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

"And what about 'Shark Tooth'...?"

Xu Shi blinked, clearly still processing her sudden change in attitude, and tentatively asked.

"I'm not going to give this to you; after all, I've been running this business for so long."

Xie Qingyan was quite generous, "Isn't it good to split it in half? As long as we don't hinder each other, do you think He Laosan can outmaneuver you, or He Laoda can outfight me?"

The conversation didn't seem to be about a conglomerate, but rather about radishes and cabbages in a market.

"Okay, you're right."

Xu Shi remained noncommittal, saying, "It's quite surprising that you think that way."

I only respect capable people.

Xie Qingyan raised an eyebrow. "My fiancé is one, but I don't think you can find anyone else who could so quickly coordinate and suppress the 'Forgotten Ones.'"

"Speaking of which, are those 'Forgotten Ones' who were absorbed into your ranks well-behaved under your command?"

"...I can only say that it will take more time."

Xu Shi was somewhat helpless. The truth was, how could she possibly behave? Shen Qin was not going to listen obediently; this was an irreconcilable conflict.

We can't feel at ease until we thoroughly purge them, not to mention there's Shenhe outside the city.

"That's true. It hasn't been that long. It's unrealistic to expect them to fully integrate yet."

Xie Qingyan chimed in, "It's the same on my end. That Li Si is very quick-witted, always up and down, as if I don't know her."

"Then you'd better be extra careful."

Xu Shi smiled. He knew from the first meeting that Song Chen was not a peaceful person. That kind of villain was no less troublesome than Shen Qin.

"He can't keep jumping around for long."

Xie Qingyan bluntly stated, "I treat those petty stunts as nothing more than watching a monkey show. Once they lose their value, they're just a piece of trash."

"Wow, that's so brutal!"

Xu Shi feigned surprise, but inwardly he strongly agreed.

After all, everyone has similar ideas about how to deal with the "Forgotten Ones"—ordinary people can be used as filler and labor, but their former leaders should be dealt with as soon as possible.

This effectively cuts off their roots; otherwise, if one day these leaders act rashly and create a "stone man with one eye," it wouldn't be a good thing.

Once ordinary "forgotten people" lose the leadership of their leaders, most of them will naturally be assimilated over time. This process takes time to settle, and it is feared that after another ten or twenty years or a generation, they themselves will no longer recognize that they were once exiled refugees.

The truth is that even after just one or two months, some people have already had similar thoughts. After all, the inside and outside of the city are completely different worlds. Everyone prefers a relatively stable and prosperous life rather than living a precarious existence outside the city and having to exert all their efforts to resist the "rust fog" erosion. Only a fool like Zhao Yuan would stubbornly resist like that.

But to be honest, the expression on Xie Laoliu's face when he said this truly revealed the face of a capitalist.

Gee tut.

"Otherwise what? Not everyone is like you."

Xie Qingyan didn't care at all. "At least that Li Si isn't qualified. He's completely unqualified."

Ye Shanshan, standing to the side, shifted her gaze, realizing that what her chairman said wasn't entirely a lie.

She was similar to Su Lin, also a writing secretary and a writer's servant. Being by Xie Qingyan's side every day, she knew her best. Especially these past few days, Xie Qingyan's reactions made her wonder if she had developed a split personality...

Anyway, Xie Qingyan often grits her teeth when Xu Shi is mentioned, and all sorts of cute but vulgar words come out of her mouth.

But the admiration in her eyes was equally undeniable; she would often burst into laughter while scolding someone—who knows what kind of hysteria she was having.

You're being too contradictory!

However, Little Curly Hair knew very well why her boss was in conflict. She had spent just as much time with Xie Qingyan as Su Lin had with Xu Shi, so she naturally knew that Xie Qingyan had a good impression of Xu Shi a long time ago, but gradually became disappointed after seeing that Xu was becoming more and more of a scoundrel.

So, if I break it down, you actually still like him, right? Especially since he's showing signs of being very capable now, which is very endearing...

So why are you so fixated on this? Wouldn't it be better to just say it openly? If you can't win, you can't win. Why keep pulling these stunts, only to suffer more and more losses in the end…

Hey?

The connection in their thoughts was so smooth that Ye Shanshan didn't even have time to react.

Good heavens, what kind of bizarre idea is this? Is it really about passively accepting one's fate?

She knew that her inability to feel resentment towards Xu Shi was definitely influenced by his abilities, but the problem was she didn't know how to get rid of it, and now she had already gotten used to it...

The crucial point is that she's still in Xu Shi's office, a place that's a nightmare for her. She vividly recalls being caught here before, and having to be put in a "silencing" state by that Xu guy...

Ugh, I'm going to become an idiot if this keeps up...

Curly-haired boy lowered his head, trying his best to suppress the strange feeling in his heart.

"Anyway, once the second phase of the potion is completely finished, I'd like to try this direction. Want to join me?"

Fortunately, Xie Qingyan didn't notice her unusual behavior and continued the previous topic, "Anyway, if you don't want to do it, I'd like to try it myself."

"……Can."

After a moment's thought, Xu Shi did not object. In any case, he was already having Jiang Chengcheng develop her own special weapon. As for whether or not to share it with Xie Qingyan, he could only say that he needed to observe further.

They're both adults; how could he believe a woman's sweet words all the time? Maybe he would with someone else, but with Xie Qingyan, it's really hard to believe.

As he suspected, Xie Qingyan was not always completely sincere, at least not this time.

These words were all from the heart. She was truly conflicted about her attitude towards Xu Shi, feeling both angry and appreciative. To be honest, she was happy that he was no longer a playboy, but she couldn't swallow her anger because he bullied her every time.

What? Something happened because of me? I got caught doing something underhanded?

...I don't care, I'm the one being bullied anyway.

So she still held onto that idea, no matter what, she had to ride him once... This had little to do with whether she gave in or not; in fact, giving in on the surface would have been more beneficial for her.

At least recently, the spotlight has been entirely on "Snake Ring," while "Prism," which was originally on par with him, has received far less attention. Thanks to this, he has had far fewer troubles lately and can now quietly make a fortune.

So it would be better for her to lower her stance a bit more, which would give her a better chance to find opportunities.

Just you wait, hmph.

"However, this matter will take some time to begin. Let's not rush things and end up making a mess of things."

Xu Shi's attitude was ambiguous, and he changed the subject to another matter, "However, there is a small but significant benefit that we can strive for recently. I wonder if Chairman Xie is interested?"

"Oh?"

"Regarding Sin City, after the incident with 'Disgae,' 'Rage Wolf's' strength was greatly weakened. We could consider taking them over."

Xu Shi said leisurely, "I know you have a piece of 'white iron,' why don't you give it a try?"

"...So, you're saying the 'Long Knife Gang' isn't planning to participate?"

Xie Qingyan frowned slightly and looked at him, asking.

Clearly, she was still very interested in this, but knowing what cards Xu Shi was secretly holding, she couldn't help but ask a few more questions.

"The 'Long Knife Party' shouldn't participate."

Xu Shi shook his head. "You said it yourself that there's no point in us arguing. So, it's fine to give you this benefit. It's a way of returning the favor and repaying you for providing me with the idea for the 'Overlimit Project.'"

This was the truth; he really didn't intend to involve Ding Jun.

Because he planned to involve "Spark".

Judging by the time, the little assassin girl should be almost fully developed by now, right?

It's time to push her one more step forward.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 143 I Can't Control Myself

During this period, Xu Shi has basically stopped paying attention to the "good sister" thing and has been letting Lin Yue grow up without any supervision.

Those areas in District Six are enough to keep her busy, so there won't be any unexpected complications... She can also get timely information from Lin Xing if anything happens. The modified hexagram can be used as a memory card, and everything that happens each day will be recorded.

After a quick glance, he knew that Lin Yue had successfully taken over the territory he had allocated to her, and nominally, she was now the leader of a major gang that controlled half of the Sixth District.

Gang leader!

Anyway, that's what many people call her now, and her confusion and hesitation are gradually fading away.

The burgundy trench coat gave off a strong, powerful woman vibe. Lin Yue had also cut her hair short and even had her severed finger reattached, making her look completely different from when they first met.

That's pretty strong.

Although she was being led by her own hand in every move, those territories were ones she had genuinely acquired. Xu Shi remembered that she had specifically instructed Ding Jun not to hold back too much, and that guy was also quite adept at fighting and ruthlessness. To achieve this, Lin Yue had indeed paid a heavy price.

Okay, that's great.

Anyway, Xu Shi was quite satisfied with this kind of training, but he also felt it wasn't enough.

It's awkward for a gang leader to control half the region.

Above that are the regional leaders, who might have some power and be able to work with large conglomerates.

Those neighborhood leaders down there are just making a living by collecting protection money; they know they don't have any real power.

But now she's stuck in a rut, feeling the neighborhood leader isn't worthy to fight her. She wants to go up, but she can't; she's stuck here, unable to make any moves...

Well, that's basically the gist of it.

Even in Xu Shi's own plans, the good older sister cannot stop here. The higher she climbs, the more she can access and see, and the more useful she will be.

Therefore, the current "Angry Wolves" is a good springboard. They were badly beaten in the last battle and are now in a state of dejection, just waiting for the last straw to break the camel's back. The situation in Sin City will change once again.

It's better to eat it ourselves than to wait for Long Tianding to replace his people—even if it's a division, the people participating in the division should be our own.

It would be good to let Xie Qingyan and Lin Yue divide it up. This is indeed what Xu Shi said before, returning the favor to his fiancée... As for how she and Lin Yue fight over it, that's not my problem.

Anyway, she doesn't know that the current "Spark" is actually hers, so what does it have to do with me?

Secondly, this was actually a kind of test. It was strange that the woman's attitude softened so suddenly, and Xu Shi also knew that she had secretly developed quite a bit recently.

That won't do. We need to bring you back into the public eye.

As for Lin Yue, this was the second trial for the brave warrior. Unlike the one she had arranged before, this was a real battle. Neither "Angry Wolf" nor "White Iron" would hold back for her like Ding Jun had.

There are definitely dangers involved. Please, life is never smooth sailing.

However, he also believed that Lin Yue was one of the female protagonists, and it would be too much for her to fail in such a place. She should be able to resolve the situation successfully.