Go to Europe

After settling Little Monroe's adoption, Zhang Xuan was in high spirits and naturally treated everyone to a meal. After a moment's thought, he led the group toward Chinatown. Neither Zhang Xuan nor Alex liked Western food; both preferred Chinese cuisine.

Steve and Bucky deliberately fell a few steps behind and pulled Zhang Xuan back with them. Before they could speak, Zhang Xuan spoke first. "I know what you want to ask. Let me explain."

After thinking it over, Zhang Xuan concealed some things. For instance, he did not honestly reveal that he had acquired a thirty percent stake in Stark Industries. He only said that he had mentioned an idea to Howard that had caught his attention, nothing more. As for Vivien Leigh, he hid nothing. On one hand, there was no need to conceal it; on the other, there would be plenty more of this in the future. He could not keep hiding it forever, could he?

After hearing Zhang Xuan's account, Steve and Bucky both looked at him strangely, their eyes filled with suspicion and envy.

"Steve, Bucky, you two have the looks and the qualifications. How about joining me in Hollywood and becoming big stars?" Zhang Xuan knew their personalities well, so he said it purely to lighten the mood.

Sure enough, the moment the words left Zhang Xuan's mouth, the two of them immediately refused.

"Actually, being a comic artist is my dream!" That was Steve's wish. In truth, his drawing skills were indeed quite good.

"I don't have any big dreams. I just want to find a woman and live a good life." It was hard to imagine that this would be the original dream of the Winter Soldier, who would one day terrify countless people.

Listening to their somewhat wistful words, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a trace of hesitation. Should he change history?

It was still An Family Restaurant. A table full of authentic, delicious Chinese dishes, perfect in color, aroma, and taste, had everyone present drooling. Even Vivien Leigh set aside a beauty's restraint and enthusiastically joined the feast.

After the delicious meal, everyone rubbed their bellies and sighed one after another.

"I never expected Chinese food to be this delicious!" Howard still held a fork in his hand. His eyes darted toward the few ribs left on the plate, then he rubbed his already bloated stomach. After hesitating for a long while, he finally put down his fork.

Vivien Leigh was the most elegant of them all. She wiped the grease from her lips with a napkin, satisfaction and delight written across her lovely face. "Thank you, Alex. Chinese food is truly delicious. If I have the chance, I will definitely come back and try it again."

Little Monroe leaned back in her chair with her belly sticking out. She had eaten far too much and could not say a single word now. Yet her two round eyes kept staring at the table, as though she still wanted to stuff something else into her mouth. Zhang Xuan hurriedly stopped her. No matter how delicious it was, she could not eat like that. If she ate herself to death, it would be the whole world's loss!

Of them all, Victor was the only one who still maintained a bit of composure, though his aged face carried a trace of lingering regret. From the very beginning, his mind had not been on the food at all, but entirely on the movie. By the time he realized the food was an exquisite feast, only half the dishes remained on the table. In the end, he ate the least and regretted it the most.

"I have to eat this again!"

Once everyone had eaten their fill, Zhang Xuan finally found a chance to bring up the matter. He had wanted to speak several times during the meal, but everyone had been focused on the food, leaving him no choice but to give up.

"Miss Vivien Leigh, could I trouble you to take care of Little Monroe for a while?" After weighing his words, Zhang Xuan looked at Vivien Leigh and asked pleadingly.

"What is it? Did something happen?" Zhang Xuan had only just adopted Little Monroe, yet now he was sending her away. Vivien Leigh found it deeply strange and looked at Zhang Xuan with confusion all over her face.

The moment Little Monroe heard Zhang Xuan's words, she became agitated. She threw her arms around him, tears pouring out like floodwater from a broken dam.

"I'm only going to Europe for a few days. I'll be back very soon." Going to Europe was something Zhang Xuan had planned long ago. In fact, ever since learning that he had arrived in 1940, he had been planning a trip to Europe.

"Europe is at war right now. What are you going there for?" Howard was an arms dealer and knew the situation in World War II better than anyone. Hearing Zhang Xuan's words, he frowned tightly and asked in confusion.

Naturally, Zhang Xuan could not reveal his true purpose. After thinking it over, he could only make up an excuse and say in a deliberately somber voice, "I found some clues about my father. I want to go to Europe and take a look."

"Your father?" Vivien Leigh, Howard, and the others knew nothing about Zhang Xuan's background, so they all found this strange.

"My father disappeared before I was even born. I've always been trying to find him." Zhang Xuan briefly explained his background. "Now that I have some clues, I have to go to Europe. I have to find him!"

After hearing Zhang Xuan say this, no one had any excuse left to stop him. Only Little Monroe continued crying and shouting, "Brother, I won't let you go! If you're going, you have to take Monroe with you!"

Zhang Xuan had not expected Monroe to be so dependent on him. Though he felt secretly pleased, he also developed a headache. Taking a child with him to Europe this time would truly be inconvenient. The flames of World War II were raging across Europe, and Zhang Xuan did not dare take a child into such danger.

Just as he was worrying, Vivien Leigh spoke. Gently patting Little Monroe's back, she said softly, "Little Monroe, your brother is going to do something important. We shouldn't hold him up, okay?" Seeing that the little girl seemed ready to stop crying, Vivien Leigh quickly continued comforting her. "Don't you want to become a star? Come with your sister, and I'll teach you, okay?"

Little Monroe immediately stopped crying. She crawled out of Zhang Xuan's arms, looked up at Vivien Leigh, then turned to look at Zhang Xuan. Her lively eyes were full of conflict.

"Little Monroe, I hope that when I come back, I'll see a different Monroe. What do you say?" Seeing the look in Little Monroe's eyes, Zhang Xuan knew it was time for him to speak.

Little Monroe suddenly raised her head to look at Zhang Xuan. She nodded solemnly and said, "Brother, Little Monroe will become different. Wait for me to grow up while you're gone!"

"Good. It's a promise!"

After soothing and coaxing Little Monroe, Zhang Xuan's trip to Europe was basically settled. After the meal, Victor eagerly pulled Zhang Xuan aside. He knew Zhang Xuan was about to leave America for Europe, so he wanted to hurry and finalize the details of the movie "Ghost" with him.

"Victor, you can handle this yourself." Zhang Xuan was a lazy man. His so-called plan to enter Hollywood was really just selling stories; he had no desire to manage anything else. "I've already given you the story. How to film it is entirely up to you. You really don't need to ask me!"

"You're the screenwriter, and you understand the entire story best. You cannot neglect your responsibility." Victor had no intention of letting Zhang Xuan off. He grabbed hold of him and insisted that he offer some ideas.

"Fine, Victor. What exactly do you want me to say?" With no way to escape Victor's persistence, Zhang Xuan could only give in.

"Who do you think would be suitable for the leading roles?"

"Miss Vivien Leigh should naturally play the female lead. As for Sam and Carl, I'm not familiar with Hollywood actors, so I'll leave that to you, Director!" Before Victor could recover, Zhang Xuan immediately bolted away, looking almost like an escaped convict.

When Zhang Xuan finally returned to the apartment, he found Steve and Bucky standing outside the door. From their expressions, they seemed to have something to say.

Not understanding what was going on, Zhang Xuan invited them inside. Yet neither of them spoke for a long time. Somewhat puzzled, he said, "You two, just say whatever you want. There's no need to beat around the bush!"

"Alex, what exactly are you going to Europe for?"

P.S. Thank you to Mu'er Is Delicious for the donation. Scorpion is deeply grateful...