Hey, Tony."
Driving the car modified by Tony Stark, Shi Xiaolei arrived at the agreed location on time. What surprised him a little was that Tony Stark had actually arrived earlier than him.
"You're here~." Tony Stark, leaning against the car door, took off his sunglasses, straightened up, and tugged at the corner of his jacket. He gave Shi Xiaolei an elbow nudge as he approached: "Everyone always waits for me. I never thought there'd be a day I'd wait for someone, and it's not even a beautiful woman… Buddy, you've got a lot of pull."
"I was wondering the same thing, Tony. Why are you here so early?" Shi Xiaolei laughed, returning a playful punch to Tony, and casually asked.
"It's all because of that guy." He pointed to the building behind him, where someone was helping Happy move boxes. Stark explained: "Rhodey, you've met him. He called me last night, saying he finally had some time off and wanted to hang out for a few days. I figured since we're just having fun, having him around means another pair of hands to help, so I brought him along too. Buddy, you don't mind, do you?"
"Of course not." Shi Xiaolei smiled, raising a hand to greet Rhodey, who had just turned his head. "Actually, I also brought an extra person at the last minute."
"Hmm?"
Looking back, Bayonetta had just gotten out of the car. Shi Xiaolei took the opportunity to wave, introducing her and Stark: "This is Bayonetta. Bayonetta, this is Tony Stark, a good friend of mine."
This wasn't a formal meeting, so there was no need to explain her profession and background. Well, actually, he hadn't quite decided how to introduce Bayonetta to Stark yet, so Shi Xiaolei simply skipped that part and didn't mention the fact that Bayonetta was a witch.
Stark didn't mind either.
There was no way around it; Bayonetta's charm was simply too overwhelming. Even Stark, who was used to seeing beautiful women, found himself a little overwhelmed.
It took him a while to compose himself, and he certainly didn't have the leisure to wonder about Bayonetta's profession or background.
"Hi~."
Half wanting to avoid Bayonetta's captivating gaze, half genuinely disbelieving.
After greeting Bayonetta, Stark immediately pulled Shi Xiaolei aside and couldn't help but confirm with him: "Buddy, you're not kidding, are you? I mean, a guy like you, emmm… not at all refined, actually has a beauty of Bayonetta's caliber in his social circle?"
Although the two men had moved aside, this didn't mean Bayonetta was ignored. Pepper, who had been organizing things behind the car, had already walked over and taken Stark's place.
She was a little surprised by Bayonetta's appearance and also awed by her beauty, but with Pepper's social skills, this small surprise wasn't enough to faze her. In just a few words, she was already chatting with Bayonetta.
Glancing over and seeing that Bayonetta seemed happy and didn't need his attention, Shi Xiaolei finally refocused.
He shrugged, giving Stark a smug look: "It was God's arrangement, I'm helpless too."
"Oh, come on~." Unable to resist another look, Stark pulled his gaze back, elbowed Shi Xiaolei in the stomach, and leaned his head closer, asking in a low voice: "Buddy, tell me the truth, are you pursuing her? Do you need us to be your wingmen?"
Earlier, when they first met, Shi Xiaolei had already made one thing very clear to Stark—Sylvia was not his girlfriend, and Connie was not his daughter. He and the two of them had a sibling relationship, without any blood ties.
Such a family structure might be rare in China, across the ocean. But in the United States, similar situations were quite common.
So, Stark hadn't found it strange at the time and naturally accepted Shi Xiaolei's explanation.
Why, after Shi Xiaolei brought Bayonetta along, did Stark not worry about him at all, and not think that 2B would be jealous? The reason was right here. In fact, it was precisely because he knew this that he mistakenly thought Shi Xiaolei wanted to pursue Bayonetta, and that's why he took this opportunity to bring her along.
"That's not true." Waving his hand, Shi Xiaolei smiled wryly and shook his head: "That sister is not an easy one to handle."
"Then you…" If he had no intention of pursuing her, why did he insist on bringing her along? Stark was a bit confused.
"Well…" He couldn't avoid giving an explanation. Shi Xiaolei scratched his head, a little troubled: "I can't explain it clearly to you in a short time. Just think of her as coming from the same place as me."
As a super expert in the field of scientific research, Stark had a strong interest in everything unknown.
In fact, as early as their first meeting, he had investigated Shi Xiaolei's background... After all, the strength Shi Xiaolei displayed when facing Iron Monger far exceeded the scope of normal human beings. And his 'one-click costume change,' as well as those seemingly direct yet powerful skills, could not be explained by existing scientific theories.
However, just like S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation into Shi Xiaolei, Stark also failed to obtain much information.
How to answer the questions in his mind? He could only wait until their relationship became closer and more familiar, and then ask Shi Xiaolei directly.
And in response to Stark's inquiry, Shi Xiaolei's answer was, 'I come from a long-standing, reclusive organization.'
The reason he answered this way was, firstly, because they weren't as familiar as they are now, and he didn't dare casually reveal his identity as a transmigrator; secondly, his cultural level wasn't high enough. If he dropped a big bombshell right away and sparked Stark's interest, he might not be able to handle it.
Slightly vague, whenever Stark wanted to ask more, he would always use the excuse of 'the organization has rules, not to reveal too much.' So, after a few back and forths, Stark was finally fooled by him and accepted the idea that 'there is a reclusive organization in the world that he had never heard of.'
"She's also a member of that organization?" Unable to resist, he looked back again, secretly glancing at Bayonetta, who was talking to Pepper. Stark crossed his arms, resting a hand on his chin, a hint of curiosity in his eyes: "So, like you, she's also very good at fighting?"
"We haven't fought, so I don't know. But one thing is for sure: she's definitely better at fighting than you are." Shi Xiaolei shrugged.
"…" Rolling his eyes, Stark didn't believe it for a second: "Are you still asleep? I'm Iron Man."
"There might be a chance in the future. Anyway, you'll know once you see it."
He couldn't actually call Bayonetta over and have her spar with Stark.
Shi Xiaolei was too lazy to argue, merely smiled faintly, and smoothly changed the subject: "Alright, it looks like they're probably done chatting. Let's go over too."
"Huh?"
"Let's go. If you really want to know, there'll be plenty of opportunities on the road. This trip is going to take ten days to half a month, anyway." Shi Xiaolei turned his head, motioning for Stark to follow: "But I have to warn you, Bayonetta's charm is not something ordinary people can resist. You need to be careful not to fall for her. And, Pepper is here too… you know."
"Do you think I'm like you?" Stark retorted dismissively: "I'm Tony Stark, I've seen all kinds of beautiful women."