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

But before she could even feel happy, she noticed something new on the desk in front of her.

It was a small black choker, which contrasted sharply with her white dress.

"I want you to be my slave, that's my third condition."

Xu Shi snapped his fingers lightly, finally revealing his fangs at that moment.

"……impossible!"

All other conditions are negotiable, but how could Dongfang Xiao agree to these conditions?

This is a hundred times worse than marrying you, okay? What kind of person is this? What kind of vile things are in his head?

To be honest, at this moment, the little empress realized that Xu Shi's ambition was excessive. Compared to that, confronting the Papacy was nothing.

Moreover.

"If that's really the case, then what's the difference between you and Cheng Gujian?"

She gritted her teeth, her brows furrowed, and stared at Xu Shi, questioning him.

"The difference is huge."

Xu Shi shook his finger. "What Cheng Gujian can't do, I can do. What Cheng Gujian can't give you, I can give you."

"Moreover, this relationship only exists between us. I am an outsider and have no interest in the internal affairs of your Hualan Empire. In the eyes of the world, you are still the high and mighty Empress, and you are the one who decides what happens here."

"Don't joke around! Why should I believe you?"

Such an explanation clearly failed to convince Dongfang Xiao, who remained wary as she looked at the other party.

"So this is a high-stakes gamble, but the choice is still in your hands."

Xu Shi, however, no longer gave her a concrete answer, but instead whispered like a demon.

"If you agree, you will only be my slave; if you don't agree, you will be the slave of everyone in the world forever."

"..."

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Xiao felt as if something had been squeezed inside his heart.

Because although these words are harsh, they are still the truth.

A canary revered by thousands is nothing more than a slave to the world.

Moreover, all the pros and cons had already been laid out before her, and she had no doubt that if she refused this request, the negotiations would fall apart completely.

His so-called giving and empathy seem to be merely paving the way for this last condition.

She could even imagine what would happen next; the other party might turn around and go to Cheng Gujian—in fact, Cheng Gujian might not have been unable to agree to his previous conditions, and if the two of them joined forces, her situation would probably be even more dangerous.

Even if Xu Shi gives up and goes home, where will his next opportunity come from?

Will another Xu Shi appear? This is something that cannot be confirmed. Even if there is one, how long will she have to wait? And how can she guarantee that the next Xu Shi won't be as terrible as the one before her? Will the next Xu Shi possess the abilities of the one before her?

She couldn't say for sure about any of these things, but what Xu Shi could offer her, and what the consequences of agreeing to his offer would be, were all laid bare before her.

At this moment, Dongfang Xiao finally realized that Xu Shi was not "like a demon" at all. This person himself was a demon, covered in treasures, tempting yet dangerous.

This deal with the devil didn't just happen now; it had already begun long before she chose to observe from the sidelines, seeking this fleeting opportunity.

Now, it seems that all that's missing is her nod.

The young queen sat on her throne with a blank stare, lost in deep thought.

Xu Shi wasn't in a hurry, and watched her struggling expression with great interest.

As he said, he has always admired the little empress.

silence.

There was a long silence.

"You...you are not allowed to...go back on your word."

Dongfang Xiao seemed to have made a decision. He raised his eyes again, looked at Xu Shi, and said hesitantly.

"of course."

Xu Shi still had a smile on his face. "Please rest assured, Miss Dongfang, I am a man of my word."

He knew perfectly well which sentence the other party was referring to; this was an unspoken understanding between the two, and also the bottom line of this negotiation.

These words seemed to give Dongfang Xiao a great deal of encouragement, prompting her to reach out towards the necklace.

After a moment's hesitation, she pursed her lips and grabbed it tightly.

It's as if we've grasped the future.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 260 Look, she made us thank you.

2023-09-10

It became.

Seeing Dongfang Xiao's choice, Xu Shi smiled with satisfaction.

Of course, he probably didn't feel a great sense of accomplishment—this wasn't the first time he'd done something like this, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he did it with ease.

Even if he doesn't possess the genuine mind-reading ability of his foolish apprentice, he is still quite adept at observing and understanding people, and can easily find the little empress's biggest pain point.

It was an extreme, even twisted to the point of madness, desire to break free from the shackles and constraints.

On a smaller scale, it refers to Cheng Gujian in front of us; on a larger scale, it refers to the Papacy, which has always been at odds with the royal family.

Both of them are entities she wants to overthrow; the only difference is their proximity.

What she wants to do is to be the unique and absolute ruler of the Hualan Empire, whose power will not be touched by anyone else.

But if it were just her alone, how easy would it be to realize this wish? Xu Shi didn't believe that the other party hadn't been secretly preparing something all these years, but in the end, she could only watch helplessly as Cheng Gujian's influence grew, while she herself became increasingly vulnerable...

Under such circumstances, he was confident that he could break down Dongfang Xiao's psychological defenses by focusing on this one point. Empathy was naturally one of the steps involved. Of course, he had indeed experienced something similar before, but even if he hadn't, this bad man would probably make one up.

Anyway, Dongfang Xiao doesn't know anything about his past, so what can he say?

And that's exactly what he did, and the result was as smooth as he expected... In comparison, the other conditions seemed like icing on the cake, including the part that Dongfang Xiao was most concerned about: "Will you interfere with me like Cheng Gujian did?"

In such a situation, even a vague promise is enough to tip the scales in her heart.

So she made her choice.

But this is not enough.

"It seems you have made up your mind."

Xu Shi smiled and pressed his advantage, saying, "Since that's the case, let me see some sincerity first... Release your Holy Light Protection and let me leave a mark on you."

That's right, the impact of the previous "increased entropy of evil thoughts" is not enough.

Even if Dongfang Xiaozhen made a tremendous decision and resigned himself to becoming his own slave, this seed still had to be planted.

In any case, Xu Shi would not completely lower his guard against her just because of empty promises. Such a guarantee was necessary, otherwise, given her personality, who knew if she would turn around and bite him in the future?

The best way to solve a problem is always to nip it in the bud before it happens.

"..."

The little queen's hands trembled slightly; clearly, she was not as resolute as she had appeared earlier.

She was well aware that the so-called "alliance" proposed by Xu Shi could not be settled so easily, and that this man must have a backup plan to control her.

If she had any lingering hope just now, it has now vanished—agreeing to his condition means there's truly no turning back.

But...should we give up?

The answer is obviously no.

So, after a moment's struggle, she helplessly closed her eyes and lowered her arms, "You... come on."

Xu Shi didn't stand on ceremony and leaned closer to lift her chin.

He really is a devil, even his methods are so... Dongfang Xiao felt a mix of emotions. No matter what, she was still very pure in this respect, and Xu Shi was the first man to make such a presumptuous move towards her.

There was definitely some resistance, or perhaps she wasn't prepared at all; was she about to lose her first kiss?

But considering that this was also due to her own choice, the little empress had nothing to say.

Well... let's just say it got chewed up by a dog...

But Xu Shi didn't actually kiss her. In the end, he just mischievously pinched her cheek and said, "Okay, that's fine."

"Is this the end?"

The scene he had envisioned did not occur, which surprised Dongfang Xiao.

She said it was some kind of mark, but she couldn't see where the mark was, and she didn't even feel anything unusual.

"Otherwise what? What else do you want?"

Xu Shi said jokingly, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. Now, the contract between us is officially complete."

This is quite interesting. He had actually asked Xia Wuyou once before out of curiosity whether she felt anything when he first implanted the seed into her.

After thinking hard for a long time, Xia Xiaomao's answer was just that, as if she had experienced a momentary unease, she asked Jiang Chengcheng and Gu Yi, and the results were not much different.

Therefore, it can be seen that the process of planting a seed is actually very gentle, and you can't feel it at all if you don't pay close attention... not to mention that this usually happens when girls are in a very unstable state of mind, so they would not really notice anything strange.

Even the process of a seed taking root and sprouting is the same... Only when the closed loop is completed can the person who has been infected feel that complete change in mentality and mindset.

However, realizing this at that time was somewhat too late; the die was cast.

In any case, Dongfang Xiao didn't feel anything, and even felt a little relieved—the Hualan Empire itself still had a system of slavery. She had previously wondered if Xu Shi's so-called "planting a mark" was really the same as the common practice of the empire, such as branding a unique badge with a branding iron...

Thank goodness it wasn't. Phew.

"Now that the contract is in effect, why not put it on yourself? What are you waiting for?"

However, his joy lasted less than half a second before Xu Shi poured cold water on him, saying, "By the way, Miss Dongfang's way of addressing you should also be changed. Why don't you call me 'Master' first?"

"you……"

The little queen's heart, which had just relaxed, clenched again. After uttering a single word, she could say nothing more, and looking at the small collar in front of her, she hesitated to reach out her hand.

Rather than the so-called imprinting of a mark, this was the thing she resisted the most. The moment the word "slave" was uttered, she knew with her toes that this scene would happen.