"I'm done eating, everyone." Bobby said, then got to his feet and hurried off by himself.
"What's gotten into him? He's been acting so secretive these past few days," Lu Yifang said, puzzled.
"He's chasing a girl, obviously. She was just kidnapped and is emotionally vulnerable after the ordeal. How could that guy pass up such a good opportunity?"
"You mean Rogue." Only then did Lu Yifang finally catch on.
"Who else? The girl's pretty great, but... she's also a little hard to get close to," John said, his expression complicated. He'd liked Rogue at first, too, until he'd seen her uncontrollable mutant power.
John had immediately decided to keep his distance from her. But his roommate had only gotten closer to the girl since then, making John wonder if he was willing to risk his life just to chase her.
While Lu Yifang and John were talking, a girl sat down in front of them. She wore a green jacket over her top, with long black hair falling over her shoulders and a striking streak of white at her forehead.
There was no doubt about it: the girl in front of them was Rogue.
"Hi, I'm Mary, though you can also call me by my other name, Rogue," the girl said with a smile at Lu Yifang.
"Bobby told me your name was Lu Yifang, right? You're his roommate."
"Oh, looks like Bobby's out of luck. He just missed his girl," John whispered to Lu Yifang.
"Thank you so much for what you did that day," the girl said sincerely.
"It was nothing. Just a small thing," Lu Yifang said, nodding calmly.
"Huh? Weren't you here to see Bobby?" John asked, suddenly curious.
"I..." Rogue began, her voice uncertain. Of course she'd come to see Lu Yifang, to thank him and maybe chat with him and get to know him a little.
But with John sitting there, it clearly wasn't convenient. And for some reason, Professor X had specifically told her not to tell anyone about what happened that day, so Rogue wasn't sure what to say.
"Was someone just talking about me?" Bobby's voice came from behind them.
When John saw Bobby sit down beside Rogue, he froze. "Bobby, weren't you— Huh?"
Bobby had another breakfast in his hands. Lu Yifang could only marvel at the guy. He was... bold, all right.
"Sorry, I got up a little late. Didn't realize you'd almost finished eating," Bobby said, shooting Lu Yifang a meaningful look.
Since he was worried Rogue might accidentally let something slip, it would indeed have been wise to go somewhere else. But as an opportunist, how could he not at least...?
"Ahem." Lu Yifang deliberately cleared his throat and looked at Bobby with a serious expression.
"Bobby, I just realized I left my money behind when I came out. You borrowed twenty dollars from me last week to buy Coke. Don't you think it's time to pay me back?"
"Twenty dollars? For Coke?" Bobby glared at Lu Yifang. What kind of Coke cost that much? Or was he claiming Bobby had bought a whole case? That was one hell of a shake-down.
"I think it was ten dollars." Bobby gritted his teeth and pulled a bill from his pocket.
"Oh, right. Maybe I remembered wrong." Lu Yifang took the money, said he was done eating, then stood up and dragged John out of the cafeteria with him.
"Nicely done, buddy!" John said, giving Lu Yifang a thumbs-up as he drank the Coke he'd extorted.
"No big deal. Where to now? Want to look around?" Lu Yifang turned and asked John.
"No thanks. I'm going back to play video games. Remember to bring me lunch when you come back at noon."
Lu Yifang didn't press him. Instead, he went out into the courtyard by himself, found a chair at random, and basked in the sun, enjoying a life with no classes and a scholarship to boot.
But the peace lasted only a little while. A figure came over and blocked the sunlight. Lu Yifang came to his senses and took a closer look. The man was a white guy in his forties, wearing a suit and sunglasses and carrying a briefcase. He had a short buzz cut and a slightly receding hairline.
The most striking thing about him, though, was his height. Well... he barely came up to Lu Yifang's shoulder.
At five foot ten, Lu Yifang could only just call himself average height in the United States. And this guy...
"Who are you looking for?" Lu Yifang asked, squinting.
"I'm looking for Professor X, the headmaster of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Phil Coulson, a Level 7 Agent with S.H.I.E.L.D." The middle-aged man pulled out his ID.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. Coulson." Lu Yifang sat up straight at once. What was the famous agent doing at the Mutant School?
"I just arrived at the school. It's quite beautiful, but it seems a little large, and it's easy to get lost. So, could you take me to see Professor X?" Coulson asked Lu Yifang with his trademark smile.
"Come with me." Lu Yifang beckoned to Coulson, then headed toward one of the buildings.
"Thanks very much." Coulson immediately followed him.
"Could I get your name? I mean, maybe we could get to know each other," Coulson said after a few seconds of silence, apparently hoping to head off an awkward walk.
"My name's Lu Yifang."
"Then thank you again for your help, Mr. Lu," Coulson said.
"This is a nice school, full of history. It just seems a little quiet. Is it vacation? There don't seem to be many students around."
"Something like that," Lu Yifang said vaguely.
"So you're staying at school over the break. I used to do that in college, too. I'd get a few buddies together, sneak out at night, and drive to Liberty Island. We even bought some drinks there in secret. Honestly, I work for the government, but I think that law saying you have to be twenty-one to drink is total nonsense..."
Once Coulson got going, he could talk a mile a minute. Lu Yifang had never imagined the man was such a chatterbox.
Fortunately, Coulson knew when to stop. Every time Lu Yifang began to lose patience, he changed the subject. Apparently, mastering the art of conversation was a prerequisite to becoming an excellent agent.
Wait, could this guy be trying to squeeze information out of me? The thought made Lu Yifang even more careful with his words. Luckily, the distance wasn't far, and before long they reached the professor's office.
"Yifang, come in," the professor's voice sounded in Lu Yifang's ear. Lu Yifang's body could automatically deflect energy attacks from threatening substances, but the professor's mental power hadn't been judged a threat. And since Lu Yifang was already familiar with Professor X, the voice had passed safely into his mind.
Creak!
The door opened with a faint sound. Lu Yifang pushed it open, and the back of a shiny bald head came into view.
"Thank you for bringing my guest here," the professor said, turning his wheelchair around and smiling at Lu Yifang.
"You must be Professor X. I'm Phil Coulson, a Level 7 Agent with S.H.I.E.L.D." Coulson smoothly presented his ID again.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. would like to talk with you about what happened a few days ago."
"So you're the one who's here to speak with me, Mr. Coulson? I don't mean to look down on you, but surely S.H.I.E.L.D. should have sent someone with more authority," Professor X said calmly.
"You're right. In fact, I'm just the delivery man." Without changing his expression, Coulson walked up to Professor X's desk and opened the silver metal case he was carrying.
Only then did Lu Yifang realize the case was actually a computer. The black screen flickered as soon as it opened, then... went black again. Don't get the wrong idea; the computer hadn't crashed. A bald, one-eyed man who looked just like Baldy had appeared on the screen.
Sigh, why did bald guys these days all look so scary?
"Hello, Professor X. It's been a long time."
"Hello, Director Fury."
On the screen, the bald black man and the bald white man greeted each other, about to hold a meeting of great significance and discuss whether there was any necessary connection between going bald and becoming a big shot. It would go down in history as the "Bald Men's Summit."
Uh... okay, don't hit me. I admit I made that last part up.
Before you continue