In the first-floor restaurant, several people sat around a long table, a housewarming gift from Tony. It was made of walnut wood and could seat twelve people. Lin Xiao had remarked that the table was large enough to fit two mahjong tables, to which Tony replied that it was standard equipment in clubs for successful people, something a country bumpkin like Lin Xiao wouldn't understand. Now, only five people were seated at the table, making it seem rather empty, but the dishes were plentiful. Mei had prepared eight hot dishes and four cold dishes, all of which were Lin Xiao's favorites. Betty had made a salad, and Lin Xiao had ordered a roast duck from a food delivery app. Finally, a pot of rice was steamed.
Wang was seated opposite Lin Xiao, with Ned sitting next to him; both of them were sitting up straight.
Lin Xiao wasn't particularly interested in the food. He ate with a fixed rhythm: first, he'd put a piece of fish on Mei's plate, then serve Betty a bowl of soup, occasionally glancing up to chat with Ned, and then glancing at Wang to see if he was still staring at him. Wang was indeed watching him. From the moment he sat down at the table, Wang's gaze hadn't left Lin Xiao's face, as if trying to find something beneath that nonchalant expression that could relate to the description of the Ancient One.
"Mr. Wang, please have some food." Lin Xiao used serving chopsticks to place a piece of roast duck on his plate. The duck skin was glossy, dipped in sauce, and wrapped with cucumber and scallion shreds. "This roast duck is considered the most authentic Dragon Country flavor for America. You know, America like to put sweet things in everything, and Dragon Country dishes have been drastically altered."
Wang stared at the roast duck in his bowl, paused for two seconds, then picked it up and ate it. He ate slowly, as if trying to discern what was so special about it that Lin Xiao had to explain it so meticulously. After swallowing, he nodded. "The taste is good, but it's still a bit too sweet. This level of sweetness would be thrown in the trash in Dragon Country."
Lin Xiao choked for a moment, then turned and put a piece of fish into Mei's bowl. "Mei, eat more. This fish is steamed perfectly today, with few bones and it's tender."
Mei was looking at Vought's financial approval form on her phone, chopsticks in her right hand and swiping back and forth on the screen with her left. Lin Xiao called her name, but she didn't look up, only grunted in response, her eyes still scanning the rows of numbers. Lin Xiao wasn't in a hurry. He put the fish in her bowl and gently tapped her wrist with the tip of his chopsticks. "President Mei, eat first. Money isn't going to grow legs and run away."
Mei finally looked up, glared at him, and flipped her phone face down on the table. "Who's calling you 'President Mei'? Don't call me that." She picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth, then added, "There are some problems with these expense reports tonight; I need to take another look. Tony is pressing for the new team's reserve fund calculation. Betty sent me the budget this afternoon, but I haven't finished checking it yet."
Betty sat to Lin Xiao's left, having only taken two sips of her soup. A tablet lay before her, displaying a complex circuit diagram. She drew circles and lines on it with a stylus, occasionally pausing to adjust her glasses with her knuckles. Lin Xiao leaned over for a glance; it was all lines and data, and he only recognized the Vought logo.
" Betty, this soup will get cold if you don't drink it soon." Lin Xiao pressed her tablet down.
Betty didn't even look up. "I'll finish looking at the simplified diagram of this heat dissipation module and then drink. In the parameters Stark gave me before, the overlap coefficient between the D and E lines was calculated incorrectly. I'll mark it and send it to them after dinner."
Lin Xiao sighed and smiled at Wang: "See? Modern women are even more career-driven than me. I love being a kept man."
Wang didn't reply, but the corner of his mouth twitched very slightly.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Lin Xiao put down his chopsticks, his eyes lighting up. "It must be Gwen Stacy. I messaged her this afternoon to invite her over for dinner. She's been preparing for her art exams lately, and I asked Mei to save half a roast duck for her." He stood up and strode towards the door. The door opened, and sure enough, it was Gwen Stacy. She was wearing her school team's windbreaker, carrying a bag, her blonde hair tied in a messy bun, and holding two boxes of ice cream.
" Lin Xiao," Gwen Stacy called out, her eyes crinkling with a smile. She changed into slippers, placed her backpack on the cabinet in the entryway, and then naturally opened her arms and took a step forward. Lin Xiao bent down to catch her, pulled her into his arms, and also took the ice cream container from her hand, weighing it in his hand. "You've become more sensible, knowing not to come empty-handed."
Gwen Stacy rubbed her face against his chest, her voice muffled, "Exams are driving me crazy, I just wanted to come and get some hot food. Where's Aunt May? Where's Betty? I bought that sea salt caramel flavor you guys said was delicious last time."
Lin Xiao released her and handed the ice cream behind his back. "Everything's here. We have guests over today, so you need to greet them. This is Mr. Wang."
Gwen Stacy peeked into the dining room. Wang sat at the table, hands on his knees, back ramrod straight, his expression as if he were attending a diplomatic banquet he didn't want to attend. Gwen Stacy blinked and smiled at him naturally, "Hello, Mr. Wang."
Wang nodded. He found himself nodding more times tonight than he had in the past month.
Gwen Stacy sat down next to Betty, naturally taking the spoon Betty offered, scooping out a large chunk of ice cream. She fed the first bite to Lin Xiao, then to Mei, before finally eating it herself. Wang watched as Lin Xiao was surrounded by three women, one handing him a spoon, the other a tissue, and a young woman across from him smilingly asking if his ice cream was sweet. He suddenly felt restless and took a sip of tea. The tea was Longjing tea that Mei had brewed earlier, which Lin Xiao had brought back from Tony's place last time.
Wang put down his teacup and muttered something under his breath. No one heard him, except Ned, Ned turned his head and whispered, "Mr. Wang, are you reciting a calming mantra?"
Wang glanced at him nonchalantly and said, "Eat."
Gwen Stacy wasn't really paying attention to her meal. While eating her ice cream, she kept glancing at Wang out of the corner of her eye. From the moment he entered Lin Xiao's house, he had been sitting across the table like a Buddha statue, dressed in a monk's robe, looking at everyone with that half-dead expression. Especially when he looked at Lin Xiao, his eyes were filled with a mixture of scrutiny and impatience, as if he were interrogating someone.
Gwen Stacy gently nudged Betty's leg under the table. Betty didn't look up, but simply moved the tablet closer to herself, as if it were nothing new. Gwen Stacy then stopped fidgeting and quietly ate her food. However, every time Lin Xiao ran into a snag while talking to Lin Xiao, she would make a tiny face at him when he looked over, then quickly turn her face away, as if to say, "I didn't do anything."
It was almost nine o'clock when they finished eating. Mei took the dishes into the kitchen, Betty took her tablet to the living room, Gwen Stacy lingered next to Lin Xiao and refused to leave, Ned huddled in a corner of the sofa, his eyes constantly glancing towards Wang. Wang sat motionless in his dining chair, his hands folded on the table, as if waiting for something.
Lin Xiao walked up to him and placed a can of iced cola on the table. "Mr. Wang, can you talk now? What else did Kamar-Taj send you here besides testing me?"
Wang paused for a moment, pushed the cola away half an inch, and looked up. For the first time, his gaze became truly serious.
" The Ancient One summoned me here primarily for two things," he said. "The first is about Ned Lids."
Ned hearing his name, Ned jumped up from the sofa. "Me? The mage really mentioned me?"
Wang nodded, a faint hint of approval in his eyes. "Three months ago, you took the Sling Ring from Lin Xiao. It was already broken, the runes were incomplete, and the teleportation function was completely disabled. But you hadn't studied anything; you just researched and drew diagrams on your own, and you managed to complete part of the runes, even accidentally opening a short-range teleportation portal. Do you know what that means in Kamar-Taj?"
Ned opened his mouth, but didn't say anything. He just thought the ring was quite interesting.
Wang continued, " The Ancient One said that your talent is exceptionally high, comparable to her chosen one. Although your future achievements may not match that person's, in terms of comprehension, you are no less gifted. What's even more remarkable is that you are a rough stone, unpolished by anyone. You can instinctively sense the echoes of magic without any guidance. Such talent is rare to find in the entire Kamar-Taj."
Ned's face flushed instantly; he had never known any of this. He scratched his head and said in a low voice, "Um... Mr. Wang, could you... say those words again? I want to record it. Never mind, just say them again. I have a good memory; I'll remember them even if it kills me."
Wang's eye twitched slightly, but he held it in.
" The Ancient One wishes you to return to Kamar-Taj with me to learn arcane arts from her. She will personally guide you through the basics." The king turned his gaze back to Lin Xiao. "The second matter concerns Mr. Lin Xiao. The Ancient One wishes to see you."
Lin Xiao leaned back in his chair, tapping the cola can lightly with his fingers. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes deepened.
"My godmother wants to see me? Cough cough... No, what would you sorcerers want to see a special agent like me? You can't expect me to go to Kamar-Taj for tea, can you?"
Wang remained silent for a moment. He seemed hesitant about whether to say something directly. But in the end, he spoke.
" The Ancient One said that you possess a power that doesn't belong to this world. It has brought you benefits, but it has also changed the paths many people were meant to take. She said that your predetermined destinies have been disrupted. Jane Foster, Betty Thaddeus Ross, Natasha Romanoff..." Wang paused here, his gaze sweeping across Lin Xiao's face before lowering his eyes again, "And there are others, the Ancient One didn't elaborate, only saying that you know them in your heart."
Lin Xiao's eyelids twitched. Of course he knew what he had messed up. He was no longer a native, and he understood better than anyone what his actions over the years meant. But hearing the Ancient One directly name those people still sent a chill down his spine.
"However, the monk said that although what you did was somewhat outrageous, it didn't cause any serious consequences. But there was one point she specifically mentioned." Wang lowered his voice even further as if he was extremely reluctant to repeat that sentence.
Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow. "What did she say about me?"
Wang took a deep breath, as if making a great decision, before repeating the Ancient One's words verbatim. "She said your fate is too chaotic, especially your emotional debts. If you continue like this, when you return to Kamar-Taj, you'll probably have to bring a whole carload of people with you."
Lin Xiao paused for a second. Then he slowly grinned, laughing so hard he almost fell over. After he'd laughed enough, he wiped his eyes, looked up at Wang, and said with an expression so sincere it was almost unbelievable, "Please thank the mage for me. She truly has keen insight; she even saw that. Amazing, really amazing."
Wang's face was extremely ugly. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to defend the Ancient One, but looking at Lin Xiao's smug expression of being "praised," he couldn't find a suitable expression to respond. He closed his eyes, recited "a pure heart," and forcefully suppressed the irritation in his heart.
"So, Mr. Lin Xiao, would you be willing to go to Kamar-Taj?" Wang reopened his eyes, his tone returning to calm.
Lin Xiao leaned back in his chair, a can of cola in his hand, his eyes sweeping over the women in the living room. May was in the kitchen talking to Betty, their heads close together, occasionally letting out a soft laugh. Gwen Stacy was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, eating her second tub of ice cream, her phone lying horizontally, watching some video, her shoulders shaking with laughter. Ned sat beside him, looking at Wang with longing, as if imagining what he would look like wearing a mage's robe.
Lin Xiao put the cola back on the table, coughed lightly, and sat up straight. He looked at Wang with an extremely sincere and earnest expression, as if he were consulting about something very important.
"Mr. Wang, I could go," he said slowly, each word carefully considered. "But you see, I have so many family members; no one would feel at ease if I left. Besides, May and Betty haven't seen much of the world, and Gwen Stacy just finished her exams and needs to relax. Isn't Ned going too? A few more people would make it more lively; we could even play cards on the way, and once we get there, you can have as much peace and quiet as you like. What do you think?"
Wang was stunned. He took three seconds to process each layer of meaning in those words, and then realized that each layer was pushing him in the same direction. He heard Lin Xiao add another sentence, his tone even gentler.
"We're just bringing a few family members to broaden their horizons, not many, just three, plus Ned. We promise not to touch your things or cause you any trouble. The monk already said he wants to see me, so wouldn't it be more sincere for me to bring my family?"
Wang closed his eyes, a vein throbbing faintly at his temple. He took a deep breath, then another, and finally couldn't hold back any longer, squeezing out a sentence through gritted teeth:
Lin Xiao.
"Exist."
"Did you know that Kamar-Taj is a place of purity and does not accept women?"
Lin Xiao tilted his head, a "That's such a pity" expression on his face. He sighed, gestured with his chin towards the living room, then turned back, suddenly smiled, and lowered his voice. "Mr. Wang, you don't accept female relatives, so do you know what the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.. looks like? We have quite a few men in our department with similar looks. If you at Kamar-Taj don't accept female relatives and only look at appearances, Director Fury would be suitable, but unfortunately, the moment he walks in, he can replace all the light bulbs in your retreat with bulletproof ones."
Wang's lips twitched violently. He turned his head away, not wanting Lin Xiao to see the moment he almost lost his composure.
Lin Xiao pressed his advantage, his tone shifting back to that harmless, consultative manner. "So you see, even Buddhist temples have lay monasteries. I'm just taking my family to offer incense and check out the environment; I'm not staying there permanently. If you're really worried, I can ask Tony to install central air conditioning at Kamar-Taj. It'll be warm in winter and cool in summer, so you won't have to wear such thick clothes every day."
Wang finally lost his temper, picked up the can of iced cola that Lin Xiao had pushed towards him, opened it, and took a big gulp. He drank it so fast that a few drops slid down his chin and dripped onto his monk's robe. He slammed the cola back onto the table, wiped his face, as if doing his final mental preparation.
Just then, Lin Xiao suddenly reached out and pushed the can of cola in front of him closer to his hand, and also took two tissues from the tissue box and stuffed them into Wang's hand.
"Drink slowly, there's still a case left. Mr. Wang, I, Lin Xiao, am a man who, aside from everything else, will never skimp on things for his friends. Since you're sitting at this table and finishing this meal today, you're one of us from now on."
Wang clutched the two tissues and glanced at Lin Xiao. For the first time, he didn't see any intention to beat around the bush on Lin Xiao's face. His words were direct, even a bit rough, but it was from this roughness that a subtle, concrete warmth shone through.
Wang lowered his head and slowly wiped his hands with a tissue. After a few seconds, he spoke, his voice much lower than before, and the tension was gone.
"I must consult the Dharma Master first."
Lin Xiao laughed, a laugh like a fox who had stolen a chicken. He stood up, pushed his chair back, walked over to Wang, and patted him on the shoulder. "That's more like it. You drink your Coke, I'll call and order hot pot. Everyone's here tonight, let's have some hot pot. After you've gotten your approval, we'll discuss when to leave."
Wang didn't speak again. He just lowered his head and took another swig of cola. The cloyingly sweet bubbles exploded on his tongue, much like Lin Xiao himself—he knew he shouldn't touch it too much, but once it entered his mouth, he couldn't spit it out.