It was eight in the morning, at a private villa on Long Island, New York.
The urgent ringing of a phone came from the living room. The man lying in bed was woken by the noise and opened his eyes, glancing at the bright sunlight outside the window. He rubbed his messy, bird's nest hair and got out of bed.
About ten minutes later, the man, shirtless, clicked on the voicemail in the living room.
"Darling, it's me, Mom. I heard you're back from China; I hope you had fun there. I've had some work issues recently, and I'm already on a plane to France. I probably won't be back for four months. The teachers at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters called me; your sister has some minor problems you need to sort out. So, after you've rested, it would be best to go to Staten Island. Also, if you have any problems, contact me immediately. I don't want Charisse to turn into a street punk."
"Yi, it's me, Ororo. I know you're back. First, thank you for the gift you sent from China; it's beautiful, and I love it. Also, your sister has been seriously violating school rules recently. She's been using her abilities to sneak out at night with a few troublemakers, and we're worried they might go to places they shouldn't. So, I think you should talk to Charisse when you have time. Alright, talk to you later!"
"Hey, dear Yi. I heard you're back from China. Well, I hope those lovely Chinese girls aren't too sad. Although I really don't want to disturb your vacation, you're always on vacation anyway, so it doesn't matter. Now, I have something I need your help with. Obadiah wants to sell our company's Jericho missiles to those extremist militants in the Middle East. God knows what he's thinking. I want to persuade him, but he seems very determined this time, even calling a board meeting to decide on this proposal. It also seems he's convinced quite a few people. You know I need help to stop him, so as a friend, I assume you won't refuse me. I'll wait for your reply. As soon as possible!"
After listening to the voicemails, Zhou Yi, now an adult, rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. He decided it would be better to return the important calls first. So he took out his phone and dialed a number. The phone rang twice, and then the other end picked up.
"Hey, Yi. Calling so early isn't like you. I doubt you're calling me because you miss me, are you?" A woman's cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Ororo, you'll hurt my feelings if you say that. You know, when I was in China, I was always thinking of you, so as soon as I got back, I wanted to call you and hear your voice."
A soft chuckle came from the other end of the line, and then Zhou Yi heard Ororo say, "That sounds so sweet. I bet you didn't hesitate to fool a few naive young girls in China, did you? Come on, what do you really want from me?"
"Hey, Ororo, I've never fooled anyone, and you know I've always cared about you."
"Of course, of course. But not just me. Alright, I have to go to class. If you need something, come find me at school after class this afternoon." Ororo said, then hung up the phone. Zhou Yi could only awkwardly scratch his face and dial another number.
"Hello, this is the Stark residence, I'm Jarvis. How may I help you, Mr. Zhou Yi?"
"Jarvis, is Tony there? If he is, please connect me to him."
"No problem, please hold, Mr. Zhou Yi!"
After about ten seconds, a flippant voice came over the phone.
"I thought you were going to disappear again, Yi!"
"If it weren't for your call, I really was planning to disappear for a while longer. I just contacted a combat instructor."
"Alright, alright, Master of Combat. Let's talk business. What have you decided about Obadiah's matter?"
"You're in charge of this matter. Don't worry, I'll support you." Zhou Yi replied, controlling the phone with his telekinesis to float in mid-air while putting on his suit.
"That's a relief then. With your six percent stake, this matter is settled. Consider it a favor I owe you." The man named Tony let out a sigh of relief, which made Zhou Yi chuckle.
He said, "I don't understand, Tony. If you don't want to, why don't you just refuse him directly? This is something you invented. According to the agreement, as long as you alone forcefully disagree, even a shareholders' meeting can't do anything to you, since the patent is in your hands."
"Hey! You know, Obadiah is my father's friend after all, and Stark Industries wouldn't be where it is today without his decades of effort. For both emotional and logical reasons, I have to give him some face. So what you said, I can only consider as a last resort."
Hearing this, Zhou Yi could only nod, then changed the subject.
"What time does the meeting start? You know, if I'm late, you'll be on your own."
"Even if I have to drag it out, I'll wait until you get here. Besides, the meeting starts at ten, and I believe with your driving skills, getting to Stark Tower by ten shouldn't be a problem."
"Oh, our playboy is actually praising someone else's driving skills? That's never happened before." Zhou Yi laughed as he put on his jacket and walked out of the villa's front door.
"After seeing you speed, I decided to stay away from crazy guys like you, of course, only when you're behind the wheel. Alright, I won't talk to you anymore, Obadiah's already here. You'd better hurry, I don't want to be lectured by the old man for too long."
"Don't worry, I'll be there soon!" Hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi got into the driver's seat, and with a low roar of the engine, sped towards Manhattan Island.
Meanwhile, on Manhattan Island, at the Stark headquarters building, a man with a neatly trimmed mustache and a tall, middle-aged uncle embraced each other. Laughing and chatting, the two made their way to the top-floor conference room of Stark Tower.
The employees on the side simply watched these two important figures silently until they disappeared from their sight. Of course, it would have been even better if there were fewer ardent gazes from female employees.
"Tony, you've really disappointed me this time. You know, everything I do is for the good of Stark Industries, why don't you understand me?" The middle-aged uncle looked at Tony Stark with a pained expression, as if he were looking at a prodigal and unfilial son.
In response to this accusation, Tony Stark could only puff out his cheeks and blow a breath, muttering things like "here we go again" while casually explaining to the middle-aged man, Obadiah. "Dear Uncle Obadiah, of course I know how much economic benefit this deal will bring to our company if it succeeds, but there are some things you need to understand. Although we are an arms company, that doesn't mean we should support wars, especially those wars fought under strange slogans. At the very least, the people in the White House won't agree to us doing that."
"Those idiots in the White House, money can shut them up, so don't use that excuse to fob me off. Tony, no one can ignore profit. War isn't our fault; we are just the providers of weapons, not the ones who orchestrate wars. What happens there has nothing to do with us." Obadiah first sneered, complaining about the sordidness in the White House office, and then earnestly tried to persuade him.
That expression of disappointment, as if he were trying to hammer iron into steel, almost made the famous playboy Tony Stark genuinely repent for his past misdeeds. However, it was just a little short.
And that little bit, it was probably beyond human capability to achieve.
Tony Stark and Obadiah continued their verbal sparring as they walked into the conference room.
The conference room was already filled with many company shareholders and decision-makers. Seeing Obadiah and Tony walk in, they all stood up. For these people, the two individuals before them were boss-level figures, and they themselves were merely employees working under these two bosses.
Seeing that the meeting was about to begin, Obadiah patted Tony's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "Tony, this time you'd better not act on impulse. Trust that our choice is the best for Stark Industries."
"Of course, of course." Tony Stark blinked, his neatly groomed beard twitching with amusement. "I always make the right decisions."
Driving the Tyrannosaurus V-EX, which roared like a wild beast, Zhou Yi drove into the underground parking lot of Stark Headquarters in Manhattan, attracting strange looks all the way. The huge engine noise naturally drew the attention of the underground parking lot security, as well as the secretary who had been waiting there for him.
"Good morning, Pepper! I never thought Tony would have you wait for me here. I thought he'd keep you and me separated forever, like a prison?"
The beautiful, charming, and capable blonde beauty smiled mischievously and said, "I believe Mr. Zhou Yi, who has been in long-term imprisonment, has received the warden's approval, allowing me a short visit."
"Alright, alright. You always side with Tony. Fortunately, the clever Mr. Zhou Yi has already anticipated this situation. Beautiful Miss Pepper, your bribe has already been handed over to His Excellency the Warden, and I imagine your esteemed Warden will surely hand it over to you immediately." Zhou Yi and Pepper chatted as they walked into the elevator leading to the conference room.
"Yi, you know. Tony would never easily pass on something someone else gave me." Pepper looked at Zhou Yi, clearly exasperated by these two equally mischievous bosses.
"Well, that's a problem for Miss Potts, who possesses both wisdom and beauty." Zhou Yi pushed open the conference room door and said loudly to the suddenly quiet room, "Good morning, everyone. Whatever you're discussing, please include me. As the third largest shareholder of Stark Industries, I believe I still have a say."
Obadiah, who was smugly leaning on the table, looking down at Tony, watched Zhou Yi suddenly burst in and opened his mouth in disbelief. Then he fiercely whispered to Tony, "You called this guy back!"
"It really wasn't me, I swear!" Tony swore, holding up his finger.
Hearing this, most of the people present rolled their eyes. Tony Stark, everyone in the United States knew, this brilliant billionaire had many titles: scientist, philanthropist, entrepreneur. But what he was most known for was "playboy," and that title indicated the true value of his vows.
"Yi Zhou, this is a Stark Industries shareholders' meeting, and you are forty minutes late. As the initiator of the meeting, I don't believe you still have the right to speak." Obadiah said through gritted teeth. Dealing with one difficult Tony Stark was already enough; with Zhou Yi, who was no less troublesome than Tony Stark, he was almost eighty percent sure that today's meeting would fail. But as long as there was a glimmer of hope, he wouldn't give up. So, what he wanted most now was to kick this intruder out