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

She also had her own selfish reasons; one less person meant more time alone with Xu Shi.

Interestingly, exploring the truth behind the "Heavenly Principle" incident should have been a serious and cruel matter, but being with Xu Shi... made it seem much easier and put her at ease.

"I'll reiterate, this is not a trip for fun."

Seeing them making a ruckus, Xu Shi was both amused and exasperated. He tapped the table and said, "Wu You is right. There's something important I need you to do here."

"Going to sea is not a one-off deal; the most important thing is to establish a stable shipping route."

He explained earnestly, "Setting up signal stations and ensuring stable monitoring are no small matters. I won't feel at ease if I don't have you maintaining stability in the rear."

"Really?"

Gu Yi was skeptical.

"Of course it's true! I'll take you with me once the route is completely stable. Wouldn't that feel even more rewarding?"

Xu Shi patiently and skillfully guided him.

"...Okay, okay, I'll listen to you."

The little black rabbit listened to him the most, and understood that the other party was not deliberately ignoring her.

But she still wanted to complain, "You all went out to play, leaving me to watch the house all by myself..."

"Who said that?"

Xu Shi retorted, "It's definitely not just you; your sister Su is staying too."

"?"

Su Lin, who had just entered, overheard everything. "What? Young Master... you want me to stay?"

Not only was she surprised, but the others hadn't expected this at all. They were all certain that Su Lin would come along, but you suddenly told her to stay behind?

"Why?!"

Director Su issued a heartbroken cry.

"...The company needs someone to manage it, doesn't it?"

Xu Shi shook his head and pointed to Gu Yi beside him, "You don't expect me to let her manage this, do you? Only you are good at this kind of thing."

"You can't say it like that, can you?"

Su Lin thought for a moment and retorted, "I just came back from 'Prism,' but I heard that Secretary Ye is also going with Xie Qingyan, so we can totally go too..."

"No, you can't."

Xu Shi looked regretful. "Can 'Prism' be the same as us? It's all your young master's fault for being incompetent; besides you, he can't find any other backbone to manage the company."

This is true. Although the "Snake Ring" is united now, it is in a period of transition – the restless old guys have all gone rich, and the ones left behind are only so-so.

There are quite a few promising newcomers, but they still need to be trained and are not ready to take on important responsibilities in a short time. The only one left is Su Lin, a management talent who once carried Xu Shi through heavy burdens and has extremely strong resilience and skill. It has to be her.

In fact, given that some people are still often unreliable, more people in the group actually recognize her.

As for "Prism"... well, it was a smooth transition for them. Most of the shrewd and capable elders are still alive and well. Even if Xie Qingyan and Ye Shanshan were to become hands-off managers, as long as it doesn't last too long, there won't be any problems.

"...Please don't say that, I'll stay."

Su Lin's eyes flickered. Although she was unwilling, she knew that what Xu Shi said was true. Since she had been entrusted with an important task, she naturally had to do it well.

However, she was still worried about her young master's safety. "It's not that I don't recognize her abilities, but going to sea is extremely risky. With only Manager Xia as a bodyguard, I feel that it's not enough."

Strictly speaking, it wasn't just Xia Wuyou. In fact, all four conglomerates sent their guards to participate. "Snake Ring" was the leader, and the combat teams were being selected one ship after another... But bodyguards are different from combat teams, and one is far too few, isn't it?

Not to mention that Xia Wuyou is not only responsible for Xu Shi, but also for Xia Ke'an, and Jiang Chengcheng, who is the ship's engineer... She is afraid that she will be too busy.

"It's not just her."

Xu Shi waved his hand, "I still need to take the other guards with me."

others?

This question stunned everyone. Besides Su Lin and Xia Wuyou, does Xu Shi have any other bodyguards?

……and many more.

It seems there is.

If Shen Qin is included.

"Young Master, you're not going to take her with you, are you?"

Su Lin was the first to react, staring sharply at Xu Shi.

"Yeah, what's the problem?"

"Oh~~~"

The four of them simultaneously drew out their words, their expressions conveying an "I see" attitude.

"What are you doing?"

There was no problem with Xu Shi taking a step back.

He didn't just modify Shen Qin to play with her. Her combat power is there for all to see. Especially you, old auntie, where would you get your dual superpowers without Shen Qin?

Of course, bringing her along was also partly to play with her. If it weren't for the "unjust" things, disciplining Shen Qin would probably be a large part of his daily life...

So just bring her along. She can balance work and entertainment. That's all she can do. You can't expect her to replace Su Lin, right?

"Oh~~~"

Even after he said that, everyone maintained their original expressions, and some even added a touch of mockery.

We've been together for so long, we can still see through your little schemes!

"...That's enough."

Xu Shi coughed, feeling a bit embarrassed even with his thick skin, so he turned his anger towards the innocent Director Su, "It's one thing for them to 'oh,' but you 'oh' too? I'll dock your pay."

"Young master, it doesn't matter if you take it all."

Su Lin didn't care at all. It was clear that there was a big difference between eating and not eating, so this kind of threat was useless.

"is it?"

Xu Shi frowned. "Hey, you dare to kiss me?"

So he put on a serious expression and changed the subject, "Speaking of which, aren't you guys curious about what songs your Sister Su listens to with her headphones on every day?"

"Ok?"

These words successfully attracted the attention of the group. They had never really thought that listening to music was anything wrong with it... but after Xu Shi said that, they felt that there was something wrong with it.

"...It's nothing, just a regular pop song."

Su Lin was taken aback and quickly covered Xu Shi's mouth. "Well, I think the young master's decision is very wise, really wise. Taking Shen Qin is the most appropriate thing to do."

"You promised not to tell anyone!"

Turning around, she complained to Xu Shi in a low voice.

"Who gave you the right to talk back to me in public?"

Xu Shi looked smug.

"...I won't do it again next time."

Su Lin angrily let go of him. Honestly, the young master only knows how to bully her.

However, from a rational perspective, Xu Shi was not wrong to bring Shen Qin along; she was indeed a good bodyguard... Come to think of it, she even felt a bit of pity for Miss Shen Qin.

Xu Shi disciplined and punished each person one by one, and the later ones were the worst... According to this pattern, who knows how many sins awaited her.

But why pity her? She should pity herself first—the truth is, ever since she entered the Xu family, Director Su has never left Xu Shi's side for more than two days. Who knows how long she'll be gone? Thinking about it, she doesn't know how she'll go on living…

and so.

"May the young master have a safe journey. The road ahead is treacherous, so please prioritize safety above all else."

When the others weren't looking, she secretly kissed him on the cheek and gave him some earnest advice.

"I know."

Xu Shi smiled and removed her hand. "But you can talk about it in a few days... I'm not leaving right away."

Su Lin was startled, and jumped away from him as if she had been electrocuted, her face instantly turning red.

This is so annoying, it ruined the atmosphere!

Xu Shi saw this and was delighted.

In any case, the shyness of older women is more interesting than that of younger women. It's not just her; Tang Shuang and Xie Qingyan are the same. Although the latter is actually a little younger than him, she is still a mature and sophisticated woman.

Is this the unique charm of an older sister? Of course, my Su sister is still the cutest.

Miss Black Rabbit keenly sensed the ambiguity between the two and, as if suddenly realizing something, stepped forward and took away Director Su's seat.

"Since you're not taking me, you'll have to spend the next few days with me."

Upon hearing this, Su Lin realized what was happening and restrained Xu Shi from both sides.

"...Okay, he'll let you have him for the next few days."

Xia Wuyou paused for a moment, then waved generously, and picked up Xia Ke'an, who was drinking milk and watching the show. "We're leaving, Auntie. You have surgery tomorrow, so I'll take you out for a walk. Getting some fresh air is good for your health..."

"Xia Wuyou, you're getting more and more disrespectful! Watch out or I'll teach you a lesson!"

"Tch, I don't know who's so old and still likes to act young."

"I'm your aunt!"

"Be good, listen to your big sister."

The old lady was furious. It was bad enough that Xu Shi didn't treat her like an elder, but Xia Wuyou, had she learned to rebel too?!

"Um, the doctor said I need to abstain from sex recently. Do you have any ideas about this?"

Looking at Gu Yi and Su Lin, who were clinging to him from both sides, Xu Shi sighed, feigning difficulty.

That was before the surgery.

Director Su corrected her seriously, "I asked Director Xie, and her exact words were that it's fine to do it appropriately and moderately after the operation."

"So how do you define 'moderation'?"