While Qin Li was still eating at Old Chen's place, Frank had already arrived and even shaved his beard.
Frank, noticing the teasing look in Qin Li's eyes, felt a little awkward and asked, "How do I look?"
"You look great, just like one of those successful people from society. Come on, successful person, let's eat," Qin Li replied, teasing him.
Frank walked over and sat down, then said, "I don't know how to face Nick. I don't know what to say when we meet."
"Hey, you're more nervous than when you were meeting a woman for the first time, how's that going to work?" Qin Li said with a playful tone, not minding the situation. He then stood up, wiped his greasy mouth after eating pig's feet, and saw Frank wasn't in the mood to eat, so he continued, "Let's go, it's time to meet him."
Without saying a word, Frank followed Qin Li out of the restaurant and into the church. Qin Li greeted Jessica, who was manning the counter, and asked, "Where's that kid, Nick?"
"Nick? He's upstairs playing video games. Last time we went out, I bought him a game console," Jessica said, wiping a glass.
"Alright, I'll take this shy dad of his to see him. And stop cleaning all the time, you should go out more. A girl who stays cooped up at home all the time is a little strange, don't you think?" Qin Li said as he walked upstairs.
Jessica just gave him a middle finger and a rolled-eye look, then curiously eyed Frank. Frank was much taller than Nick, and she couldn't help but think how different they looked. As the two made their way upstairs, Qin Li gestured for Frank to knock on the door. Frank hesitated, hand raised but unsure, as if engaged in an internal battle.
Qin Li couldn't stand it anymore and quickly knocked three times. The sound of someone getting out of bed followed, and Nick's voice came through the door: "What's going on, Jessica? I'll be right there after this level!" Nick opened the door, saw Frank, froze for a few seconds, and then rushed forward. He had seen the photo of Frank with his mother, and there was no doubt about it—this was his father.
Nick didn't say anything, just hugged Frank and began to cry. Frank slowly embraced him and said in a low voice, "Sorry, I'm late." Seeing the father and son, Qin Li breathed a sigh of relief and quietly retreated downstairs. He came to Jessica and she, understanding, handed him a glass of whiskey.
Qin Li drank it in one go, then flopped into the soft couch, enjoying a moment of relaxation. His mind wandered as he reflected on the events of the past few days. He had intended to be a mere bystander, but slowly found himself drawn into the vortex. He couldn't help but think of the three questions of life: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going? Turning to Jessica, he asked, "Jessica, have you ever thought about asking yourself those three questions? Who am I? Where do I come from? Where am I going?"
Jessica poured herself a glass of red wine and responded, "I'm not a philosopher. Why should I ask myself that? What's the point? Does it help you understand things better?"
Qin Li laughed and replied, "Yeah, we're not philosophers, but in our country, there is an answer~"
Curious, Jessica asked, "Oh? What is it?"
Qin Li stood up, raised his hand, and smiled as he said, "I am the monk Tang Sanzang, from the Eastern land of Tang. I am going to the Western Heaven to fetch the scriptures." He then laughed heartily.
Jessica, still confused by Qin Li's laughter, wondered what that joke was about, especially given it was an Eastern reference.
Once Qin Li finished laughing, he said to Jessica, "I'm going to visit Tony Stark, see if he can get a new leg for Nick to play with."
Jessica, still thinking about the earlier comment, waved him off, signaling she understood.
Not caring about Jessica's confusion, Qin Li turned to leave, but then stopped. "I'll go tomorrow instead. You don't need to prepare breakfast for me," he said as he made his way upstairs. Seeing that Frank and Nick were still bonding, Qin Li went straight to his room and collapsed onto his bed, falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning, sunlight streamed through the window into Qin Li's room. He rubbed his eyes, got up, washed his face, and grabbed his phone to call Tony Stark.
"Hey, Stark, are you free? I'm coming over to see you," Qin Li said.
"Uh, hold on, well, never mind. Actually, I'm not free," Tony Stark replied, looking at a mechanical leg in front of him.
Listening to the noises coming from Stark's side, Qin Li guessed he was working on the Mark 2 design. Excited about seeing another one of Stark's black history moments, Qin Li cheerfully said, "No, no, no, you definitely have time! I'm on my way!" He hung up the phone.
"Ugh, no, no, no, I really don't have time. Damn, he hung up," Tony Stark muttered, just as a golden light flashed, and Qin Li appeared beside him.
Tony Stark looked at Qin Li and said, "I really should thank you for giving me a heads up. Hopefully, next time, when I'm in bed with a model, you'll let me know first."
Qin Li wasn't bothered by Tony's sarcasm. He walked over to the mechanical leg, which was designed for someone to step into, and said, "So this is your new Mark 2, huh? It looks freaking cool!" No boy could resist the fun of mechs and weapons.
Tony Stark, seeing Qin Li's expression, proudly said, "Yep, it's in the testing phase. Might as well help me out, since you have nothing better to do."
"No problem, billionaire," Qin Li answered eagerly.
"Alright, let's get started. The mechanical arm 'Dumbo' was designed to act as a firefighter, and you can help me out while I'm testing it," Stark said as he prepared.
"Sure," Qin Li replied, standing by with a camera.
"Okay, manual control is on. Let's see if 10% of the thrust can lift me up. 3, 2, 1," Tony said. The energy surged from the mechanical shell on his legs, sending Tony flying and crashing into the wall. Qin Li burst out laughing!
"Hahahahahaha! Stark, are you juggling?" Qin Li laughed harder as the fire extinguisher on the mechanical arm continued spraying.
"Dammit, Li, come help me!" Tony Stark called out as the fire extinguisher stopped spraying.
When Qin Li arrived at the control panel, he saw Tony completely covered in white and couldn't help but laugh again. "Look at our billionaire Stark! He's paler than any supermodel!"
"Damn it, tell me, how much do I need to pay you to forget this scene?" Stark said helplessly.
"Well, Stark, I think I only need a little. Pffhahaha!" Qin Li said seriously, but couldn't help but laugh once more.
4o mini