Honest Hong Fei

"How did you escape?"

"I don't know either. After I was taken away, someone knocked me out right away. When I woke up, I was lying in the desert. If a passing herdsman hadn't found me, I'd probably have been eaten by wolves."

In the car, Hong Fei answered Tony's question with a lingering look of fear.

"Then you got lucky. I thought you were dead."

"What about you, Mr. Stark? I saw the news—you were hurt?"

Tony shrugged nonchalantly. "Just a minor injury. Someone stabbed me, and I didn't even flinch."

I almost believed him.

"Kid, you should thank me, you know? If those damn bastards hadn't snatched me from the armed thugs, you'd be dead by now."

Tony thought the kidnappers had focused all their attention on him, giving Hong Fei a chance to slip away.

"Thank you. Really, thank you so much!"

If not for you, how could I have earned so many small goals in such a short time?

Tony smirked proudly, then changed the subject. "Don't worry. I'll find those people. With their guts, they won't stay quiet forever. As soon as they show their faces, I'll grab them by the tail. Maybe I'll even let you get your revenge yourself. I remember that bald guy hit you a lot, right?"

Hong Fei nodded shyly.

Frank, just you wait.

The car stopped at the port. The two got out and boarded a yacht, which took them to a nearby isolated island. A villa blazing with lights stood out against the night sky.

Entering the villa, they walked through a hallway and pushed open a door. Explosive music slammed into Hong Fei's eardrums.

Standing in the vast hall, surrounded by flashing lights and dancing figures, Hong Fei froze.

The lights were a riot of colors. The people were all young, beautiful women.

"Don't just stand there. I told you I'd invite you to my party. Now it's your time!" Tony shouted into Hong Fei's ear, then shoved him into the crowd.

A moment later, Tony stepped onto the stage and grabbed the microphone. The music cut off. Everyone's eyes turned to him.

A spotlight landed on Hong Fei's head. Tony said, "Ladies, open your eyes wide. The man you see now is the absolute star of tonight! He looks a little shy. Don't let that continue, alright?"

Instantly, the girls screamed with enthusiasm, their gazes burning as they fixed on Hong Fei. For a moment, he felt like a little white lamb surrounded by a pack of wolves.

Soon enough.

Hong Fei slipped out of the crowd's press. Clearly, the girls too busy having fun hadn't noticed he'd left.

Eight Trigrams Wandering Dragon Step—not a single leaf clings to the body.

Good Kung Fu!

Pushing open a door, Hong Fei froze again.

Outside, Tony and Pepper were locked in a tight embrace, seemingly about to devour each other.

Six eyes met. Hong Fei was the first to retreat. He stepped out of the room, closed the door to block out the blaring music, and said, "Could you let me pass?"

Tony was stunned. "How did you get out?"

Hong Fei told the truth. "The noise inside was giving me a headache."

Pepper broke free from Tony's arms and laughed triumphantly. "See? I told you not everyone likes a party full of women like you do."

Turning, she extended a hand to Hong Fei. "Hello, I'm Mr. Stark's secretary, Pepper Potts."

"Hello, I know who you are. I'm Hong Fei."

Tony slapped their hands apart, then frowned. "Do you know how many people would kill to have a party here? Do you know that if you walked in there right now and said the word, everyone would listen to you? You could wake up tomorrow surrounded by women."

Pepper stood nearby, pursing her lips.

Hong Fei scratched his head sheepishly. "I still think it's too loud..."

Pepper snorted with laughter.

Seeing Tony's sour expression, she volunteered, "Alright, if you don't like the noise, let's find somewhere quiet. Follow me. What would you like to drink? Want to try some coffee I made myself?"

"That would be wonderful."

The three of them went upstairs into a spacious, quiet living room.

As soon as they sat down, Tony couldn't hold back. "Are you sure you're really a man?"

Pepper, who hadn't gone far, turned back immediately.

Tony quickly waved his hand, then leaned into the sofa. "Fine, looks like you don't like the big gift I prepared for you. Let's talk about something else. You're Asian?"

"Chinese."

"Mm, good. You own a building?"

"Yes, left to me by my parents."

"Then you shouldn't be short on money."

Hong Fei nodded. "True. But in your eyes, I'm definitely a poor man."

"Ha, interesting. There aren't many people in the world who can call themselves rich in front of me."

During the awkward conversation, Pepper brought coffee and then left without a trace.

A moment later, Tony said, "You're the first guest I've personally driven to pick up, but you still didn't give me face."

"Sorry, I really do prefer a bit more quiet."

"It's fine, I'm not blaming you. I'm just a little curious. Also, this time I came to ask you to keep a secret for me."

Hong Fei blinked in confusion.

Tony: "You and I participated in the testing of the reactor and the first-generation armor. To be honest, I've had plenty more ideas in my head that I wanted to try, but the conditions were limited back then, so I made an ugly hunk of metal. Now that we've returned safely, I think it's time to turn my ideas into reality. Simply put, in the future, you might see things very similar to the first-generation armor, but I need you to keep this secret for me until I'm willing to announce it myself."

Hong Fei nodded immediately: "No problem, I promise I won't mention this to anyone."

"Excellent. I was going to use money to seal your lips, but I figured you might need a more precious gift. For example, the friendship of Tony Stark?" As he spoke, Tony extended his hand.

Hong Fei beamed a bright smile and reached out to clasp it firmly.

Within two seconds, Tony immediately pulled his hand away: "Alright, I rarely shake hands with anyone. This time, it's for the sake of our shared life-and-death experience. I won't shake your hand again, especially since I'm now starting to suspect you don't like women at all."

So, it's no wonder some people have no friends.

After reaching an agreement, Tony sent a helicopter to take Hong Fei back to the city, and he also gave Hong Fei a private number. However, Hong Fei felt that the two of them probably wouldn't see each other again anytime soon.

He slept straight until dawn. When he opened the door, Frank was standing right there.

"Your business is done. Now, can we talk about the information I want?"