Chapter 27: Probing
Now that Melinda May had revealed herself, she no longer concealed her presence. She closed the car door and walked directly towards the Pharmacy.
Crossing the street and arriving at the Pharmacy's entrance, Melinda May turned to face Ling Xiao, looking at him with a half-smile, and said, "Since you know Phil Coulson, then you must certainly know me, right?"
Ling Xiao looked at the Asian woman in a dark suit, just like Phil Coulson. How could he not guess who she was? He could only say with a wry smile, "Of course, hello, Young Miss Melinda May."
Although he saw Melinda May, Ling Xiao was not worried that his lie would be exposed. The only person in this world who could reveal everything was lying in a hospital bed, full of pain, barely able to speak. How could he expose anything? Besides, he wasn't entirely lying.
"Aren't you going to invite me in for a seat?" Hearing Ling Xiao's words, Melinda May smiled calmly and said.
"Please, come in, come in!" Ling Xiao quickly turned around, opened the Pharmacy door, and invited Melinda May inside.
After Melinda May entered the Pharmacy, she first nodded to Phil Coulson, then began to observe the interior of the Pharmacy.
Ling Xiao smiled at Gan Jing, who was looking worried behind the counter, and said, "It's alright, Gan Jing. Oh, by the way, this is Young Miss Melinda May, and that gentleman over there is Mr. Phil Coulson."
"Hello, Young Miss Melinda May!" Gan Jing nodded to Melinda May with some curiosity, having greeted her. Then she looked at Phil Coulson, who was sitting at the tea table, and greeted him again, "Hello, Mr. Coulson!"
After speaking, Gan Jing's mouth twitched slightly. She lowered her eyes to look at the name on the prescription just now, which was clearly not Phil Coulson.
Phil Coulson naturally understood the meaning of Gan Jing's gesture. At this moment, he also said somewhat apologetically, "Hello, Young Miss Gan Jing, what I did just now was out of necessity."
"It's nothing!" Gan Jing shook her head slightly; she didn't take these things to heart.
Melinda May saw all of this and couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle before walking towards the tea table.
Ling Xiao sat in the host's seat, used the tea tongs to pick up a cup and place it on the tray, then picked up the Yixing teapot and poured a cup of Maofeng tea for Melinda May. He refilled Phil Coulson's cup, bowed slightly, and said, "Please!"
"Thank you!" Melinda May said thank you and picked up the teacup in her hand. Her movements were much more elegant than Phil Coulson's. One hand supported the bottom of the cup, the other held the rim. After taking a small sip, she said with a lingering taste, "Excellent. The aroma is fresh and vibrant, the taste is mellow and rich, sweet and refreshing, elegant and delightful, with a deep aftertaste. This tea is good, and your tea ceremony skills are also excellent!"
"Thank you for the compliment!" Ling Xiao calmly accepted Melinda May's praise. There weren't many people in this world worthy of him personally pouring tea.
Watching the two of them interact like this, Phil Coulson smiled helplessly. He picked up the clear tea in his hand and, imitating Melinda May, took a small sip. Aside from feeling the bitter taste of the tea, he had no other sensation, but he still said insincerely, "Good, it's good tea."
Ling Xiao and Melinda May could both tell Phil Coulson's insincerity and chuckled softly without saying anything more.
Ling Xiao picked up the teapot, poured a cup for himself, and at the same time asked Melinda May, "Young Miss Melinda May, do you know how Ms. Carter is doing recently? The last I heard of her was that she had gone to England for treatment. How is her condition now?"
"I'm not entirely sure about the specifics." When Peggy Carter was mentioned, Melinda May also showed a hint of melancholy. She picked up her teacup, took another sip of tea, and said in a low voice, "Ms. Carter's illness is fundamentally due to her advanced age. Current medical methods can only sustain her vitality for a few more years. In a few more years..."
As she spoke, Melinda May's words trailed off. Ling Xiao sighed slightly, not knowing what to say. After a long while, he looked up and said, "The first time I met Ms. Carter, I was very young, but even then, her hair was already completely white. What's happening now is all foreseeable. By the way, Young Miss Melinda May, S.H.I.E.L.D. must have many advanced medical techniques, right? Why aren't they used on Ms. Carter? I believe if you all did your best, Ms. Carter wouldn't be in this state."
"All the methods S.H.I.E.L.D. could use have been exhausted. After all, Ms. Carter is old, and many medical procedures have limitations. Slightly aggressive methods could lead to Ms. Carter's death, so we have no choice." Phil Coulson looked at Ling Xiao with some apology.
"Is that so?" Ling Xiao clearly didn't believe anything Phil Coulson said. He looked at Melinda May with a puzzled expression.
Melinda May forced a smile, but didn't say much. In fact, she also had some reservations in her heart regarding this matter.
Ling Xiao, of course, knew Phil Coulson was lying. If he, a person who had already died, could be brought back to life, let alone Ms. Carter, who was still alive. Of course, some people within S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't want Ms. Carter to live any longer.
Carter, Stark, Pym—these figures who had contributed greatly to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s history all met unfavorable ends, all having been kicked out of S.H.I.E.L.D. Stark's ending was the most tragic; he and his wife were killed by the Winter Soldier. Carter was old and frail, with not many days left to live. Only Pym was relatively fortunate; although he was also kicked out of S.H.I.E.L.D., at least he was living well now and would have the energy to cultivate the next generation of Ant-Man successors.
Therefore, in this world, whatever you do, don't be an ordinary person. Don't be fooled by Tony Stark's cool and awesome Iron Man suit; everyone knows that a single bullet could take his life, which is why he suffers the most attacks among everyone.
For no other reason than he is the easiest to kill. The major villains in the movies all tried to defeat Stark head-on, giving him chances to turn the tables. But just imagine, if Stark were targeted by figures like the Winter Soldier and Punisher, a single sniper bullet could take his life when he was off guard.
"Alright, it's getting late, we should head back!" Melinda May suddenly felt a bit flat. From Ling Xiao's words, she could sense his distrust of S.H.I.E.L.D. Melinda May didn't know the reason, but she understood that recruiting Ling Xiao wouldn't be easy.
"Yes, we should take our leave!" Phil Coulson glanced at Melinda May, said nothing more, and stood up, bidding farewell.
"Very well, you are both welcome to visit again in the future!" Ling Xiao stood up from the main seat and escorted Phil Coulson and Melinda May to the Pharmacy entrance. Gan Jing followed behind him, watching the two walk to their car across the street from the Pharmacy. Not long after, they left Chinatown.
"Let's go, let's head back." Ling Xiao turned around, smiled at Gan Jing, and gently pushed her back into the Pharmacy.
Melinda May drove, silent for a while. Phil Coulson couldn't help but ask, "May, what do you think of him?"
"Good skills." Melinda May looked back at Phil Coulson and said calmly, "Much better than yours."
Hearing Melinda May say this, Phil Coulson could only give a wry smile, shaking his head helplessly, and said, "You know I wasn't talking about that."
After a moment of silence, Melinda May said in a deep voice, "Nine truths and one lie, perhaps. No one tells the complete truth the first time they meet a stranger. I just don't know what he lied about. By the way, Phil Coulson, what do you think about what he said, not about Ms. Carter."
Phil Coulson knew what Melinda May was referring to. His expression immediately darkened, and he narrowed his eyes, saying, "I will investigate the matter when I get back."
"Alright, then I won't concern myself with these matters." Melinda May stared ahead at the road. After a brief silence, she said, "After I go back, I will apply to be transferred to the Los Angeles branch for a clerical position. I don't want to stay at the Triskelion Headquarters anymore."
"Alright!" Phil Coulson didn't say much. Perhaps a change of environment would be good for Melinda May, and he vaguely felt that this decision would change her future.