Are You the Boss or Am I? (Please Read!)

This private hospital in District 16 is an asset under Prism.

In the lobby, there was naturally a portrait of the conglomerate's current leader.

Xie Qingyan.

The moment Xu Shi grasped this information, everything became clear.

It was her doing!

This wasn't baseless speculation, but a conclusion supported by evidence.

Although an event like "He Yuqiang losing an ear" didn't happen in the original story, Shark Tooth itself was quite chaotic.

Shark Tooth's current head, He Jiayuan, had three children.

He Yuqiang was the youngest, with his elder brother He Yuzhao and elder sister He Yuxia ahead of him.

In the plot he knew, He Yuxia was passionate about art and not very interested in inheriting the conglomerate, but both He Yuzhao and He Yuqiang had their eyes on the top position.

Even as an only child, he was still constrained by old foxes like Lin Wenhua. One could imagine the magnitude of the struggle between the two brothers.

Furthermore, with He Jiayuan now on his deathbed, the chaos within Shark Tooth was bound to escalate.

Under these circumstances, He Yuzhao and He Yuqiang naturally had their own agendas.

His good brother He Laosan had partnered with Shen He's Spark, while He Yuzhao's chosen partner was his own fiancée, Xie Qingyan, the one in charge of Prism.

Comparing them, the disparity in their strategies seemed obvious... but this was also due to He Yuqiang's weaker position; Xie Qingyan wouldn't bother with him if he wasn't strong enough.

And the outcome was, as expected, quite dramatic—under the influence of Shen He's protagonist halo, He Yuzhao and Xie Qingyan, despite their combined efforts, couldn't subdue He Yuqiang. Instead, they suffered continuous losses and retreated steadily.

In the end, He Yuqiang successfully killed his elder brother and smoothly inherited Shark Tooth.

Although this didn't change He Laosan's ultimate fate, which was similar to his own, the feud between Xie Qingyan and Shen He began to accumulate during this process.

Thinking about it this way, everything made sense.

He Yuzhao and Xie Qingyan would undoubtedly keep a close eye on He Yuqiang's every move and would not want to see him reconcile with Spark, which led them to do this.

As for why Xu Shi was certain that Xie Qingyan, not He Yuzhao, was the mastermind... Nonsense. If it were He Yuzhao, He Yuqiang wouldn't have just lost an ear, but his life.

It was Xie Qingyan, however, who, despite her cooperation with He Yuzhao, might not have been happy to see He Yuzhao's family become too powerful.

The more the two brothers fought like dogs and heads, the more beneficial it was for her.

She could even maneuver strategically when appropriate.

Well, well, you really are something, you wicked woman!

Having figured everything out, Xu Shi couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion, while also feeling a bit annoyed with his fiancée whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

Because, in a way, their thoughts aligned.

Although he was actively escalating the conflict between He Yuqiang and Shen He, Xu Shi himself didn't want anything to happen to his good brother, at least not now, and certainly not at the hands of others.

On one hand, he needed him to repay his debts. On the other hand, he also hoped to smoothly inherit the conglomerate while keeping He Yuqiang under his control.

This way, until his own strength was sufficient, the unstable factors within Shark Tooth would be minimized. And once he had enough capability, it would be easier to annex it logically.

Yes, this scoundrel had great ambitions.

One military industrial company in Night Sin City was enough; why have two?

But the current situation was a bit tricky—He Yuqiang's injury wasn't severe; Xie Qingyan's actions seemed more like a warning.

The problem was that his good brother was disfigured... The conglomerate wouldn't allow someone with a damaged appearance to be a figurehead, which undoubtedly reduced his competitiveness significantly.

Moreover, He Jiayuan himself was a conservative who favored singular military industrial development over the integration of Mechanical Ascension. This meant that if his good brother tried to pass it off with prosthetic organs, the situation would only worsen.

This was why he had ignored He Yuqiang after the incident; the old man had already written off his youngest son... At least, this situation was difficult to change before his death.

And if he were to truly die, He Yuzhao's position would have long been solidified, leaving He Yuqiang with little chance to turn things around.

This made Xu Shi suspect that his fiancée had acted with such calculations.

It could only be said that when two ambitious people collide, it always makes things more complicated.

Compared to such matters, Shen He's whereabouts could take a backseat.

After all, although He Yuqiang had been secretive about it, Xu Shi knew that he didn't have the actual strength to kill Shen He.

Because Shen He possessed an item.

Beacon.

It was his father Shen Tianhong's Ascendant Ability—a special item created at the cost of his own lifespan. When activated, it could bypass distance and teleport to a pre-set anchor point.

In the background story, Shen Tianhong used the Beacon to create a glimmer of hope for Shen He and his sister during the massacre of his family, sacrificing himself and accepting his fate with dignity.

And in the early stages of the plot, it was precisely thanks to the Beacon that Shen He was able to escape perilous situations multiple times.

If he remembered correctly, this item could be used three times at the start of the plot, meaning Shen He still had two such opportunities.

Xu Shi couldn't help but grumble, "Damn it, are you the Boss or am I the Boss?

To kill you, I have to wear down three of your lives first?"

But the other party is definitely not having an easy time either—two consecutive failures plus the encirclement and suppression by "Shark Tooth," and he's lost quite a few capable operatives. The strength he has left is probably less than a tenth of what it was.

Now, the only thing he can do is probably lead these remnants and find a new backer.

And that's even considering that, after repeated failures, his abilities might not influence many subordinates anymore.

Xu Shi knew that trust had to be backed by tangible results.

Constantly making empty promises and then losing every engagement—under such circumstances, unless there's an SS-class ability like personality erasure or mental overwrite to guarantee compliance, no one would accept it.

It's just like in the original story; even someone like Su Lin eventually became utterly disappointed with the original host.

Therefore, what Xu Shi needed to do for Shen He was to add fuel to the fire while he was severely weakened.

On the other hand, Xie Qingyan required more consideration... Although he didn't want to confront his fiancée so early, he absolutely couldn't let her be so arrogant.

If she dared to disrupt his plans now, he couldn't even imagine what she might do later.

So, to gain control of her, he needed to offer a deal she couldn't refuse.

For example, the "Overlimit Project."

Xu Shi knew very well how tempting that was; with that as leverage, he wasn't worried about her not being interested.

In fact, Xie Qingyan herself was one of the cooperation targets he was considering, and the most important one at that.

It couldn't be helped; the "Overlimit Project" required biological technology support, and in Night Sin City, only "Prism" possessed that kind of strength.

This is why monopolies are so profitable; the ancients did not deceive me.

However, Xu Shi also understood that he had to maintain firm control over the initiative in matters like these, especially when dealing with a woman like Xie Qingyan.

Cooperating with her was inherently risky; with the slightest misstep, he'd be utterly destroyed, leaving no trace behind.

Therefore, before formal negotiations, he had to give her a little "Serpent Coil" shock first.

Sigh, more trouble.

He felt so tired being the villain, boohoo, he wanted to cry.

Just as he was thinking this, Su Lin handed him a cup of coffee at the opportune moment, "Young Master, what are you thinking about? Would you like something to drink?"

"...Okay, thank you."

Xu Shi took it with a smile and pulled her to sit on a nearby bench.

Fortunately, he still had someone considerate by his side.

Perhaps it was due to their familiarity, or perhaps Xu Shi's recent changes had genuinely pleased Miss Su Lin.

In any case, the distance between them was growing thinner, and Su Lin didn't feel any aversion to Xu Shi's intentional or unintentional physical touches.

If it were anyone else, she would have already thrown them to the ground and dislocated their arm.

She didn't care if Xu Shi would use his abilities on her; her ingrained loyalty prevented her from considering such trivial matters.

She even occasionally looked forward to it... though she didn't know why this unprecedented emotion had arisen.

This made Su Lin feel a bit flustered, and she could only relieve the awkwardness by sipping her coffee.

Seeing Xu Shi remain silent, she even learned to break the silence proactively, "Young Master, shall I take you back now?"

"No rush."

Xu Shi waved his hand and stood up, "Xia Ke'an is also here, I'll go see her first."

He wondered if Xia Wuyou was also here; if so, it would be even better.

After all, he had a mission to assign to her.