The next morning, when Lin Xiao opened his eyes, it was still dark.
Lin Xiao lay motionless on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a few seconds, going over yesterday's events in his mind. He turned over, propped his elbows on the pillow, and slowly curled up the corners of his mouth.
Mei was still asleep, her hair scattered all over her pillow. Betty woke up earlier than her, groggily sat up, rubbed her eyes, and leaned over to gently peck Lin Xiao's arm.
Lin Xiao patted her back affectionately, then got out of bed and took a shower. When he came out, he looked in the mirror and looked refreshed; there was no trace of the lack of sleep he had last night.
Betty yawned and rubbed her eyes. "If you have nothing to do, go check on Gwen Stacy. She's been driven crazy by these exams. And Jane's lab's all set up..."
As Lin Xiao listened to Betty's incessant chatter, the corners of his mouth widened. He was marveling at how delicious it was to be a kept man; surely no one could resist such a life, right?
Lin Xiao got dressed and went out; he had to go check out S.H.I.E.L.D.. today.
The S.H.I.E.L.D.. Triskelion.
Hill had just arrived at the office, put his bag on the desk, and was about to pour himself a glass of water when the door was pushed open from the outside.
You don't even need to look. You can tell who it is just by listening to their footsteps.
"Good morning, Deputy Director." Lin Xiao leaned against the door frame, tilting his head to look at her.
Hill was wearing that dark gray suit dress today, paired with black sheer stockings. Her hair was tied up neatly, and she still looked like the deputy director who could quiet the entire floor. She didn't even look up, her hands still rummaging through her bag.
What are you doing here?
"Look at you."
"Finished watching?"
"I haven't seen enough."
Hill finally looked up, about to say something, when suddenly everything went blurry. Lin Xiao strode in, put one arm around her waist, and closed the door with the other. He hoisted her up, her briefcase fell to the ground, and her shoes scraped a shallow mark on the door.
" Lin Xiao!"
I missed you so much! I wanted to see if you'd lost weight.
She was carried behind the desk and placed in his swivel chair. Hill tried to stand up, but a large hand pressed down on her shoulder. She turned to glare at him, but before she could open her mouth, another large mouth covered hers.
She patted him twice, then twice more, the force gradually decreasing.
In the hallway outside, a young female agent carrying documents walked by. She glanced at the closed door, which had a "Do Not Disturb" sign on it, and heard faint moans coming from inside. Her face flushed, she paused, and then turned and walked in another direction.
In the office, Hill's back was pressed against the edge of the desk, the hem of her suit dress pushed up above her knees. Lin Xiao had one hand around her waist and the other on the desk beside her, trapping her between the desk and his chest. Her stockings were torn at the inside of her thigh, a small tear, but enough for his fingertips to slip inside.
" Lin Xiao... door..." Her voice was choked by his words, broken and intermittent.
"Locked."
Venetian blinds...
"It's down."
Hill wanted to say something, but he didn't give her the chance. His kisses moved from her lips to her earlobe, then slid down her neck, leaving only the lightest touches. Her fingers gripped the front of his shirt, her knuckles turning white, and her breathing became increasingly erratic.
The documents on the table were swept to the floor, and a pen rolled twice before coming to rest in the corner. Hill hunched over and then slumped back down, her toes scraping against the back of the chair, and one shoe fell off, lying askew on the carpet. She bit her lower lip, keeping her voice as low as possible, only occasionally letting out a very soft groan from her nose when she couldn't help it anymore.
Lin Xiao picked her up and placed her on the swivel chair. The chair slid back half an inch under the weight, the wheels making a soft thud on the floor. Hill looked up at him, her gray-green eyes wet, her lips slightly parted, saying nothing, only reaching out to tug at his collar.
He then bent down.
Manhattan outside the window shone quietly in the afternoon sun, and cars flowed silently below. Inside the office, only the occasional soft creaking of the swivel chair wheels and the overlapping breaths of two people could be heard.
Two hours later.
Hill stood up from her chair, her eyes glazed and her complexion rosy. She adjusted her skirt and tugged at her stockings. She glanced down at herself, then looked at Lin Xiao with a mournful expression.
"Could you please not do this again..." She paused, unable to find the right words, and simply stopped talking. She took off the stocking with a tear in it, stuffed it into the bottom drawer of her desk, and then took out a spare pair from her bag, squatted down and slowly put them on.
Lin Xiao leaned back on the sofa armrest, watching her put on her stockings, a smirk playing on his lips.
"All dressed?" He patted his knees.
Hill put on her shoes, stood up, and glared at him. But there was no harm in her eyes; a smile played on her lips, and the corners of her mouth turned up. She walked to his side, and he pulled her into his arms.
"Stop fooling around," she said, but she didn't move, leaning against his chest. "I have something to do later."
"What's up?"
"Meeting."
"How is the person you dug out from under the ice?"
Hill tilted her head to look at him, thought for a moment, and said, "You mean Captain America? He's recovering, but..." She paused, her expression turning a little strange, " Captain America seems a bit different from the rumors."
Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow. "How is it different?"
"Her lips are as sweet as honey." Hill's tone held a hint of something ambiguous. "This morning, Director Fury went to see him, and the captain handed him a banana, saying that bananas contain skin-whitening agents, and the chief should like it. Fury couldn't keep a straight face."
Lin Xiao paused for a moment, then burst out laughing. His shoulders were shaking with laughter, and it took him a while to recover. " Old Popsicle's got some skills."
Hill drew circles in his arms, tapping his chest lightly with her fingertips, then propped herself up on her arms, trying to stand up. "I really have to go, meeting."
"Why hold a meeting if you can't spend more time with me?"
Hill's movements slowed slightly, her lips twitched, and her eyes narrowed. "We're negotiating a collaborative project with two commercial companies, and we need to inject more capital." She looked down at her hands, her voice lowering, "It's a large ship project; you'll find out later."
Lin Xiao stared at her intently. He knew what that "big ship" was. He also knew who the "two commercial companies" were. He knew everything, but he didn't say anything. His smile faded slightly, replaced by a feigned disappointment, and his brows furrowed slightly.
Hill glanced at him, pursed her lips, as if wanting to explain something. She had barely opened her mouth when Lin Xiao silenced her with a kiss.
"It's alright, it's not your fault." His tone was extremely calm. "You have your own ideas, your own career, I understand. But you know, there's always a man standing behind you. Whatever happens, I'll take care of it for you."
Hill looked at him, bit her lip, and said nothing more. She rested her face against his shoulder for a while, then stood up, adjusted her skirt, and tidied her disheveled hair.
Lin Xiao abruptly changed the subject, his tone suddenly becoming serious. "If you really feel bad about it, help me find someone."
Hill breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "Who?"
"A fellow villager, named Wu Zhengkai," Lin Xiao said seriously. "He seems to be a doctor."
Hill picked up a pen from the table and wrote the name on a sticky note. She didn't ask what was wrong with the person, nor did she ask Lin Xiao why he was looking for him. She simply stuck the note on the corner of the computer screen.
Lin Xiao stood up, patted the wrinkles on his pants, and walked towards the door. He turned back to look at her again at the door, his eyes conveying a message, but he said nothing, opened the door, and left.
After closing the door, Hill glanced down at the sticky note on the computer screen, then at the tattered stocking she had stuffed into the drawer. She paused for a few seconds, then sighed softly, took the stocking out of the drawer, folded it, and put it inside her bag.
A few hours ago, a replica of a hospital was built in the suburbs.
Steve Rogers sat in the chair by the window, a yesterday's newspaper spread out on his lap. He had already read the newspaper from beginning to end four times.
When Fury arrived, he was folding the newspaper into strips.
"Captain," Fury stopped at the doorway and nodded, "How are you feeling today?"
Steve looked up at Fury's dark face for two seconds. Then he picked up a banana from the bedside table and handed it to him.
"Eat it. Bananas contain skin-brightening agents; eating more is good for your skin. With your skin tone, a little brightening will make you look younger."
Fury's lips twitched very slightly.
Steve stared at his face for a full two seconds, then withdrew his hand, broke the banana in half, took a bite, and chewed it.
"The taste is alright. I don't like this variety, I'll ask them to change it next time."
Fury took a deep breath, his uniform chest tightening. "Captain, I'm here to discuss the next steps with you."
What arrangements?
"Your physical condition requires continued recovery, and there are some tasks that will require your participation in the evaluation."
"What are we assessing?"
Fury paused for a moment, then said softly, "Safe."
Steve nodded, didn't ask any further questions, picked up the newspaper, and turned to the advertisement section.
"You go about your business."
Fury stood in the doorway for two seconds, then turned and left. After the door closed, Steve put down his newspaper, pulled a folded tissue from under his pillow, and wrote a few lines on it.
He is patient, tactful, and calm in the face of adversity; he certainly possesses leadership qualities.
He paused, then added a sentence to the last line.
But why is he Black?
He folded the tissue and tucked it back under his pillow. The curtains behind the second-floor window of the building outside were a little narrower than yesterday. He didn't look any further, picked up the newspaper again, and quietly turned to the next page.
P. S.: Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, a happy family, all the best, and good health.
Thank you, Mr. Yu Ze, for the update reminder charm!