Steve left after dinner. Hong Fei reminded him to keep the Superpower Park plan under wraps for now, then headed into the city himself. He swung by the bookstore to pick up Mei. As they drove off, he casually said, "Close the bookstore."
Mei buckled her seatbelt and turned to him, brows raised.
"Why?"
"You don't need to be working so hard."
A small smile tugged at his lips.
Her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"If I don't work, will you support me?"
"Of course."
"No."
Her refusal came swift and firm.
"I need to stay busy. It makes me feel alive."
"Fine," Hong Fei conceded. "But you could do something easier."
"I'm perfectly relaxed now," Mei countered.
"The bookstore work isn't stressful. Every day, I'm surrounded by books waiting to be read. Plus, the income lets me provide a better life for Peter. What could be more wonderful than that?"
Hong Fei dropped the subject. Truth be told, it wasn't a bad arrangement. Running her own business kept her occupied and prevented her from overthinking. And the bookstore was turning a decent profit. Still... she was using money earned from his investments to support another man, and he couldn't even complain about it.
Peter, buddy, you'd better treat me right in the future, or I'll hang you up and teach you a lesson.
Their first stop was the supermarket. Hong Fei loaded up the cart with groceries and, despite Mei's protests, added a mountain of other items. The haul was so massive they had to arrange delivery—there was no way it would all fit in the sports car.
"Next time, I'm switching to a pickup truck," Hong Fei muttered with a grin as they got back in the car.
"Absolutely not!"
Mei shot back.
"I don't even know where to put all this stuff. And with all these toys and snacks, if Peter ruins his teeth, I'm holding you responsible."
"Relax. I'll just take him to get a mouthful of gold teeth. He'll look like a little tycoon every time he smiles."
Mei smacked his arm.
"Stop joking around. Just drive!"
Back at the apartment, it took several supermarket employees to haul everything upstairs. Mei stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, surveying the mountain of purchases with a mix of exasperation and disbelief. She shot Hong Fei a pointed look.
The rest of the afternoon was spent organizing and putting things away. Mei's apartment wasn't small, but it was already well-equipped, making Hong Fei's additions feel somewhat excessive. Fortunately, most of it was food, which would eventually be consumed. Keep eating, warriors!
In the evening, Peter came home with his backpack. The moment he spotted Hong Fei, he tossed his bag onto the sofa and charged at him with a cheer. Hong Fei scooped him up, then whispered conspiratorially, "Why don't you check your room first?"
Peter's eyes lit up with excitement. He dashed to his room, and moments later, delighted squeals echoed down the hall.
"Peter! That's enough!" Mei called from the kitchen.
"From now on, I'll be checking your homework every day!"
"No problem!"
Peter's enthusiasm was undiminished.
Dinner was lively and filled with laughter. Afterward, Peter dragged Hong Fei into his room. Hong Fei sat on the edge of Peter's bed, smiling as the boy proudly showed off his toys and chattered about school. Peter even pulled out his phone, opened a video, and shared the White Dragon of the Dragon King with Hong Fei.
"Look at this!"
Peter beamed.
"You gave me this too. It's my favorite toy, bar none!"
He turned and grabbed the Iron Man figure Hong Fei had originally gotten from Tony.
As Hong Fei held it, he could feel the machinery inside whirring softly. So, Tony was still keeping tabs, huh? The corner of Hong Fei's mouth curved into a smirk.
His gaze locked onto the figure's eyes.
"Why is this your favorite?"
"Because you gave it to me, and it's Iron Man!"
Hong Fei turned to point at the standing Iron Man armor nearby.
"What about that one?"
Peter scrambled over, tilting his head up to examine the cold metallic shell. His voice carried a hint of disappointment.
"I like that one too, even though it's just a life-size model. But it's too big and heavy. I'm not tall enough yet to move it."
"You'll grow."
At twelve, Peter was entering his growth spurt—kids at this age seemed to change overnight. In a few years, he'd become the Spider-Man Hong Fei remembered. Though Spider-Man always seemed cursed with innate misfortune.
For the boy, that might not be ideal. But with Master Hong guiding him, this Spider-Man would turn out very different indeed.
Late that night, Hong Fei prepared to leave. Mei and Peter saw him off downstairs. Peter's eyes darted meaningfully, but Hong Fei gave a subtle head shake. Mei remained bashful—with Peter present, she didn't dare show affection.
If Peter asked him to stay now, the boy would definitely catch hell from Mei later.
Sliding into the driver's seat, Mei leaned through the window, her whisper tickling Hong Fei's ear.
"Tomorrow morning. Seventh floor."
She straightened instantly, waving goodbye with practiced nonchalance.
Hong Fei nodded and pulled away.
Peter frowned.
"Aunt Mei, what did you just tell him?"
"Nothing."
"I saw you whispering."
"You clearly don't have enough homework."
Next morning. The seventh floor became ground zero for seismic activity. After their sweaty battle, Hong Fei carried a spent Mei to the bathtub filled with warm water. She lay motionless except for the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
Much later, they returned to the living room.
"You should practice your Qi more," Hong Fei remarked. "Your complexion's improved."
"Really?"
Mei touched her face delightedly.
"I feel like my wrinkles have smoothed out too."
Hong Fei grinned.
"Your stamina's gotten much better."
Mei shot him a glare. After sipping water, she asked, "Is your dragon real?"
"Very. Want to ride it?"
"I wouldn't mind, but Peter seems obsessed."
"Not the right time yet."
"When will you tell him who you really are?"
"Maybe in a couple years."
Mei rested her head on his shoulder.
"Be careful. Everything you do is dangerous."
"I will."
His arm encircled her waist.
"Peter's still young. He needs a father figure."
"What about before?"
"I never considered it. Never met anyone suitable."
"Don't worry. I'll raise him right."
Mei jerked upright.
"Don't teach him to fight!"
"Of course not. I'll preach the virtues of harmony!"
Their eyes met, drawing them together like magnets.
Moments later: "Mmm... I can't..."
"Then why won't you let go..."
Evening found them saying goodbye in the golden light. Hong Fei headed for Avengers Tower where Steve waited downstairs.
Spotting Hong Fei's arrival, Steve approached smiling.
"Tony's upstairs."
"Let's go."
Hong Fei tossed the keys over his shoulder.
"Park it anywhere."
Happy instinctively caught the keys, muttering under his breath as he watched the two walk away, "I'm the head of security, not a valet."
Upstairs, Tony stood behind the bar, pouring drinks with practiced ease. The two entered and approached the counter. He slid two different glasses of liquid toward them. When Hong Fei didn't move, Tony snapped, "It's not alcohol."
Only then did Hong Fei pick up the glass and sniff it cautiously.
Sure enough, it wasn't. Tony set his glass down and got straight to the point.
"Alright, what's this about?"
Hong Fei took a small sip before answering.
"The second exchange is coming up."
Tony nodded.
"Three more days."
Hong Fei settled onto a high stool.
"Three days isn't much time. Might as well exchange some opinions first."
Tony's eyebrows lifted.
"Who's your candidate?" Hong Fei smiled faintly.
"Shouldn't it be anonymous?"
Tony gave a thin smile, turned around, and retrieved two pieces of paper and pens. He handed one set to Hong Fei.
"Write separately. Exchange after writing. No modifications, no take-backs."
"Agreed."
Tony glanced at Steve, who nodded in agreement. He turned his back to Hong Fei and began writing. Hong Fei unfolded the paper, wrote his own name in Chinese characters, and folded it back up.
Soon, Tony turned around as well. They exchanged papers. Unfolding his, Hong Fei saw the name he'd expected: Tony Stark. Meanwhile, Tony frowned deeply as he stared at the name on his paper. Hong Fei couldn't resist teasing him.
"What? Can't read it?"
"Hmph, I understand Chinese!"
Tony set the paper down, his gaze challenging.
"Why is it you?"
Hong Fei waved the name in his hand.
"Then what does this one of yours mean?"
The two stood in silent confrontation. Finally, Steve stepped in to break the stalemate. He took the two papers, glanced at them, and said, "You're both pillars of your respective teams. I think this exchange is very reasonable."
Tony shot Steve a resentful look: We're teammates!
Steve returned an apologetic glance: Sorry, I'm an undercover agent... I mean, we need his help. Hong Fei chimed in, "Steve's right."
Tony let out a long sigh.
"Fine, let it be then. I'll be over in three days. But I like big rooms, and I need a workshop. Is everything ready on your side?"
Hong Fei's smile didn't falter.
"There are plenty of big rooms. I can arrange a standalone villa for you. You can build your own workshop."
"If I'm exchanging over, who will I liaise with after I go over?"
"I'll arrange for Big Head to provide you services. He can even be your assistant for three months."
"After you leave, who will be in charge over there?"
"Frank, or Xu Wenwu. But Frank is often busy with his own things, so Xu Wenwu is mostly in charge these days."
Tony nodded slowly.
Hong Fei looked at him and added, "Xu Wenwu is not young."
"I know. You said he's over a thousand years old."
"He doesn't mind people mentioning his age or calling him old. But he's always been the big boss of the Ten Rings."
Tony's brow furrowed slightly.
"So?"
"When Frank and I are not around, his word is an order. Everyone must obey."
Tony sneered.
"What if it's unreasonable?"
"You obey even if it's unreasonable."
"What if I refuse?"
"Then you'll learn what discipline means."
"I'll be waiting to see."