After a few uneventful days cooped up at home, Shi Xiaolei finally breathed a sigh of relief, certain that the military wasn't tracking him.
It happened to be the weekend, so he thought he might as well go out for some fresh air. He also had a bunch of unused check-in points saved up, so he could take this opportunity to find a quiet place and open another blind box.
Brushing his teeth and washing his face, Shi Xiaolei made up his mind.
As for where to go... 'I heard there are a few nice small farms in neighboring New Jersey, very suitable for taking kids to play. It's not far, a round trip over the weekend would be enough.' As he pondered, Shi Xiaolei pulled out his phone, intending to call the bank's VIP service specialist to inquire about the specifics.
Before he could dial, his phone suddenly rang.
Startled, he almost dropped his phone. Looking closely, it was Stark calling.
"Hello? Tony, why are you calling so early? According to your schedule, shouldn't you only be getting up after noon?"
"Looks like you know me quite well, did you read it in the newspapers? Envious, aren't you? The lives of rich people are just that casual." Stark's tone carried a hint of fatigue and some undisguised smugness: "Alright, no more rambling. Locke, do you have time today? Come over to my place."
"I don't have anything planned." Shi Xiaolei asked curiously, "What, do you have something arranged? You're not planning another party, are you?"
"Your car." Stark said irritably, "It's only for you; if it were anyone else, I wouldn't bother."
"Eh?!" Realizing, Shi Xiaolei was very surprised: "You fixed it for me? I thought it was directly scrapped and sent to the processing plant."
"It's fixed." Stark said, "Who told you you're my friend? Anyway, you'll know when you come see it. I guarantee, this car will absolutely exceed your imagination."
Just as Stark said, if it were anyone else, he would never have helped with the repairs. You see, with Stark's wealth, money is calculated by the second. A mere broken car worth twenty or thirty thousand dollars, if it had no special significance, how could he waste time on it?
"Really? Alright, I'll be over in a bit. Oh, it's Long Island, right?"
"Mm." Stark responded, "Bring me some Chinese breakfast on your way, those steamed buns with a lot of soup inside."
"No problem. Just yourself? Is Pepper there? Should I bring more?"
"You didn't say, I almost forgot. Make it three servings, one for Pepper, and I'll have two."
He hung up the phone, walked to the door of 2B and Conna's room, and knocked.
Hearing a response from inside, Shi Xiaolei gently pushed the door open and saw 2B helping the little girl get dressed.
"Xiaolei, good morning~!" Only half her head was visible, her mouth and nose still covered by her sweater. Conna's muffled greeting looked absolutely adorable.
"Good morning, Conna." Leaning on the doorframe, Shi Xiaolei said with a smile, "Stark just called. How about we go to his place today to play?"
"Yay, yay~!" Conna nodded happily, her fluffy hair swaying and catching on the little horns on her head: "I can play with Lil' Dummy again, how wonderful~!"
Her enthusiasm greatly increased, and the efficiency of washing her face and brushing her teeth also improved significantly.
In just about ten minutes, the family was ready to leave.
Leaving the temporarily rented apartment, they got into the old used car that hadn't been disposed of yet, made a detour, and went to a steamed bun shop.
Because of the little girl's urging, the three didn't dine in the shop. Instead, they packed up their portions, along with Stark's, and took them to the car, planning to enjoy breakfast together once they reached Stark's place.
It was the weekend, and in the morning, there weren't many cars on the road. It took less than twenty minutes for the three to reach their destination.
"Lil' Dummy~!" After Jarvis granted access, the little girl immediately scurried on her short legs towards the underground laboratory.
She ran right into Stark, who had come up to greet them after being notified by Jarvis. The little girl landed on her bottom, her head spinning a bit, feeling a little dazed.
But to be fair, Stark was the unluckier one—the height difference between them meant the little girl's forehead hit his lower abdomen perfectly. Plus the inertia from her charge... "Ow~~." Stark's eyes widened, his mouth agape, and he clutched his lower abdomen with both hands, involuntarily hunching his back.
"Hiss~." As a fellow male, seeing this scene, Shi Xiaolei couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, feeling a sympathetic pain for Stark.
Suppressing his laughter, he stepped forward to help up the still dazed little girl, then patted Stark's back: "Buddy, are you okay?"
"Let me catch my breath, hiss~."
Perhaps hearing the commotion, or perhaps receiving a notification from Jarvis, Pepper also came downstairs to the living room.
She looked at Stark with concern, confirmed he was fine, then turned her attention to 2B, who was carrying the takeout bags, and greeted her with a smile.
While the two women exchanged polite pleasantries, Stark recovered.
Once the pain subsided, his sense of smell took over. Catching the aroma of the soup dumplings, he eagerly rushed to the table, without washing his hands or grabbing chopsticks, he simply reached out a finger, picked up a translucent and adorable little bun, and hastily popped it into his mouth.
Although the takeout box had some insulating effect, it had taken some time on the way.
The soup inside the bun wasn't as hot as when it first came out of the steamer; it was just the right temperature when he bit into it.
Feeling the delicious flavor burst in his mouth, Stark squinted his eyes in happiness: "Mmm~~, this is the taste, truly excellent."
"When it comes to delicious food, our China has the most." Shi Xiaolei also picked up a bun for himself: "Tony, when you have a chance, I'll take you to China to eat authentic food. I can't guarantee anything else, but the variety will absolutely astound you."
"Really? Then let's do it for Christmas, I haven't made any plans for this year yet."
"How about pushing it back a month, and going during China's Spring Festival? That's when there's the most food and it's the most fun."
"Emmm, alright." After thinking for a moment, Stark nodded in agreement: "I'm planning to have surgery around Thanksgiving anyway. Okay, January it is. That way, I'll have an extra month to recover."
"Huh?" Shi Xiaolei was a bit surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Is it set?"
"It's set. Not only the surgery date, but also my itinerary for the period leading up to it is all arranged." As he spoke, Stark took the chopsticks Pepper handed him and waved his hand, a little agitated: "I'm planning a cross-country road trip, driving from New York all the way to Los Angeles. Oh, right, I thought of this idea while fixing your car, so you're half responsible, and therefore..."
He leaned closer to Shi Xiaolei, raised his hand and thumped his arm, a 'you know what I mean' smile on Stark's face: "Buddy, you have to take responsibility and come along with me."