I Am Iron Man

For the next month or so, Chen Xiao and Tony lived completely different lives.

Tony recuperated in his Malibu mansion, throwing party after party. Pool parties, barbecues, movie nights—whenever he wanted one, people showed up. Happy was busy arranging venues, security, and catering, working himself to the bone. Rhodey occasionally came by for a free meal, and every time, he asked, "Where's Chen Xiao?" Tony always answered, "Busy."

Pepper appeared in Malibu less and less. She spent more of her time in the Stark Industries offices, cleaning up the mess left by Obadiah's arrest. The board, the military, the media, the suppliers—everyone needed placating, and everyone had their own demands. She worked overtime until late every night. By the time she got home, Tony was either asleep or still partying. She stopped complaining. She simply cleared away the empty bottles Tony left behind, wiped down the coffee table, then went upstairs to sleep.

Tony noticed the change in Pepper, but he said nothing. He kept throwing parties, kept drinking, kept smiling for the cameras. But when no one was around, he watched the steadily rising numbers on the monitor and silently drank his green juice.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiao shuttled between the Himalayas, the ice fields of Northern Europe, the deserts of Africa, and the rainforests of South America. Followers of the Dark Dimension were like cockroaches—they were everywhere. He uprooted one hideout, and another sprang up. He cleared out one group of followers, and another appeared. Sometimes he was alone, sometimes Daniel accompanied him, and sometimes he traveled with other disciples from Kamar-Taj.

He was so busy that he had no time to eat at Julian's restaurant, no time to drink with Rhodey, not even time to message Tony.

One late night, he had just emerged from a cave in Norway. Covered in dust and exhausted, he sat on a rock to catch his breath. He took out his phone, intending to see whether he had any messages.

There was one unread text.

It was from Tony.

"You dead?"

Chen Xiao stared at the screen for two seconds, then typed back, "Not yet."

Tony replied instantly. "Then coming over for drinks this weekend?"

Chen Xiao thought about it. "Depends."

Tony replied, "Depends on what?"

Chen Xiao replied, "Whether anyone wants to kill me."

Tony replied, "...You serious?"

Chen Xiao replied, "Serious."

Tony went silent for a few seconds before sending another message. "Then be careful."

Chen Xiao looked at the message. The corner of his mouth twitched upward. He slipped the phone back into his pocket, turned into a bolt of lightning, and vanished into the night sky.

In the blink of an eye, late autumn had passed.

The weather in Los Angeles began to cool, and Tony's pool parties finally stopped. Not because of the weather, but because after two straight months of overtime, Pepper finally snapped.

That night, Tony was throwing a small gathering at home—not huge, just ten or so people. The music was cranked to the max, and alcohol had been spilled everywhere. Pepper returned from work and saw people sprawled all over the living room. She saw Tony sitting on the couch with a blonde beauty in his arms. When he saw her enter, he merely looked up and said, "Pepper? You're still awake this late?"

Pepper stood silently in the doorway.

She said nothing. She did not yell, cry, or smash anything. She simply looked at him, her eyes filled with exhaustion, disappointment, and—calm.

Then she turned and left.

Tony chased her to the door, but Pepper was already in her car. The engine started. The taillights flashed in the darkness, then vanished at the end of the driveway.

Tony stood at the door in a floral shirt, barefoot, his hair a mess. The night wind was chilly. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but no sound came out.

Happy walked over from the side and handed him a coat.

"Mr. Stark, Miss Potts, she—"

"I know."

Tony took the coat but did not put it on. He merely clenched it in his hand.

The next day, Pepper did not come to Malibu.

Tony made several calls, but she did not answer. He sent messages, but she did not reply. He had Happy look for her at the company. When Happy returned, he said, "Miss Potts is in a meeting. She said she's busy."

Tony fell silent.

"Tony," Rhodey said beside him, "you really pissed her off this time."

"I know." Tony leaned back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. "I know."

Rhodey sighed. "So what are you going to do?"

Tony did not answer.

A few days later, Pepper contacted Tony on her own.

Not with a call, but with a message. "Next Tuesday, 10:00 a.m., Stark Industries headquarters. Board meeting. You need to attend."

Tony stared at the message for several seconds, then replied with one word. "Okay."

On Tuesday morning, Tony entered the Stark Industries conference room in a dark suit and tie.

The board meeting went smoothly. Tony did not cause trouble or crack jokes. He put away his flippant attitude. He nodded when it was time to nod and signed when it was time to sign. When the directors asked questions, he answered briefly but precisely. Someone questioned the safety of Arc Reactor technology, and he shut them up in three sentences.

After the meeting, the directors gradually left. Only Tony and Pepper remained in the conference room.

Pepper did not leave. She sat there, scrolling through her tablet as if she were handling documents. But Tony noticed that her fingers moved quickly, never pausing. She was just scrolling.

"Pepper," Tony said.

Pepper did not look up. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

Pepper's fingers paused.

She raised her head and looked at Tony. There was none of his usual cynical smile, no teasing, no smugness. His eyes were serious—so serious that she almost did not recognize him.

"I shouldn't have—" Tony paused, as if searching for the right words. "Those parties—I—"

"Tony." Pepper interrupted him, her voice calm. "I'm not angry."

Tony looked at her.

"I'm just tired," Pepper said. "Very tired."

The conference room fell quiet for several seconds. Sunlight shone in through the windows, falling across the dark conference table. Dust drifted slowly through the beam of light.

"I know," Tony said.

"No, you don't." Pepper closed her tablet and looked at him. "You throw parties every day, and I work overtime every day. You drink, and I clean up. You play, and I work. Do you think that's normal?"

Tony was silent for a second. "No."

"Then are you going to change?"

Tony opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but in the end, all he said was, "I'll try."

Pepper stared at him for a long time, as if she did not know what to think. Then she sighed. It was a long sigh, as if it could release every grievance and resentment bottled up inside her.

She stood, picked up her tablet and documents, walked to the door, then stopped.

"Next Friday at two in the afternoon, there's a press conference. You need to attend."

"What's it about?"

"Stabilizing the company. The stock price has fallen too much. The board wants you to make an appearance." Pepper paused. "Also, Coulson contacted me."

"Coulson? That guy from whatever-the-hell agency?"

"The Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division," Pepper said without a ripple in her voice. "Making Iron Man's identity public would be inappropriate. They suggest you tell the public that Iron Man is your bodyguard."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Bodyguard?"

"Bodyguard." Pepper pulled a sheet of paper from the folder and placed it on the table. "This is the statement. Coulson helped prepare it."

Tony picked up the statement and glanced over it. "Too long."

"You can shorten it."

Tony looked into Pepper's eyes. "Do you want me to read it?"

Pepper was silent for a second. "If I tell you what I want, will you do it?"

Tony did not answer.

Pepper turned and walked out. Her heels clicked crisply against the floor, one step after another, growing more distant.

Tony sat alone in the empty conference room, clutching the statement for a long time. Sunlight streamed through the windows and fell on him, but he did not feel warm.

Friday, two in the afternoon. The press conference hall.

The room below was packed with reporters, and camera flashes crackled nonstop. Tony stood at the microphone in that dark suit, his hair neatly combed. He wore neither a smile nor a nervous expression. He merely looked calmly at the people holding cameras and microphones, waiting for him to speak.

Pepper stood backstage, gripping her tablet so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.

Rhodey was also backstage, leaning against the wall with his arms folded, looking more serious than usual.

Coulson stood in the corner with a folder in hand, his expression calm. Two agents stood behind him, one man and one woman. Both wore black suits and had blank faces.

Tony pulled the statement from his pocket, unfolded it, and lowered his head to look at it.

The room fell quiet. Quiet enough that the faint electrical hum from the microphone could be heard.

Tony cleared his throat and began reading.

"Recently, there have been many rumors about me. About the future of Stark Industries, about that... armor, about how I escaped."

His voice was steady, neither too fast nor too slow. It was as though he were reading words that had nothing to do with him.

He read a few lines, then paused.

Whispers rose from below the stage.

Tony lowered his gaze to the statement, then looked up at the reporters. His eyes swept across their faces. Some were familiar, some unfamiliar. Some were excited, some nervous, and some were waiting for him to slip up.

"The statement says," he began. His voice changed. It was no longer the flat, straightforward tone of someone reading prepared remarks, but slower and heavier, as if squeezed from deep within his chest. "That I am to deny being Iron Man."

Backstage, Pepper tightened her grip on the edge of her tablet, but she was not surprised in the slightest.

Coulson's expression did not change, but his eyes narrowed slightly.

Rhodey straightened, staring at Tony onstage.

Tony put down the statement.

He set it gently beside the microphone, as though he had finally laid something down.

He looked at the reporters below. The corner of his mouth slowly lifted, and he became that arrogant, cynical Tony Stark again.

"The truth is—"

He paused for a second. The reporters held their breath.

"I am Iron Man!"

The room erupted.

The reporters frantically snapped photos. The flashes from their cameras lit Tony's face in bursts of light and shadow. Questions surged toward him like a tide. "Mr. Stark! Are you joking?" "Mr. Stark! How was that armor made?" "Mr. Stark! Does the military know about this?" "Mr. Stark! That security item you just mentioned..."

Tony did not answer a single question. He turned and walked off the stage, his steps light, as if he had cast off a burden.

Backstage, Pepper looked at that familiar air about him, and her eyes reddened.

"You—you said you would read the statement," she said, her voice trembling slightly.

Tony shrugged. "Did I?"

Rhodey walked over with a grin and patted Tony on the shoulder. "You're something else. From now on, you can help me make excuses for military drills." He laughed, and it was a rather wicked laugh.

Coulson closed his folder and said to the agent beside him, "Let's go. We have other work."

As he turned, his gaze swept across backstage. In the corner stood someone.

Chen Xiao had arrived at some point. He wore a dark gray hoodie, held a bottle of cola, and leaned against the wall while watching Tony. When had he arrived? No one knew. The portal had made no sound, and there were no traces of electrical arcs. He was simply standing there as though he had been there all along.

Coulson and Chen Xiao's gazes met in the air.

Coulson gave a slight nod.

Chen Xiao raised his cola bottle in response. There was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were calm.

Coulson left with the agents.

Tony walked over, saw Chen Xiao, and froze for a moment. "When did you get here?"

"Just now." Chen Xiao took a sip of cola. "I came to watch you read the statement."

"I didn't read it."

"I know." Chen Xiao smiled. "That's why I came at the right time."

Pepper sighed beside them as they walked out of the press conference hall together.

"Don't worry, I'll lend a hand."

Tony interrupted him. "Pepper, what are we having for dinner?"

Pepper glared at Tony, but the corner of her mouth still rose despite herself.

"Hot pot."

"Okay." Tony looked at Chen Xiao. "You coming?"

Chen Xiao thought about it. "Sure. Mildly spicy?"

Tony remembered Rhodey's wildly arrogant laughter and kept a straight face.

"Insanely spicy."