Because Steve was wearing a cap, Peter didn't realize his idol was standing right next to him.
Nor did he notice the look on his idol's face, a look that suggested he wanted to revoke Peter's fan membership.
Peter snapped a dozen photos of the magazine before looking back at Du Mu: "Speaking of which, what are you doing here? Are you guys also Captain America fans?"
"No, I just brought Mr. Rogers here to look around," Du Mu shook his head, pointing to Steve beside him. "As for whether he's a Captain America fan, that depends on his level of narcissism."
Peter: "?"
As usual, he couldn't quite understand Du Mu's words.
"By the way, how are things going with you and the redhead girl?" Du Mu asked gossiping.
Last time, Peter, as Spider-Man, had heroically saved the girl, and Mary Jane's eyes were practically melting when she looked at him.
Following the normal flow of events, the two of them should have already discussed the practical applications of friction and the Pythagorean theorem by now.
Hearing this, Peter's expression became complicated: "Mary Jane broke up with Flash. I heard it was because Flash ran too fast during that incident and left her behind alone."
"Isn't that a good thing? Why the long face?"
"But... she recently started dating another guy, and that guy is my best friend."
Du Mu raised an eyebrow.
No wonder Peter looked so miserable. His goddess and his best friend got together. That kind of thing was indeed difficult to accept.
Du Mu patted Peter's shoulder: "Don't be discouraged. Maybe you still have a chance. What are your friend's credentials like?"
Peter honestly replied: "He's the heir to the Osborn Corporation, tall, handsome, cheerful, and he knows a lot..."
Du Mu nodded: "Alright. Now you definitely have no chance."
Peter: "..."
Peter hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice to ask: "Uh, Du Mu, I have a question I want to ask you."
"What is it?"
"It's like this: I have a friend. He likes a girl, but that girl likes his other identity."
As everyone knows, everyone has a special friend who only appears when someone needs to be blamed.
Peter continued with his story of "the friend that never was": "So my friend had no choice but to use that other identity to approach the girl. Their relationship did get better, but the problem is, the girl has absolutely no feelings for my friend's real identity. Now he's very conflicted and doesn't know whether he should tell the girl the truth."
Du Mu knew instantly that the friend Peter was talking about was Spider-Man.
Clearly, Peter had successfully won her over, but under the guise of Spider-Man.
Meanwhile, the identity of Peter Parker was still a lonely single guy.
Mary Jane sure knows how to play the field. Dating the heir to the Osborn Corporation on one hand, and getting cozy with Spider-Man on the other. She might as well change her name to Mary Sue.
Du Mu thought for a moment and then gave a serious recommendation: "I suggest you just be honest with her."
"Not me, my friend," Peter corrected.
"Oh, right, your friend. After all, he can't live forever as just his other identity, can he?"
Hearing this, Peter's heart stirred, and he seemed to have made a certain decision.
He didn't want to just approach Mary Jane as Spider-Man anymore.
He wanted Mary Jane to like Peter Parker, not Spider-Man.
Even if he failed, he would have no regrets!
Worst case, I'll just wear the Spider-Man suit every day from now on!
Peter said gratefully: "I understand. Oh no, I mean my friend understands. Thank you, Du Mu."
"You're welcome. If you have any other fun drama like this, feel free to come find me anytime."
Du Mu waved his hand and proactively gave Peter his contact information.
Such a complex relationship dynamic was truly rare, and he was curious to see how Peter's subsequent plot would unfold.
Peter took Du Mu's contact info, chatted a few more moments, and then left to continue gathering material for his report, such as the tear-jerking emotional history between Captain America and his friend Bucky.
"Are the emotional lives of kids these days all so... complicated?"
After Peter left, Steve, who had been silent, trying not to give away his identity, finally couldn't help but speak.
Although he didn't know Peter's Spider-Man identity, he grasped the general meaning.
Compared to Peter's complex love life, Steve suddenly felt that his own former sweetheart becoming a married woman didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.
Du Mu shrugged: "He's just an exception. That kid Peter probably has some kind of curse on him; his life is full of all sorts of colorful characters."
"That makes sense."
Steve nodded in agreement.
Indeed, the person standing right in front of him wasn't an exceptionally colorful character himself.
Next, the two saw more of Steve's past embarrassments in the exhibition area.
After being injected with the Super-Soldier Serum, Steve became a propaganda soldier, performing everywhere in a tight suit and holding a shield, alongside a group of scantily clad women, promoting war bonds.
Back then, many wealthy women, socialites, and even rich men came specifically to see Steve's rear end.
The costume designer had even deliberately made Steve's uniform tighter, which caused tickets for the musical to be scalped at sky-high prices, setting a sales record that year.
The past is too painful to recall. Steve vowed never to sell his butt for money again!
Finally, Steve couldn't take it anymore and urged Du Mu to leave immediately for the next location.
This was hardly a Captain America Memorial Hall; it was clearly a Captain America Black History Archive!
He even suspected that the whole place was secretly set up by one of his anti-fans.
After leaving the Captain America Memorial Hall, Du Mu drove Steve around New York City.
The ceaseless stream of novelties in this new century truly opened the eyes of this old-timer, Steve.
While driving, they even witnessed a street gunfight—several heavily armed thugs were exchanging intense fire with over a dozen NYPD officers.
Seeing this, Steve was about to open the door and jump out to help.
Suddenly, a red and blue figure swung down on a web-line from above, quickly and cleanly dispatching the armed thugs.
"I'm your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!"
Spider-Man leaped up, did a split in mid-air, and swung off to the next scene.
Steve was stunned. He turned to look at Du Mu, who couldn't even be bothered to lift an eyelid.
"You don't seem surprised at all?"
Du Mu spoke with a matter-of-fact tone: "Come on, this is New York. What kind of strange things haven't you seen? Compared to giant mechs battling, ten-foot-tall giants wrestling naked, and all those weird vampires and aliens, this little skirmish is nothing."
Steve was speechless.
Is this what the average New Yorker's daily life is like now? Living in such turbulent times?
Du Mu originally wanted to take Steve to experience New York's nightlife, but Steve outright refused.
The shock he had absorbed today was simply too much; he needed time to digest it all.
Du Mu felt a bit regretful. He had hoped to use the opportunity to have the game system take a precious picture of Captain America with a woman on each arm, so he could post it in the internal Hydra chat group later.
With no other choice, he had to arrange a new place for Steve to stay.
Of course, all paid for with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s public funds.