For Tony Stark,
Pepper was always his weak spot.
Although the two of them weren't together at the moment,
Tony Stark trusted very few people now, especially after the kidnapping incident.
Only Pepper was left.
Therefore, he absolutely would not allow anyone to approach Pepper with ulterior motives.
Definitely not, let alone allow Pepper to be snatched away by someone else!
Whether it's that damn Mr. Superman or Batman.
Not even the Joker!
So, when Tony Stark found this coffee shop,
Su Che wasn't surprised at all.
On the other hand, Steve, who was beside him, looked at Tony strangely.
"Hey man, even though I'm the greatest genius of this century, I don't like men, and men can't get a penny from me based on their looks. So don't look at me like that, thank you."
Facing Steve's gaze, Tony Stark instinctively leaned to the side.
Although the guy in front of him felt very familiar to Tony Stark, like he'd seen him somewhere before.
But the look in his eyes made Tony feel a bit uncomfortable.
Please, what's with a man looking at him with such an intense gaze?
Could it be that his charm had increased again, enough to attract even men?
Forget it, never mind!
He was here on business today!
"I've taken a liking to your coffee shop. Tell me, how much money do you want to transfer it to me?"
Looking at Su Che, Tony Stark said with an "I'm rich and powerful" face.
He didn't mention Pepper at all, nor did he tell Su Che to stay away from Pepper.
Based on this alone, Su Che sensed something was wrong.
Since obtaining a constitution ten times the peak physical fitness of an ordinary human,
Su Che found that even his thinking had become faster.
A hand quietly dialed a number under the table.
Then he pretended to inadvertently pick up his coffee and take a sip.
He then turned to Steve and asked with a smile, "Similar?"
"Very!"
Hearing Su Che ask him, Steve knew he was asking if the Tony Stark in front of them resembled his father, Howard Stark, back in the day.
"But although he looks very similar, he wasn't like that back then..."
"Disgusting?"
"That's pretty much it. Though I think 'arrogant' is a better word."
"Hey, hey, I said there's still a living person here! Can you two show some respect? I'm Tony Stark!"
At this, Tony Stark sneered, "Lots of people have called me arrogant over the years. I don't care about you two nobodies."
"Let's talk business. How much for the coffee shop?"
Looking at Su Che, Tony said "proudly," "Think carefully; this might be money you'd never earn in your lifetime, so I'll allow you to name a slightly higher price."
"Are you recording audio and video right now?"
Seeing Tony deliberately putting on a particularly "arrogant" act, like a nouveau riche,
Su Che glanced at Tony and then said softly, "You deliberately put on this demeanor to provoke me and then intentionally set a trap to make me name an astronomical figure."
"That way, you can save this recording."
"Although this can't be used as evidence—after all, according to the law here, as long as the buyer and seller reach an agreement voluntarily, it's not extortion—"
"However, the evidence you're preserving isn't meant to sue me but to show it to someone else, to make that person think I'm a greedy guy, right?"
Seeing Tony Stark's expression freeze because of his words,
and then drop the arrogant, cocky, and deliberately obnoxious expression he had just put on,
Su Che nodded. "Seems I'm right."
"Then let me guess, who do you want to give this audio and video recording to? Who do you want to see my 'true' face?"
"Hmm... There aren't many people Tony Stark cares about. But it's obviously a woman."
"There are very few women I've been in contact with who are related to you and whom you deeply care about. If nothing's wrong, it should be Ms. Pepper Potts!"
Hearing Su Che's analysis,
Tony Stark's expression returned to normal.
Obviously, this guy, who Pepper called Mr. Superman, wasn't easy to deal with!
That's right, Pepper's Mr. Superman was spot on.
He really was sharp.
Tony really was thinking that.
He even had the audio and video recording ready.
If this guy dared to ask for an outrageous price, Tony was willing to pay it.
Anyway, spending some money to let Pepper see the true nature of this Mr. Superman, whom she said was so caring, understanding, and comforting, was worth it.
He just didn't expect to be seen through!
Tsk, if only he were as stupid as those guys who flew to the Middle East in his armor a few days ago to blow up the weapons produced by Stark Industries.
He took a sip of the coffee in front of him.
Tony Stark nodded approvingly. "The coffee is really good. But I don't like you, pal."
"So let's talk. What exactly do you want to stay away from Pepper for? I don't believe you have no other purpose in contacting Pepper."
"Are you so sure I approached Ms. Pepper Potts with ulterior motives?"
Seeing Tony's serious look, Su Che deliberately teased him.
"Absolutely!"
Looking at Su Che with certainty, Tony Stark smiled confidently, "I don't believe you have no other purpose in contacting Pepper."
"After all, Pepper calls you Mr. Superman, and you call her Pepper."
"Damn it, the age gap between you two is right there."
"Although I admit you're as handsome as the big fool next to you, and you have a temperament that's extremely attractive to women, I don't believe you touch Pe—"
Before Tony Stark could finish,
Su Che picked up the phone and said with a smile, "Pepper, did you hear what Mr. Tony Stark said?"
"Shit!"
The moment Su Che took out his phone, Tony Stark stared at him wide-eyed.
A bad feeling suddenly rose in his heart.
Sure enough, when he heard him call Pepper on the other end of the phone,
Tony's heart skipped a beat.
Dammit!
He came here to piss him off but ended up getting screwed over by him!
"Sorry, Su, I didn't expect this to happen."
On the other end of the phone, Pepper Potts had been listening on her phone.
She apologized to Su Che in a very sincere tone, "I didn't know Tony left the lab early this morning to actually go find you."
"I'm really sorry for the trouble this has caused you."
As for Tony Stark investigating her friends and trying to use money to make them leave,
Pepper thought... that was just like Tony Stark!
Although she was annoyed that he privately denied her right to make friends,
she knew she shouldn't—at least couldn't—let Tony lose face in public...
So Pepper just apologized to Su Che but didn't lose her temper with Tony or anything.
It has to be said, it was a very nice, considerate way of handling it.
However, Tony's eyes were frozen at this moment, even a little panicked.
It perfectly reflected Tony's extremely real psychological state right now!
"It's okay, I understand. After all, this is also a form of concern Mr. Stark has for you. Although this kind of concern surpasses that of a boss for an assistant,"
"it also shows that the relationship between you two is really good."
Well, a few words dripping with green-tea energy [pretending to be understanding and innocent while subtly stirring trouble].
Su Che smiled and hung up the phone.
"Damn it, you actually set me up!"
Looking at Su Che, Tony Stark wasn't sure whether to express anger or regret.
In the end, he leaned back in his chair and looked at Su Che speechlessly. "The coffee quality is so good; can't your character be like the coffee?"
"Mr. Stark, don't you think I'm just using your own methods against you?"
Hearing Su Che's sarcasm, Tony Stark was silent for a moment.
He didn't know what to say.
After all, the guy in front of him had just used his own method and turned it back on him.
If he said he was shameless and had bad character, wouldn't he be insulting himself?
After a short silence, Tony Stark suddenly picked up the coffee on the table and downed it.
Then, he shot an angry glance at Su Che and left directly.
Thinking about going back, Pepper would probably pretend nothing happened and then act all businesslike...
Tony had a headache!
Because that was a sign Pepper was truly angry!
However, leaving like this was really frustrating!
Gotta find somewhere else to go.
Walking to the door, this imposing billionaire, hailed as the greatest genius of the century, owner of Stark Industries, Tony Stark, made a decision unbefitting his status!
That is...
He absolutely would not pay for the cup of coffee he just drank!
No way!!!
"That's childish enough."
Watching Tony leave angrily, Steve smiled at Su Che. "But this pettiness is really similar to Howard's."
"But what's the deal with him and Pepper? Are they boyfriend and girlfriend?"
Hearing Steve's question, Su Che smiled while holding his coffee. "Those two, one is emotionally dense, and the other is worried that if they get together, people will think she's after Tony's money and status."
"So they're both hiding their feelings from each other."
"For two people like this, there needs to be some external catalyst."
"I understand; it's just like me and Peggy back then."
Picking up his coffee and taking a sip, Steve looked at Su Che and said with a smile, "Actually, there are S.H.I.E.L.D. people monitoring me all the time."
"I know they mean well, so yesterday I found the guy watching me and asked him to help me get some good nesting fish feed."
"Calculating the time, they should have already put the fish bait at our usual fishing spot!"
"Shall we go?"
"Alright, let's go!"