Can You Answer the Phone While Moaning?

He Yuzhao's attack caused quite a stir, and the whole of Night City was abuzz with rumors.

This was far more serious than what had happened to his third brother—not because of his injuries, of course, but because it had happened while he was exposed beneath the media spotlight.

The reporters had been desperate for something to cover. When this happened, they immediately sprang into action, their shutters capturing his miserable state from every possible angle.

Within two hours, the incident had caused an uproar throughout Night City.

Those in the know who were keeping an eye on the situation quickly realized the impact this would have.

Boss He's position as Shark Tooth's heir was about to become unstable—everyone knew that He Jiayuan was an extremely stubborn conservative. Even as technology became increasingly advanced, he still refused to let his family bloodline be tainted by machinery.

He himself was the same way. Even though he was now plagued by illness, he refused any organ modifications, and he treated his children no differently.

Under such circumstances, He Yuqiang's disfigurement became a very serious matter—at the very least, his competitiveness had returned to the same level as his third brother's, especially since their injuries were so similar.

One had lost his left ear, while the other had lost his right ear. How strange, how strange~

Meanwhile, Miss He Er, He Yuxia, who had little presence to begin with, saw her status rise naturally amid this string of incidents.

But would Boss He and He Laosan give up so easily...? Probably not.

The already turbulent waters of Shark Tooth seemed to have been stirred even murkier by unseen hands.

"So, Young Master, were you doing this to support Shark Tooth's second young miss?"

Inside the villa's study, Su Lin looked at Xia Wuyou's "mission complete" message and asked seriously.

"That depends on what she does next."

Xu Shi's answer was ambiguous—or perhaps that was only one part of his considerations.

Absorbing Shark Tooth was the ultimate goal, and for him, the best stepping stone was still He Laosan.

Because he's my good brother... Haha, just kidding. The truth is, He Yuqiang is absolutely the easiest of the He siblings to control, and I know him well enough.

Even if Xie Qingyan had not plotted against him, Xu Shi would have gone after He Yuzhao to raise He Laosan's prestige.

What he had done now was merely pull the two brothers back onto the same starting line.

Coupled with the intrusion into the unmanned hospital, this combination of blows was enough to give his fiancée a proper headache.

And with that, no matter how conservative He Jiayuan was, he would likely have no choice but to forcibly change his attitude.

As for He Yuxia... honestly, Xu Shi barely knew anything about her. In the story, she had been a peripheral character among peripheral characters—at least, that was all he knew.

A conglomerate heiress devoted to art, indifferent to everything else, a breath of fresh air among the second generation.

Whether she was hiding her abilities or whether that was simply her nature... would depend on what happened next.

If she continued doing as she pleased, it would save him a great deal of trouble.

Otherwise, he would not mind using the same methods he had used against Boss He on her as well.

A He Yuqiang whose background he knew inside out was always easier to handle than developing an unknown He Yuxia from scratch.

"Don't rush to contact her, but keep a close watch on her movements at all times."

Xu Shi gave this order. "Handle it personally, and pay particular attention to Xie Qingyan's side."

"Yes."

Su Lin understood immediately and went off to make arrangements.

Xu Shi stretched lazily and headed for the basement in high spirits.

"Woohoo! Yes!"

The moment he approached, he heard Gu Yi's excited cheer.

Miss Black Rabbit was genuinely happier than he was—it was obvious that she had an inexplicable fondness for this sort of behind-the-scenes mischief.

Successfully paralyzing the unmanned hospital's system had also given her an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.

Honestly, if not for Shen He's guidance in the original story—or his own training of her now—who knew what this girl would become in the future.

Maybe another little devil wreaking havoc everywhere.

"Do you really have to be this excited?"

Thinking that, Xu Shi smiled helplessly.

"Of course I do!"

Gu Yi gave a soft snort. "Do you know that the system was built by Deep Sea, the hacker team ranked seventh on the leaderboard?"

"I've hated those guys for ages. -civilized language-. They even made posts before saying I didn't deserve my reputation. Now I'll show those useless idiots what it really means to not deserve your reputation!"

Xu Shi could not help but laugh at the sight of her animated expression.

They weren't even ranked above you to begin with, and you have a specialized ability. Wasn't winning perfectly normal...? You'll have plenty of chances to deal with the top three later.

That was indeed how it worked—everyone knew that if the protagonist, or someone in the protagonist's group, had not taken first place in their field, then those ranked above them were basically there to be humiliated by them.

"Anyway, the mission was completed successfully. Are you satisfied, Boss?"

Miss Black Rabbit looked at him expectantly.

"...Mm, you did very well."

Xu Shi nodded approvingly. He could not bully her all the time; occasionally, he had to praise her too.

"Hehe."

Gu Yi lifted her chin proudly. "Then you're not allowed to dock my pay anymore... And I can play games now, right?"

"...What game could possibly be that fun?"

Xu Shi was inexplicably curious. Kid, isn't your gaming addiction a little too serious?

"Here, this one."

Gu Yi muttered as she recommended it to him. "It's really fun!"

If there was any game in Night Sin City that could be this popular, it was probably Divine Arrival.

Xu Shi remembered it fairly well—mainly because Shen He often used it to pass information in the original story.

But he did not know much about the game itself... only that its developer seemed rather mysterious. Despite achieving such success, they remained low-profile.

"Chairman Xu, do you want to give it a try too?"

"I'll pass... Actually, sure. I'll try it?"

Xu Shi had originally wanted to refuse. He had long since lost interest in games... but seeing Gu Yi's enthusiasm, he changed his mind after thinking it over.

More importantly, this was a very good sign—her willingness to share something she liked with him was enough to prove that their relationship was gradually growing closer.

Unfortunately, he had only just created a character when the Communication Bracelet on his wrist rang at the most inopportune moment.

When he opened it, he saw a number that had not contacted him in years.

Xie Qingyan.

Not a slow reaction... Xu Shi chuckled to himself. His fiancée was no fool; after connecting all the pieces, it would be unrealistic for her not to suspect him.

Still, it seemed she was getting a little impatient.

Then he might as well push her a little further.

A mischievous impulse arose in Xu Shi. After a brief moment of thought, he took off his Communication Bracelet and tossed it to Gu Yi.

"Little Black Rabbit, can you... answer the phone while moaning?"