"Madam, here is your dinner and wine."
Ye Li heard a voice from outside the private room. His super spider-sense flashed some images—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Flip flip flip! The sensing was like flipping through an animation.
After confirming that there was only a stewardess outside and no cameras facing the door, he used his telekinetic ability to unlock the door and said, "Bring it in, the door isn't locked."
'Not locked?'
'Huh? Why is it a man's voice?'
'Wasn't the private room booked by a lady?'
The stewardess hesitantly tried to open the door, then let out a small scream, "Ah!"
Hearing someone enter,
Barbara lifted her flowing golden hair, revealing her slightly dazed yet charming face, and looked toward the doorway.
Seeing that it was just a flight attendant, she paid no further attention...
'This again...'
'But this woman is really beautiful...'
The stewardess steadied her nerves and placed the dinner on the table in front of Ye Li, "Please... enjoy your meal."
"Thank you," Ye Li said with a smile. "Close the door on your way out."
"Okay..."
The stewardess left with slightly unsteady steps...
"Huha~"
Barbara finally calmed down from her earlier impulses, feeling a little dazed...
She looked out the cabin window—outside, the sky was dotted with stars, the bright moon hanging high, mist swirling around, rushing past as the plane flew forward...
She turned her gaze to Ye Li.
Seeing him leisurely scrolling on his phone, with dynamic music playing, seemingly watching some dance video...
"Hey, aren't you enjoying yourself too much~"
Barbara sat beside him. Upon seeing that the screen displayed a dancing girl, she immediately became annoyed, "You... you're watching other women!"
"Alright, don't be mad."
Ye Li pulled the beauty closer and covered her with a blanket. "A beautiful night and delicious dinner—perfect timing."
"Liang... what?"
Barbara understood a bit of Chinese but didn't fully grasp this phrase.
She looked down at the meal before her, full of color, aroma, and flavor.
But she frowned slightly, "... It's all your fault... How could I have an appetite to eat now..."
Ye Li cut a piece of lamb chop and put it in his mouth, "You're the one who clung to me~"
Seeing that he got the advantage and was still acting smug, Barbara huffed, "A dazzling night sky, candlelit dinner, and me, a stunning beauty by your side—you're really lucky to be enjoying all this!"
"You're the first woman I've met who calls herself a beauty... but confidence is a good thing."
Ye Li handed her a glass of wine. "Here, drink some first—it'll help mask the taste. I'm quite experienced in helping cute girls with this."
"Mmm... gulp gulp..."
Barbara, half-believing, drank the wine, then suddenly realized, "Wait?! You're not trying to get me drunk to do bad things, are you?"
She had almost fallen into his trap!
Luckily, her agent instincts kicked in, or she would have completely lost this battle tonight.
Although he had already done plenty of bad things to her, at least she was still a girl, not yet a woman...
That was the last line she was determined to hold.
"Eat up."
Ye Li smiled gently and reached out, using his thumb to wipe away a drop of wine from the corner of her lips. "When you wake up, we'll be in Monaco. Get some rest."
"Ah?"
Barbara instinctively shrank her neck. His sudden gentleness made her face flush red...
"You're such a bad man..."
…..
A Few Hours Later
Knock knock~
Strange lightly knocked twice on Ye Li's door. "Ye, we're about to land soon. I think you'd better wake up."
Click~
The door next to him opened.
Ye Li poked his head out, a toothbrush in his mouth, foam covering his lips. He mumbled, "Stephen, morning."
Strange was slightly surprised but not too shocked. He smiled knowingly and said, "According to Monaco time, it's not morning. Has Miss Barbara made you lose track of time?"
"If anyone's lost their senses, it would be her."
Ye Li called inside, "Barbara, are you ready? We're about to land."
"I've been ready, just waiting for you."
Barbara opened the door, pulling her suitcase behind her. "I'm heading down first. I'll wait for you outside."
Strange watched her leave, surprised. "Whoa~ She looks like a completely different person from yesterday."
Yesterday, Barbara had a more mature look, but today, she had tied her golden hair into twin ponytails, dressed in a lively, sporty outfit.
"Women are always changing, aren't they?"
After finishing his morning routine, Ye Li smiled and said, "Let's head down too."
…..
"Mmm~ hum~ hum hum~"
Barbara rested her pale arms on her suitcase handle, chin atop her arms, humming a tune.
Leaning on the suitcase handle, her slender waist bent at a graceful angle, she looked incredibly radiant.
Her delicate features and stylish look caught the eyes of many hurried travelers, making some turn back for another glance.
Soon, Ye Li and Strange exited the plane, ready to leave with Barbara.
With the combined looks and aura of the three, they immediately became the center of attention at the airport.
Feeling slightly uncomfortable with all the attention, Ye Li asked, "Did either of you book a car?"
Barbara grabbed his hand. "I'm riding with you."
Strange nodded, "Mine is waiting outside. Are you heading straight to Stark?"
"No rush, let's have some fun first."
Ye Li pulled out his phone, searching for something. "I remember Monaco has a casino..."
Barbara raised an eyebrow, "You're planning to gamble?"
She recalled the rumors of this Vice President dominating the gambling scene at their club...
…..
Monte Carlo Casino
"Give me a bit of luck~"
Stark held the dice in his palm, extending his hand toward a woman beside him. The woman playfully blew on them.
"Alright, nice. Hope you bring me some luck~"
Just as Tony was about to roll the dice, a loud commotion erupted at another table, causing him to pause.
Tony was just about to toss the "good luck" in his hand when...
The woman next to him responded in French, "It's the newcomer, Dieu Du Jeu. He's nearly won the entire casino!"
"Dieu Du Jeu? God of Games?"
"It means Gambling God, Mr. Stark."
"Alright, let's see this so-called Gambling God."
Tony looked over with great interest—
But when he saw the person—
His eyes widened—
"Isn't that Li!?"
"Hey, Li, you arrived without a word!"
Tony tossed the dice aside and walked toward Ye Li. "Were you planning to surprise me?"
"It's just a coincidence, but I'm not surprised to see you here," Ye Li replied, glancing at Tony's dice. "Your luck is bad, be careful, Tony."
Two dice, both rolled a one.
Tony sighed. "Couldn't be worse."
He didn't even look at the dice but instead thought about his palladium poisoning. However, he played it off with a casual tone, "But, isn't it good to enjoy some fun in the meantime?"
He turned to look at the pile of chips in Barbara's arms. "Looks like you've won quite a bit."
Ye Li modestly held up his thumb and forefinger, making a tiny gap. "Just a little."
Then, he introduced the two people beside him to Tony—
"Stephen Strange, a genius in the field of surgery. If you want to remove the shrapnel from your chest, maybe you can consider his help."
Strange gave Stark a slight nod. "Since you're Ye's friend, if you need help, I'll do my best."
"Thanks, buddy. I've heard of you."
Tony exchanged business cards with Strange and said, "Maybe I'll reach out someday. Maybe..."
But he didn't finish the sentence.
Without solving the palladium issue, removing the shrapnel wouldn't matter to him.
The tiny shrapnel fragments embedded in his chest were nearly impossible to remove through surgery.
The surgical risks were too high. If he died on the operating table, then it'd all be meaningless.
He'd rather rely on the arc reactor to keep the shrapnel in place and continue being Iron Man for a little while longer—so he'd have no regrets even if he died.
Tony pondered.
Meanwhile, Ye Li introduced Barbara—
"Barbara Morse, former national team gymnast, currently working at the Ghost Spider Club... Uh... at least I think she's working there?"
He wasn't sure if Barbara was actually doing any real work there. From what Skye and the others said, she mostly just played around...
"I am working!"
Barbara firmly corrected him, then smiled politely at Stark. "Hello, Mr. Stark."
"Hmm~ She's not bad at all~"
Tony leaned toward Ye Li and whispered teasingly, "I thought your type was high school girls, not older than eighteen~"
'Not this again...'
Ye Li sighed at Tony's teasing and retorted, "I'll remind you that Gwen and the others are about to graduate. They're already past the limit you're talking about."
"And then what?"
Tony shrugged, unconvinced. "So, your targets have just shifted from high school girls to college girls?"
"..."
Ye Li couldn't be bothered to argue anymore. Instead, he pointed at the cards on the table. "Come on, Tony. This game should be more your thing—teach me how to play."
"What? You're the so-called Gambling God, and you still need me to teach you?"
Tony suspiciously taught Ye Li, but soon realized—he actually didn't seem to know how to play?
And yet, every time Ye Li gambled, he somehow always won big.
"Li, if I didn't know you didn't need to cheat..."
Tony looked at him, baffled. "I'd swear you were rigging the game."
Ye Li didn't deny it.
He didn't even need to use his telekinetic powers—his super spider-sense alone was enough to dominate.
Passive abilities don't count as cheating, right?
…..
After winning big at the casino
Ye Li decided not to push his luck any further.
Gambling was fine for occasional fun, but using it as a steady source of income? No thanks.
After all, money... he couldn't even be bothered to actively make it anymore.
At his level—
Money came to him, not the other way around.
Time flew by.
The competition was about to begin.
Tony led the way, bringing Ye Li and a few others to the pre-match banquet.
Ye Li saw Natasha.
Barbara saw her too.
The two S.H.I.E.L.D. agents exchanged glances.
Natasha stepped forward first and started talking with Barbara, acting as if they hit it off.
Watching his new assistant go off to chat with Ye Li's companion,
Tony joked to Ye Li, "Looks like they'd rather be with each other than with us."
At that moment, a photographer holding a camera approached them: "Gentlemen, may I take a photo?"
Tony: "No problem."
"Maybe they have a common topic."
Ye Li smiled appropriately at the camera while chatting with Tony, "They went over there, and you still have Miss Pepper. I don't have a companion."
"If you need a companion, how about me, Ye?"
A confident female voice came.
Christina walked over with a wine glass and greeted Stark, "Hello, Mr. Stark."
Tony found her somewhat familiar and whispered to Ye Li, "She is...? I can't remember."
"A Vanity Fair journalist, the one who interviewed you privately."
After answering Tony, Ye Li gave Christina a polite smile, "Hello, Miss Christine, we meet again here."
Christina smiled, revealing her neat white teeth, "Great to see you again, but I'm now a journalist for Glitz World."
Ye Li glanced at her.
He wasn't sure if his standards had risen, but compared to last time, this female journalist, though still beautiful, seemed to have lost a bit of her charm...
It's said that Westerners' attractiveness declines quite quickly with age...
But luckily, there was no need to worry about Gwen and the others.
Gwen, Jessica, Skye, Felicia, Cindy... They weren't ordinary humans.
Besides, Ye Li had an enhanced version of the Dog Talisman.
The enhanced Dog Talisman ability—
Immortality and eternal youth!
This life force could be granted and shared with others.
That's right—only "her."
As for how this power was given... better not to go into detail...
For example, Barbara didn't have it...
If she ever got convinced to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. and switch sides, then he might consider granting her this immortal power.
Besides, Ye Li was the sole master of the enhanced Twelve Talismans, and any power he granted could be reclaimed at any time.
"Tony! Is that you?"
As these thoughts flashed through Ye Li's mind,
Another person approached with a wine glass.
It was Justin Hammer.
He was all smiles, trying to connect with Stark.
During the conversation, Justin Hammer was somewhat polite to Ye Li, occasionally pretending to make small talk.
But his eyes held undisguised contempt.
In his view—what power could a painter have? He didn't deserve to stand alongside him or Stark.
Ye Li didn't want to bother with this clown; his super Spider-Sense had already picked up on the guy's thoughts.
Seeing Justin interrupt, Christina took the opportunity to pull Ye Li aside, "Mr. Hammer wants to talk with Mr. Stark, so why don't we go chat over there?"
"Wait, Christine!"
Justin Hammer grabbed Christina, his face displeased, "Aren't you supposed to interview me?"
"Let's talk about it later, Mr. Hammer."
Christina gently pulled her hand away, "You talk with Mr. Stark first."
Watching Christina and Ye Li walk away,
Justin Hammer was so angry he almost spat blood!
He was trying to ride on Stark's fame.
Without a well-known journalist covering it, what was the point of talking to Stark, his rival, at all?!
…..
Meanwhile...
Over here.
Ye Li found Justin Hammer's frustrated expression amusing and let Christina lead him away for a while.
He just didn't expect...
Christina pulled him straight into a secluded corridor and pressed him against the wall in a corner...
"Ye~"
Christina leaned in, her high-heeled foot hooking around his leg, "After that day, why didn't you call me?"
Feeling her soft body pressing against him,
Ye Li sighed inwardly: Being handsome is also a sin... Beautiful lady, for the sake of you making that clown Hammer mad, I suggest you let go right now~
His thoughts remained unspoken.
Naturally, Christina couldn't hear them.
She buried her head against his collar, trying to give him a warm, soft sensation, while her hand ventured closer to forbidden territory...
However.
Just as Christina's lips and hand were about to reach their target, a fair hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, stopping her movement.
"This lady."
Barbara, having completed the 'Beauty Rescues the Damsel' achievement, pulled Christina away with a light chuckle, "It's not very polite to treat a gentleman like this, you know~"