A Bookstore (Revised)

"The Tangren Bookstore, a century-old bookstore in New York's Chinatown, was bought by a young couple twenty years ago. Then, seven years ago, the couple mysteriously disappeared. A week later, the bookstore was inexplicably transferred to someone else. Half the money they received was donated to the Howard Orphanage, while the other half was deposited in the couple's child's name. Before he came of age, he could only withdraw a limited amount each month." As Fury spoke, he turned his gaze toward Lu Yifang.

"You don't need to tell me about this place. I know it a lot better than you do." Lu Yifang stroked the photograph, his expression complicated.

"In that case, I won't say any more." Fury shrugged and tossed a set of keys to Lu Yifang.

"These are the keys to the Tangren Bookstore. I'm sure you can't wait to take a look. I can have Coulson drive you there." Just as Fury finished speaking, there was a knock at the door. Coulson stood there with a smile.

"Thanks for that." Lu Yifang didn't bother with more words. He took the keys and turned to walk toward Coulson.

"This isn't like the Lu Yifang I know. You look a little down." Coulson, driving Lola, glanced at Lu Yifang in the passenger seat.

"Don't worry. I feel fine." Lu Yifang folded his arms across his chest and spoke calmly.

"I can understand how you feel. In Chinese culture, there's a saying: 'You feel nervous when you're close to home.' I think it describes you right now."

"Something like that," Lu Yifang replied vaguely, his gaze fixed on the streets around them. To him, this street was both familiar and strange.

He had once left countless footprints on this street. As his memories stirred, he seemed to glimpse a young child in many places. But when he tried to recall things more clearly, those memories felt unfamiliar. He wasn't a child anymore.

Coulson eventually parked in front of an old three-story building. Made from a combination of wood and brick, it looked like a blend of traditional Chinese architecture and modern design. The sign above the front entrance clearly read "Tangren Bookstore."

Lu Yifang opened the car door and slowly walked up to the steps, lost in thought. Seven years had passed, and he had finally returned. But everything had already changed.

Just as that thought crossed Lu Yifang's mind, the bookstore door suddenly shuddered and opened from within.

"How can this be!" At the sight of the open door, Lu Yifang's body trembled. He knew it was impossible, but at that moment, a glimmer of hope still rose in his heart. Could it be...

The door swung fully open, and a woman with long white hair stepped out. It was Storm.

"Yifang, you're finally back." Seeing Lu Yifang, Storm happily walked over and patted him on the head.

"Teacher Storm, what are you doing here?" Lu Yifang suppressed the disappointment in his heart and forced himself to sound upbeat.

"When I heard from the Professor that S.H.I.E.L.D. was no longer restricting your freedom, I came here right away. I've learned everything from the Professor. Starting today, you're the only day student at Mutant School." Storm spoke, then glanced back at the house.

"And although this used to be your home, no one's lived here for years. So we came to help you clean and tidy the place up."

"Wait, 'we'?" Hearing this, Lu Yifang couldn't help looking inside again.

Just then, Logan came out with a cigar in his mouth and an apron around his waist, holding a feather duster in one hand and a rag in the other. After meeting Lu Yifang's eyes, Logan's mouth twisted into a frown, and he quickly looked away.

"Don't get the wrong idea. Storm dragged me here. I'm just a laborer who got drafted."

"Uncle Wolf, did you finish what you had to do?" Lu Yifang changed the subject, easing Logan's embarrassment.

"I did." Logan picked up the thread and nodded.

"You went into the house just like that?" Coulson, standing nearby, saw what had happened and walked over with a startled look.

"What's so strange about that? It's an old-fashioned lock. Easy to pick." Storm shrugged.

"That's not what I meant. I mean... uh..." Coulson's voice trailed off. For a moment, he seemed unsure how to put it.

"You mean the guys hiding around the house and keeping watch?" Storm cut in, explaining with a cold laugh. "Of course we took care of them while we were at it."

"What?" Coulson's expression changed. "What happened to them?"

"Nothing serious. They were just knocked out. Though two of them got a little more roughed up—they took a couple of Logan's claws. They weren't hit anywhere vital, but they should get medical attention soon." As Storm spoke, Logan was already dragging five or six unconscious men out from a corner.

Noticing everyone looking at him, Logan shrugged and muttered, "They shot me in the head first. I only hit back after that."

"We were just teaching them a little lesson while we were at it. They shouldn't have been so sneaky." Storm said this, but her gaze was fixed on Coulson.

Given Coulson's intelligence, he could hardly have failed to realize that half of this confrontation was probably an accident, while the other half was a warning to S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Ms. Storm, please understand that this is a necessary S.H.I.E.L.D. procedure. I can't deny that it could be seen as surveillance, but it's also meant to protect Lu Yifang. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. did everything it could to suppress the reports about Lu Yifang's involvement in the Abomination incident, some of them inevitably got out." Meeting Storm's gaze, Coulson explained with righteous conviction.

"Besides, we've fully respected Lu Yifang's privacy. I can guarantee that before you entered this house, there wasn't a single listening device or miniature camera installed inside. These agents won't interfere with Lu Yifang's life. Their main duties are to help him with things he can't easily manage and to keep suspicious people from hanging around his home—like you just did."

"That's for the best." Listening to Coulson's high-minded explanation, Storm realized she couldn't argue with him, and awkwardly settled for saying that.

"Um, can I ask a question?" Just as the situation was getting awkward, Lu Yifang suddenly spoke up.

"Now that I'm a day student, if I'm running late for school, can they give me a ride?"

Coulson glanced at Lu Yifang with a complicated expression. After a brief silence, he finally replied slowly, "Uh... I think... that can be arranged."