The President's proposed bill targeting Mutants was ultimately rejected, and he rejected it himself. This was not surprising. The current President has always been considered by the public and media as someone who governs without using his brain. A large part of his public support comes from his celebrity dog. If America allowed animals to participate in elections, his dog should be in his current position.
Of course, only a few knew that the President's constantly changing policies were entirely due to the threat of Mutants. Charles had returned, and Mutants once again possessed deterrent power. Those claws that had just stretched out quietly retracted. All plans were put on hold, and they could only watch as the Mutant Academy steadily rebuilt itself, step by step.
During this time, Zhou Yi naturally contributed a lot. He provided funds, manpower, and even acquired a portion of the Charles Academy's shares. This was Charles and their feedback, and Zhou Yi naturally accepted it with a clear conscience, because it was also a help to his future plans.
However, Zhou Yi did not get involved with the Mutant Academy again. For him, some people were not suitable to meet at this time, such as Charles and Ororo. The conflicts between them were deepening, and the cracks in their relationship were widening. It was hard to believe that they were once a recognized couple.
There were reasons from Jean, and also their own reasons. Their beliefs and individual personalities made their conflicts almost inevitable. Before this, they might have been able to barely maintain it through one party's tolerance, but when they both firmly stood their ground, their relationship was almost at its end.
He arranged for the Children who were temporarily staying at his home to return to the new Academy, and at the same time, adopted a girl in a special capacity.
Airesha Otis, or now she could be called Airesha Zhou, this thirteen-year-old girl now became his adopted daughter. Although it might be a bit inappropriate, it still became a reality in the face of his insistence.
After all, even the Mutant Academy had to accept the constraints of law, and the law, without thinking, would side with Zhou Yi. They had no reason to fall out with Zhou Yi over this, so they could only tacitly agree.
The reason for doing this was, on one hand, Airesha's ability. The descending Soul was uncertain, and if something similar to the King of Fear happened again, it would undoubtedly be a disaster. The Mutant Academy could not bear such a loss, and he could not accept placing such a dangerous person so close to his family.
And if he were to kill this girl for this reason, Zhou Yi admitted that he couldn't do it. So, keeping her by his side became the most suitable approach. At the same time, he had other ideas about this girl's ability.
However, not everyone agreed with him on this matter. Ororo was the one who disagreed the most.
She made every effort to prevent this, even personally bringing Airesha to Zhou Yi to talk to him. She didn't think Zhou Yi would be a good father because of his identity, and that he might not give Airesha a good childhood. She always insisted that only the Academy was Airesha's true home.
And Zhou Yi was very resolute in this matter. He had Serana receive her, while he hid himself. The feeling of betrayal still affected him, and he wanted to use this method to put an end to their relationship. Since they couldn't go back to how things were, it was better to let go. This was his thought, and he acted accordingly.
Ororo could only leave, and this departure, in a sense, was forever.
In the following period, Zhou Yi's life returned to normal. Besides his daily work and learning how to be a father, he rarely stayed at home, spending a lot of time with Serana and Jean. Of course, as Christmas approached, he also took his adopted daughter to Paris, where he spent a special Christmas with his mother and sister.
Zhou Lan and Charisse easily accepted the new member of the family. They were not harsh people, and they felt genuine pity for Airesha, who had a sad past and was all alone. Although they inevitably teased Zhou Yi, after all, he was not yet thirty, and having a teenage daughter was indeed a ridiculous thing.
The new family member became the most beloved princess, which was something Zhou Yi hadn't expected at first. But it was undoubtedly a good thing. Airesha was living well, which was something he was happy to see. Although he had to admit that he initially harbored thoughts of using her.
Holidays always passed quickly. Zhou Lan still had to be busy with her career, and Charisse also needed to continue her studies. In Zhou Yi's plan, if all went well, she could even enter an Ivy League school. Therefore, both he and Zhou Lan had high expectations for her in this regard. This was parental expectation, which is the same whether in China or abroad.
As for Zhou Yi, he returned to New York. He was a Superhero, and also a super wealthy person with extraordinary influence and prestige. Neither of these identities was easy. Especially as the number of people he needed to take care of increased.
New York, Hilton Hotel. At a charity auction and cocktail party held to provide a better life for the families of fallen firefighters and police officers, Zhou Yi appeared with his adopted daughter. His private accountant told him that this was currently the best tax avoidance method, and he also had some things he wanted to discuss with the organizers. So, he came here.
Zhou Yi's arrival naturally surprised many people. After all, their circle was not large, and there were not many people like Zhou Yi who stood at the top. And any one of them was enough to attract a lot of attention.
They began to try every means to curry favor with this financial Genius, including some attractive celebrities, some even with World influence. However, Zhou Yi had no mind to focus his energy on these people. His goal was very clear.
George Stacy, his old friend, the Director of the New York Police Department. He was in charge of this cocktail party, and he was also Zhou Yi's true target.
Seeing Zhou Yi's arrival, the Director seemed very surprised. Accompanied by his female companion, he quickly walked up to Zhou Yi with a wine glass in hand, a look of immense honor on his face.
"Welcome, Mr. Zhou. I didn't expect you would actually honor us with your presence. If I had known in advance, I should have made more preparations."
"No need to be so polite, Director Stacy, it's not our first meeting. Too many preparations might scare me away." After a slight joke, Zhou Yi looked at his female companion. "If I'm not mistaken, this must be your distinguished daughter. I must say, your daughter is very beautiful. I imagine she inherited the best qualities of both you and your wife."
"Mr. Zhou, you flatter me too much." Director Stacy smiled very happily. For him, his daughter was his greatest pride. He even eagerly showed off how excellent his daughter was. "Gwen is my greatest pride. Although she is only in high school, her achievements are much better than mine back then. Perhaps you don't know, she has already been accepted into the research and development department of Osborn Company and has her own project."
"Oh, Dad. I'm just an assistant, not as good as you say!" At her father's boasting, Gwen Stacy, standing beside him, couldn't help but roll her eyes. She felt her father's bragging was a bit too much.
But Zhou Yi didn't think so. He was, after all, a shareholder of Osborn, and naturally knew how rigorous Osborn's talent selection was. It could be said that most Dr.s in the World were not qualified to cross that threshold. That was one of Osborn's most core departments, and also the most cutting-edge department. Those who could enter there could all be called Geniuses.
So he naturally praised.
"It's a pity I haven't been to Osborn recently, otherwise I would definitely remember such a beautiful and intelligent Young Miss. Oh, I forgot to introduce, this is my daughter Airesha. This is her first time attending such a banquet, so she might seem a bit shy. Airesha, say hello to Mr. Stacy."
Airesha, dressed in formal attire like a princess, hid behind Zhou Yi, holding his hand tightly and peeking out her little head, saying in a tender voice.
"Good evening, Mr. Stacy."
"Hello, Little Angel!" Although Stacy was a bit surprised by the ages of the father and daughter, he still squatted down and patted her little head.
The Little fellow felt Stacy's kindness and did not make any evasive movements. Having lived with Zhou Yi for a period, she had already integrated into normal life. This was a good thing for her, meaning she had stepped out of her past Shadow.
Feeling Airesha's mood, Zhou Yi smiled and said: "Mr. Stacy, I think we can talk privately. If you don't mind, could your distinguished daughter take Airesha to look around?"
"Of course!" Stacy nodded. Cooperating with a wealthy person like Zhou Yi was something he dreamed of. Because he understood what these wealthy people represented, it was something that could make his career go further, so he agreed without hesitation. "Gwen, take Young Miss Zhou around. Mr. Zhou and I have some things to discuss alone."
"Okay, Dad." Looking at the smiling Zhou Yi, Gwen, although she inevitably grumbled something about 'dirty politics' in her heart, still agreed. She took Airesha's small hand and walked towards the dining table. For Children, food is more useful than talking.
Watching the two walk further away, Zhou Yi was the first to open the conversation.
"Mr. Stacy, the World is very unsafe now, isn't it? I remember what was on the invitation. This charity auction is for the one hundred and sixty-four martyr families in New York."
"You're right, Mr. Zhou." Although he didn't know Zhou Yi's intention in saying this, Stacy continued the conversation. "New York is the best city, but it's also the worst city. The crime rate here is one of the highest in the country. We've made great efforts, but we still can't avoid some sacrifices."
As the financial center of the World, New York has also become the place with the most bank robberies in the entire World. Almost every day, crimes occur, and as long as there are crimes, sacrifices are inevitable. Even Superheroes cannot prevent this.
"These people are Heroes, Mr. Stacy. Their actions are admirable, but I have to say, their sacrifices are not worth it!"