In normal circumstances, neither Coulson with his classified profession nor Tony Stark as a wealthy magnate would pay much attention to someone as insignificant as Old Liu. But now...
If not for the man, then for his friend - they had to show Old Liu some respect in Shi Xiaolei presence.
Plus, since he was an ordinary person, it wouldn't be appropriate to let him know about something like the complete version of the serum.
So his arrival actually provided Tony and Coulson with an opportunity to change the subject gracefully.
"I didn't notice earlier... Rock, this lamb is excellent. Where did you get it?"
Setting aside various complicated thoughts, his taste buds took over.
After eating two more skewers of grilled meat, Stark gradually savored the flavor of the lamb.
As a billionaire, Tony Stark had eaten countless delicacies throughout his life. With his experience, only truly exceptional food could arouse his curiosity.
"Pretty good, right? How does it compare to what you've had before?"
While continuing to work, Shi Xiaolei smiled proudly.
"The seasoning is just average."
Stark first made a sarcastic comment, then nodded somewhat reluctantly.
"The quality of the meat itself is quite good, even a bit more tender than the lamb chops I had in New Zealand last time."
"If you like it, I'll pack a box for you later."
With Old Liu present, it wasn't convenient to explain further, so Shi Xiaolei winked at Stark while speaking.
Is it from the same place as those items?
"Thanks."
Stark smiled and raised his glass contentedly.
He'd forgotten that the glass contained the white liquor Old Liu had just brought, with an alcohol content of 60 degrees.
He took a large gulp just as casually as he would drink a 40-proof whiskey on ice...
"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough~!"
Caught off guard, he choked on the potent liquor and took quite a while to recover.
Raising his glass to examine the half-cup of liquor remaining, then looking at Old Liu embarrassed face that also concealed a hint of mischief, Stark complained as he caught his breath.
"F*ck, what is this stuff, medical alcohol?"
Though he had moved to America, Old Liu hadn't forgotten his pride as a Chinese person.
Dissatisfied with Stark assessment of the fine liquor, Old Liu forgot his timidity for the first time and unconsciously displayed the pride of a man from Jiaodong.
He slowly sipped a cup of white liquor while his expression remained unchanged as he raised his eyebrows at Stark.
"This liquor should be savored slowly. Only inexperienced Russians who've never tasted good liquor would drink it the way you did."
Stark instinctively wanted to argue back, but suddenly noticed that Old Liu had revealed the bearing of an 'expert.'
Growing interested, Stark turned and made a request to 2B.
"Sylvia, I want a small porcelain cup like his."
"Earlier you complained it was too small, now you're demanding one. You're so fussy."
Before 2B could respond, Shi Xiaolei first joked. Then, he instructed the little girl Kanna who was sticking close to him.
"Kanna, go get a small cup for Tony. You know where they are, right?"
"I know."
Having seen Shi Xiaolei casually place several unused cups on the countertop earlier when helping 2B prepare salad, Kanna immediately recalled and nodded vigorously.
"They're on the table in the kitchen~!"
"Good, go get one, and be careful not to drop it, okay?"
"Okay."
She handed the unfinished meat skewer to Shi Xiaolei, adorably instructing him 'don't eat it' then turned and ran into the house.
After a patter of footsteps, Kanna returned holding a small white porcelain cup, skipping over to Stark and stretching up on tiptoe.
"Here, Uncle Stark, the cup you wanted~."
"What a cute little one."
Watching the little girl return to Shi Xiaolei side, Happy couldn't help but whisper in his boss ear.
If even the somewhat dense Happy had such a reaction, Pepper feelings were even more pronounced.
Looking at the little girl who was as lively as a sprite, occasionally emitting crisp laughter, her heart was filled with affection, and her gaze seemed about to melt with warmth.
"Mei, Mei?"
Coulson suddenly noticed that his companion gaze seemed a bit off.
"Ah."
Awakening from her memories, Mei also revealed an expression full of deep meaning and emotion.
"Sorry, I was distracted."
Having executed countless field missions and achieved remarkable military exploits, she had earned the codename 'Cavalry' from her colleagues.
Why would someone with such capabilities abandon her position as a field agent and transfer to an internal position that completely mismatched her personal abilities?
It was because of her participation in a counter-terrorism operation in Bahrain.
It was an incident involving a superpowered individual causing harm.
During the operation, Mei eliminated numerous enemies, single-mindedly trying to rescue a little girl held hostage by the criminals.
But when the mission reached its final stage, she suddenly realized that the little girl was actually the mastermind.
She had abused her superpowers to control the adults, turning them into criminals who created the malicious incident.
Were the people she had killed earlier actually innocent victims under mind control?
The contrast between expectation and reality was too intense, and the moment of realization had already caused tremendous psychological impact on Mei.
Additionally, the situation was extremely urgent at the time.
She had to kill the little girl, who was charging up a major attack, to prevent the incident from escalating further and to save her teammates' lives.
With no alternative, Mei had to break her psychological bottom line and, for the first time in her life, took the life of a minor.
After the mission, Mei could never forget that scene in her mind.
Like a veteran soldier with PTSD unable to reintegrate into normal life, she felt a vulnerability in her psyche.
Believing herself no longer capable of serving as a field agent, Mei voluntarily requested a transfer, stepping back from the front lines of operations to take an administrative position in internal affairs.
The root of her psychological issue lay with that little girl, so whenever she encountered children, especially cute little girls, Mei would unconsciously drift into thought, feeling much more affected than her colleagues.
"I understand."
As both a colleague and an old friend, Coulson was one of the few people who knew about this.
Concerned that Mei might not be feeling well, and also realizing that with Stark present, it would be impossible to achieve the goal of "further strengthening relationships with Shi Xiaolei" Coulson pondered briefly.
"I'll go say hello. Wait for me a moment; we'll leave after I get the serum."
"Leaving so soon?"
Shi Xiaolei was somewhat surprised.
"I'm sorry to dampen your spirits."
Coulson smiled apologetically and pointed upward.
"As you know, in our line of work, we could receive new directives at any moment. Rock, if you don't mind, could you give me the item now?"
"Alright."
Nodding in understanding, Shi Xiaolei glanced at Old Liu, who was instructing Stark on how to appreciate white liquor, and Pepper, who was playing with Kanna alongside 2B.
He put down the half-grilled meat skewer, dusted off his hands, and stood up.
"It's not convenient out here, follow me inside."
(T/N: Like the story fellow daoist?you can read 20 chapters ahead on my P@treon [[email protected]/DaoistRongyi] Thanks for your support! 😊)