Early the next morning, Di Wan packed all her belongings into her personal storage space. She also filled the kitchen with plenty of snacks.
"What are you doing with all those snacks?" Karl asked curiously.
"Can't we buy them there?" he wondered.
Di Wan glanced at him and said, "You know, snacks are different everywhere."
She pointed to the potato chips in her hand."Look at these. It's hard to find this kind of chip in other countries, but in China you can buy almost anything you want. That's basic common sense—learn a little."
Karl urged, "Hurry up!"
Di Wan tucked her hair behind her ear and glared at him angrily."Can you talk seriously for once? Just once?"
Everything that needed to be taken had been packed away. Not a single snack was left behind.
Aside from snacks, the only other thing they brought was top-quality Chinese wine.
After all, at the party Tony was hosting, foreign wines certainly wouldn't be in short supply.
After finishing packing, the two went to pick up their evening dresses.
They had paid triple the normal price to have the shop rush the order overnight. At seven in the morning, they received a message saying everything was ready.
After picking up their luggage, they headed straight to the airport.
The flight would take more than ten hours, and the time difference between the United States and China was exactly twelve hours. It was still noon when they departed.
"If I could go back to the past, I would never make that kind of choice again."
Di Wan rubbed her neck. The long flight was exhausting.
Karl gently moved her hand aside and pressed a few pressure points on her neck.
Satisfied with Karl's service, Di Wan took out her phone and called Steve.
"Captain, we've arrived."
"Yes, we're at John F. Kennedy International Airport right now."
"Alright. We'll wait for you at the coffee shop across the street."
Before arriving, she had forgotten to call Steve, so she had to contact him last minute.
After hanging up, she linked arms with Karl and headed to the café across the street.
They ordered two cups of coffee casually.
Di Wan was feeling sleepy. It was her usual habit to sleep around this time.
The coffee arrived quickly. It wasn't a fancy café—just a decent cup of instant coffee.
Seeing Di Wan standing there with sleepy eyes, Karl took a sip of water and said,"Next time I want to fly somewhere, I can just take you with me. You won't need to take a plane."
Di Wan looked up at him."There won't be a next time. From now on, I'll just use portals."
She rubbed her still-sore neck.
"My body isn't what it used to be. I used to sit on a twenty-hour flight without feeling tired."
"In the past, you lived only for your goals. Even when you faced great hardships, you barely felt them. But now it's different…"
Karl moved over and sat beside her, continuing to massage her neck.
"Material things don't matter much to you anymore. Back then you naturally wanted to experience everything, but now many things feel different."
Leaning against him, Di Wan sighed.
"I know. Back then I only cared about the final result. I never truly experienced the bitterness of the journey… Thinking about it now, I was really lucky."
Karl adjusted her position so she could lean comfortably against him and fall asleep while he continued massaging her neck.
New York City was enormous, and the car had already been driving for more than half an hour.
Happy Hogan had come to pick them up.
The car was excellent—a blue Rolls-Royce. According to Tony, its color matched Superman's colors perfectly.
Di Wan had been half-asleep when Karl carried her into the car, and she fell asleep again once inside.
Happy lived a very disciplined life and followed all sorts of strict rules.
After arriving at Stark Tower, he led the two of them to their room.
There were still more than four hours before the party began, so they decided to rest first. No one would disturb them.
Time passed quickly while sleeping.
Just before six o'clock, someone knocked on the door. Karl got up to open it.
"Hey! Karl, long time no see. How have you been?"
It was Tony Stark speaking. His tone, as always, sounded a bit mischievous.
"So, how have things been going with your girlfriend? You know what Steve told me—he said your girlfriend has become a little dangerous."
Karl let Tony inside and sat down on the sofa in the living room.
Di Wan was still inside the room freshening up; she had just woken up.
"By the way, how did you get my girlfriend's phone number?" Karl asked.
Tony took a glass of water and smiled.
"Steve ran into a very strange Black man. The guy asked me for some water… What was his name again? Anyway, don't worry about it. Come enjoy yourself. Tonight's party is to celebrate defeating Hydra and the Chitauri, and you're one of the stars."
Hearing this, Karl basically understood that Steve must have gone to 177A Bleecker Street to ask for information.
"He didn't need to go through that trouble. He could've just asked me."
"You know Steve—he's stubborn," Tony said as he mimicked Steve's stiff expression.
"But I've heard that talking about people behind their backs isn't a good habit."
Steve was suddenly standing at the door. He had just arrived.
He gestured toward Karl."Long time no see. How is Ms. Di Wan doing?"
Karl pointed toward the bedroom door."She just woke up and is getting ready."
As soon as he finished speaking, Di Wan walked out of the room.
She was wearing a red evening gown that perfectly highlighted her figure. The dress wasn't revealing, yet it looked incredibly elegant and seductive.
Aside from Karl, both Tony and Steve were momentarily stunned.
Tony's eyes lit up.
"Hello, Ms. Di Wan. It seems the star of tonight's party is ready. I bet all the young guys will be completely captivated when they see you."
Di Wan smiled slightly.
"Thank you."
Steve also relaxed and greeted her.
"Hello, Di Wan. You've given me a new appreciation for the beauty of Eastern women."
Karl sensed the strange tone of admiration between them and felt slightly uncomfortable.
"Let's go. Don't you already have girlfriends?"
"I've had one," Steve said calmly. "She was very beautiful."
Tony looked at Steve and said teasingly,
"But our captain here has been single for more than seventy years."
Steve ignored Tony.
"Let's go. The party is about to begin."
Steve walked ahead, Tony shrugged, and Karl and Di Wan followed behind him.
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