"Don't dwell on things that are impossible."
Xu Shi smiled and stopped teasing her. "But it might not be so good if I were an ordinary person. After all, many of the things I've done, if they were done by an ordinary person, Director Tang might not have seen them, right?"
At least many things are supported by his strong financial foundation; without a material basis, even the best ideas are useless.
Tang Shuang remained noncommittal.
It's not that everyone needs to be in Xu Shi's position to attract attention, but the things he did that attracted me might not have caught my eye if they were done by an unknown nobody.
Moreover, even those in high positions sometimes behave in a way that's just as appalling. The most obvious example is probably the third young master of the He family, who is utterly despicable in Tang Shuang's eyes. She doesn't know how Xu Shi could be so friendly with him...
Oh, he wasn't much better before? Never mind then.
"But since you mentioned poaching talent, I actually have similar thoughts."
Xu Shi took a sip of tea and said leisurely, "Director Tang, have you considered taking a position at 'Snake Ring'? The pay is good, the work is easy, and the benefits are great."
"This...isn't this a bit inappropriate?"
Tang Shuang blinked, thinking to herself, "Why does your crossed-leg posture make you look like my boss?"
"What's wrong with that? Haven't these kinds of things happened a lot before?"
Xu Shi countered, "How many people are under the city hall? Aren't they all scrambling to get into conglomerates?"
This is indeed a very common phenomenon—many key officials in the city hall, after retirement or while still in office, will switch jobs and join conglomerates.
The conglomerate was happy to accept them, partly because they were all capable veterans, and partly because they brought their own connections; hiring them was much more cost-effective than training newcomers...
Or rather, within the Night City system, the city hall is merely a stepping stone; most people's ultimate goal is still the higher-level conglomerates.
"That's all after retirement, I'm not even thirty yet."
Director Tang joked, "But since you put it that way, after I retire, I'll definitely become a consultant for 'Snake Ring' or something. Chairman Xu, you'd better not refuse then."
"If you come back then, I definitely won't want you."
Xu Shi squinted and shook his head. "You'll be retired at least 55 years old. That's almost 30 years. I don't have the patience to wait that long."
"Hey, that's not strange."
Tang Shuang glared at him. "Judging from Chairman Xu's words, do you value my abilities or me as a person?"
To be honest, Xu Shi's words were basically a clear indication: who would want to hire an old and faded inspection bureau chief? A young, beautiful, capable, and tall woman would be much more appealing.
Tang Shuang knew she wasn't bad-looking, and she also knew this guy across from her had always been quite lecherous. Come to think of it, he really did have plenty of beautiful and capable women under his wing…
"Am I a child? Do I need to choose?"
Xu Shi was also very frank, "Can't we have it all?"
He's always been outspoken about this; there's no point in hiding it.
"Anyway, the conditions are set out here, you should know very well which one is better."
He interlaced his fingers and said earnestly, "I'm afraid if I make these conditions public, your men will line up to come to me."
"Perhaps."
Tang Shuang sighed, "I can't control what others think, but if it were me... this would be fine."
"Otherwise, if you really do something outrageous again, who will be able to control you?"
"So you can tell me what to do now?"
"That's hard to say."
"...Okay, okay."
Xu Shi didn't continue the topic.
His desire to bring Tang Shuang under his wing was not a spur-of-the-moment decision; he had had this idea for a long time—whether she was attracted to his body or valued his abilities, he might as well take it one step at a time and bring her directly under his control as his dog.
I told her before that I'd give her a favor, but now I realize that's hardly enough.
I thought I'd take this opportunity to test the waters, but it seems she still doesn't have that intention.
So Xu Shi stopped pressuring it—it's said that forced melons aren't sweet but they quench thirst, but he already had sweet melons at home that were both thirst-quenching and sweet, so there was no need to rush.
Anyway, the other party's attitude towards me is no longer the same as it was at the beginning, so I have plenty of time to manipulate her.
"Alright, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now."
He stood up, waved his hand, and took off his inspection bureau uniform. "Here, take your clothes back."
"You can take the clothes back with you."
Tang Shuang said, "How could I let someone else wear the clothes you've worn?"
"You can keep it for me."
Xu Shi laughed and said, "Otherwise, if others see this, they'll think I've really gone to the investigation bureau."
"Then... shall I take you back?"
Tang Shuang sighed, took the clothes, hung them up, and then asked again.
The truth is, she didn't want Xu Shi to leave so soon at all; she wanted him to stay a little longer.
But she couldn't stop them from leaving if they insisted, and she couldn't think of any other reason...
"...Then I'll have to trouble Director Tang."
Xu Shi wanted to say that he could ask Su Lin to pick him up, but seeing her like this, he didn't refuse.
On the way back, neither of them spoke, remaining silent the entire time.
Because Tang Shuang belatedly discovered a problem.
What Xu Shi just said meant that he also...?
She was so focused on who was poaching whom that she hadn't considered this possibility, but now that she's come to her senses, how could she not understand what the other party meant?
Realizing this, she was momentarily at a loss.
Because she never even considered that Xu Shi felt the same way about her, the subtext of "I can't have it all" couldn't be clearer.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
