The Thai restaurant was bathed in a warm, almost cloying light. The tangy, spicy aroma of Tom Yum soup wafted from the kitchen, mingling with the scents of coconut milk and lemongrass, permeating the entire place. Lin Xiao leaned back in his chair, his fork tapping unconsciously against the edge of his plate, his eyes constantly glancing toward Hill.
When Hill came out, she had changed into casual clothes: a dark blue shirt, the hem neatly tucked into her skirt, the sleeves rolled up to mid-forearm, revealing a section of her gleaming white wrist. She ate at a leisurely pace, picking up a shrimp, first using chopsticks to remove the head, then dipping it in sauce before putting it in her mouth. The whole process was so smooth and natural that Lin Xiao even forgot to pick at his own pineapple fried rice.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Hill asked, lifting his head.
"How would you know I was looking at you if you weren't looking at me?" Lin Xiao chuckled as he poured some red wine into Hill's glass. "Come on, don't just eat shrimp, this wine is good too. Try a sip, I'm not kidding. The waiter just said that their boss's wife brought this wine back from Chiang Mai herself; you can't buy it anywhere else."
Hill picked up his glass and took a sip.
Lin Xiao leaned on the table and asked her in a low voice, "Is it good?"
Hill glanced at him, put down his glass, and said in a flat voice, "So-so."
Lin Xiao's smile froze, "Is the 'average' you're talking about based on the same system as Michelin's rating criteria? And what level do you consider 'good'?"
"I haven't thought about it." Hill picked up a spoon, scooped up half a spoonful of coconut milk chicken soup, blew on it, and as the spoon came to her lips, the corner of her mouth lifted very slightly before she quickly wiped it away.
Lin Xiao's eyes lit up, and he sat bolt upright as if a switch had been flipped. "You smiled! I saw it! Deputy Director, you definitely smiled just now, you saw it, the corner of your mouth turned up half a millimeter, my eyesight is excellent."
"I wasn't laughing." Hill put down her spoon and wiped her mouth with a napkin.
You smiled.
"Say that again, and I'm leaving."
Lin Xiao immediately shut up, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his face. This time he was smarter; he didn't say anything, but simply poured Hill another half glass of wine. The light fell on her face, softening her usually cold and hard features. Lin Xiao was overjoyed, feeling that this meal was well worth the price, and it seemed like things were going well today.
He grew bolder, his hand hesitantly moving forward two inches on the table. Hill, head down peeling shrimp, didn't notice. Lin Xiao moved another inch, his fingertips almost touching the back of her hand. He mentally encouraged himself, about to press down, when a loud, slightly smug voice suddenly rang out beside him.
"Instructor! I remember now!"
Lin Xiao pulled his hand back as if he'd been burned, almost jumping off his chair. He turned his head and saw Kara standing at the next table, her hands on the tabletop, leaning forward, her eyes sparkling like a little fox who had discovered a new continent.
As soon as they entered the restaurant, Lin Xiao told Kara that the table was too small for the three of them to sit at and sent Kara to sit at the next table. As compensation, Lin Xiao paid for Kara's expenses.
"What did you remember?" Lin Xiao's voice was a little weak, so weak that even he could hear it.
Kara said "Oh," and scratched the back of her head. "I forgot again."
Lin Xiao: "..."
"You came all the way from the next table just to tell me you forgot?" Lin Xiao took a deep breath, a smile on his face, but his teeth were clenched tightly.
Kara chuckled, appearing quite self-assured, "I was just worried about interrupting your serious conversation with the deputy director. Also, I have something I wanted to confirm, Instructor, can I order whatever I want for this meal? You said you'd let me sit next to you on the condition that I could order whatever I wanted."
Lin Xiao closed his eyes briefly. "Order. Order whatever you want. If you don't order a whole table full today, don't even think about going home."
Kara yelled "Yay!" and turned to run to her table, her ponytail swinging behind her head. She sat down, grabbed the menu, and started ticking off dishes, looking like she was ready to order every Thai dish she'd ever tried before.
Seeing her like that, Lin Xiao's anger, which had been stirred up, subsided considerably. He turned his head again and saw that Hill had already put down her knife and fork, leaned back in her chair, and was gently swirling a wine glass with one finger. Her gaze swept over him from above the rim of the glass, giving him a half-smile, before she put the glass back on the table without saying a word.
"She didn't mean to cause trouble." Lin Xiao blurted out out of the blue, not even sure if he was explaining for Kara or trying to start a conversation with Hill again.
"I know," Hill said, "The soldiers you lead are the same as you."
Lin Xiao opened his mouth, wanting to say, "When have I ever caused trouble?", but when his eyes met Hill's expression, he swallowed his words. He lowered his head, scooped up a spoonful of fried rice, and stuffed it into his mouth, chewing slowly and forcefully, as if he were wrestling with the rice.
As the meal progressed, Lin Xiao couldn't find another suitable opportunity to touch Hill's hand. Kara seemed to have radar installed at the next table; every time Lin Xiao moved even slightly closer to Hill, she would precisely time her approach and ask, "Instructor, what's the name of this dish?" "Instructor, that soup is so spicy!" "Instructor, would you like to try my milk tea? It tastes weird." Lin Xiao was both annoyed and amused by her antics, and finally simply waved to the waiter to combine his table with Kara's, and the three of them sat together again.
Kara sat to Lin Xiao's right, with Hill sitting opposite her. She would occasionally serve food to Lin Xiao, then grin foolishly at Hill. After serving him food, she would add, "Deputy Director, please don't misunderstand, I just felt that the instructor's right hand couldn't reach the plate of fish." Hill didn't say anything, but she drank her glass of red wine even more slowly.
Lin Xiao felt that the meal was both lively and tiring, but the liveliness outweighed the rest. Looking at Hill across from him, bathed in warm light, and then at Kara chattering beside him, he suddenly felt that living like this might not be so bad.
The phone rang at that moment.
Lin Xiao glanced at the caller ID; it was Betty. He gestured to Hill and answered. Betty's voice on the other end was urgent and breathless. " Lin Xiao, my dad went to Brazil. He took a whole unit with him. I just found out. Director Fury's people called me."
The smile on Lin Xiao's face vanished completely in a very short time. He grabbed a napkin from the side and wiped his mouth, lowering his voice. "Don't rush, tell me slowly. Who called you?"
" S.H.I.E.L.D.. said my dad is in Brazil hunting Banner, and he's been there for several days. Lin Xiao, I can't get in touch with him, his personal number is switched off, and the people in the office aren't saying anything. I know what he's doing here; he's going to bring Banner back, but... that Hulk is so terrifying, you've seen him before! I'm afraid he'll get hurt." Betty's voice was trembling with tears, and the last few words were forced out of her throat.
Lin Xiao gripped his phone, his temples throbbing. He suddenly felt an urge to slam Fury's Black Baldy onto the table and rub it in. What a cunning move, that Black Baldy! One minute he was in the office, pretending to negotiate, the next he'd had someone pass the message to Betty's ear. What would Betty do? She'd definitely go. And if she went, he'd have to go with her. This wasn't cooperation; this was using his woman as a hostage to trap him.
Lin Xiao closed his eyes, forcefully suppressing his anger. He knew himself too well. If Betty didn't go, he could still slowly negotiate with Fury, bargaining and setting terms, dragging things out day by day. But now that Betty was going, what was there to say? His own woman had gone to Brazil, and he was still in New York talking about some strategic cooperation with a bald guy. What a load of rubbish! Ten Fury wouldn't be as important as a single hair on his woman's head.
"Don't go by yourself, okay? Go to the airport first, buy your ticket, and wait for me. We'll go together," Lin Xiao said.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Betty hummed in response, her voice still trembling.
" Lin Xiao, I only have my dad left. Even though we've argued for so many years, I can't let him die. I... I've never had a proper conversation with him."
"Don't worry, baby, he won't die." Even after saying this, Lin Xiao wasn't entirely sure. He paused, then added, "With me here, he won't die. Do you trust me?"
"A letter," Betty said.
"Then wait for me patiently. Don't worry too much, I'll be there in a bit."
Lin Xiao hung up the phone and placed it on the table. He looked at the unfinished food in front of him, then at Hill across the table, and smiled apologetically at her, "Deputy Director, something came up in Brazil, I have to go now. Consider this meal owed to me, I'll treat you again when I get back."
Hill didn't speak. She finished her glass of red wine in small sips before asking, "Are you planning to go alone?"
"Go pick up Betty first," Lin Xiao said. "Her father is in Brazil, and the police have leaked information about the manhunt for Banner. I can't let her go alone."
Hill nodded, took her phone out of her bag, scrolled through it, and turned the screen towards Lin Xiao: "There's a bus to São Paulo in two hours. I'll go with you."
Lin Xiao was taken aback for a moment, and before he could speak, Kara poked her head in from the side. "Instructor, are you going on a business trip? I want to go too! I can book tickets, I have an app on my phone."
"Where are you going? Go back to your dorm and finish all the food you ordered today." Lin Xiao pushed her head back and turned to Hill. "This is my private matter, it has nothing to do with the bureau. If word gets out that you're coming with me, it won't sound good, you're the deputy director."
Hill had already put her phone away, her expression indifferent. "Who said it was for you? It involves the military, and it's a high-risk mission. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. going there on their own are required to be accompanied and supervised by an officer of equal or higher rank. Coulson is busy, Fury won't be going, and I happen to be free."
Lin Xiao looked at Hill, and the tension in his mind, stirred up by Betty's phone call, suddenly eased. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to express his gratitude or make a joke, but looking at Hill's face, all words became superfluous. He could only nod.
"Then let's book the tickets," he said.
Kara, holding up her phone, was still muttering, "I really can help book tickets," when Lin Xiao glared at her and shut her up. The little girl shrank back and started shoveling fried noodles into her bowl.
Lin Xiao got up to pay the bill at the front desk. He took out his wallet, counted out a few bills, and handed them over. The girl at the front desk looked at him, then at Hill behind him who was getting up to put on her coat, and whispered, "Sir, your girlfriend is very beautiful."
Lin Xiao glanced back at Hill. Hill was retying her scarf, seemingly oblivious. Lin Xiao turned to the receptionist, smiled, and lowered his voice, saying, "Not yet."
"Then you'd better hurry." The receptionist handed over her change, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
Lin Xiao handed the change back.
"Tip, if you can talk, say more."
As he reached the door, Hill arrived just in time. The two stood side by side under the warm yellow light of the Thai restaurant. Kara waved to them through the glass window, half a fried shrimp still stuffed in her mouth. Lin Xiao waved back, indicating that she should finish eating and take a taxi back to her dorm. Kara nodded vigorously and then lowered her head to continue eating.
A gentle evening breeze blew in from the street corner, causing the hem of Hill's trench coat to flutter slightly. Lin Xiao glanced down at her and suddenly asked, "Are you really coming to Brazil with me? Once we're there, you'll have to do as I say."
Hill turned her head to the side, the light from the streetlamp shattering into tiny stars in her eyes.
"It depends," she said.
Lin Xiao smiled, said nothing more, and turned to walk towards the parking lot. Hill followed behind him, her high heels clicking on the pavement, the rhythm matching his steps, like some kind of tacit understanding that didn't need rehearsal.
Lin Xiao took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and looked back in the direction of the Triskelion. At night, the Triskelion looked like a black monument piercing the ground, its rooftop signal lights flashing intermittently, as if mocking him.
" Black Baldy, you're really something." Lin Xiao muttered under his breath, his voice low but each word clearly enunciated. "I was talking to you about cooperation, and you set me up. Fine, I'll remember this grudge, with interest."
Hill, walking behind him, heard him but didn't say anything. Lin Xiao took out his phone from his pocket and sent Tony a message with just four words: "You owe me a favor." After sending it, he put his phone back in his pocket, turned to look at Hill, and his smile had returned to his face.
"Do you know what Fury's biggest regret in his life is?" Lin Xiao asked.
"I don't know," Hill replied cooperatively.
Lin Xiao grinned, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth. "His biggest regret is that he let you come to Brazil with me. You went to Brazil with me, right? Fury allowed it, didn't he?"
Hill responded with a slight smile.
Many years later.
Nick Fury stood before the S.H.I.E.L.D.., a cup of coffee now cold, watching a familiar figure walk down the corridor. Deputy Director Hill, who rarely went out on field missions anymore, but still came to the agency every day on time, only her pace was much slower than before; she had swapped her high heels for soft-soled shoes, and her trench coat for a loose overcoat. Her belly was prominently protruding, like a tiny planet hidden beneath her coat.
Fury closed his eyes, placed his coffee cup on the table, and slowly uttered two words through clenched teeth:
Lin Xiao.
His voice was calm, as if he were stating a mistake that happened many years ago, or as if he were trying to use those two words to suppress the whole thing, but he couldn't suppress it at all.