Two looking rather disheveled agents stood in front of the elevator shaft in the S.H.I.E.L.D.. lobby, holding coffee and looking half-asleep. One of the agents, seemingly bored, nudged the other with his elbow and said:
" Vaughn, do you think Agent Lin Xiao has changed his ways? He's been coming to work much more diligently these past few days, arriving earlier than the chickens and leaving later than the dogs."
"Shh, are you out of your mind?" Vaughn's expression changed, and he lowered his voice. " Agent Lin Xiao very sharp ears. He can't stand people talking about him behind his back. Lama just said in the office: 'Agent Lin Xiao is greedy and lecherous.' Guess what? Lin Xiao gave him a good talking-to, and he was bedridden for half a month."
"Then why do you think he came so early?"
"Sigh, it's all because of Deputy Director Hill." Vaughn sighed. "You know the director is exhausted and has taken leave. Now, all matters, big and small, at S.H.I.E.L.D. have to be handled by the deputy director. Doesn't he care?"
What is he heartbroken about?
"Sigh, I can't really say. Let me put it this way: that day, when Cassie was delivering documents, she saw the two of them disheveled, their cheeks flushed, and Lin Xiao had lipstick marks all over his face... Get it?"
Vaughn's expression changed and he hurriedly said:
"What do I know? I don't know anything."
"Stop giving me that bullshit! It's about what you and Cassie did in the storeroom! Their relationship, tsk tsk, you're saying he's Level 7 Agent at such a young age, do you think Deputy Director Hill might be helping him out?"
"Hiss, that makes sense. So, does that mean S.H.I.E.L.D. from now on?"
"Shh, don't be reckless. Just so you know. It's no wonder he's busy right now; it's understandable."
The two were talking with their heads down, about to enter the elevator, when they suddenly felt a tingling sensation on their backs. Looking up, they saw Lin Xiao standing at the front desk, holding the young receptionist's hand in his, reading her palm while smiling and waving at them.
Vaughn and the agent next to him were so frightened that their legs went weak, and they almost knelt down before this ancestor on the spot. Lin Xiao didn't pay much attention to them, turned around, and strolled upstairs.
Fury, that old fox, used the excuse of "soaring blood pressure and cardiovascular discomfort" to legitimately take a vacation and escape to a life of leisure. Coulson was also reassigned to the Helicarrier ahead of schedule. The mess that S.H.I.E.L.D. fell entirely on Hill's shoulders, so he had no choice but to run back and forth between Vought and S.H.I.E.L.D.. After all, he had to take care of his own woman.
Lin Xiao pushed open the door to the deputy director's office and saw Hill buried in a pile of documents half his height, his dark circles seeming even deeper. Lin Xiao cursed Fury's ancestors for eighteen generations in his heart, walked over, and fawned over him, pouring Hill a glass of hot water.
"Honey, take a break. You look exhausted. Do you want me to massage your shoulders? That Black Baldy is just trying to annoy me. He doesn't dare mess with me, so he's tormenting you instead."
Hill didn't even look up, took a sip of water, and said, "Shut up, leave me alone. This is your fault."
After speaking, she looked at Lin Xiao with a resentful expression. Lin Xiao looked embarrassed and helped her organize the less important documents so that Hill could rest. Hill rubbed her temples, nodded, and said irritably:
"I'll take a nap then, remember to wake me up."
Lin Xiao kissed her on the lips, which drew a look of disgust from Hill. Hill yawned and pointed to a stack of files on the far right. "Just look at this, call me for the rest later..."
Hill slumped onto the table and quickly fell asleep. Lin Xiao stood beside her, rapidly flipping through the documents. When he saw a personnel reassignment list, his eyes narrowed immediately. S.H.I.E.L.D.. had seen some unfamiliar faces these past few days. There were cleaners, security guards, and even a few new receptionists. Lin Xiao had said he was going to take advantage of the situation but was actually probing. Now it seemed that old fox Pierce had been frantically stuffing his own people into S.H.I.E.L.D.. while Fury was away.
To be honest, Lin Xiao wasn't interested in these small fry. After he finished dealing with the documents, he tiptoed out the door to get two cups of coffee. As soon as he arrived in the lobby, he saw Sitwell talking to a woman behind him.
The woman looked delicate and pretty, wearing an ill-fitting office lady uniform. She had red hair and green eyes, and her features were extremely beautiful, but there was an underlying timidity between her brows. She followed closely behind Sitwell.
When Sitwell saw Lin Xiao, his eyes lit up immediately, and he beckoned the girl over to say hello. The girl bit her lip, looking somewhat flustered.
" Agent Lin Xiao, let me introduce you. This is a distant relative of mine..." Sitwell smiled like a kind old man.
Lin Xiao ignored Sitwell's nonsense and stepped forward to grab the girl's hand.
"Oh my, look at those hands! Look at that life line, a sign of great wealth and fortune!" Lin Xiao said with a straight face, rubbing his fingers on the back of her hand. "They're just a little cold, young lady, you seem to have a cold constitution."
The girl stared in astonishment, her eyes widening. She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but couldn't. In that instant, Lin Xiao keenly caught a glimpse of the crimson killing intent that flashed in her eyes.
Lin Xiao's heart skipped a beat, but his face remained lecherous, and he even exaggeratedly wiped away his drool.
Sitwell quickly tried to smooth things over. " Agent Lin Xiao, she just graduated from university and hasn't been able to find a suitable job. S.H.I.E.L.D.. is short-staffed right now, so I was thinking of bringing her here to ask the deputy director to arrange some service work for her. Things aren't peaceful outside right now, and she's my only niece..." As she spoke, Sitwell's eyes reddened.
"Alright, alright, let's go up first." Lin Xiao let go of her hand and waved his hand.
As soon as the two entered the elevator, Lin Xiao immediately dropped his lecherous act, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth, his eyes chillingly cold.
"Good heavens, if I'm not mistaken, this woman is Wanda." Lin Xiao narrowed his eyes. "The butterfly effect is so powerful? Scarlet Witch from Avengers: Age of Ultron was actually put into S.H.I.E.L.D.. by Hydra ahead of time? But... you know what, she's totally my type."
Upstairs in the office, Sitwell was putting on an act for Hill, repeating his pitiful performance with great emotion. Hill glanced at Pierce's letter of recommendation and Wanda's resume on the desk, her eyes narrowing slightly. She ignored the letter and immediately opened Wanda's file. From Texas? She listed Dyson Advanced Academy as her alma mater, with average grades and no outstanding achievements or misconduct. This resume was abnormally clean.
She knew perfectly well what kind of influence Sitwell held within the department. She was just about to say, "I'm sorry, there are no vacancies at the moment."
The door creaked open.
Lin Xiao strode in, his face earnest, even a little anxious. "Deputy Director! I'm short of an assistant to serve tea and water and organize files. I think this girl is quite suitable. Why don't you assign her to me?"
Hill: "..."
Seeing Lin Xiao's desperate winking and gesturing, her temples throbbed. She took a deep breath, swallowed her words of refusal, and circled a line on her resume.
"Alright, since Agent Lin Xiao is short-handed, you'll work for him from now on."
Sitwell paused for a moment, a fleeting glint of barely perceptible elation flashing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. After thanking her repeatedly, he left with Wanda. In the corridor, Sitwell smiled, humming a little tune, his steps light and quick.
The office door closed, Hill leaned back in her chair, rubbing her temples. "What are you up to now? Is there something wrong with that woman?"
"This is a big problem." Lin Xiao plopped down on the sofa and peeled an orange. "What kind of person could Sitwell have shoved in like this? There's a very dangerous energy fluctuation emanating from this girl, an energy that even I have to take seriously."
Hill abruptly raised his head, his eyes sharp.
Lin Xiao popped a segment of orange into his mouth and mumbled, "Keeping her under my nose is better than letting her cause trouble in other departments. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Your man's specialty is 'disciplining' these misguided young girls."
Hill rolled her eyes at him, but her tense shoulders visibly relaxed a little.
Lin Xiao stood up, clapped his hands, and a mischievous smile, unique to the sixth brother, curled at the corner of his mouth. "Alright, I'm going to go see my new assistant. Sitwell probably thinks he's planted a time bomb, little does he know, the fuse is now in my hands."