Lin Xiao walked out of Chinatown carrying two boxes of pastries. One box was osmanthus cake, and the other was mung bean cake. Both were from well-established shops where people had lined up to buy them, and the lines stretched from one end of the street to the other. He had originally thought about buying some other things, but then he thought better of it. Bringing too much stuff into a military hospital would make it look like he was visiting someone in prison.
When he arrived at the hospital, Mei was already waiting for him at the entrance.
She was wearing that faded gray coat, her hair casually tied up, and the dark circles under her eyes were even darker than during the last video call. The moment she saw Lin Xiao, she swayed as if something had been pulled away from her, then rushed over in three strides, crashing headfirst into his arms, her fists slamming heavily into his chest.
You bastard!
Each punch she threw was harder than the last, and by the third punch, her voice was already trembling with tears.
"You didn't say anything on the phone. My hands were shaking when Betty told me. He said you were covered in blood back then, why didn't you tell me? Why don't you ever tell me...?"
Lin Xiao didn't dodge, letting her smash it. He switched the pastry box to one hand and gently cupped the back of Mei's head with the other, pressing her against his shoulder. Mei's fists slowly loosened, but her fingers tightly gripped his clothes.
"I'm back now," he said in a low voice, nuzzling his chin against her head. "Look, my arms and legs are all there, not a single scar on my body."
Mei lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes red and glaring at him fiercely. Her gaze was a mixture of anger and heartache, something Lin Xiao couldn't bear; it felt like his heart was being squeezed. He lowered his head and kissed her forehead. Mei snorted, but didn't pull away.
Lin Xiao persuaded Mei for a while before the two walked towards the ward. The smell of disinfectant in the corridor was so strong it was pungent. As Mei walked, she wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand, muttering to herself, " Betty hasn't slept much these past few days. She's busy with Vought's things during the day and has to keep watch at night. She just went downstairs to buy coffee before you came back..."
Lin Xiao didn't speak, but simply let out a soft breath, switched the pastry box to his other hand so he could hold Mei's hand.
Along the way, the military personnel looked at Mei and Lin Xiao curiously but no one said anything. They simply stepped back to make way for them. When they arrived at the ward, the door was ajar. Betty was standing with her back to the door, staring blankly at Thaddeus Ross's IV drip. She heard footsteps, turned around, and froze the moment she saw Lin Xiao.
She stood up abruptly, her fingers fidgeting on the hem of her clothes, as if unsure where to put them. She looked at Lin Xiao, her lips moved, and her eyes gradually reddened, but she didn't cry. Betty never cried in front of others; it was her habit.
Lin Xiao walked up and pulled her into his arms. Betty froze for a moment, then rested her forehead on his shoulder, breathing heavily and rapidly, as if she were trying her best to suppress something. Mei, who was standing to the side, glanced at the two of them and stepped aside.
"I'm fine." Betty's voice was muffled and unclear, muffled in his chest. "Go check on my dad first."
She kept saying, "Look at my dad," but her hand was still gripping Lin Xiao's sleeve. Lin Xiao looked down at her, said nothing, and just gently patted her back twice with his palm.
The three men stood by the bed. Thaddeus Ross lay on the hospital bed, his face ashen, but much better than when he had just been brought back from Brazil. He had tubes inserted into his body, bandages wrapped around his chest, and an IV drip in the back of his hand. His one eye was half-open, its gaze sweeping over Lin Xiao's face, then over the two women he was holding, and finally letting out a very soft hum from his nose.
That snort had a hundred layers of meaning, but Lin Xiao understood the top one: What brings you here, kid?
Betty and May were sent away by Lin Xiao's glance. May took Betty's hand and walked out. Betty glanced back at Lin Xiao Lin Xiao, who nodded at her. The door closed gently behind them.
Only two men remained in the ward. Lin Xiao sat down on the chair by the bed, and Thaddeus Ross looked at him, his single eye swirling with conflicting emotions before finally settling into a single sentence.
Why are you here?
Lin Xiao didn't mince words. "Let's see if you're dead yet. Should we prepare a wreath in advance? They're hard to find these days."
Thaddeus Ross coughed dryly, annoyed, and turned his head away from Lin Xiao. Lin Xiao didn't mind, and the two remained silent for a long time before Thaddeus Ross finally spoke.
"I always thought that as long as I could become stronger, that would be enough." Thaddeus Ross's voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time. "Any method, as long as I can protect America."
Lin Xiao's lips curled upwards, the curve of which was full of blatant mockery, which he didn't even bother to hide.
"So what?"
Thaddeus Ross's eyes narrowed, his chest heaved, and he forced out a voice through clenched teeth. "I underestimated the threat those things posed."
Lin Xiao looked at Thaddeus Ross. His expression didn't change, but his eyes, which were usually always smiling, were now very calm.
"Old man, do you know that the thing you think he is, he never really went all out. You never got a real beating from Hulk. He has his limits. No matter how crazy or angry he gets, he knows who he is, he knows who the bad guys are. But what about the thing you created? Does Blonsky have any limits? When he stands in front of you, can you even recognize that he's one of your soldiers?"
Thaddeus Ross gripped the blanket tightly, his knuckles turning white. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. The light in his single eye dimmed little by little, finally becoming cloudy and weary. He turned his head, staring at the ceiling, and remained silent for a long time.
"I'm sorry to my old brothers." He said this in a flat voice, as if reciting a confession he had read countless times before. "Especially Emil. If it weren't for my obsession, he might not have gone that far..."
Lin Xiao didn't respond.
Thaddeus Ross continued, his voice growing softer and softer, as if squeezed from the depths of his chest. He spoke of the soldiers who had followed him in the chase of the Hulk, Claire's children were in school, Beck's wife had just given birth to their second child, Gray would be rotating back to the rear in a few months. He recounted how Emil had approached him before receiving the serum injection, saying, "General, I trust you," and how Ross had patted him on the shoulder and said, "You won't regret it."
As he spoke, his fingers unconsciously reached under the pillow.
Lin Xiao caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. He said nothing, stood up, walked to the bedside, grabbed Thaddeus Ross's hand with one hand, and reached under the pillow with the other to pull out a fruit knife. It had a plastic handle and a thin blade; it was the Betty usually used to peel fruit, which Thaddeus Ross had hidden away when he had the chance. Thaddeus Ross opened his eyes, watched Lin Xiao take the knife away, his lips moved, but no sound came out.
Lin Xiao held the knife up to his eyes and examined it, then looked down at Thaddeus Ross.
"This fruit knife, with its plastic casing, is flimsy and won't kill you; it's best for peeling apples." He closed the knife and put it in his pocket. "What awaits you is the rest of your life spent repenting and making amends for your mistakes, not using this little toy to end your life. That's pure cowardice."
He took a step forward, bent down, and stared at Thaddeus Ross.
"Besides, I gave you your life. I saved you because of Betty. I don't want Betty to cry. Do you understand? I don't want Betty to cry anymore, I never want to see you shed tears for you again."
Thaddeus Ross looked at him without speaking. The emotions churning in his eyes were too complex for Lin Xiao to decipher, nor did he want to. But he saw the bottom layer: the bewilderment that followed the release of a sigh of relief. It was the first time someone who had never been pushed to the brink had stood on the edge of a cliff and been pulled back from behind.
Lin Xiao didn't say anything more. He picked up an apple from the bedside table, took out the fruit knife from his pocket, sat down, and began to peel it. The Blade spun along the peel, and a whole strip of peel spun off the apple.
Thaddeus Ross looked at him for a moment, then at the ceiling for a moment. Then he spoke, his voice slower and softer than before.
" Lin Xiao, I've always looked down on you. From the very first day you met my daughter, I knew you had ulterior motives."
Lin Xiao's hand didn't stop; the fruit peel spun around again and landed steadily in the trash can.
"So what?"
Thaddeus Ross closed his eyes and sighed softly.
"But Betty, even though I knew your motives weren't pure, I still chose you..."
Lin Xiao's lips twitched slightly as he put down the fruit knife and continued listening.
"Later, Banner turned into a monster, and you saved Betty, drove away the Hulk, and even held that Tiger-Fighting Heroes Association. To be honest, at that time, I wanted to kill you, but I was also glad that you saved Betty. I was thinking that this was an opportunity, an opportunity to get rid of you..."
Lin Xiao gave a soft "hmm," Thaddeus Ross looked at Lin Xiao and sighed softly, "And then... never mind, Betty chose you, so I'm entrusting Betty to you."
Lin Xiao's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "You said it yourself, Father-in-law." The smile finally returned to his lips. "So, how much dowry are you planning to ask for? Cough cough, I mean, how much? It's Dragon Country custom; the bride's family gives the groom money for the wedding, it's the rule. How many tables for the banquet? Should we invite military personnel? I suggest a traditional Chinese style; the Xiuhe dress looks beautiful. I want to see Betty in a Xiuhe."
Thaddeus Ross's one eye widened.
"You--"
"And another thing," Lin Xiao said, cutting the peeled apple into pieces and placing them on a tissue on the bedside table, "After you get better, if you have nothing to do, you could consider learning to fish. I recommend a place; there's a pier on Long Island, lots of old men, quiet, and you won't have to fight with anyone. It's perfect for someone like you who can't stay still—a place to cultivate your mind and body."
Thaddeus Ross took a deep breath, then another. He turned his head and looked out the window at the gray sky.
"We'll talk about it later. I need to rest. Get out of here."
"Alright, Father-in-law." Lin Xiao stood up, brushing the crumbs off his pants. "Take good care of yourself and don't think about anything else. I've put the snacks here; try the osmanthus cake, and if you don't like that, there's mung bean pastry."
He walked towards the door, then stopped and looked back. Thaddeus Ross was still looking out the window, his profile tense, his single eye unblinking.
"Fishing?" Thaddeus Ross suddenly blurted out, his tone strange, as if he were talking to himself, or asking a question he didn't expect to answer at all.
"Yes, fishing." Lin Xiao opened the door, turned around and grinned at him. "It's nice to go fishing sometimes."
The door closed. In the hallway, May and Betty were leaning against the wall waiting for him. When Betty saw him come out, she straightened up and scanned his face, trying to find something. Lin Xiao walked over, put his arm around one of them, and headed towards the elevator.
"What did you say to my dad?" Betty asked.
"It's nothing, we just discussed the bride price."
Betty pinched his arm.
In the hospital room, Thaddeus Ross lay alone on the bed, looking out at the gray sky. After a while, his lips moved, emitting a very soft sound that he himself could barely hear.
"That brat..."