When Pepper Potts pushed open the office door, Tony was cursing in front of three holographic screens.
On the left screen is Stark Industries ' quarterly report, with revenue from the clean energy division falling two percentage points below expectations. In the middle is a letter of intent for procurement from the Department of Defense, its official language making one want to tear it up. On the right is a "Pending Approval" folder that the company sent him last week, which he hasn't opened yet, containing seventeen documents.
"You haven't even seen it yet, so what are you cursing for?" Pepper Potts placed a cup of black coffee next to him; the caffeine smell was so strong it could wake someone up.
"I'm watching."
"You're criticizing the report."
Tony swiped away one holographic screen after another, finally even closing the purchase intention document. The desktop was now clean, with only the steaming cup of coffee remaining. He leaned back in his chair, rubbing his temples; he hadn't been sleeping well these past few days.
"What's up?"
Pepper Potts pulled a paper contract from a folder in her pocket and placed it on the table in front of him. " Lin Xiao just sent it. He said it's the official version, for you to take a look."
Tony glanced down at the cover. It had only one line of text. "Superhero Rental Service Contract (Trial Version)." Below, in large, bold font, was printed the name of Party A: Zhengde Faxie Vought International Media and Security Consulting Co., Ltd., while the signature field for Party B was blank.
"That's it?" Tony picked up the contract, weighed it in his hand, and curled his lip. "A trial version, huh? This kid bundled all the heroes' prices into one contract, is he selling vegetables?"
Pepper Potts didn't reply, picked up her cup, and sat down on the sofa.
Tony flipped open the contract. The first page was unremarkable, with appearance fees clearly listed, one line for each hero. Tony scanned through them line by line, and when he saw "1.2 million per hour" written next to his name, he snorted. Too low, completely unbecoming of the name Tony Stark.
He turned to the second page.
At the bottom of the second page, there is a line of smaller text, two sizes smaller and a shade lighter than the main text, hidden below the footer of the "Scope of Service" section. "Battle damage is calculated based on the actual wear and tear rate multiplied by the Stark Industries standard consumable unit price; the employing unit needs to settle the cost separately."
Tony leaned closer for a look.
On the third page, in the middle paragraph between the main text and the appendix, a sentence was added, "The intermediary supervision fee is 15% of the total amount for each deployment, and Party A has the right to appoint a third-party supervision agency."
Tony slowed down his page-turning speed.
On page four, on the back of the appearance fee schedule, there is a passage indented at the very end of the "Remarks" section. "Personal accident insurance will be purchased uniformly by Party A, and Party B shall bear 40% of the premium, which will be deducted from the appearance fee in advance."
Page 5, footer. Page 6, margin. Page 7, bottom line of the remarks column.
With each page he turned, Tony's expression changed. By the eighth page, his eyes were narrowed to slits, and his lips were pursed so tightly they were almost invisible. He stopped, flipped back to the first page of the contract, and reviewed his section again. Then he flipped back to the fifth page, pointed to the commission percentage with his fingertip, and calculated it.
JARVIS.
"Gentlemen."
"According to this contract, what is the net income for each six-hour operation?"
Three seconds later, JARVIS's voice rang out. "After deducting battle losses, intermediary supervision fees, third-party assessment fees, personal injury insurance premiums, and superhero work hour subsidies, the net income is $31.4 million."
Tony stared at the number for several seconds. The contract stated that the appearance fee was 1.2 million. If someone else signed this contract, it would mean that the lessee would have to pay 31.4 million for each appearance.
"This is fucking... incredible! I never imagined superhero rentals could be so profitable."
He flipped to the last page and found the "Superhero Working Hours Compensation" hidden in the footer, in font four sizes smaller than the main text. The details stated that any work hours exceeding the standard rate would be paid at $80,000 per minute, with any fraction of a minute rounded up to the nearest whole minute.
Tony placed the contract on the table and tapped the line of text with his finger. He was silent for a moment, then turned to look at Pepper Potts.
"What exactly did this kid learn? I've never seen this kind of thing before."
Pepper Potts held her cup and thought for a moment, "He said he used to work in human resources."
Tony glanced at her, his eyes screaming, "Human resources can write clauses like this?" He reopened the contract, this time with a pen, circling clauses as he read, occasionally drawing lines at the bottom of pages. After finishing the last page, he tossed the pen onto the table, leaned back in his chair, and forced a long, drawn-out smile.
"No way," he said. "That kid gets cocky as soon as he's praised."
So how do you plan to respond to him?
Tony picked up his phone and opened Lin Xiao's chat window. He typed three words, "Okay," then thought for a moment and typed another line, "I've reviewed the contract. There are a few clauses that need to be discussed in person."
After sending the message, he placed his phone face down on the table, then picked up the contract, flipped to page five, and stared at the brokerage fee section for a long time.
He picked up the intercom and dialed Happy's number.
" Happy, tell the client for that pig feed ad that we can shoot next week."
"Boss, have you confirmed that advertisement? Will Mr. Lin Xiao be going?"
"No, no need for confirmation." Tony glanced at the contract, a slow smile spreading across his face. "Just use their draft. Not a single word needs to be changed."
After hanging up the phone, he closed the contract, placed it neatly on the corner of the table, stood up, and walked to the French windows. The Manhattan skyline shimmered with a cool gray in the afternoon sun. He looked out the window and tapped his fingers lightly twice on the windowsill.
"Thirty-one million," he muttered softly, " Vought makes more money than I thought."
He turned around and pointed vaguely at the contract on his desk.
"You wait."
On the other side, a seven-story mansion in Manhattan.
The blanket on the large bed was so wrinkled that its original color was unrecognizable. Half of it hung over the edge of the bed, and the other half dragged on the carpet. One of the pillows had fallen to the floor, while Betty held the other in her arms. The orange lamp by the bed was still on, its light shining from the side and casting crooked shadows on the wall.
Lin Xiao lay in the middle, with his arms outstretched to the left and right, resting on Mei and Betty.
Mei lay on her right side, her face buried in his chest, her hair scattered across the pillow, a few strands clinging to her cheeks. Her breathing gradually calmed, but her body still trembled from time to time. Her fingers rested on his chest, the edges of her nails pink, and she felt as limp as if her bones had been removed.
Betty was on his left, her back to him, the blanket only covering her waist. There were a few faint red marks on her back, and her shoulders were more tense than Mei's. It took her a while to slowly relax and let out a long breath.
"You..." Mei began, her voice hoarse and muffled, as if squeezed out from under the pillow, "You're nothing but an animal."
Lin Xiao turned his head, rested his chin on the top of her head, and chuckled softly.
"That's not what you just said."
"That doesn't count." Mei reached out and pinched his waist, the spot being tricky—right on the tenderest part of his side. Lin Xiao hissed, not dodging, but instead pulling her closer. Her body pressed against his, still damp and warm. Mei's skin was smooth and soft. His fingers slid down her back, and Mei hummed, nudging his thigh with her knee. The force wasn't strong, and after nudging, she didn't pull her leg back, just leaving it draped over his.
Betty remained silent. Lin Xiao turned to look at her and saw her secretly bury her face in the pillow, her ear tips burning red, and her entire nape flushed a faint pink. She noticed him watching and her shoulders stiffened slightly.
"Don't look."
"I already saw it."
Betty didn't reply, but she pulled the blanket draped around her waist up a little higher, covering everything below her neck. Lin Xiao reached out to touch the edge of the blanket, his fingertips lightly brushing against her shoulder blade. Her back tensed for a moment, then slowly relaxed.
Mei chuckled softly. Betty turned her head and glared at her, but the glare wasn't very hurtful. After a while, she rolled over, pressed her face against Lin Xiao's arm, and gently gripped his wrist with her fingers.
Lin Xiao lay there, not daring to move. Betty gripped his wrist on his left, while Mei draped her leg over him on his right. The three of them squeezed onto the bed, and no one spoke. He glanced down at Mei; her eyes were closed, and her breathing had gradually become even. Betty also closed her eyes, her eyelashes drooping, casting two faint shadows on her cheekbones.
After a long while, Betty's voice finally came through, muffled and very soft.
"My dad told me today to stop worrying about him and just focus on my own things."
Lin Xiao turned his head to look at her. She didn't open her eyes, but the fingers gripping his wrist tightened slightly.
"This is the first time he's said something like that to me."
That's a good thing.
"I know," Betty paused, "But he's alone in the hospital, and the caregivers are clumsy; I'm worried about him."
"Okay, let's go again tomorrow, right after we get back from Tony's."
Betty opened her eyes and looked at him for a moment, then closed them again. The fingers gripping his wrist loosened slightly, and a smile curved her lips.
Mei was already breathing evenly and had fallen asleep. Lin Xiao didn't say anything more, but pulled Betty's blanket up to cover her exposed shoulders. Her eyelashes fluttered, her eyes remained closed, but the corners of her mouth curved into a tiny smile, as if she had finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The phone on the bedside table rang at that moment. Betty, who was nearby, reached out and handed it to him. The screen displayed the words "Natasha ".
Lin Xiao took the phone, pressed the answer button, and his voice still carried the lingering languid tone from before.
"Hey, beautiful lady, it's been so long! I've missed you so much! Are you coming back? Did you miss me?"
There was a pause for two beats, then Natasha's voice came through.
"Stop being so vain, Lin Xiao. We've made a new discovery in the Arctic. We detected an unusual echo five meters below the plane wreckage; the shape looks like a person."
Lin Xiao sat up.
His sitting up startled May, who groggily looked up at him. Betty propped herself up on her arms, wrapped a blanket around her chest, and stared straight at him with her blue eyes.
"... You guys found someone?"
"It's still uncertain. The ice is too thick; it will take at least two or three days to completely peel it off. Fury has already moved everyone from the entire Arctic station there."
Lin Xiao slowly exhaled, resting his hands on his knees and looking down at the carpet. His mind raced. Captain America, the Avengers, the Battle of New York, and Tony's father's cabinet. He had just mentioned it to Tony, and now they'd dug something up in the Arctic.
"Okay." His voice returned to its usual tone. "Let me know if there's any progress. I'll be in New York these next few days. Call me anytime if needed."
What have you been doing in New York these past few days?
"Sign the contract, take care of the child."
Natasha paused for a moment on the other end, then said "Take care" and hung up.
Lin Xiao tossed his phone back onto the bedside table. Mei had already pressed herself against him from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist.
"What happened?"
"They dug up an Old Popsicle in the Arctic, the kind that's been frozen for seventy years."
May paused, then Betty frowned. "Are you speaking human language?"
" Captain America," Lin Xiao said.
The bedroom was silent for several seconds.
"You're joking," Betty said.
Lin Xiao didn't reply. He lay back down, pulling Mei back into his arms with one hand and reaching out to pull Betty with the other. Betty hesitated for a moment, then leaned in, pressing her face against his arm and gripping his wrist with her fingers. The three of them squeezed back into their previous position, as if nothing had happened.
The Manhattan night outside the window peeked through the curtains, casting a gray-blue light on the carpet.
Lin Xiao closed his eyes, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved up. The contract, Captain America, and the Arctic were all temporarily put under his pillow.
Let's talk about it tomorrow.