On the top floor of Stark Tower, Tony Stark stands before the floor-to-ceiling window, a glass of whiskey in hand, gazing at the Manhattan skyline with his signature smug smile.
"Sir, Mr. Lin Xiao has entered the building," JARVIS's voice rang out.
Tony's smile froze for a moment. He put down his glass, straightened his tie, cleared his throat, and prepared to greet his "half-brother." He had expected this guy to come looking for him. He'd been in the hospital for a week; he'd definitely know about this. The TV was full of ads for the jetpack he endorsed—30,000 pre-orders, 1.5 billion US dollars in revenue. Lin Xiao might not be the brightest, but when it came to money, he was a genius.
Tony was ready. He opened the drawer, took out a pre-filled check, placed it on the table, and weighed it down with a paperweight. He pondered the amount for a long time before finally writing down a number he thought would shut the guy up.
Five hundred million US dollars. Then, after thinking about it, this guy seemed to have a deep obsession with taxes, so he quickly wrote down two more words: after tax.
Not long after, the elevator doors opened.
Lin Xiao strode out, his face not looking too good, his expression quite varied, but Tony and the Tony hadn't noticed yet, because their attention was completely drawn to the thing in Lin Xiao's hand.
It was a mop handle with an old bed sheet tied to it. On the sheet, several large characters were written in crooked hand, "Protect shareholder rights, unscrupulous merchants misappropriating portrait rights."
Tony's lips twitched. Where did this bastard get a mop from and make this thing?
" Tony!" Lin Xiao's voice echoed throughout the rooftop, "Do you think I'm easy to bully?!"
They've arrived.
Tony leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, picked up his whiskey, and said lazily, " Lin Xiao, long time no see. I heard you're having a good time in the hospital? With the military and nurses taking care of you? Your attending physician was so annoyed by you that he almost retired early?"
"Don't change the subject!" Lin Xiao slammed the mop handle on the ground with a loud bang. "Your so-called special agent jetpack used my image, how much money did you make? Thirty thousand units pre-ordered, at 500,000 each, that's 1.5 billion! And what did I get? I didn't see a single penny! Do you even consider me your brother anymore?!" Lin Xiao said with a pained expression.
Tony took a leisurely sip of his drink and pushed the checks on the table forward half an inch with his other hand.
Lin Xiao's gaze fell on the check. He saw the number clearly, and his throat moved very slightly. Five hundred million, after tax.
This... I've struck gold! Hold on! Hold on! Lin Xiao, I'm here to handle something big this time. This petty gain is not worth taking up a post.
Lin Xiao put down the mop handle, walked over, picked up the check, folded it, and stuffed it into the inside pocket of his trench coat. His movements were fluid and seamless.
He raised his head again, his expression suddenly becoming extremely serious.
"I didn't come here for the money today."
Tony paused, his hand holding the wine glass still. He looked at Lin Xiao's face, which seemed to say "I'm very serious," and for a moment couldn't tell if the guy was joking or genuine.
"... What did you say?"
"I said, I'm not here for the money today." Lin Xiao stuffed the check into his inner pocket again, making sure it was secure, before slowly looking at Tony. "I'm here for Peter."
Tony put down his glass, his brow furrowing. "What's wrong with Peter?"
"What's wrong?" Lin Xiao leaned forward, his hands on the desk, his voice rising a half-octave. "While I was away, you had Happy pick him up and drop him off at school every day, then drag him straight to Stark Tower after school, saying you were going to give him a lesson. What kind of lesson? What, do you want him to be a second-generation rich kid? That's my nephew! Mine! Did you even ask me? You're poaching my son, you're inhuman!"
"Wait a minute—" Tony raised a hand in an attempt to explain.
"What are you waiting for! Is this how you treat me? I rescued you, exposed Obadiah, helped you shut people down at the press conference, and cleaned up Iron Monger's mess. And what did you do? While I was in the hospital, you stole my image to sell jetpacks, and you even stole my nephew? Tony Stark, put your hand on your conscience—doesn't it hurt?"
Tony was silent for about two seconds, feeling somewhat amused and exasperated.
"How about I give you another two hundred million?"
"Can money buy family affection?" Lin Xiao patted his chest, his tone filled with heartache. "What I want is respect! The right to know! Basic courtesy towards me, as an elder!"
Here we go again. Tony closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, then shrugged and said:
" Peter. I admit it was wrong of me not to tell you about Peter. But let me finish—this kid is talented, not just in his special abilities, but also here." He pointed to his temple. "He and that girl named Gwen Stacy cleared out the crime in New York's old warehouse district in just three days. Do you know what the New York Police Department's reporting hall looks like now? It's full of robbers who have committed the Eight Honors and Eight Disgraces."
Lin Xiao's expression softened slightly.
"So I did something for them." Tony pressed the holographic projection button on the table, and a blue screen popped up, displaying two brand-new nanosuits. One was white, and the other was black, with a simple and clean design, completely different from the bulky armor Lin Xiao had seen before.
" Ghost-Spider and Super Fool, nanosuits, self-repairing, built-in vital signs monitoring system and environmental adaptation module. Their abilities are unique— Gwen Stacy needs agility, Peter needs focus. Traditional armor would actually limit their performance." Tony's tone was unusually serious as he swiped his finger across the screen, zooming in on the suit's details. "I used the best materials. Cost was no object."
Lin Xiao stared at the two suits for a while, the anger in his eyes slowly subsiding. His gaze swept over the small spider symbol on the shoulder of the white suit, and then looked at the hourglass pattern on the chest of the black suit, the pattern Peter designed for the Fool.
Lin Xiao opened his mouth, unsure of what to say, and subconsciously forced himself to speak.
" Tony, you've switched careers to become a tailor?"
Tony, unperturbed, reverted to his usual smug tone, "I've always been good at designing things. My clothes, my battle suits—aren't they all my own designs? I just hadn't met anyone worth my time before."
Lin Xiao looked up at Tony.
"Alright, let's put Peter's matter behind us."
Tony breathed a sigh of relief and was about to pick up his glass again when Lin Xiao suddenly pulled a thick stack of documents from his pocket and slammed them on the table.
"Now let's get down to business."
Tony's wine glass hung in mid-air. He glanced down at the stack of documents.
"... What's this?"
" Superhero Team formation plan." Lin Xiao pulled out a chair, sat down, crossed his legs, and flashed a bright smile. "I've been thinking about organizing such a team. At first, I just wanted to test Peter and Gwen Stacy's abilities, and I was very satisfied with their performance. This afternoon, after taking Mei home, I thought about it all afternoon and designed a plan. Now is the perfect time. What do you think? Are you interested? How about we form a team to uphold justice and educate the world?"
Tony put down his glass, picked up the document, and flipped through it. The document was thick, neatly printed, and divided into chapters. The first chapter was the team's vision, the second was member introductions, the third was the organizational structure, and the fourth was the budget proposal. Tony skipped the first three chapters and went straight to the fourth. His gaze lingered on a certain number.
"... Is this number for real?"
"I've calculated it." Lin Xiao's expression was shockingly sincere. "Public relations, legal affairs, marketing, equipment procurement, logistics support, new employee training—every item has a detailed budget. Look at the notes below."
Tony looked down. The notes section read, "Note: All the above costs are to be borne by Stark Industries."
Tony closed the file, crossed his arms on the table, and took a deep breath.
Lin Xiao.
"Um?"
"I'll provide the money, the personnel, and the equipment. What will you contribute?"
"Me! And the team members!" Lin Xiao pointed to himself, his tone infuriatingly frank. " Tony, haven't you been wanting to build a team for a while now? Don't ask me how I knew. Isn't this a golden opportunity? Our entire family is here. You should know my capabilities. Peter is my nephew, Ned is Peter's best friend. You've seen what they've been doing these past few days. As for that little girl Gwen Stacy, I'll go and talk to her."
The office was silent for a full five seconds.
Tony closed his eyes and took three deep breaths. Then he reopened his eyes and spoke in an extremely calm tone, "I can invest, and I can join, but we need to get this straight—who is the legal representative?"
"You," Lin Xiao answered quickly, as if he had already thought of the answer to this question, "Of course it's you. You're a billionaire, you have a legal team, a public relations team, and an insurance company. If one of our team members accidentally blows up the Empire State Building, or gets sued by the government, or some hero accidentally damages a rich man's yacht—you'll be the one to carry it."
"I'll carry it." Tony repeated those three words, his voice unusually calm.
"Yes. You can handle it anyway."
Tony slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his composure finally crumbling. "What the hell is 'legal entity'?! I put in the money and effort, and now I'm being blamed?! Am I crazy?"
"You're not crazy. You're Iron Man, you can handle it." Lin Xiao said calmly, giving a thumbs up. "And think about it, if our team succeeds, you'll be one of the founders. Your business card will say—CEO of Stark Industries, Iron Man, Avengers financial backer, honorary legal representative of the Superhero Team. How prestigious is that?"
What is the Avengers?
Lin Xiao coughed twice, then realized he had let something slip and quickly changed the subject. "Nothing, nothing, just a casual remark. The important thing is—we need to decide on the legal representative."
"I won't." Tony sat back down, arms crossed, looking completely unyielding. "I'll pay, but I won't take the blame."
Lin Xiao stared at him for a long while. Then he sighed, his tone suddenly becoming very sentimental.
" Tony, you know what? From the day I met you, I knew you were a responsible person. Billionaire, genius scientist, superhero—you're the pride of New York, the soul of Stark Industries. I treated you like a brother, thinking you'd hold the team together, for Peter, for those young guys. But you didn't even become a legal representative—"
"Alright, alright, stop with the act." Tony raised his hand to stop him, a very subtle expression on his face, a mixture of helplessness, amusement, and a barely concealed glint of shrewdness. He leaned back in his chair, tapped his fingers lightly on the table twice, and slowly curled the corners of his mouth up.
"A legal entity can be a legal person."
Lin Xiao's eyes lit up.
"But it's not me."
"... Who is that?"
Tony didn't answer. He picked up his phone from the table, scrolled to a number in his contacts labeled "Good Brother Rhodey," and pressed the dial button. The phone rang three times before being answered. A strong, hearty voice with a touch of military bravado came from the other end.
" Tony? What do you want so late?"
" Rhodey! My good brother!" Tony's voice instantly became enthusiastic, so enthusiastic that Lin Xiao got goosebumps. "How have you been lately? Busy with work? Want to come to New York for a drink? I have a bottle of limited edition whiskey that I've been treasuring for years, just waiting to share it with you."
Colonel Rhodes was silent for a moment. He had known Tony for so many years and knew the guy's tricks all too well. Every time Tony started with this tone, it was never good. But then he thought about it again. Although Tony liked to trick people, he was never ambiguous about important matters and was truly loyal to his own people. Plus, the limited edition whiskey was indeed quite attractive, so he spoke up:
"... Tony, the last time you spoke to me in that tone, you were asking me to commit perjury for you in a military court."
"I didn't let you go that time, did I? This time it's good news, pure and 100% good news. I'll treat you to a drink and show you something, I guarantee it's something good."
"What good stuff?"
"Don't ask. You'll find out when you get here." Tony said, then hung up the phone, put it down, and raised an eyebrow at Lin Xiao.
Lin Xiao, who had witnessed everything clearly, couldn't help but smile slightly and give Tony a thumbs up.
"You're planning to make Rhodey the legal representative?"
"He's a soldier, with connections, experience, and a strong ability to handle risks." Tony took a sip of his whiskey, his tone regaining its usual composure. "Besides, he's one of my best friends. Of course, I'd think of him if something good happened."
Looking at him, Lin Xiao suddenly felt a surge of indescribable emotion. Tony has really changed; he's showing the spirit of our generation now. Congratulations! Congratulations!
Lin Xiao looked at Tony's smug face and couldn't help but laugh.
" Tony."
"Um?"
You've changed.
Tony put down his glass, raised an eyebrow. "You've gotten more handsome?"
"You've become more reliable." Lin Xiao said this with a rare absence of his usual joking expression. "Before, you wouldn't have called Rhodey on your own initiative, much less worry about the two kids."
Tony opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something sarcastic to retort. But in the end, he simply picked up his glass, took a sip, and his tone became unusually serious. "You become like those you associate with. It's all because of you."
Is this a compliment or an insult?
Figure it out yourself.
The two sat facing each other and chatted for what seemed like an eternity, eventually discussing how to get Rhodey to obediently sign the corporate document. Lin Xiao suggested that Tony say he was seriously ill and nearing the end of his life, but Tony immediately rejected the idea, saying that he had already used that trick last time and almost got beaten to death by Rhodey. Lin Xiao then suggested that they could use a test drive of a new fighter jet as bait to lure him over, as the military was very interested in studying such things. Tony's eyes lit up, he nodded, and began texting Rhodey.
Just then, Lin Xiao's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID— Coulson.
Lin Xiao answered the phone with a smile, about to jokingly say, "Boss, why did you think of me?" But instead of Coulson's gentle voice, a strange, slightly hurried voice came from the other end. " Agent Lin Xiao, this is Agent Coulson's emergency contact. He was attacked by unidentified assailants this afternoon, is seriously injured and unconscious, and is currently being treated."
Lin Xiao's smile froze, and after a few seconds of silence, he slowly spoke.
Where are you now?
Having received the information, Lin Xiao lowered his head. The phone groaned almost imperceptibly in his palm, the screen shattered, the metal frame twisted and deformed, and shards of glass fell through his fingers. The battery began to crackle and spark. Tony's smile vanished in an instant. He instinctively wanted to step forward and say something, but Lin Xiao had already stood up.
The face lacked its usual playful smile, that irritating laziness, and any trace of relaxation that he had grown accustomed to seeing over the past few months. Instead, it possessed a cold, almost unfamiliar calm, like a tempered blade, not yet drawn, but already radiating a chilling glint.
Lin Xiao casually placed the shattered phone on the table, his voice still calm, but Tony could see the raging anger hidden beneath Lin Xiao's composure. " Tony, the team's affairs are in your hands."
He turned and left after speaking. Tony instinctively stood up and called his name, but Lin Xiao walked into the elevator without turning back. When the elevator doors closed, his face was reflected in the mirrored stainless steel, his eyes frighteningly calm.
In the underground parking garage, the roar of the Hummer's engine echoed throughout the entire floor. Tires scraped against the ground, leaving a trail of white smoke as the Hummer burst out of the exit like an enraged Beast and plunged into the New York night. Inside, Lin Xiao gripped the steering wheel, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.
Every moment from when he first met Coulson to now replayed in his mind. On the day of the interview, it was Coulson who said, "Congratulations, you're hired." When he was penniless, it was Coulson who took out two thousand dollars from his own wallet and said, "I won't charge you interest; I'll pay you back when I get paid." During the time when people suspected him of having money, it was Coulson who kept explaining things for him.
"Boss," he muttered to himself.
The Hummer roared as it charged toward the Triskelion.