C69: Reject
In the afternoon, the line in front of the food truck gradually thinned.
After the last batch of siomai was served, Xie Lu glanced at the few remaining ingredients, turned his head, and apologized to the customers still waiting in line outside the food truck parked across from Stark Tower.
"Sorry, the dim sum is sold out."
"What? No way!"
"C'mon, I just got in line!"
"This can't be—my turn was next!"
"Boss, are you sure there's nothing left? I came all the way from Queens just for this."
Despite the disappointed murmurs from the crowd, Xie Lu shook his head calmly. "I'm out of ingredients for today. If you really want to try my dim sum, come back tomorrow morning."
After gently persuading the lingering customers to disperse, Xie Lu cast a glance toward the gleaming glass façade of Stark Tower—its iconic arc reactor logo shimmering in the sunlight then turned back to begin closing down his mobile kitchen. Despite appearances, his goal wasn't to run a legitimate food truck operation.
The popularity of the truck was merely a smokescreen—Li Ran's real motive for deploying the avatar of Xie Lu near Stark Industries lay in observation, infiltration, and reputation farming.
Unfortunately, Tony Stark hadn't been showing up at the Tower lately.
Still, at least I'm not the only one playing games here.
He glanced toward a nearby lamppost, behind which Agent Phil Coulson stood inconspicuously in a long black coat, tapping notes into a S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued device.
Back in his Chinatown antique store, Li Ran smirked faintly through the astral link to his avatar.
"You've been vending dim sum in front of my building for the past few days… Hey, Happy, what's this guy selling again?" A casual, cocky voice broke his concentration.
Looking up, Xie Lu saw Tony Stark, the billionaire playboy genius himself known for donning the Iron Man armor and headlining half the Daily Bugle's entertainment section—standing with arms crossed, eyeing him curiously.
"Dim sum, sir," Happy Hogan replied dutifully from the side, wearing his usual suit and Bluetooth headset.
A short distance away, Coulson saw Stark's arrival and instinctively stepped forward, then paused and narrowed his eyes.
"Stark? Why's he here now? He wasn't even on-site this week."
Tony turned toward Xie Lu, raising an eyebrow. "Right. Dim sum. Okay, give me whatever dish you're best at."
The sudden arrival gave Li Ran pause. He wouldn't mind cooking for Tony if it meant gaining more "Famousness" from the public figure who'd one day join the Avengers Initiative. But the lack of ingredients and the pair of S.H.I.E.L.D. surveillance drones circling above made this a risky move. Better to play it safe.
So Xie Lu stayed in character: calm, disinterested, professional.
"Sorry. I've already closed for the day," he replied, wiping down the counter.
"Closed?" Tony raised an eyebrow, glancing around. Other food trucks were still doing business.
"I've run out of ingredients. If you want a taste, try lining up earlier tomorrow."
With that, Xie Lu turned around, deliberately ignoring Tony's deepening scowl as he continued packing up the truck.
Tony stared after him, face tightening with irritation. "Do you even know who I am?"
Of course I do. I also know what you'll become—leader of the Avengers, key player in the Sokovia Accords, and maybe even a martyr.
Back at the antique shop, Li Ran muttered the thought with dry amusement.
But in the food truck, Xie Lu simply blinked and said, "Who are you?"
Tony scoffed. "Happy?"
Happy didn't miss a beat. "This is Mr. Tony Stark. CEO of Stark Industries, genius inventor, billionaire philanthropist…"
"And media darling. I've always liked that one," Tony added with a smirk, gesturing behind him. "That big shiny building you're using as a background prop? It's mine."
"So what?"
Tony had expected surprise or awe. Instead, the vendor remained utterly unmoved.
"I'm still closed. Try again tomorrow if you want to eat. Thanks."
Without giving Tony a chance to argue, Xie Lu stepped out of the truck and pulled the rolling door shut with a clang.
[Famousness from Tony Stark +40]
"Happy," Tony muttered as the food truck rolled away.
"Yes, boss?"
"Tomorrow morning, I want that guy's food on my desk. And it better taste as good as you said, or you're washing every single one of my Lamborghinis."
[Famousness from Happy Hogan +25]
---
"You're late, Jessica."
Inside Nelson & Murdock, the tension was already high when Jessica Jones walked in, hair tousled, wearing her usual leather jacket and scowl.
"I know," she said, scratching the back of her head. "Something came up."
From his seat, Matt Murdock tilted his head toward the door, brow furrowing. "There's someone behind her."
Luke Cage immediately stepped toward the door, body tensed. "Is it one of the Hand?"
Matt shook his head. "I don't think so. Just one set of footsteps."
Jessica raised her hands. "Relax, will you? He's with me."
"With you?" Luke didn't let his guard down. "You know what we're dealing with here. This isn't a bar fight in Hell's Kitchen. The Hand doesn't play nice."
"I know exactly what we're facing," Jessica said. Then, turning toward the door, she called out, "Come in."
The office door opened slowly.
A figure stepped inside—a tall man draped in a white assassin's robe, face shadowed by a hood, with only the angular line of his jaw visible. The cut of his garment was vaguely reminiscent of Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins, but there was something more modern, more westernized.
The man stopped and scanned the room with cold eyes.
"My name is Wesley Gibson. I come on behalf of the Brotherhood of Assassins."
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