"Sir, Mr. Li Wei sent a letter of thanks."
JARVIS spoke to Tony Stark without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
At this moment, Tony Stark was so hot and bothered that he even unbuttoned his suit, looking somewhat rough.
Yet he no longer cared; JARVIS's crushing defeat had shattered his defenses.
However, JARVIS itself did not care at all now.
This was normal, for it was merely an artificial intelligence after all.
"Sigh!"
Tony Stark sighed, waving a hand. "This jerk only knows how to provoke me."
"Make him pay me an advertising fee! I appeared at his press conference and plugged his product for him!"
When it came to shamelessness, he was second to no one.
JARVIS immediately asked, "How much should I request?"
Seeing JARVIS take it so seriously, Tony Stark also gave it some serious thought.
"At least ten million dollars!"
Not long after, JARVIS stated without any emotion, "Sir, Mr. Li Wei replied: Get lost."
"Tell him to get lost too!"
Tony chuckled instead.
What an odious capitalist!
"JARVIS, ask him if we can collaborate on the Brain-Computer Interface."
True to his identity as a businessman, Tony Stark might be arrogant and condescending, but money still had to be made.
Italians, much like Easterners, placed a great deal of importance on family.
Italian cuisine also tasted quite good, and Gwen rather liked pizza.
Li Wei brought her to a restaurant, booked a table by the window, and sat down as Gwen cheerfully began to order.
In contrast, Li Wei did not care for pizza.
Eating it occasionally was fine, but if he had it often, he found the hassle annoying.
Gwen was different; she preferred fast food, and most importantly, pizza was well-suited for eating on the go.
Li Wei then ordered a steak, along with an authentic plate of pasta with a thick sauce, so he ordered red wine to go with it.
He had definitely prepared thoroughly for this.
Yet just as he finished ordering and raised his head, he noticed Gwen looking somewhat distracted.
"Gwen, what's wrong?"
Gwen looked out the window, where a fleet of police cars was speeding past.
"Wuwuwu!"
Vehicles along the way hurried to get out of the way.
Although New York was a metropolis and an economic center, it was also one of the places with the most homeless people in all of America.
No, it should be called 'homeless'.
America, after all, cared dearly about keeping up appearances.
Consequently, New York's crime rate was also exceptionally high.
Many super-criminals loved coming to New York.
"Gwen!"
Li Wei tapped Gwen gently.
"Oh."
Gwen Stacy finally snapped out of it, then said somewhat nervously, "I'm sorry."
"Is something the matter?"
Li Wei deliberately asked.
"Boss, I... I just remembered I have something to take care of at school."
Gwen said apologetically, lowering her head.
This caused Li Wei to sigh inwardly, though he did not show it. "It's fine. Do you need to go now?"
"Yes, this is very important to me."
Gwen Stacy nodded.
"Take the pizza with you so you don't go hungry."
Seeing that the pizza she ordered had arrived, Li Wei immediately had the waiter pack it into a box.
Seeing how understanding Li Wei was, Gwen felt even more apologetic, a wave of warmth washing over her heart.
Even so, she did not linger, instead nodding at Li Wei. "Boss, let's have dinner together again next time."
"Alright."
Li Wei watched as she smartly picked up her bag and the pizza and left.
The two-person world had suddenly become just him alone.
Looking at the empty dining table, Li Wei felt a bit dispirited.
No wonder Mary Jane couldn't stand Peter Parker, and Lois Lane also had plenty of complaints about Superman...
This was the price of getting involved with that sort of person.
Li Wei looked out the window, only to notice that at some point, a black-and-white figure clinging to the wall had suddenly appeared on the building opposite.
With a white hood and a black bodysuit, it was none other than the people of New York's good friend and good neighbor, Ghost-Spider.
Parkour-running across the walls while eating a pizza, she vanished from Li Wei's line of sight just like that.
"Mr. Li Wei, wouldn't it be far too lonely to be all by yourself?"
Just as Li Wei was preparing to take a few bites and head back, an exquisite figure arrived uninvited and sat down directly across from him.
With a crop of short hair that gave her a crisp and spirited look, she wore a blue evening gown and possessed an extraordinary aura.
Li Wei had always believed that for a woman, beauty wasn't the most important thing; temperament was.
If she had both beauty and temperament, then that was best of all.
The woman before him possessed a coexistence of beauty and temperament.
"Who are you?"
Li Wei's interest was piqued.
"Maria Hill, deputy director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Maria Hill extended a hand.
Hearing such a long name, Li Wei frowned slightly, until he remembered who Maria Hill was, realizing this was the predecessor to S.H.I.E.L.D.
He gentlemanly reached out and shook hands with Maria Hill. "Your name is too long."
"I think so too, and I'm already preparing to change it."
Maria Hill smiled faintly.
With great propriety, the two of them parted hands, without any petty gestures.
Even though they could both see the enthusiasm in each other's eyes.
"What do you want with me?"
Li Wei held neither fondness nor animosity toward S.H.I.E.L.D.
Even though he knew the true nature of S.H.I.E.L.D. was Hydra...
Still, he was a capitalist, so what did that have to do with him?
In the eyes of a capitalist, they only distinguished who had value, not who was good or bad.
"Let's put that aside for now."
Maria Hill was not in a hurry. "Let's enjoy a wonderful evening first."
"You're right."
Her remark piqued Li Wei's interest, and he immediately summoned the waiter to order anew for Maria Hill.
Soon, steak, red wine, and other dishes were brought out.
Maria Hill did not discuss any work matters; after all, she was currently off the clock, and naturally, it was a time to enjoy life.
Everyone had the right to enjoy life.
And so, the two of them sipped red wine and discussed their respective hobbies.
Before long, Li Wei and Maria Hill found common ground.
They both enjoyed working out.
Thus, after finishing their dinner, Li Wei extended an invitation. "I have a gym at home. Care to go work out?"
"As it happens, I was thinking of doing some yoga."
They were both adults, and Maria Hill immediately agreed.
Sometimes, all one needed was an excuse to begin with.
Moreover, in America, the home was the final line of defense; if a woman was willing to go to your house, it was a done deal.
Li Wei paid the bill and brought Maria Hill to his car.
Maria Hill looked with a hint of curiosity at 2B, who sat in the driver's seat acting just like a machine, and asked, "Is this your driver?"
"Yes."
"How peculiar. Doesn't she need to watch the road?"
Maria Hill was somewhat startled.
Yet she soon discovered that not only was there nothing to fear, but 2B actually drove even more smoothly.
Looking at Li Wei, she sensed that he was unfathomably mysterious.
Even S.H.I.E.L.D. had failed to figure out just what sort of existence his driver was.
Before long, they returned to the house in Long Island.
Maria Hill eagerly entered the gym, and Li Wei stepped in right after her.
Not long after, the 'cries' of exertion echoed out.
Before you continue