During the time when Xu Shi received his superpower transplant, she genuinely took good care of him... This time at sea, she felt even more humble than before. Nominally, the two of them were co-leaders, but what didn't Xu Shi have the final say on? The things she did were no different from those of Jiang Chengcheng and the others, making her seem like his subordinate.
Do you think this approach worked? It seems so. The atmosphere when they were alone that day was wonderful. She had never felt so relaxed and happy with that jerk before, and he didn't object to her kissing him...
But that only applies when they're alone; otherwise, there's basically no change—which is clearly not the effect she wants. After all, she can't spend her whole life alone with Xu Shi. Let alone whether Xu Shi is willing or not, she herself might not be willing either.
This feeling of being an outsider was awful. People's joys and sorrows are not shared, and all that was left for her was noise... If she hadn't had such a strong mental fortitude, she probably would have burst into tears.
"What's the point of telling me all this?"
Jiang Chengcheng saw this, but only sighed softly, "I'm sorry, I can't answer your question."
"...Yes, you're right."
Xie Qingyan, unusually, did not refute her, but smiled helplessly and self-deprecatingly, "I don't even know the answer to this question myself."
Watching her forlorn figure as she walked away, Jiang Chengcheng tilted her head.
Sorry, but bad women can't empathize with each other; those who are favored often take it for granted.
Unless they're best friends, which unfortunately they aren't. (doge)
But that doesn't matter, I had my fun anyway.
Xu Shi... he probably wouldn't object to me doing this, right?
whee.
...
Xu Shi replied, "Sorry, I don't have time."
"Isn't he busy making new friends?" the carriage said, winding through alleyways before finally stopping in front of a courtyard.
"This is the residence of the Ancient Sword Duke."
The driver, also from Silver Pine Island, parked the car and said, "I'll wait for you in the back alley next door."
"It doesn't look very luxurious."
Xia Wuyou looked around and muttered something to herself with great curiosity.
"Maybe they just don't flaunt their wealth."
Xu Shi pinched her cheek, and the two entered the courtyard hand in hand.
Anyway, they definitely didn't go to the wrong place—the previous gift had worked, and the other party had already sent someone to greet them at the door. "Please follow me, gentlemen."
After passing through the waterside pavilion, they arrived at a quiet room. Cheng Gujian was standing straight in front of a painting. Hearing the noise, he turned around and said, "Envoy Xu, Madam Xu, welcome."
"Greetings, Grand Duke Gujian."
Xu Shi gave a perfunctory bow and exchanged a few polite words, "I saw the Duke during the day, and he was so handsome and imposing. I didn't expect him to be such a refined person."
Indeed, although the mansion appears unassuming from the outside, its interior is quite luxurious—it is fully furnished with all kinds of ornaments and paintings, and even the table legs are adorned with gemstones. Even if we don't know their value, they must be the work of a master from the Hualan Empire.
The same goes for the waterside pavilion and courtyard we passed through on our way here; they are so lifelike, it's clear that a lot of effort was put into them.
Xia Wuyou glanced at him, "You were right... How do you know so much?"
Anyway, there's no such rule in Night City. Whether it's the "Refraction" of the past or the "Snake Ring" of today, they are all very impressive inside and out. Otherwise, she wouldn't have made such a comment.
Xu Shi blinked. He had a good brother in his past life… whose place looked like a slum if you didn't know better, but when he walked in, the floor was practically made of gold. That's when he learned about this trick…
Of course, this was just a minor incident and not the main topic of today.
"Not at all, I'm just a military man, merely indulging in a bit of refined pursuits."
Cheng Gujian exchanged a few polite words and then offered them seats. He then pointed directly to the box placed in the quiet room and said, "Envoy Xu's gift is quite substantial. You must have something very important to discuss with us so late at night?"
"It's mainly about trade."
Xu Shi spoke frankly, "I don't want to cause trouble for the royal family either... Rather than letting them gossip endlessly, why not just finalize it with Your Excellency directly? I think your attitude is everyone's attitude in this matter."
"Envoy Xu, you flatter me."
Cheng Gujian waved his hand gently, “Both thunder and rain are imperial grace. I am merely entrusted by the late emperor to assist Her Majesty the Empress... Her Majesty is still young and immature in handling many things. When she grows up, she will have to repay all of this.”
At first glance, his words sounded very modest, but his expression didn't convey that at all. Instead, it had a "you've come to the right person, young man, you're very perceptive" vibe to it.
Grand Duke Gujian even subtly shifted his body to the side, revealing the painting behind him—a painting of him and the former emperor of the empire standing side by side, as evidenced by their identical crowns.
Wow, what a show-off!
Xu Shi thought to himself, "You still say you're not a powerful minister? This behavior is no worse than ruling from behind the curtain..."
The main reason is that he's very familiar with this feeling. "My status in Night City is about the same as yours, isn't it? Then it's alright."
Even his villain radar has been activated uncontrollably. This guy is probably a mid-to-early stage boss, right?
After all, this is very much like Ao Bai's script—in the early stages, he was all-powerful and his achievements overshadowed the emperor, but then he was taken down by the protagonist who had grown stronger, and while purging the court of corrupt officials, he also won the empress's heart...
Who could blame him when Dongfang Xiao really was a girl? And a blonde, blue-eyed girl in white stockings at that… It was hard not to think of this kind of plot development.
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