After Lin Xiao dropped Betty off at home, he sat in the driver's seat of the Land Rover and held the steering wheel for almost ten minutes.
He kissed Betty today.
Right there in the Hummer outside the school gate, I impulsively kissed her. I just wanted to shut her up and stop her from asking questions, but while I managed to silence her, things escalated.
The worst part was that Betty didn't push him away.
If she had slapped him and called him a "rogue," he would have felt more at ease. He would have just smiled, admitted his mistake, gone back to his usual routine, and the matter would have been over. But she didn't. She just leaned against him with her eyes closed, her eyelashes trembling like the wings of a startled butterfly, her face so red it could fry an egg.
When he took her home, she didn't say a word the whole way. Lin Xiao didn't know what to say either. When they arrived at the apartment building, she walked straight in without looking back.
Lin Xiao leaned back in his seat, staring at the car roof, his mind a jumbled mess. He'd seen plenty of women, handling them all with ease. But Betty was different. She was a university professor, a scientist with a rigid, uncompromising mind. A kiss from her wouldn't be a casual fling for her. What did he really see Betty as—a mission target? A romantic interest? Or something else he didn't want to acknowledge?
Lin Xiao sighed softly, started the engine, and the Land Rover roared out of the parking lot. He decided to stop thinking about it. He'd deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow.
The next morning, Lin Xiao changed into clean and neat clothes and went to pick up Betty. Betty had specially touched up her light makeup today, and her hair was tied in a neat ponytail. The moment she saw Lin Xiao, she paused for a moment, and her ears turned pink at a visible speed.
"Good morning," Lin Xiao said first, his tone much gentler than usual.
"Good morning." Betty lowered her head, fidgeted with her fingers, and moved her lips as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a word.
The two walked to the parking lot one after the other. Betty opened the car door and suddenly turned around.
"I'm going to the military region today. My dad specifically asked to see you. Don't be afraid, I'll cover for you. You don't need to be nervous."
Lin Xiao sighed softly, suddenly feeling like a jerk. "They cared about me so much, and I'm just a scumbag!" He didn't say anything more, simply opening the car door for Betty. The car quickly drove out of the apartment and onto the highway leading to the military district. Lin Xiao saw Betty secretly glancing at him several times through the rearview mirror, quickly looking away, only to secretly glance at him again a short while later.
"Sigh, Mei will definitely kill me when she finds out, right?" Lin Xiao mentally berated himself. Not long after, the car arrived at the military region and entered the parking lot. The two got out of the car and, guided by the guards, walked for about ten minutes to reach the main building of the military region.
The main building's corridors were carpeted in gray, and the walls were covered with medals and military flags. The guards led them to a heavy oak door.
General Ross stood in front of his desk, his back to the door. Hearing footsteps, he turned around and glanced at Lin Xiao, his gaze lingering on him for less than a second before shifting away, as if he had seen something he didn't want to see.
"General." Lin Xiao walked to Betty's side and stopped, his hands at his sides, a standard good citizen smile on his face. "You wanted to see me?"
Thaddeus Ross didn't answer immediately. He walked to his desk, placed his hands on the surface, and leaned forward slightly. He stared at Lin Xiao for at least ten seconds. The office was so quiet that only the ticking of the old-fashioned wall clock could be heard. After some time, he spoke, his voice neither loud nor soft, each word seemingly squeezed out from between rocks, carrying the imposing, dignified air of a seasoned veteran.
" Lin Xiao. Level 6 Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.. He rescued Tony Stark in Afghanistan and helped thwart the Iron Monger crisis. Last month, he single-handedly stormed Kingpin's lair and smashed his warehouse to pieces." He paused, his eyes piercing the air like a scalpel, fixing on Lin Xiao's face. "His file says he's honest and kind. How are you honest and kind?"
"The files," Lin Xiao said without changing his expression, "Were all written by the leaders, I don't know much about them."
Thaddeus Ross didn't respond. His lips remained perfectly still, his face expressionless, and he continued speaking in the calm tone of someone interrogating a criminal.
"The military district was attacked early yesterday morning. A man calling himself Phantom Thief L broke into my research building, sabotaged the power system, and stole an important sample. My soldiers chased him all night but didn't catch a hair on his head. And on the same night, you, a Level 6 agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.., happened to be on a date with my daughter."
He took a step forward, his hands still on the table, leaning forward.
"Do you think this is just a coincidence?"
Lin Xiao remained silent. He was waiting for Thaddeus Ross to reveal all his cards.
"Dad," Betty suddenly spoke up. She took a step forward, half her body blocking Lin Xiao's view, "He was with me all night last night, the whole night."
Thaddeus Ross turned his gaze to his daughter. His expression remained unchanged, but the fingers gripping the table tightened slightly.
"The whole night? With you?"
"Yes." Betty's voice was steady and unwavering. "He didn't leave. The person who attacked the military district couldn't have been him. You're slandering someone without even any evidence—is this how the military operates?"
The office fell silent again. The second hand of the wall clock completed a full circle, its ticking sound particularly clear in the quiet.
Thaddeus Ross stared at his daughter for a long time. There was no anger, no disappointment, no emotional fluctuation that one would expect during a father-daughter argument. He simply scrutinized her with an extremely calm, almost businesslike gaze.
"You and him have already progressed to that stage."
Betty's back stiffened. She took a deep breath, jerked her head up, and looked directly into her father's eyes.
"Yes. We're together. We were together all night."
Lin Xiao stood behind Betty, opened his mouth, but didn't say a word.
He had seen many sides of Betty: capable and calm at work, sharp-tongued when arguing, and rambling when drunk. But he had never seen her like this. A daughter who was always rebellious and always talking back to her father was now using her innocence to testify for him. She was protecting him with everything she had. And he had just regretted kissing her.
She's a serious person. She's serious about her work, serious about her relationships, serious about everything. He approached her with ulterior motives at first, always acting and calculating. But she didn't act. From initial wariness to later trust, and now standing up for her, every step she took was genuine. It couldn't be more genuine. To betray a woman like that would be an injustice. Now he knows what he has to do.
Thaddeus Ross didn't fly into a rage like a typical father. He simply looked at Betty, remained silent for a long time, and only slightly raised his eyebrows.
Then he shifted his gaze to Lin Xiao, his tone still as calm as when interrogating a criminal.
"I will investigate last night's events thoroughly. Whether you did it or someone else did it, I will find out." He paused, then continued, "Until the matter is clarified, you are not allowed to enter within three kilometers of the military area. That's the first point. Second, from now on, you will be monitored 24 hours a day. Your every move will be reported to me. Third—"
He picked up the encrypted communicator on the table, dialed a number, and pressed speakerphone.
The phone rang twice before being answered. A deep voice came from the speaker, carrying a calm and composed air.
" General Ross, it's been a long time."
" Fury." Thaddeus Ross's voice remained calm, but every word was like ice, "Your men are causing trouble on my turf, and I need an explanation."
Fury paused for a moment, then continued speaking.
"General, S.H.I.E.L.D.. dispatched Agent Lin Xiao to Culver University at the request of the Sid Hidreleven Group to carry out a routine protection mission. As for the other matters you mentioned—"
Thaddeus Ross frowned. "I don't want your empty promises, I want to see your actions!"
" General Ross, I need time to investigate. If my agents have indeed violated regulations, I will give you an explanation."
"I'm giving you time," Thaddeus Ross said, "But until the investigation is complete, keep your agents in line. If he gets any closer to my military district, or to my daughter, I won't hesitate to have my soldiers conduct a live-fire exercise. The target is your agent. Understand?"
"... clear."
Thaddeus Ross hung up the phone. A deathly silence returned to the office. He placed the communicator back on the table, looked up at Lin Xiao. His gaze wasn't that of someone looking at a person, but rather like that of someone reviewing a piece of intelligence that needed to be filed.
You heard everything.
Lin Xiao nodded, his expression remaining calm. "Yes, General."
He pulled Betty behind him. The movement was light but firm, as if he were touching a rare treasure. He looked at Thaddeus Ross, his previous playful smile gone, replaced by a serious, almost solemn expression that rarely appeared on his face.
"I won't step foot within three kilometers of the military district. You can send a platoon to keep watch on me, I don't care." He turned his head and glanced at Betty, "But if Betty wants to see me, no one can stop her."
Thaddeus Ross narrowed his eyes. "Are you threatening me?"
"It's not a threat." Lin Xiao met his gaze, his tone calm, neither provocative nor hesitant. "It's a notification. I may be soft all over, but I'm incredibly resilient."
Thaddeus Ross stared at him, a different look finally appearing in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
"You can leave now."
Lin Xiao didn't say much. He took Betty's hand and turned to walk towards the door.
The door closed slowly behind him. Thaddeus Ross stood there, silent for what seemed like an eternity, then slammed the teacup on the table to the ground. With a loud crash, the teacup shattered. He picked up the encrypted phone on the table and dialed another number.
"Keep watching him. 24 hours a day. Don't make any moves unless he commits a crime."
After hanging up, he dialed a third number.
"Expedite the investigation. I need to know the whereabouts of that needle as soon as possible."
After hanging up the phone, Thaddeus Ross straightened up, adjusted the collar of his military uniform, and sighed softly.
"She always disagrees with me, which gives me a headache."
In the hallway, Betty leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh. Her eyes were still red, but the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile that she herself didn't even realize.
"This is the first time in my life I've ever had such a big argument with my dad."
"Regret it?"
Betty turned to look at Lin Xiao, a softer look appearing in her brown eyes.
No regrets.
Lin Xiao looked at her, reached out and tucked a stray strand of hair that had fallen across Betty's forehead behind her ear, his movements so gentle it was as if he were afraid of breaking something.
"I'm sorry. I've been acting the whole time, but I don't want to act anymore today."
Betty didn't say anything. She just buried her face deeper into his chest.
Then she mumbled, "I didn't push you away yesterday, not because I didn't realize what was happening."
Lin Xiao looked down at her.
Why is that?
Betty didn't answer. But her ears were so red they could bleed, and their lips met in a kiss.
At the far end of the corridor, two soldiers in civilian clothes were pretending to look at the notice board on the wall. One nudged the other with his elbow and whispered, "The general told us to keep an eye on him. Should we keep an eye on him now?"
Another person, expressionless, looked at the "Regulations on Military Camp Hygiene Management" on the bulletin board for the third time, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth. "Keep an eye on it, but choose the right time."