The interview room had a boxing ring in it. It looked like this was where Tony Stark usually worked out.
It looked very familiar. After studying it for a while, Qin Xiao remembered that this seemed to be the place where Tony Stark interviewed Black Widow in Iron Man 2.
That certainly suited Tony Stark's personality. Sitting in an office with a stern face wasn't his style.
"Korean?"
As soon as Qin Xiao entered, Tony Stark asked him outright.
"Me? I'm Chinese!"
Qin Xiao pointed at himself as he spoke.
"YES!"
Tony Stark clenched his fist in a victory gesture.
Beside him, Happy pulled out a ten-dollar bill with a dark expression and placed it on the table.
These two actually made a bet on me. Qin Xiao grumbled inwardly as he walked up to Tony Stark.
"Honestly, I don't really like dealing with people. Nothing against you, I just don't really like dealing with strangers, especially men."
"If I hadn't promised everyone at the board meeting this year, I probably wouldn't have come here to look at your internship reports."
"So let's get right to it. First, congratulations, Mr. Qin. Your internship report was outstanding."
"Your lab supervisor gave you an A, saying you were a great help to everyone in the lab. So there's just one question left: would you like to stay in the lab, or move to the legal department and do the legal work you're better at?"
Qin Xiao's file showed that he had graduated with a law degree, which was why Tony Stark asked.
"Uh... honestly, I don't really mind. It's up to you where you put me. Also, Mr. Stark, law actually isn't what I'm good at!"
Qin Xiao spread his hands as he spoke.
"Oh?"
Tony Stark glanced down at Qin Xiao's file. After confirming that he hadn't misread it, he joked.
"Don't tell me it's Chinese kung fu?"
"I do know a little Chinese kung fu. I'm not particularly strong, though. For example, with a burly bodyguard like the gentleman beside you, I could only handle, hmm... about ten. But that's not what I..."
"Wait, wait. I have to stop you there. Did you just say you could handle ten of me?"
Happy couldn't listen any longer and cut Qin Xiao off.
"Sorry, boss, but I have to interrupt your work. My dignity is at stake here."
Happy had been with Tony Stark for over ten years and was one of the people he trusted most.
So he spoke rather casually with him.
Their exchange, however, had considerably piqued Tony Stark's interest.
Rather than respond to Happy, he spoke to Qin Xiao with interest.
"You haven't answered his question yet. Are you sure you can handle ten guys like him?"
He admired Qin Xiao's confidence, but Tony Stark wouldn't believe he could fight ten men at once, not for a second.
Still, he was young. A little exaggeration was normal.
But Qin Xiao nodded with utter seriousness.
"More or less. Twelve at most. He does look pretty burly, after all, so it would take some stamina."
With Qin Xiao's current physique, never mind ten ordinary people like Happy-even a hundred would go down with one punch each.
But that didn't matter. All he needed was to catch Tony Stark's attention and complete the mission.
Happy, however, was clearly getting angry. He was Tony Stark's personal bodyguard.
Having someone question his fighting ability was bad enough, especially when that someone looked like such a frail young man.
"Kid, I don't know whether your Chinese kung fu is as impressive as you claim, but I'll give you one chance to take that back. Otherwise..."
Happy stepped forward and clenched his fists at Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao smiled faintly. Instead of responding to Happy directly, he walked straight over to a punching bag.
He twisted his waist, drew a breath, stepped forward, and drove a vicious punch into the bag.
Bang!
The punching bag burst under that single punch.
"Oh! My God!"
"Oh! My God!"
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
"The kung fu I learned isn't really suited for sparring. I'm not very good at controlling its power. Are you sure you still want to go on? Just so we're clear, I don't have money to pay your medical bills!"
After Qin Xiao finished speaking, he could clearly see Happy's Adam's apple bob as he swallowed hard.
"All right, come back, Happy. That punch was more powerful than a world boxing champion's. Don't worry, I won't fire you over this."
Tony Stark stood, walked over to Happy, and patted his shoulder to smooth things over.
Then he asked Qin Xiao.
"How did you do that? I mean, that punch just now clearly exceeded certain... I mean, that looked very unscientific. Do you know what I mean?"
Tony Stark was clearly interested now.
Qin Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Because the system notification had already sounded.
"Congratulations, host. That display left a very deep impression on Tony Stark, and your name is firmly etched in his mind. Mission successfully completed. Reward: 500 points." "Points detected in the host's possession. System shop unlocked!"
The mission was finally complete. Qin Xiao breathed a sigh of relief, but he had no time to check what was in the shop.
Instead, he smiled faintly and said to Tony Stark.
"It's just a technique for releasing power in an instant. It takes years of practice!"
"Years of practice?"
Tony Stark muttered under his breath a few times.
"If, and I mean if, I learned this fighting technique from you, could I reach your level?"
As he spoke, he mimed punching a bag apart.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark, but with all due respect, these techniques require tedious, boring, and painful practice day after day. I don't think you could do it..."
Qin Xiao shrugged.
Now that Tony Stark was genuinely interested, Qin Xiao really had no way to handle it. He didn't know a damn thing about technique.
He had ended up like this after Isaiah haphazardly gave him a blood transfusion, okay?
Without the system, he didn't even know whether he could have survived the mutation.
But to Tony Stark, this behavior came across as contempt instead.
"You doubt me? You think I can't do it?"
Tony Stark spoke with a somewhat competitive edge.
Originally, he had only asked out of curiosity.
Although he was self-centered, arrogant, and full of himself,
he certainly wasn't someone completely lacking in self-awareness.
He knew very well where his strengths lay.
But for some reason, Qin Xiao's words gave him a rare feeling of defiance.
It was like when he was little, and his father constantly praised Captain America, Steve Rogers, in front of him, then criticized him for being good for nothing.