Awkward.

This is probably the best reflection of Xie Qingyan's current state of mind.

That's true. At least from the conversation just now, it seems that letting Xu Shi plant the seed is the only solution that isn't a solution. The way he looks at his palm in deep thought is enough of a hint.

Even Xie Qingyan herself had resigned herself to her fate. Perhaps this was the karma she had owed this scoundrel in the past?

Since that's the case, let it be. It's better than being possessed by the sea god and turning into a monster...

Just when the atmosphere had reached this point, someone suddenly said with an arrogant "No way," completely overturning all the previous build-up.

He himself didn't seem embarrassed at all, so the only one who felt embarrassed was Xie Qingyan.

"you……"

"What? When did I say I was going to use my powers on you?"

Xu Shi blinked, looking at her with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. "What are you so self-satisfied about? Huh? My fiancée, Director Xie?"

Or... do you want me to do this to you?

As he spoke, he pretended to suddenly realize something, "Oh, I see. You feel you owe me too much, so you thought, 'I might as well be this man's little dog, it's not a loss anyway,' right, right?"

"...Get out of here!"

With his thoughts laid bare, it would be a miracle if Xie Qingyan didn't break down.

Her face flushed red, and she said angrily, "I, I didn't mean that at all! Xu Shi, don't go too far!"

"Right?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Shi laughed even more heartily, "That's the right thing to do."

"Because I've already said that you don't owe me anything anymore. If you still hold that idea, then you're making a huge mistake."

His attitude became more serious. "Besides, even if you were willing, I wouldn't do it. It would be too embarrassing for me to do whatever you say."

"Besides, if that's really the case, I'm afraid I'll never see your awkward little expression again... That would be the biggest regret for me."

This sounds like a joke, but it's an undeniable fact. Theoretically speaking, "entropy of malice" doesn't necessarily distort someone's personality. Take Xia Xiaomao as an example; her change only applies to Xu Shi. She doesn't change when facing outsiders, even when dealing with someone as clingy as Jiang Chengcheng. It's more due to her inherent personality.

But for Xie Qingyan, it's different. She's going to use "entropy of evil thoughts" to fight against the sea god's erosion in her mind. That's not as simple as just planting a seed and activating the CPU. It might require a larger dose of continuous suppression, or even a two-pronged approach of "entropy of evil thoughts" and "united will".

Therefore, we must first consider whether Xie Qingyan's mental strength level can guarantee that he will not be affected by such "treatment".

It's hard to guarantee, and Xu Shi had even considered the worst-case scenario—that she might actually be twisted into a mechanical puppet under repeated mental influences, like undergoing a lobotomy to treat mental illness... You could say she was cured, but that's definitely not the outcome everyone wants.

"Then what do you suggest...?"

Upon hearing his words, the fiancée's tense body visibly softened, and she bit her lower lip and asked softly.

How could she not know what kind of person Xu Shi was? Despite his harsh words, wasn't he actually concerned about her?

He even rejected the choice she had finally made up her mind about—to be honest, if that jerk had agreed, she wouldn't have said anything, since she was the one who brought it up... But she also had to admit that his answer made her feel more at ease and happy.

Especially since he refused so decisively, it's clear he never even considered doing it... This shows that his previous contemplation was just normal analysis; he had to take all sorts of situations into account.

snort.

So what's wrong with you, you jerk... Thinking of this, she couldn't help but complain in her heart. You used to secretly try to use your abilities on me, but now that I've let my guard down, you've become a gentleman?

Despite her complaints, she was more grateful than anything else. Xu Shi's willingness to face such a difficult problem with her was something to be happy about, and his refusal to take advantage of her situation moved her even more.

But after being moved, I was still worried. Xu Shi's attitude was good, but the solution was equally important. If we couldn't eliminate the mental erosion caused by the lingering resentment of the Sea God, nothing else mattered.

She herself really couldn't think of any other way—she had been staying in her room these past few days trying to come up with a solution, but unfortunately, she was still at a loss.

After all, this is a mental illness, and it's not so easy to cure.

Let alone using the existing equipment, even if we set off back to Night City right now, it might not be able to solve the problem... The fact is, under high pressure, the incidence of mental illness in Night City itself has always been high, and many strange cases still leave "Prism" helpless.

The methods she could think of were all just treating the symptoms, not the root cause—for example, using suggestive hypnosis like before, or going even further and applying Shen Qin's methods to herself... To be honest, it would be better to just let Xu Shi give her the ability; essentially, there's no difference.

Therefore, she inevitably asked Xu Shi, since she couldn't figure it out herself, but this scoundrel might not be so sure.

Hey, you said you don't depend on him, huh?

"As for a solution... I do have one."

Xu Shi thought for a moment, then turned to look in the direction of the imperial capital. "If I remember correctly, that little empress's ability is related to purification?"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!