"We have news," Zhou Yi said. The uninvited guests disrupted his weekend morning plans while he was enjoying breakfast with the children.
"Coulson, I thought even agents took weekends off!" Zhou Yi said, shifting his gaze from Coulson to Natasha. "And if you're here about what I think you are, Ms. Hill should be the one to inform me."
"She wanted to come too, but she's not feeling well. So Coulson is here on her behalf," Natasha said, acting completely at ease like a guest. She sat down next to Sherry and gently stroked her head. "How are you doing, little one? Having a good time lately?"
Sherry responded with a wide smile and, with great enthusiasm, offered Natasha a portion of her fried egg. This gesture immediately made Zhou Yi's heart ache with resentment—a privilege he had never even enjoyed himself.
"Natasha, it's supposed to be your working hours. If you keep this up, I'll have to report you to your superiors." A man's most cherished possession is his woman, and that includes his daughter. How could she be kinder to others than to him? With this thought, Zhou Yi began to complain to Natasha.
"I'm off today, so I came specifically to see Sherry. As for serious matters, that's Coulson's job," Natasha said, winking at Zhou Yi as if teasing him before casually dropping her explanation.
Seeing Zhou Yi turn his gaze back to her, Coulson could only nod with a wry smile.
"Yi, I came to tell you..." Coulson paused to choose his words, but before he could speak, Zhou Yi interrupted him.
"Did you eat breakfast? I figured you probably didn't. I made some early morning treats—soup dumplings and rice noodle rolls. Want some?" As he spoke, he walked toward the kitchen counter, seemingly preparing to bring some food over.
"No need, thanks for the offer, buddy. I just wanted to..." He was cut off mid-sentence.
"There's a saying I really believe in: the real day always starts with breakfast. So no matter what, a hearty breakfast is essential. But honestly, Ada, as Chinese, she only knows how to fry eggs. That's just unbearable. Do you want milk tea or coffee?"
"Sorry, I don't need those. I wanted to tell you..."
"I heard you badmouthing me again, boss. What's wrong with fried eggs?" This time, Ada interrupted him as she walked in. She wore a red silk blouse and form-fitting black leather pants, exuding natural elegance and alluring charm, radiating feminine allure.
For Coulson, her arrival couldn't have been more ill-timed. When else could she have appeared, but at this precise moment? Her charm was instantly diminished by Coulson's frustration.
"There's nothing wrong with making fried eggs," Zhou Yi retorted calmly, setting down a stack of steaming baskets on the table. "But if that's all you can make, it's a real problem. Coulson, what were you going to say earlier?"
"I can wait until after we eat to tell you!" Coulson wisely decided to postpone his explanation, determined not to be interrupted again. He also noticed the aroma wafting from the baskets. "Hmm, this smells amazing. I remember eating something like this on a mission in China once, but they were much larger."
"You're thinking of *baozi*. These are *xiaolongbao*. They're technically different," Zhou Yi said, lifting the lid and pointing at the contents. But seeing Coulson's expression—as if he wasn't sure if Zhou Yi was pulling his leg—he abandoned the idea of a detailed explanation. Trying to explain the nuances of traditional Chinese cuisine to a foreigner was a thankless task.
As pragmatists, Americans aren't particularly concerned with the nuances of bun size. All they need to know is that it tastes good. Watching Coulson awkwardly pick up a soup dumpling with his knife and fork, only to be splattered with juice all over his face, Zhou Yi shook his head and demonstrated the proper technique for him and Natasha, who was still hesitant.
Seeing Zhou Yi first tear a small hole in the bun, then pour the hot soup onto a spoon and sip it while eating the bun, Natasha was grateful that Coulson had served as the guinea pig. This was something most people wouldn't have thought of. If she'd made a mistake, it would have been mortifying. For her, starvation was a minor concern; humiliation was the real disaster.
Ada pouted slightly, annoyed that Natasha had managed to eat the soup dumpling without making a fool of herself. She and Natasha had unfinished business, and Ada had been looking forward to seeing her embarrass herself. To her dismay, Natasha had dodged the opportunity.
But just because she couldn't see Natasha stumble didn't mean Ada would let her off the hook. Retaliation was always just around the corner.
"Natasha, are you here to mooch off our food and drinks? I don't remember inviting you," Ada asked casually, eating her breakfast. Her words immediately created a tense, sword-like atmosphere among the adults present.
"I'm here for work, helping Coulson out," Natasha replied, holding Sherry and not blinking as she lied. Zhou Yi couldn't help but marvel inwardly at her skill. *Women's ability to lie is truly innate, and it's directly tied to their looks.*
Her response startled Coulson, nearly making him drop his coffee cup. When he met Natasha's threatening gaze, he forced a rigid smile.
"Natasha was supposed to be off today, but I needed an extra hand, so I asked her to help out."
Hearing Ada's cold snort beside him, Coulson felt like crying but couldn't. Zhou Yi, however, sympathized with his plight. He patted Coulson's shoulder, offering silent understanding.
"Man, I finally get how exhausting your job is. We're all guys—I understand!"
Hearing this, Coulson felt a complex mix of emotions. To extract the full spectrum of human experience—the sweet, the sour, the bitter, and the spicy—from a single breakfast was truly a unique skill.
"Dad, I'm done!" "Me too!" The moment the two children eagerly pushed their plates aside and turned to Zhou Yi with such urgency, it signaled the near end of the meal.
"Get ready, we're leaving soon!"
Smiling, Zhou Yi pinched the little ones' noses and watched them scamper upstairs. Only then did he set down his utensils, wipe his mouth, and turn to Coulson.
"Alright, buddy, you can tell me why you're here."
Coulson shrugged. "About that thing Ms. Hill promised you. I've got two pieces of good news and one piece of bad news."
"Let's hear it!" Zhou Yi turned to face him.
By now, everyone had finished breakfast. Ada began clearing the table, a task Zhou Yi used to despise but was now relieved to have someone else handle. In that small way alone, his life had improved immeasurably compared to his previous one.
Raising his coffee cup, Coulson thanked Ada for clearing the plates. After a moment's thought, he said,
"I'll start with the good news. First, about the Holy Blood you mentioned—we've found some leads, pointing in two directions. One is Alexander Corvinus, a Hungarian lord who was rumored to possess such a thing, granting him immortality. But there's no proof he was such a being, and he's been dead for 300 years. We've only managed to locate his descendants. If you're interested, that could be a lead!"
"The second direction leads to Romania, where a former Vampire Grand Duke was said to have owned it. However, he was killed by Dracula, and the trail of this object vanished with the King of Vampires. If you want to find it, we can offer very limited assistance."
After hearing the news, Zhou Yi took a moment to process it. He realized that these two so-called clues were rather vague. The descendants of someone from three hundred years ago might not be of any use. As for the Vampire King Dracula, that was an even more troublesome prospect. Still, any information was better than none, and for his beloved little maid, making some sacrifices was acceptable.
He nodded to Coulson. "I accept this information. Now, what's the other good news?"
At the mention of the good news, Coulson awkwardly rubbed his nose, his expression peculiar. "We've obtained information on Dr. Banner, along with some data. I think you'll find it interesting."
"You'd better tell me what it is first so I can decide if I'm interested," Zhou Yi said. Coulson's demeanor gave him a bad feeling, and he was already prepared to be tricked.
Coulson's response confirmed his fears: he had indeed been tricked.
"After analyzing the crime scene playback, samples, and data, we've concluded that Dr. Banner's power becomes unstable after transforming. From his first appearance to his recent reappearance in Philadelphia, we performed a data analysis and calculated his peak power level. Uh, approximately 500 tons!"
Five hundred tons! Even Zhou Yi felt his teeth ache at the unit. Before his deification, his peak strength had barely reached four hundred tons. Coulson had gone and found him an opponent with a twenty percent strength advantage.
"Dude, you call this good news?"
"Well, I figured knowing your enemy would be a good thing, right?" Coulson said, his usual smile spreading across his face. Seeing that smile, Zhou Yi abandoned his urge to punch him. Coulson wasn't having an easy time either; just looking at his work environment made that clear. Dealing with difficult colleagues and superiors all day, he was probably working hard to maintain that constant smile.
"Fine, I'll let you off the hook this time. What's the bad news?"
"Uh, would you mind dealing with another opponent of similar strength?" Coulson said, letting out a long breath as he delivered the bad news. Zhou Yi's only reaction was:
"The door's right there. Get out. Don't let the door hit you on the way out!"
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