Gin removed his glasses and rubbed his nose; both he and the lawyer had been staring all night, but the boss didn't rest, and they had no reason to rest either.
He wasn't particularly tired, just a bit sore in the eyes.
So they stayed in a corner of the warehouse, smoking and drinking coffee to pass the time.
The assistants below had already changed shifts, but they, as the chief staff, couldn't be replaced, and only this corner of the warehouse could be considered somewhat quiet, where they could engage in some idle chat.
"Sir? Hello!"
Gin turned his head and looked around but saw nothing. Had he begun to hallucinate? He clearly felt someone was speaking to him.
"Here, down here, sir."
He lowered his head and saw a little black-haired boy looking up at him.
Gin frowned; these two children were at most just over ten years old, and the boss wouldn't be pleased to see workers so young.
The elderly lawyer, however, didn't mind; he knew his subordinates couldn't be signing contracts with children, and the kids were probably here because they were hungry.
If they only wanted some food, doing a good deed wasn't out of the question. There was plenty of food here—how much could two kids eat?
"Come here, tell Grandpa, what are you doing here?"
"We want some temporary work, the kind that helps and earns a bit of food." Baki saw the old man was approachable and quickly made his request.
Compared to Gin's stern expression, the lawyer indeed had a smiling face, but the boss had said no child labor, so the lawyer would definitely not relent.
"Sorry, kids, the boss doesn't want child labor; I'll give you some food, eat it and then go home."
Sure enough, the old man smilingly refused; as a lawyer, he had to follow the boss's rules once he took the boss's money.
"No, we don't want charity; we want to earn food through labor."
Steve shook his head, pulling Baki to leave; since it wasn't possible, so be it; he wouldn't accept charity food.
Gin raised his hand, signaling the lawyer not to say anything further and stopped the two kids.
"Wait, simple work isn't impossible; I also helped my father hunt when I was young. Earning food through labor is reasonable."
"But Gin, about the boss..." The old man immediately reminded him; he had a good relationship with Gin and didn't want Gin to court trouble.
"It's okay; the boss prefers those with ambitions." Gin gave an ambiguous smile to the lawyer, and his grin didn't seem friendly, making Steve and Baki feel like they were boarding a pirate ship.
Mr. Lincoln had said before that Black people were brought onboard in this way.
Gin took off his gloves, took two hamburgers from the heap of food, and ordered his subordinates to heat them. He squatted down; the back of his high-end coat brushed the floor as he held their shoulders and looked into their eyes.
"So, gentlemen, what kind of work do you want to do?"
"We can help register names or write name tags, run errands."
Baki answered quickly; though Gin's smile was intimidating, he was happy to see his wish fulfilled and smiled.
"Hmm... Alright, but as you can see, this work is only for today; you also cannot tell other children that you once worked for Wilson Enterprises. Deal?"
"Yes, we agree."
Steve and Baki nodded repeatedly, already starting to think about how many hamburgers they could earn today.
"Good, maybe when you grow up, you'll have the chance to truly work for the company. By the way, what are your names?" Gin smiled contentedly; he liked strong-willed people with principles because he was not.
"I'm Steven Rogers."
"I'm James Buchanan Barnes."
Originally, it was a small matter; Gin planned to continue drinking cognac with coffee, but these two names made him raise an eyebrow.
Steve and Baki—the boss had mentioned these kids' names.
He looked them over, especially blonde Steve; though physically frail, his gaze was very resolute, surely destined for future success.
Though he didn't understand how the boss knew these two unseen kids, he grasped the boss's intention; the boss certainly wanted to meet them.
"Very good, good names. Come on, I'll give you a better job."
Gin instructed the lawyer to oversee the warehouse, leading the two children toward a parked car by the road, where Su Ming was waiting inside as if he'd always been waiting.
Baki and Steve whispered to each other; they'd never seen such a beautiful car, and it was so long—equivalent to three cars in one.
They wanted to run over to check the brand but hesitated with some apprehension.
"What an enormous sedan, Steve; have you ever seen one before?"
"No, the inside must be luxurious."
"Could it be like that hotel we saw once, the one with the big chandelier in the lobby?"
"I don't know; maybe it's similar."
Gin walked ahead with the bodyguard, then opened the car door.
The two kids saw a one-eyed man inside smiling at them—a man with good looks and superior charisma—but it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over them.
This fear seemed to spring from the bottom of their hearts, wanting to lock them away in a small black box, as if their destiny was veering off course.
"Steve, Baki, I knew you would come."
Su Ming shook his glass, knowing that these two naturally curious fellows would come to see their father's new job, whether out of curiosity or boredom, because they never quite behaved themselves.
He originally intended to involve himself in their lives but instantly changed his mind; his greatest advantage at present was knowing the plot, and this advantage was gradually diminishing with time.
If there were no Captain America, the subsequent story would be hard to unfold. Although it didn't affect Su Ming's own plans, having come into Marvel, how could one not witness the grand future era?
He extinguished his fleeting impulse and decided to let them follow their original life paths, despite their father's new job at Wilson Enterprises. Their childhood might be slightly better.
However, would eating better and dressing better change their beliefs and personalities? Impossible. In some respects, Captain America and Batman were both fanatics.
Steve's fear dissipated quickly, just like a hallucination; nothing seemed to change.
He shook his head; when he looked at Su Ming again, that strange feeling had vanished.
"Sir, do you know us?"
"No, today is our first meeting, but I know your fathers; they are good men." Su Ming knew them—only their future selves.
"Are you their new boss?"
"Haha, you could say that." Su Ming indicated for Gin to bring them into the car; he wanted to chat with the future Captain America: "But being their boss and them being good people does not conflict."
Gin immediately understood, helping carry the still-stunned children onto the luxury seats, shutting the door and sitting in the front passenger seat himself.
By the time they reacted, the car was already moving.
Baki instantly felt awful; unlike Steve, he often roamed outside and knew a few boys who had once undergone weird things by mysterious priests.
With this thought, he felt a tightness in his chest and his face turned pale.