Tony Visits with Pepper

Without any moral limits, Gwen could easily use her extraordinary powers to make money.

But the identity of Spider-Man held extraordinary significance for Gwen. She did not want to disgrace Spider-Man.

That would be a betrayal of her deceased friend and a failure of her father's trust.

In her universe, Spider-Man was a symbol of courage and justice. In this universe, she should be the same.

"Of course, Gwen."

Russell readily agreed and made a suggestion.

"But if you haven't found a place yet, why don't you move in with me for now?

It's on the seventh floor of the bookstore. There are still a few empty rooms, so you can pick whichever one you like."

"Thank you so much, Russell." Gwen immediately beamed.

Knock, knock.

"Hello, may I come in?" A gentle voice came along with the soft knocking.

Click.

"Come in." Before Russell could finish speaking, the door to the lounge opened first.

A mustached man in sunglasses and a suit strode straight in.

Behind him was a tall blonde woman with a ponytail.

As well as a broad, heavyset man in a suit.

"Tony. Tony Stark."

After entering, Tony introduced himself while casually taking a seat on the sofa.

Clearly, he was not in the habit of shaking hands.

"Average upholstery. The breathability and feel are both poor, and the color—"

"Tony!" The woman called out to Tony Stark, signaling for him to stop.

"Hello, I'm Pepper. Pepper Potts, Tony's personal assistant."

Pepper smiled gracefully as she introduced herself. She also took the initiative to extend her hand in friendship.

The man in the suit stopped behind Tony, striking a cool pose and remaining silent throughout.

"Russell."

"Gwen. Gwen Stacy."

They had come for Gwen.

The moment Russell saw Tony, he roughly understood what was going on.

Gwen had probably failed to notice a camera when she left last night and gotten caught on footage.

But why hadn't anyone from S.H.I.E.L.D. come knocking?

Had Tony had J.A.R.V.I.S. intercept the data?

Though he was somewhat puzzled, Russell did not dwell on it.

Entertaining the guests came first.

"Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts, and this bodyguard gentleman, would you like something to drink? Coffee or tea?"

"Do you have alcohol?" Tony asked.

Russell smiled faintly and shook his head.

"No."

"Then never mind."

"Coffee, thank you." Pepper spoke up in time.

Russell smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, we don't have that either."

"..."

"Tea, then." Pepper smiled helplessly.

"Alright, Ms. Potts. Please wait a moment. I'll go out and buy some tea leaves."

With that, Russell left the lounge, closed the door, and sat down at the bookstore's front desk.

Buy tea? What tea was he going to buy?

Russell had merely used it as an excuse to leave.

Tony's group had obviously come for Gwen.

He had no intention of stubbornly lingering inside, only to be asked to leave.

As for what Tony and the others would discuss with Gwen?

A single door could not block the hearing granted by 100 points of Perception.

"Has he always been this 'humorous'?"

The moment Mr. Russell left, Tony couldn't help mocking him, placing extra emphasis on the word "humorous."

"I'm not familiar with him. We only just met."

Gwen was amused by Mr. Russell's behavior as well and hurriedly distanced herself from him.

For a moment, the air was filled with cheerful laughter.

Pepper was the first to compose herself and got straight to the point. "Miss Stacy, we came because of what happened last night. Thank you for saving Tony and me."

Gwen waved her hand casually, unconcerned. "It was what Ghost-Spider was supposed to do."

"Ghost-Spider? Is that your nickname? I thought it was 'Pajamas Baby.'"

"Tony!!"

Pepper stopped Tony's teasing once again.

"Ghost-Spider, agile as a ghost? It suits you perfectly, Gwen."

Gwen smiled. Ghost-Spider represented more than just that, but she had no intention of explaining.

"Even if you hadn't stepped in, I had a way to deal with that big guy. As altitude rises, air pressure drops, and the temperature falls with it. My Mark III has been modified for low temperatures, but that big guy's armor hasn't. All I had to do was take him into the sky and freeze his armor."

"Tony!!!"

Pepper pressed a hand to her forehead. It seemed her boss's stubborn pride was impossible to change. They had clearly agreed to come thank her, yet the moment they arrived...

Gwen thought it over for a moment and nodded. "That is true."

Tony shot Pepper a smug glance, then looked at Gwen, slightly arrogant yet sincere.

"Either way, you helped us out a lot last night. You can make a wish. Any condition is fine."

Gwen looked at Tony and said seriously, "I didn't help you for a reward."

"Gwen, economists believe that doing good deeds promotes public welfare, and such behavior must be encouraged. Only by encouraging those who do good can social welfare be improved," Pepper added.

"I know you helped Tony because of your admirable qualities—kindness, justice, courage—but not everyone possesses those qualities. If helping others brings no reward, then most people won't do good deeds."

"But I don't have any wishes that need to be fulfilled right now."

Gwen had only one wish at the moment: to return to her own universe.

She didn't think Tony could help make that wish come true, so there was no need to bring it up and put Tony and Pepper in an awkward position.

"Then contact me or Pepper once you've decided," Tony said decisively.

"We also have a small gift for you, Gwen," Pepper added.

With the serious business concluded, the conversation gradually turned into Pepper and Gwen chatting about everyday matters.

"Knock, knock. Ms. Potts, your tea has arrived."

"Come in, Mr. Russell."

"Green tea, less ice, thirty percent sugar. Please enjoy."

Imitating a waiter, Mr. Russell served Pepper the green tea he had just bought from the milk tea shop next door.

"Thank you."

Pepper's eye twitched. She knew Mr. Russell had deliberately left earlier to give them some space, but this was far too perfunctory.

A little while later, Pepper proposed taking her leave.

"Russell, we're leaving. We won't disturb you two any longer."

"Alright, goodbye, Pepper." x2

"Goodbye, Russell."

"Goodbye, Gwen."

Watching Tony and Pepper drive away, Mr. Russell turned to Gwen. "Come on, it's time to eat. We should go get lunch too."

Gwen looked at Mr. Russell in surprise. She had thought he would ask what she and Tony and Pepper had talked about.

"You're not going to ask what we talked about?"

"Why ask about something I can guess?" I heard everything perfectly clearly outside. Why would I need to ask?

"Has no one ever told you that men shouldn't be this smart?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"You."

"Sir, there's also a problem with Mr. Russell's information."