Are You Two Really Having a Conversation?

Staring at the shattered glass by her feet, Tang Shuang was completely stunned.

Xu Shi... threw a cup at her?

And even told her to get out?

To be fair, this was nothing like what she had anticipated.

She wasn't naive enough to think a few words from her would make him fall in line.

But at the very least, it should have followed the normal course of negotiations, right?

Yet here they were—what kind of unforeseen turn was this?

It felt like a couple quarreling and smashing things... ahem, maybe that comparison was a bit off, but it captured the gist.

"...Chairman Xu, do you even realize what you're doing?"

Treated like this, Tang Shuang couldn't help but flare up as she came to her senses. "Should I take that as a deliberate assault on a public official?"

"Don't go throwing labels around so casually, Director Tang."

Xu Shi wiped his hands unhurriedly. "Just a slip of the hand... Did it hurt you?"

Of course it didn't.

Not only was his aim precise, but the Inspection Bureau's uniform was specially modified—even a "Red Ant"-level explosion might not harm her.

"Besides, shouldn't I be the one asking that question?"

So Xu Shi wasn't worried at all, just looking at her calmly. "Director Tang, do you realize what you're doing?"

"What are you talking about?"

Tang Shuang was momentarily confused, but she still gritted her teeth and glared at him indignantly.

"It seems Director Tang doesn't understand what I mean."

Xu Shi shook his head. "Then let me rephrase... Why do you think I equipped heavy weaponry during the transport? For fun?"

"It's because I learned beforehand that someone in Sin City had their eyes on me, so I had no choice but to bring extra gear for self-defense in a pinch."

"...That's still no excuse for your company failing to register."

Tang Shuang paused, but held her ground.

"But that's what's strange."

Xu Shi frowned. "Cracking down on street gangs is supposed to be your Inspection Bureau's job, so why didn't I see a single one of you before or after the incident?"

"Instead, you show up now to tell me it's non-compliant... Can you be any more shameless?"

"I—"

Tang Shuang shot him a glare. Did you really need my help?

After all, everyone in Night Sin City knew that "Serpent Coil" had the best armed configuration by far.

Even nearly 80% of the Inspection Bureau's weapons had to be purchased from them.

But within the framework of various institutions, the Inspection Bureau did have the duty and obligation to assist "Serpent Coil"—even if they took it to court, Xu Shi would still have the upper hand.

Well, that...

"Besides, we're not the only ones who damaged the Huajin Plain and District Seven, are we?"

Xu Shi didn't give her a chance to catch her breath. "At the end of the day, 'Serpent Coil' is the victim, and 'Spark' is the real culprit. Before interrogating us, Director Tang, shouldn't you wipe them out first?"

"Or are you two in cahoots with 'Spark,' hiding some dirty little secret behind the scenes?"

"...You can't just say things like that."

Tang Shuang's hands trembled with anger.

"Well, it looks that way to me."

Xu Shi ignored her and swiped to show her a few images. "Take a good look, Director Tang—these are what we confiscated from 'Spark'... If I remember correctly, the Humming Swan II Rocket Launcher and the UR-Shine Type Force Field Armor also count as heavy equipment, don't they?"

"..."

"So, my personal suggestion is, Director Tang, get some real work done—the stray dogs in Sin City are almost armored up."

Xu Shi sneered, clasping his hands together in mock supplication. "Instead of hounding a poor, innocent, seven-time consecutive winner of Night City's top taxpayer award, a conscientious enterprise, alright?"

"I'm starting to wonder if all those tax dollars every year are going straight to the dogs."

On this point, Tang Shuang really had nothing to say.

The Inspection Bureau wasn't exactly a clean institution, and she certainly had subordinates who took bribes and lined their own pockets.

But she herself was absolutely spotless in that regard.

That finally gave her back a bit of confidence, and she met Xu Shi's gaze head-on. "Poor and innocent don't exactly apply to you, do they... Are you really that clean?"

"That's slander—I'm calling my lawyer."

Xu Shi scoffed. "You can't just say things like that... Show me the evidence."

I'm all about integrity—ah, no, righteousness—you think I'm afraid of your investigation?

"...Alright, I understand."

It took a long moment before Tang Shuang squeezed out through gritted teeth, "I was indeed presumptuous today. Please don't take it to heart, Chairman Xu."

"No need to see me out."

There was no salvaging this conversation. Tang Shuang turned on her heel and stormed off, fuming.

A thorough defeat left her rattled and irritable.

To be honest, she had anticipated before coming that Xu Shi might be a tough nut to crack.

But she never expected things to turn out like this—after all that talk, she'd made zero progress on what she wanted to accomplish.

Instead, he'd caught her and given her a merciless dressing-down and humiliation... who was interrogating whom here?

This filled Tang Shuang with immense shame, deepening her resentment toward Xu Shi.

You want evidence, do you? Just wait!

I refuse to believe I won't get you sooner or later!

The Director of the Inspection Bureau had yet to realize that her focus seemed to be gradually drifting off course.

As she left, Tang Shuang crossed paths with Su Lin, who was walking toward her.

And Su Lin was utterly shocked by her current state.

Flushed cheeks, rapid breathing, heaving chest... Good heavens, what exactly did you two talk about?

Or rather, how were you talking?

This didn't look like a negotiation at all!

And when she heard what Xu Shi had done, she grew even more puzzled.

"Is this really alright, Young Master?"

She didn't doubt that Xu Shi would leave any loose ends for the other party to grab—she had always handled his affairs in the past, and Tang Shuang wouldn't find any leverage.

But the problem was, it wasn't about fearing a thief in the night, but a thief who never forgets?

Now that the Young Master had just formally declared war on Lin Wenhua, being dogged by the Inspection Bureau like flies would be anything but good.

Xu Shi, however, wasn't worried.

After all, from the start, he had never intended to reason with Tang Shuang.

She had come to lay blame. If he went along with her words—whether to defend himself or prove his innocence—he would inevitably fall into her trap.

For someone like her, the best move was to seize the moral high ground and tear into her without mercy.

None of this was my fault—it was your Inspection Bureau's negligence!

Not that he ever expected any help from them, but it held up perfectly in terms of logic.

And after an incident like this, when the time came to face "Spark" for real, would the iron-faced Director Tang still be able to cut Shen He some slack, like she did in the original story?

More likely, she'd be itching to personally arrest him, just to use it as leverage against Xu Shi, wouldn't she?