A few more days passed, and Steve slowly began to accept the things around him, but he became quite depressed. He would sit and read a 1945 edition of Time magazine every day for half a day at a time, but Lin Xiao didn't care.
He had experienced something similar, even more intense than Steve's. He remembered the day he transmigrated, eating hotpot and singing songs, when he arrived in the Marvel Universe from Earth. Back then, he had lost his family and friends, lived in constant fear, was exploited by the system, and was all alone and helpless. He had to rely on himself to establish himself step by step. If Steve had remained depressed for too long, he wouldn't be Captain America anymore; even Lin Xiao would look down on him. What Lin Xiao was truly focused on was something else entirely.
Lin Xiao has been preoccupied with Dr. Wu's matter these past few days. He gave Shan Shuo the news about Wu Zhengkai as soon as he got it, without any beating around the bush. He had planned to send the message in the morning and set off in the afternoon, but Shan Shuo replied that the S.P.E.A.R. was discussing the timing of their intervention.
Discussion. Again, discussion.
Lin Xiao tossed his phone onto the sofa, leaned back on the armrest, and sighed deeply. A wealthy Germany businessman had been recuperating for three months, and they were keeping him in Texas. What was there to discuss? They should have just gone and "invited" him back. He could imagine how the people at the S.P.E.A.R. were dawdling in the meeting room: risk assessment, diplomatic implications, follow-up procedures—by the time they finished going through all that, Dr. Wu's beard would have grown to his chest.
He turned on his computer, logged into the encrypted channel, and sent a message to Blink: "How far have the negotiations progressed?"
The reply came quickly, containing only two words: "Wait."
Two seconds later, he added another message: "I'll contact you if there's any progress."
A video call request popped up shortly afterward.
Lin Xiao paused for a moment, then clicked "accept." The screen flashed, showing her sitting in a drab office with a world map behind her. She was wearing a dark turtleneck sweater, her hair tied up tighter than usual, with stray hairs neatly tucked away. She leaned in front of the camera, adjusting the angle.
"The signal isn't very good. How's it on your end?"
"I'm fine, just getting impatient. It's like the emperor isn't worried, but the eunuch is—cough, cough, handsome guy is anxious." Lin Xiao leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on his hand. " Wu Zhengkai is in Texas. That Germany tycoon is Hans Kruger, he's in the chemical business and has assets in Houston. I checked, and his background isn't clean; he has ties to several military-industrial companies. He's probably keeping Dr. Wu around because he's worried about his health, so he's keeping a backup plan."
She nodded briefly, but didn't reply. Her gaze remained fixed on the screen, her brows furrowing again, pressing two shallow lines into her fair skin.
Lin Xiao's gaze involuntarily shifted downwards slightly.
Her turtleneck sweater was fitted tightly today, taut from her collarbone down, highlighting her sharp shoulders and perfectly cinched waist. Sitting in front of the camera, she resembled a horizontal scalpel—cold, yet with beautiful lines. When she frowned, the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned down; this expression, which would be irritation on others, looked different on her...
What are you looking at?
Lin Xiao's gaze immediately returned to her eyes. "Look at your eyebrows. You're always frowning; it'll cause wrinkles."
She stared at the screen for two seconds. She didn't reply, instead reaching up to tilt the camera upwards so that only her forehead and eyes were visible in the frame. Lin Xiao pursed his lips.
"You only need to guard against petty people, why are you also trying to guard against honest people?"
Her lips curled into a slight smile, but she quickly regained her icy expression.
"The organization's intention is to wait until Kruger leaves the United States before taking action. He has connections with members of Congress in Texas, and directly targeting him could easily cause trouble."
"When will that be?"
"Soon. Kruger is going to Switzerland next month for surgery, Dr. Wu will be going with him. We can intercept him during the layover."
"Next month," Lin Xiao repeated.
"It'll be soon."
"Alright, you guys are professionals." Lin Xiao leaned back in his chair. "What about the Heartfire? Is it holding up?"
There was a moment of silence. The image on the screen was a bit blurry, but Lin Xiao still saw her eyelashes droop slightly.
"He can hold on, but not for long," she said. " Doctor Li said the intracranial pressure has been consistently high, and maintaining the current level is already the limit. If Dr. Wu doesn't have surgery next month, he might..."
Lin Xiao didn't respond. The two of them remained silent across the screen, with only the static from the encrypted channel buzzing in their ears.
Lin Xiao spoke first, "Once you've finalized the timeline, let me know. I'm ready to move at any time."
She nodded, her finger flicking across the screen as if to turn off the video, but then stopped.
Lin Xiao.
"Um."
"Thanks."
The screen went black immediately. Lin Xiao stared at the black square on the screen for several seconds before slowly closing the laptop. He leaned back in his chair, thought for a moment, then found Tao Yuhan's number in his phone's contacts and sent a message: "If it's inconvenient for the S.P.E.A.R. to take direct action, I have a private plan."
After sending the message, he placed his phone face down on the table, stood up and stretched. "Forget it, I'll think about that for now. Gwen Stacy will definitely come over today after her exams. I need to figure out how to deal with her."
Lin Xiao came downstairs after thinking for a while. He looked around and found that only Jane was left in the restaurant. The superhero rental program had started these past two days, and May and Betty had become very busy. They didn't even have time to eat breakfast before going to work. Jane was sitting at the table, holding a piece of toast in one hand and scrolling on her tablet in the other.
"What are you looking at, baby?"
Jane smiled and pushed the tablet towards Lin Xiao. On the screen was a financial statement. Lin Xiao leaned over and glanced at it. The first line of numbers was: 104,700,000.
"One hundred and four million seven hundred thousand." Jane's lips curved into a smile. "Just three days ago, it was sent by May and Betty. After deducting 65% commission and miscellaneous fees, this is the net profit."
Lin Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Three days, one hundred million?"
"Yes." Jane put the tablet away and continued scrolling. "You read that right. And this is only the first three days; the appointments are booked two months in advance. They're making so much money they need to hire more people. Mei told me last night that she's considering hiring temporary workers."
Lin Xiao took a slice of toast from her plate, spread some jam on it, and took a bite. "I told you, the superhero rental thing can work out."
"Yes, you said that." Jane rolled her eyes. "When you signed the contract, May said you were dreaming, Betty said you were messing around, and Tony said you were cheating people out of money. And what happened? A hundred million in three days."
Lin Xiao's lips curled into a smile, "It's just that Rhodey is suffering; who would have thought he'd be the busiest person right now?"
"You're making sarcastic remarks. Who decided that renting Iron Man requires purchasing an add-on package and renting ' War Machine ' six times before you can officially rent Iron Man once? Rhodey has been swamped these past few days."
"Didn't I implement the new rules too? It gave Rhodey more time to rest." Lin Xiao seemed unconcerned.
"Yes, yes, yes... What nonsense are you spouting? Saying that considering War Machine's physical and mental health and stamina, it's decided to shorten his rental work hours from 18 hours to 12 hours a day."
Doesn't this show that I, as the boss, care about my subordinates?
Jane's lips twitched. "That's true. Rhodey cried when he heard that his working hours had been reduced to 12 hours."
Lin Xiao almost spat out his toast.
"He really cried?"
"He really cried." Jane's expression was complicated as she said this, as if she was trying not to laugh. "He held Tony's hand and said that Vought was still kind. He also said that he had never received this kind of treatment in the army."
Lin Xiao swallowed the toast in his mouth, then leaned on the table, laughing so hard his shoulders shook. Jian laughed a couple of times before stopping, wiping her mouth with a tissue and standing up to clear the plates. Watching her movements, Lin Xiao reached behind and grabbed her waist. Jian twisted but couldn't get away, then turned and glared at him.
"Stop fooling around, I have to go to Vought in a bit. The equipment has arrived, and May wants me to go over and check it."
"It's just the two of us, I'll take you there in a bit."
"Put your clothes on first." Jane patted the hand that was still on her waist. " Gwen Stacy called and said she's coming to see you in a bit."
What time are you coming?
"It should be soon." Jane put the plate in the sink, glanced back at him, and said, "Don't break your promise. I had Mei book the amusement park tickets for you yesterday."
Which one did you order?
" Disney," Jane said, a faint smile playing on her lips, " Gwen Stacy chose it."
Lin Xiao scratched his head. Disney —he'd never been there in his life, not even in his past life. He'd only ever seen the castles and fireworks on TV, surrounded by kids and couples. The thought of himself, a sixteen-foot-tall man, taking a blonde high school girl to Disney seemed strange even to himself.
He went upstairs to change into a clean T-shirt and jeans, ran his fingers through his hair in front of the mirror, and as he reached the bottom of the stairs, a loud crash came from the direction of the front door.
The noise was so loud that all the windows in the building shook. Lin Xiao stopped in his tracks. His first thought was that someone had broken in, and his second thought was that some fool dared to kick down his door. He rushed to the stairwell and looked down.
The door panel was already lying on the ground.
Gwen Stacy stood in the doorway, one foot still in the position of kicking the door, the other foot on the door panel.
She looked up and met Lin Xiao's gaze at the top of the stairs on the second floor.
" Lin Xiao!" Gwen Stacy's voice boomed up from downstairs, crisp and bright, "Get out here! I'm here! It's time to deliver on your promise about the amusement park!"
Lin Xiao stood on the stairs, opening his mouth. He wanted to say, "Couldn't you knock properly?", "Doors are expensive!", "How come you're getting stronger and stronger?" But looking at that face with its raised chin and eyes shining like lamps, he finally just scratched the back of his head and went down the stairs.
"Coming, coming! What are you shouting for? I'm not deaf."
Gwen Stacy ignored him and walked inside. Her gaze swept across the living room, and when she saw Jane peeking out from the kitchen, her eyes immediately curved into a smile, and she pounced on him like a spring being released.
"Sister Jian!"
She bumped into Jane, wrapping her arms around his waist and rubbing her face against his shoulder. Jane took a half step back from the bump, but his hands naturally reached out and patted her back.
"Are you done with the exam?"
"The exams are over! Finally over!" Gwen Stacy looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Let me tell you, the last exam was physics, and the last question was about celestial orbits. As soon as I saw the question, I remembered the formula you told me last time, and I just plugged it in, saving five minutes!"
Jane chuckled and tapped her forehead, "So you came all this way just to tell me some good news?"
"And look for him." Gwen Stacy turned her head, her gaze falling on Lin Xiao, who was slowly walking down the stairs. She snorted, her tone shifting from sweet to deliberately indifferent. "Someone promised me something, and he's been putting it off for almost a month. If he doesn't come soon, I'm afraid he'll forget."
"I haven't forgotten." Lin Xiao walked to the dining table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. " Disney, the tickets are all booked."
Gwen Stacy nodded in satisfaction, revealing two small fangs. "Oh right, Lin Xiao, didn't you forget something?"
Lin Xiao blinked repeatedly, then suddenly his eyes widened as if he'd just remembered something. " Gwen Stacy... you'll be an adult tomorrow..."
Gwen Stacy smiled slightly and nodded, but her eyes were full of light.