if others see this, they'll think I've really gone to the investigation bureau."

"Then... shall I take you back?"

Tang Shuang sighed, took the clothes, hung them up, and then asked again.

The truth is, she didn't want Xu Shi to leave so soon at all; she wanted him to stay a little longer.

But she couldn't stop them from leaving because they insisted, and she couldn't think of any other reason...

"...Then I'll have to trouble Director Tang."

Xu Shi wanted to suggest that he could ask Su Lin to pick him up, but seeing her reaction, he didn't refuse.

On the way back, neither of them spoke, remaining silent the entire time.

Because Tang Shuang belatedly discovered a problem.

What Xu Shi just said meant that he also...?

She was so focused on who was poaching whom that she hadn't considered this possibility, but now that she's come to her senses, how could she not understand what the other party meant?

Realizing this, she was momentarily at a loss.

Because she never even considered that Xu Shi felt the same way about her, the subtext of "I can't have it all" couldn't be clearer.

Then, what about yourself?

Tang Shuang forced herself to calm down and began to think about the problem.

To be honest, she had never seriously considered their relationship from the perspective of "feelings," since Xu Shi had always been just a side dish to her.

but.

If that were really all there was to it, why would he be the first person I thought of when I wanted to talk to someone and confide in them... I even specially brought him a uniform from the Inspection Bureau to wear.

This wasn't just about gathering material for myself; it also involved the idea of ​​"I've thought of a good place" or "I've researched a new dish," so I wanted him to experience it.

Well……

Director Tang was in a state of distress.

Xu Shi had no idea what she was thinking. In fact, he was still unaware that she often imagined things about him. However, seeing her like this, he didn't interrupt and started thinking about other things.

In this slightly awkward and eerie atmosphere, Tang Shuang's car stopped downstairs at "Snake Ring".

"arrive."

"Then I'll head back now?"

Xu Shi nodded, but before opening the door and getting out of the car, he suddenly remembered something. "By the way, you'd better be prepared recently, something might happen."

"...What does this have to do with you?"

Tang Shuang was taken aback, then asked.

Or perhaps she meant to ask, "Is this something you're pulling behind the scenes again?"

"It will definitely be related to me."

Xu Shi thought for a moment and replied, "But to be honest, I don't want to see this happen, but we should still be prepared."

"……All right."

Director Tang was completely confused by what he heard, but he could only agree for the time being.

Before I could ask anything more, Xu had already gotten off the bus and left.

However, what she didn't see was that Chairman Xu was stopped again before he could even enter the company.

In a parking space not far away, the door of an incongruous executive car opened, and Xie Qingyan, dressed in a suit, stepped out with Ye Shanshan.

"What's going on, Chairman Xu? The director of the Inspection Bureau personally brought you back?"

It was obvious she had been waiting for a while, and her tone was not without sarcasm.

"...Is there anything I can help you with, Mr. Xie?"

Xu Shi was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Since you're here, why don't you wait in my office? What's the point of sitting in the car?"

He thought to himself, "How could you not know? In such a short time, news about He Yuxia has probably already spread."

"It's okay, I just arrived anyway."

Xie Qingyan gave a mischievous smirk. "I have something very important to tell you."

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 142 I'll give you this benefit.

The matter that Xie Qingyan brought was indeed very important.

Or rather, anything that can be personally addressed by her, the chairperson of "Prism," is of utmost importance.

So, even Xu Shi was slightly surprised when he saw Ye Shanshan display the samples from the box.

"The products for the second phase of the 'Overlimit Project' have been developed so quickly?"

He knew very well how much effort the two conglomerates had put into this small vial. The only flaw was its appearance, which always reminded him of a certain virus drug that ravaged Raccoon City... even the color was bluish, which was quite ridiculous.

Are you "Prism" or "Umbrella," huh?

"It's just a sample. It will probably take some time before it becomes stable and effective without side effects."

Xie Qingyan smiled. "What? Chairman Xu doesn't know yet? Didn't his subordinates tell you?"

"With you coming in person, why would I need my subordinates to report?"

Xu Shi looked at her with a smile. In fact, he wasn't worried about the drug not being developed at all. He had given Xie Qingyan the lead, not to mention the resources and technology brought by the "Forgotten Ones". If he still couldn't make it, he might as well find a block of tofu and kill himself. Oh, and remember to use frozen tofu.

"Ha, indeed, Chairman Xu only needs to play around with the people from the Inspection Bureau."

Xie Qingyan rolled her eyes at him. What did he mean? It sounded like I was his subordinate...

"As for how to sell the drug after it is successfully developed, I have thought about it carefully and I think we should wait."

Xu Shi ignored her little glance and continued, "Although chips and medicines are not in the same field, their effects are similar. If they are released too quickly, it will affect the interests of both of us."

"Or there's another way: we can bundle it together and sell it together. If you want to buy the medicine, you have to buy the chip as well. We can also make some secret improvements to the chip so that people can better enjoy the benefits of the medicine when they have the chip installed."

"In that case, they have no choice but to buy chips."

Anyway, the "twin" product's golden age hasn't ended yet, so it's impossible for it to be phased out so quickly. Even if the drug has better and more comprehensive effects, we still need to find a way to prevent it from taking away too much of the market.

"Of course, isn't that what we decided before?"

Xie Qingyan didn't object; her thinking was similar to Xu Shi's. "Also, the potion doesn't have a name yet. Why don't you come up with one?"

“…Let’s call it ‘Sublimation’.”

Xu Shi thought for a moment and casually said, "We'll have to trouble the 'Prism' team to put in the extra effort for further development and improvements."

"We can earn more if we work together."

Xie Qingyan smiled and said, "However, the issue I've been considering recently is the next step in product design."

"Qingyan, what are your thoughts?"

Xu Shi became interested and said, "I'm all ears."

"My idea is that specializations like 'twins' are actually more suitable as a future research direction."

Xie Qingyan said seriously, "I compared 'Twins' with 'Sublimation' and found that the latter's advantage is actually lower."

"General-purpose drugs, because they need to consider various types of 'upgraded' agents, inevitably weaken the strength of any single aspect. Better clinical trial data is only because we use superior materials and technologies. If we upgrade the 'twin' agent, this advantage will be even smaller."

"So I think that in the future we might be able to further reduce the breadth of our products and focus on developing their length?"

She continued, “Even if in the end a product can only be effective for one specific target, the benefits it brings are absolutely worlds apart.”

"...That's right."

Xu Shi paused for a moment, then nodded.

Goodness, they actually thought of that for you?

Xie Qingyan's words were convoluted, but they were essentially the same idea behind specializing in martial arts.

Xu Shi never denied that he had selfish motives. After all, he couldn't completely trust this woman, so he didn't mention the development of the special weapon to her, and even intentionally or unintentionally led her in other directions.

But it seems like it still can't stop it.

However, he wasn't surprised. Once you get involved in this project, it's only a matter of time before you start thinking about this direction. Besides, nobody's stupid. It would be strange if his fiancée, with her status, didn't consider it.

"Since you have this idea, you can definitely give it a try first."

He was a little surprised, though. Given that woman's personality, why would she share something so important with him directly? Goodness, this isn't like you at all…

"I just feel that there's no point in us competing with each other like this."

Sensing his thoughts, Xie Qingyan said seriously, "Since we are engaged and now business partners, wouldn't it be better to focus our scheming on others?"

Her expression didn't seem fake.

Xu Shigui was unconvinced; he had never won against him. Who could be convinced?

However, looking at the entire City of Night Sin, there's probably no more suitable partner than "Serpent Ring." Meanwhile, Xu Shi's power and influence are constantly expanding. Now, let alone "Prism," which of the six major conglomerates can keep him in check? All things considered, he might end up destroying himself…

Maintaining stability is especially important at this strategic pass.