After the introductions, only the kindhearted Professor Xavier and "Beast" McCoy responded politely to Xiang Qian. The mood had gone awkward from the start.
Xiang Qian waved away all the attendants. "Would anyone like a drink? I brought back a few bottles of good wine from France last year and made a point of bringing them with me to the United States." He headed for the minibar, whose facilities were more than adequate for a presidential suite.
"We didn't come here to drink. Let's get straight to the point, James." Professor Xavier's usually gentle gaze held a trace of anxiety.
"Of course, but surely we can spare the time for a glass of wine?" Xiang Qian casually waved a hand, opened a bottle, and poured himself a drink. As he swirled it to let it breathe, he continued talking with the professor. "What did you want to discuss? Worthington Industries, or Jimmy?"
"Both. Worthington Industries, and Jimmy!" The professor repeated himself in an extremely serious tone.
Xiang Qian leaned comfortably against the bar and even stretched a little, almost knocking the decanter in his hand against the wall. He spoke as if he were yawning. "They've been the center of attention worldwide these past few days." His nonchalant attitude was irritating.
"That attention could turn into a flashpoint at any moment, setting off an all-out war between Mutants and ordinary people." Professor Xavier's normally gentle voice had grown gravely serious. "James, you should be able to see the danger in this."
"I can imagine. Looks like Magneto's planning something big. But I have to correct you: if a war breaks out, it'll be between American Mutants and ordinary Americans—at most, it might spread across North America. Things are still pretty peaceful where we come from."
Xiang Qian held the decanter close to his nose and sniffed, then began pouring himself a glass. He didn't forget to offer, "Are you sure none of you want some?"
"Some of my compatriots told me Erik has successfully united several radical Mutant groups. He now has an army of Mutants at his disposal." The professor spoke of his old friend with deep concern. "This is how he's always dealt with problems. He can't think of any solution other than violence."
Xiang Qian smiled disdainfully. "Understandable. If you can't solve the problem, solve the person who caused it. I'm guessing... no, I don't need to guess. I'm certain his target is Worthington Industries' pharmaceutical lab on Alcatraz Island—the little boy, Jimmy."
Professor Xavier tacitly agreed.
"But I do have one question." Xiang Qian gently swirled his wineglass. "The Brotherhood of Mutants has been targeted by governments around the world. It's been weakened considerably over the past few years. How many helpers can Magneto still find to build his army?"
"Plenty!" This time, Scott answered from behind the professor's wheelchair. "Worthington II's remarks at the press conference enraged a lot of Mutants."
Cyclops Scott's face was dark with anger. It was clearly aimed not only at Magneto and the radical Mutants, but even more at Worthington II—and, of course, Xiang Qian.
"That idiot Worthington!" Xiang Qian's tone was so light that it sounded less like an insult and more like a simple statement of fact. "What do you think of that so-called 'cure'?"
"It's not a cure! We're not sick, and we don't need treatment!" Scott cut in again, his voice so heated it was almost a roar.
"Mhm..." Xiang Qian nodded without committing himself, then suddenly noticed something interesting. "Minister, it seems you have a different opinion?"
Everyone looked toward Beast. The burly man hesitated.
"Hank?" Scott called out in displeasure, confused by Beast's hesitation.
Forced to meet everyone's gaze, Beast Hank shrugged helplessly. "You have to understand, Scott. You're not like me. I shed a whole lot of fur every day."
Scott was at a loss for words. Hank had long struggled to accept his own Mutant ability, and the senior members of the X-Mansion were well aware of it.
"Oh, oh, oh..." Xiang Qian fanned the flames once again. "Looks like you don't even agree among yourselves. Maybe we can look at this from a neutral perspective. Worthington Industries' research isn't entirely without merit—and I won't even call it a 'cure.'"
Several members of the X-Men, including Professor Xavier, fell silent.
Once they set aside their emotions, how could the X-Men, who had helped so many Mutants, not know that many of them hated their own powers?
Even within the X-Mansion, plenty of people desperately wanted to return to being ordinary humans. Rogue, for example, couldn't control her ability and had to keep herself covered from head to toe. Then there was Beak, whose mutation had progressed so far that he had nearly lost the reasoning of a normal person and could live only under the X-Mansion's protection.
"Of course we understand, James." Professor Xavier sighed. "But the current situation still calls for caution. We don't believe the time is right for this serum to become widespread. It will greatly intensify the conflict between Mutants and ordinary people."
"'The time isn't right'..." Xiang Qian repeated the professor's words one by one. He gave the brief phrase the theatrical flair of a Shakespearean performance. No one could miss the heavy sarcasm in his voice.
"Professor, how long have we known each other?" Xiang Qian abruptly dropped the subject of the gene serum and began talking about the past. Wolverine and Cyclops looked displeased.
Professor Xavier was clearly much more patient. He stopped Logan and Scott from getting worked up and calmly replied, "Ten years. It's been almost ten years since you helped us avert a major crisis by injuring Erik during the Statue of Liberty Incident."
"That's right. In all those years, I've lost count of how many times I've heard you say those words—'the time isn't right.'" Xiang Qian sighed. "Professor, over the course of more than half a century, how many times have you said that? Can you even count?"
The professor fixed Xiang Qian with a deep gaze. "What are you trying to say? Are you treating this incident as an opportunity to do something?"
"Yes. I believe the Mutant Gene Serum could be a chance for Mutants to integrate into human society. Isn't peaceful coexistence between Mutants and ordinary people what you've always hoped for, Professor?"
"But my hope certainly doesn't end with the disappearance of my fellow Mutants," the professor said solemnly.
"Of course. I couldn't agree with you more." Xiang Qian nodded. "Let me ask you something else. Why do you think ordinary people are generally able to live together peacefully? Take the United States, for example. Its people belong to many different groups."
It seemed like a simple question, but it was actually a vast and complex one.
The professor and Beast fell silent. They understood the complexity of the question. Logan kept quiet too, since he wasn't equipped to take part in the discussion.
Only Cyclops Scott answered without hesitation. He was more interested in venting his contempt for Xiang Qian. "Because no matter what group they belong to, they're all ordinary people."
"Hahaha..." Xiang Qian burst out laughing. "I have to say, Scott, you're much smarter than the professor. Sometimes, even the most complicated questions have the simplest answers. You're quite the genius, Scott."
Was that a compliment? Was it really?
The North Americans exchanged puzzled looks. A Chinese joke translated word for word into English was hard enough for a group of Americans to understand. Even Xiang Qian's compatriots would have needed a moment to puzzle it out.
"James, why don't you just get to the point?" Professor Xavier suppressed the urge to rub his forehead and sigh. The mind-reading Professor X knew Xiang Qian well. After ten years of acquaintance, even without being able to sense his thoughts, he could see how nasty he was.
Xiang Qian stopped laughing. "Ordinary people can live together peacefully because, in our current society, they're bound by the same laws and social morals. On that basis, they can justifiably fight back against any unjust discrimination."
"Why can't we?" the professor pressed.
Xiang Qian shook his head. "Professor, there's one unavoidable fact: with all the strange and varied abilities Mutants possess, the existing laws have enormous loopholes. The law often loses its power to restrain them. To deny that is to deny reality."
Cyclops Scott snapped angrily, "That's the kind of thing anti-Mutant politicians always say. You're speaking from their point of view. We can be bound by the law too. It's those who hate Mutants who are muddying the issue."
Xiang Qian gave Scott a deeply contemptuous smile. "Out of everyone here, you're the least qualified to say that."
"What's that supposed to mean? You want to fight?" Scott stepped forward, ready to settle things with his fists if words weren't enough, but the good-natured Beast held him back.
Meanwhile, Xiang Qian wasn't the slightest bit intimidated by Scott's threat. He continued calmly, "Don't understand? I'll spell it out. If an ordinary woman went to court and told the judge that her husband had been cheating on her with another woman in the world of thought, the judge would take her for a lunatic."
"But among Mutants, that sort of thing can actually happen. Isn't that exactly what you did, Scott?"
Silence fell over the room.
Xiang Qian had exposed Cyclops Scott's deepest, most shameful secret: he had cheated.
Scott and Jean had been in love for years and had even gotten engaged. But then the Alkali Lake Incident awakened the Dark Phoenix. Jean was overtaken by the Dark Phoenix's personality, her temperament changed drastically, and her relationship with Scott hit a rough patch.
Depressed and miserable, Scott had hooked up with White Queen Emma. Afraid someone would discover their secret affair, Emma used her mental powers to draw Scott's consciousness into her Mind Space. To outsiders, they seemed to be sitting far apart with their eyes closed, perhaps just dozing. Who could have guessed that they were in the world of thought, making love with nothing but their minds?
But... Phoenix was a master telepath, too.
So one day, when White Queen once again pulled Scott into her Mind Room, Jean Grey unleashed the Phoenix Force, broke through White Queen's mental defenses, and barged inside.
The scene was just like an ordinary person bursting through a door to catch a cheating spouse. In White Queen's Mind Space, Jean Grey caught the two adulterers in bed red-handed.
Enraged, Jean lost control on the spot and the Phoenix Force ran wild. Even the professor couldn't suppress it. Fortunately, Xiang Qian had been invited to visit the X-Mansion and absorbed the out-of-control Phoenix Force in time. That was also how his romantic entanglement with Phoenix began.
Well, to sum it up: Phoenix was heartbroken and miserable, and Playboy swooped in while she was vulnerable.
As for Cyclops, he was the one who suffered. His scandal was exposed, nearly bringing disaster down on the entire school. Afterward, not only did he break off his engagement with Jean, but he also drew the ire of many students and staff.
The saying "Don't hit someone in the face or bring up their embarrassing secrets" didn't apply to Xiang Qian. He kept right on needling Scott. "Give me a break, Scott. Who are you trying to fool with that righteous act? You were only doing it to make it easier to cheat..."
Cyclops Scott's face turned livid, and one hand was already on the switch on his visor. The Hilton Hotel was about to pay the price for Xiang Qian's big mouth, but the professor intervened in time to put an end to the scene.
Enough! We have more important things to deal with!