Chapter 98:
Looking at her lively appearance, Yang Jian smiled and teased.
"You're so noisy — aren't you afraid Doctor Strange will come looking for trouble?"
Gwen Stacy immediately straightened her back and flicked her pink hair.
"OAA told me I can play however I want. Why would I be afraid of the Sorcerer Supreme?"
She proudly shook her head. "Last time I went to his Sanctum to steal the WiFi password and he didn't even say anything!"
"Fine then," Yang Jian shook his head with a helpless smile. "I'll go crazy with you this time."
"Yay!"
Gwen Stacy cheered, suddenly leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Yang Jian's cheek, leaving a pink lipstick mark.
She pointed dramatically at the wall clock and exclaimed:
"Oh my god, we've been talking for this long? The sun is about to set!"
The sunset outside the window had already dyed the entire café orange-red. Gwen Stacy's pink costume looked especially vibrant in the afterglow.
She leaned in mysteriously: "So… can you use your super speed to take me back?"
She blinked her big eyes. "I want to see what the world looks like in super-speed mode."
Yang Jian smiled and stood up. He wrapped one arm around her slender waist and slowly lifted them both into the air.
"Are you sure you don't want to close your eyes?"
"Of course!"
Gwen Stacy excitedly grabbed his arm. "I'm going to write this into the comic! 3, 2, 1."
Yang Jian took her and instantly disappeared from the spot.
In an instant, the world seemed to hit pause.
Coffee droplets splashing in the café froze in mid-air. Leaves falling outside the window hung motionless. Even the water droplets from a distant fountain turned into sparkling sculptures.
Gwen Stacy's eyes widened. They were already outside on the street.
Her brain automatically started playing the song Sweet Dreams.
Everything seemed to slow down, making her feel incredibly novel.
She saw Spider-Man frozen mid-leap in the air, his web-line glinting golden in the sunset.
"This is so cool! Yang…"
Her exclamation hadn't finished when the scene changed again. The two were now standing in her bedroom.
"Ah! That was too fast!"
Gwen Stacy pouted in protest, but quickly became excited again.
"Wait, I have to write this into the new issue!"
Yang Jian looked around and noticed the entire room had been completely redecorated.
The wall that used to be covered with Marvel hero posters was now filled with various versions of Superman.
Classic blue, Silver Age, black suit, Absolute Superman, Lord Superman, Golden Superman, Thought Robot Superman, Demon Superman, Doctor Superman, Supreme Little Superman.
There were even a few obviously hand-drawn Q-version chibi drawings of Yang Jian.
"What is this?" Yang Jian pointed at the wall, somewhat amused and helpless.
"It's a surprise!"
Gwen Stacy bounced around in a circle. "Ever since you left last time, I changed all my collections!"
She suddenly jumped onto the bed, pulled out a pillow embroidered with an S logo from under her pillow.
"Look! I even custom-ordered this!"
Yang Jian couldn't help laughing as he picked up the drawings on the desk.
Gwen Stacy sat cross-legged on the bed, her messy pink hair sticking out in all directions. She hugged the silly pillow tightly, smiling like a child who had just received a new toy.
Gwen Stacy looked around the room, her eyes suddenly lighting up.
"Yang, are you hungry? Want to try my cooking?"
She suddenly slapped her own forehead.
"Oh no! I forgot Superman doesn't need to eat!"
Yang Jian was sitting on the swivel chair at the desk, flipping through a hand-drawn sketchbook filled with various Superman designs.
He looked up, a smile on his lips.
"Who said that? Of course I eat. What can you make?"
"Wow!"
Gwen Stacy jumped up from the bed. Her pink hair bounced along with her.
"I'm super good! Chinese, Western, Japanese, Mexican… wait, I know!"
She counted on her fingers, then suddenly dashed in front of Yang Jian and planted a loud kiss on his cheek.
"Wait for me. I'll show you some authentic Chinese food!"
Before she finished speaking, she had already rushed into the kitchen like a pink whirlwind.
Soon, the sounds of pots and pans clanging came from the kitchen, along with Gwen Stacy's signature non-stop chatter.
"Light soy sauce, dark soy sauce… huh! Where's my oyster sauce?"
"Is the heat right? The recipe said…"
"Wow! This green pepper is cut perfectly!"
Yang Jian leaned against the kitchen doorframe, watching her busy yet clearly enjoying herself.
Gwen Stacy was wearing an apron covered in little Superman prints. Her pink ponytail swayed left and right with her movements, and she occasionally hummed a few off-key notes.
"Need any help?" Yang Jian asked with a smile.
"No no no!"
Gwen Stacy waved her spatula without turning around. "Superheroes should have super cooking skills!"
She suddenly remembered something, turned around and made a funny face.
"But if it tastes too bad later, you can't use heat vision to burn down my kitchen!"
The warm kitchen light bathed the two of them. The food in the pan sizzled, and fragrant steam filled the air.
Yang Jian watched the lively pink figure in front of him and suddenly felt that this ordinary, everyday warmth was more touching than being Superman.
Night fell
The Arctic ice plain was quiet and mysterious.
Yang Jian took Gwen Stacy and instantly crossed thousands of kilometers. Now the two sat on the thick ice, with the brilliant aurora dancing overhead.
"Wow!"
Gwen Stacy tilted her head back. Her pink hair shifted colors under the aurora's glow.
"It's a hundred times more beautiful than in the comics!"
She scooted closer to Yang Jian and rested her head on his shoulder.
"It would be great if I could see this every day!"
Yang Jian gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder and shook his head with a smile.
"Who runs to the North Pole every day? There's nothing here but ice and snow — not even a convenience store."
"But it's so pretty!"
Gwen Stacy pouted defiantly and pointed at the flowing green light ribbons in the sky.
"Look at that — doesn't it look like the fluorescent stripes on my new costume?"
She suddenly pulled out her phone. "Wait, I need to take a picture for my wallpaper!"
The aurora flowed like water across the night sky, shifting between emerald green and pink-purple, illuminating the silhouettes of the two leaning against each other on the sparkling ice.
Gwen Stacy's nose was red from the cold, but she still excitedly swung her legs.
"Next time I want to bring a thermos. Drinking hot cocoa here would be super romantic!"
Yang Jian watched her lively movements, his eyes filled with amusement.
He quietly extended a bio-field around them, turning the biting cold wind into a gentle breeze.
Gwen Stacy seemed to notice something and snuggled closer into his arms like a satisfied kitten.
"Actually…"
Yang Jian suddenly spoke. "If you really like it, I'll bring you next time."
Gwen Stacy jerked her head up, her eyes sparkling: "Really? Then it's a promise!"
She held out her pinky. "Pinky swear! Superheroes can't lie!"
Their fingers hooked together under the aurora.
In the distance, a faint cracking sound came from the glacier, as if witnessing the moment.
The aurora continued dancing across the Arctic night sky. Yang Jian checked the time and said softly:
"It's getting late. We should head back."
Gwen Stacy took one last reluctant look at the brilliant sky and nodded.
"Okay! But you have to bring me again next time!"
She wiggled her pinky, reminding him of their promise.
Yang Jian smiled and took her hand. The next second, the two figures vanished from the ice plain.
The aurora kept dancing in the Arctic night, as if the laughter and joy from moments ago had been nothing more than a beautiful dream.
Back in Gwen Stacy's apartment, she shook off nonexistent snowflakes while still relishing the experience.
"Tonight was amazing! I have to make the writer put this in the new comic!"
As she spoke, she suddenly turned and hugged Yang Jian. "Thank you for taking me to see the aurora!"
The city lights glowed brightly outside the window, contrasting sharply with the quiet of the Arctic.
On this ordinary night, two extraordinary souls had woven a special memory together.
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