Looking at the small, skinny Steve, then at the strong, muscular Bucky, they really did seem like younger versions of Captain America and Bucky. Still, Zhang Xuan did not immediately jump to conclusions. Maybe it was just a coincidence. That was how he reassured himself.
"Steve, what did the doctor say? How many more days does Alex need to stay in bed?" Bucky did not notice Zhang Xuan's expression. He turned to Steve, who did not even reach his chest, his handsome face carrying a faintly strange look.
"I'm already better!" Hearing that, Zhang Xuan hurriedly threw back the blanket and jumped out of bed. No matter where he was, hospitals were the biggest money pits. He did not have a penny to his name, and Steve and Bucky had probably paid for his hospital stay. Getting discharged early would save some money.
Steve reached out to stop Zhang Xuan from leaving and said anxiously, "You just woke up. How could you be better so quickly?"
Zhang Xuan was deeply grateful, but he would rather die than remain in the hospital. On one hand, he was truly worried about the money. On the other, he had a strong aversion to hospitals and genuinely did not want to stay there any longer.
Seeing Zhang Xuan struggle so desperately, Steve stopped trying to hold him back and accompanied him out of the hospital. As for the medical and hospitalization fees, Zhang Xuan discreetly asked around and learned that Steve had indeed paid them for him.
"Steve, I'll pay you back soon." Once outside the hospital, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath. The air was thick with the smell of coal smoke, but it somehow smelled better than the medicinal odor inside the hospital.
"No rush!" Steve waved it off carelessly, then asked, "Alex, where's your home? We'll take you back."
"Home?" Zhang Xuan repeated. The home Alex had not returned to in three years suddenly surfaced in his mind. Maybe it was time to go back and take a look. With that thought, Zhang Xuan casually gave them an address.
After saying it, Zhang Xuan noticed that both Steve and Bucky were staring at him in surprise, seemingly doubtful. He could not help asking, "What is it?"
"I didn't expect us to be neighbors." Steve and Bucky exchanged a glance before saying in disbelief, "We grew up in that neighborhood. How have we never seen you?"
"We moved there three years ago. Not long after that, she passed away. I never went back after that." Remembering the painful years of the past three years, Zhang Xuan's heart clenched again, for Alex and for himself.
Steve looked at Zhang Xuan with guilt. After a long silence, he finally said, "Come on. Let's go home together."
After seeing Steve and Bucky off, Zhang Xuan stood before the door of his former home for more than half an hour before pulling a red string from his chest. A key hung from it.
Touching the key still warm from his body, Zhang Xuan took a deep breath, as though making up his mind. He inserted it into the lock and gave it a gentle turn. After the crisp yet slightly stiff sound of the lock cylinder turning, the door that had been sealed for three years opened once more.
Zhang Xuan gently pushed the door open and stepped inside. No one had lived there for three years, and the room was covered in dust and cobwebs. Every step stirred up a little "sandstorm," making him cough several times.
After finally getting used to the dusty air, Zhang Xuan looked around and carefully examined everything in the room.
It was a living room: an old black leather sofa, a cabinet, a long table, several chairs, and a broken mantel clock in one corner. The living room connected to an open kitchen, where several pieces of cookware had been neatly arranged in the cramped space. Beside them stood a glass cabinet holding several sets of tableware.
Two doors stood open on the other side of the living room. One was Alex's room, and the other was his mother's.
After standing there for a long while, Zhang Xuan began moving. He did not want to abandon this home. He wanted to clean it up and welcome his new life.
After three hours of work, Zhang Xuan finally stopped. The home that had once been full of dust and cobwebs now looked completely renewed. Leaning crookedly against the sofa, he turned to look at the photo frame atop the cabinet. Two people stood in the picture: a woman with a gentle, sweet smile and a half-grown boy. Zhang Xuan smiled faintly. "Mom, I'll live well."
Zhang Xuan did not feel much reluctance about returning to 1940. He sympathized deeply with Alex and had accepted Alex's identity. He also felt great respect for the sweetly smiling woman in the photograph. She had raised Alex alone and even built up a respectable family fortune. She was a great woman, worthy of Zhang Xuan's respect.
Just as Zhang Xuan sank into deep thought, a knock suddenly sounded at the door.
"Who would come looking for me?" Zhang Xuan wondered. Still, he rose from the sofa and opened the door. Seeing the two people standing outside, he was surprised. "Why are you here?"
"You haven't had dinner yet, right? Come with us!" Bucky slung an arm around Steve's shoulders and, without giving Zhang Xuan a chance to object, grabbed him and ran off.
As they walked, Bucky eagerly told them about his plan, brimming with excitement. "After dinner, we can go see a movie—Waterloo Bridge. I've been looking forward to it for ages! Vivien Leigh, my favorite!"
Waterloo Bridge, Vivien Leigh. Hearing those two familiar names, Zhang Xuan suddenly smiled. "Maybe I can make a career in Hollywood." With a seventy-year advantage and the countless films he had watched, Zhang Xuan believed he could make a name for himself in Hollywood.
Dinner was simple, because all three of them were focused on the upcoming movie. Steve and Bucky wanted to see Vivien Leigh, while Zhang Xuan wanted to see what films of this era were really like. Only after understanding them well could he determine whether he could pursue a career in Hollywood.
When they arrived at the theater, it was already packed. After a great deal of effort, they finally found their seats and quickly sat down, their faces full of anticipation.
"When does the movie start?" After waiting for a long time without the film beginning, Zhang Xuan was puzzled.
"In a little while," Steve said without turning his head, his eyes fixed intently on the screen before him.
Black-and-white footage was playing on the screen, but it was not from the movie. It looked more like military recruitment propaganda. World War II had already broken out in 1940. Although the United States had not officially declared war on Germany, some prewar mobilization had already begun.
Naturally, Zhang Xuan had no interest in that. He looked around instead. Seeing the tiny theater packed with people, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of pride. One day, you'll all see my movies.
By the time the movie ended, two hours had quietly passed. A crescent moon hung in the sky, and the daytime heat had been swept away by the cool night breeze, even leaving a faint chill in the air.
When Zhang Xuan and the others walked out of the theater, none of them spoke. The tragic, sorrowful love story had left all three of them feeling somewhat dejected.
"Come on, let's go get a drink!" After walking down the street for a while, Bucky suddenly spoke.
Normally, Steve would have objected, but not today. He nodded in agreement. Zhang Xuan had not expected a movie to make him so sad either, and he also hoped a drink would ease his mood.
The three found a nearby bar, went inside, ordered drinks, and settled into a corner. They drank slowly without speaking, all three still immersed in the movie.
"If I were Roy, I wouldn't have left back then. I would have married Myra no matter what!" After several drinks, Bucky said gloomily.
Steve sympathized with Myra's tragic fate as well, but he did not agree with Bucky. "Before one's country, personal feelings can be set aside. Roy was a soldier. A soldier's duty is to obey orders. How could he disobey military commands?"
Watching the two argue, Zhang Xuan tipped back a glass of liquor and said in a low voice, "If there had been no war, none of this tragedy would have happened. Roy and Myra would have lived happily together."
"War... I hate war!" Thinking of the World War II that had just broken out, then of his father who had died in World War I, Steve's expression became somewhat twisted.
"I heard the new Stark Expo is about to begin. Are you interested in going to take a look together?" Seeing that something was wrong with Steve's expression, Bucky quickly changed the subject.
"Stark Expo?" Zhang Xuan asked in surprise, his gaze turning blank.
"Yeah, the Stark Industries Expo. There'll be plenty of novel and interesting things inside. Let's all go together when the time comes!" Bucky did not notice Zhang Xuan's expression and continued on his own. "I also heard that Mr. Howard Stark plans to invite Vivien Leigh to the expo!"
"Howard Stark... it really is him!" Hearing the name from Bucky's mouth, the last trace of Zhang Xuan's hope vanished. Only one thought remained in his heart: this world really was the Marvel Universe!
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