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

"Don't say it!"

The white-haired older woman was startled and quickly reached out to cover her mouth, "If anyone tells, I'll spank you! It's all your fault!"

Xia Wuyou stuck out her tongue, looking completely innocent.

That's how contagious relationships between people work. The first time, her reaction wasn't much better than the other person's, but now that time has passed, she's become the one who dragged others into the trap, and she actually quite liked yesterday's atmosphere. It's definitely different...

She really was mentoring Xia Ke'an. Although the older woman was older, she didn't have as much experience in this area as Xia Ke'an. If we're being honest, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Xia Ke'an "sister."

"You... fine, just this once, don't let it happen again."

The white-haired, mature woman looked aggrieved; what's done is done, and there's no point in saying anything now.

She was even a little relieved; this was actually quite alright. Given her state last night, it was already commendable that she hadn't done anything more outrageous...

Xu Shi couldn't help but almost burst out laughing.

He had actually been awake for a while; he was just trying to create some space for them to talk alone.

As for why I wanted to laugh, it's because of some funny little ideas that came to mind... The most obvious one is probably having Xia Ke'an suddenly switch forms during "that" time, changing back from her mature woman form...

Of course, this is just a thought and hasn't been put into practice yet. The intensity is already quite high for a newcomer. If it's pulled any higher, I'm afraid the older woman really won't be able to handle it and it might bulge out.

However, judging from Xia Ke'an's behavior yesterday, it's probably just a matter of a word. If we're a little firmer, she might agree without even realizing it...

"...So you were awake!"

This little trick couldn't escape the old lady's mental power, and she noticed it immediately after returning to normal.

Then came a punch: "You're the worst bastard! Still pretending to be asleep!"

Xu Shi felt so wronged. Wasn't I just trying to be considerate of your feelings? You've completely misunderstood my good intentions.

But as he was feeling aggrieved, he suddenly sat up abruptly. Had he forgotten something important?

"Wuyou, how's the matter I asked you to handle?"

"So you really forgot, right?!"

Xia Xiaomao was full of questions. "Next time, could you please prioritize tasks?"

"Huh? Who was it that snuggled into my arms as soon as they arrived yesterday?"

"Wasn't it you who was shameless with her first?"

Xia Wuyou retorted, but after sorting it out, she realized it was a mess, so she got down to business, "Don't worry, everything has been transported over, and the renovation on Silver Pine Island is going smoothly."

Xu Shi nodded, "That's fine then."

He summoned Xia Wuyou to fulfill another promise he made to Dongfang Xiao: to develop the Hualan Empire.

Development cannot be separated from materials and technology, so it is inevitable that some resources will need to be transferred from Yinsong Island.

"Actually, you should go and take a good look. Sister Chengcheng has already led the people on the island to build some small pilot factories, so I specially selected some of the finished products to bring over. There are everyday utensils and weapons, which should be more convincing."

Xu Shi's eyes lit up. He really hadn't expected Xia Wuyou to be so thoughtful. She was definitely a virtuous wife.

He hadn't learned much about the details of Silver Pine Island's development these past few days—his mind was focused on teaching the cats.

"Shall we go take a look together later?"

"Who's going with you? Go find Sister Chengcheng yourself."

Xia Wuyou feigned disgust and turned to Xia Ke'an, "Shall we go shopping together? Without this jerk."

"……OK."

Xia Ke'an quickly echoed, knowing that the other person was reminiscing about the years when the two of them would sneak out to play together.

Perfect timing! She also misses it. She doesn't want to do this kind of thing with that bad father, Xu Shi—no, that bad guy!

Yes, Xiao Ke'an has grown up and is now independent!

The two moved with surprising speed; before Xu Shi could even react, they had already changed their clothes and left.

Looking at their backs, Xu Shi suddenly felt a sense of loss.

Wait, who slept with whom here, huh?!

Xia Ke'an's character card is done, but it only has the loli form. I'm still not satisfied with the mature woman form... I'll post the bonus chapter later.

(End of this chapter)

Chapter 275 Are you all my thorns?

2023-09-26

For Xu Shi, the question of who slept with whom was not important; whether or not they actually slept together was probably more important.

Moreover, judging from last night's battle, he clearly had the upper hand... so his disappointment soon vanished, and the only remaining thought was directed at Xia Wuyou.

Well, you little kitten, you've forgotten your mother now that you've married a wife, haven't you? Although this may not be the most accurate way to put it, that's the gist of it.

Even if Xia Ke'an is your biological aunt, she can't be this heartless, can she? She just says she doesn't want me anymore?

What's your relationship with her? Can it compare to yours... Oh, okay, maybe it really is comparable, blood relatives have a built-in bonus, right?

Thinking this way, Boss Xu felt much better. After a few brief moments of acting like a broken record, he got out of bed and planned to call his foolish apprentice to check on the recent development of Silver Pine Island.

Then something even worse happened: Pan Ling wasn't there either.

I asked one of the servants at the mansion, and it seemed that the other person hadn't had enough time to be intimate with their sister last night, so the two of them slipped out to play early this morning...

Ah, how can this be allowed to end!

Xu Shi felt as if struck by lightning, as if he had been abandoned by the whole world, and he only wanted to step into the abyss of darkness.

This rebellious disciple has grown too big for his britches and rebelled against the sect, huh?! He didn't even inform his master before going out to play?

And how can you abandon your master just to go out and have fun? Even if you say she's your own sister, it's still not okay. What's your relationship with your sister? What's your relationship with your master... Oh, she's your own sister, then it's alright.

Having lived for twenty-six years, Mr. Xu experienced for the first time what it felt like to be a "loser." (Just kidding.)

Fortunately, even so, he won't really become a lonely man. Even if the second wife and the traitorous disciple don't want him anymore, there's still the first wife.

When he found Jiang Chengcheng, the First Madam was chatting with the newly promoted Third Madam, Xie Qingyan.

"How come you two are a couple now..." Xu Shi felt embarrassed, but still smiled and stepped between the two, "Are you two thirsty? Would you like something to drink?"

"...Who is this person? Qingyan, are all the servants here so unruly?"

Jiang Chengcheng was taken aback, then turned her face away, her expression full of sly knowingness.

"I don't know, he looks unfamiliar."

Xie Qingyan was also amused, covering her face and chuckling as she echoed, "Guards, guards, throw him out!"

Normally, Mr. Xu would be willing to make these lighthearted jokes with them, but unfortunately, he is currently on the verge of turning to the dark side.

"Are you doing this again?"

So, somewhat annoyed, he pinched her cheek, turned her face towards him, and forced her to look him in the eye. "Your wings have hardened up now, huh?"

"How can there be..."

Jiang Chengcheng's expression changed instantly, and she looked at her with a wronged expression, "You came to me because you couldn't find anyone else, can't I even make a joke?"

She was genuinely a little wronged. Aside from Shen Qin, whose situation was special, Jiang Chengcheng was probably the least likely among the girls to challenge him. She had only teased him a little earlier; in fact, she had already planned how to snuggle into Xu Shi's arms and act cute later...

Including last night, why do you think she didn't show up? It's because she had already heard about Xia Ke'an from Xie Qingyan, so she took the initiative to create space for them. She couldn't be more sensible.

And then that bad man even gave her a hard time, ugh.

"...Next time, at least try a different approach."

Xu Shi blinked, and after sorting out the cause and effect, he realized that he had done something wrong. His movements immediately became gentle. He cupped her face and gently touched her forehead.

Jiang Chengcheng wouldn't give him the cold shoulder, but that wasn't enough for her. She leaned over and asked for several kisses before the grievance on her face completely disappeared.

The fiancée, who was watching from the sidelines, sighed helplessly and couldn't help but feel a little jealous.

"It's so bright during the day, it's affecting my attention."

She pouted and tried to lighten the mood, "You only remembered us after you were done having fun... Why did you even come?"

"Let's get down to business."

Xu Shi said seriously, "Shall we go together to see the goods that were transported from Silver Pine Island?"

"Okay."

Jiang Chengcheng nodded, took his hand, and was about to leave.

"……I am coming too."

Not wanting to be outdone, Xie Qingyan quickly followed.

……

The supplies brought from Silver Pine Island were not piled up in Xu Shi's small courtyard; there was a special warehouse at the dock for storage.

"benefactor!"

The person in charge of guarding this place is Miss Xiaomei. You can see her waving her muscular arms at everyone from afar.

"Hello, Miss Mei."

Xu Shi greeted her politely and then went into the warehouse.

He knew exactly what he wanted, so he was quite clear about what was there. However, the quantity seemed to be more than he had expected. The ten-meter-high warehouse was packed full, making it difficult to even find a place to stand.

"Why did you bring so much stuff?"

Xia Wuyou hadn't explained it to him very clearly before, so he was a little curious and asked Jiang Chengcheng, who was standing next to him.

"A little more can't hurt."

The First Madam smiled and said, "Moreover, the island's production capacity is a bit excessive, so after Sister Wuyou told me, I simply added some more to the quantity you needed."

"Didn't you say the factory wasn't very big?"

There aren't many people on Silver Pine Island.

Jiang Chengcheng explained, "Especially those factories mainly manufacture components for weapons and large machinery, which are not very useful to everyone."

That's true. No matter how useful long guns and short cannons are, it's impossible to issue ten or eight to everyone. Instead of letting the extras gather dust, it's better to bring them over for future use.