Matilda's family was terrible; it was a restructured family.
Her father was a member of a drug cartel.
Her stepmother was a prostitute.
Her half-sister was ugly and always causing trouble...
In short...
Except for her four-year-old biological younger brother, the rest of the family either beat or scolded her regularly.
This was something Ye Li knew from his past life, but he had no idea how Jessica met Matilda.
"This is what happened..."
Jessica pulled her brother aside and whispered the story.
After a while,
Ye Li roughly understood the situation: His righteous little sister had taken on a detective agency case a while ago and happened to meet Matilda during the investigation.
Jessica was warm-hearted and kind. After learning about Matilda's situation, she often showed her concern, bringing her rare warmth. Naturally, the two quickly became friends.
In short, this was a heartwarming story of a big sister caring for a tragic little girl.
"Jessica."
Seeing Jessica, Matilda became much happier. The traces of premature maturity and melancholy disappeared, and her gaze toward Jessica was clear and pure.
She handed Jessica a bottle of drink and said eagerly, "I bought this for you; it's your favorite flavor~"
Then, she handed another bottle to Ye Li, but her eyes were still on Jessica.
She asked Jessica, "Should I give this bottle to your brother? Does he like this flavor?"
"You keep it."
Ye Li extended a finger and lightly pressed the drink Matilda was handing over, pushing it back.
"Oh..."
Matilda's bright eyes flickered. She glanced at Ye Li a few times before withdrawing her small hands holding the large bottled drink. "You don't like this kind...?"
"757." She then asked Jessica, "Jessica, I heard gunshots. What happened?"
"Ah! I almost forgot! There was a serious shooting incident here! A family of four was killed!"
Jessica exclaimed, "I knocked out the gang members and called the police, but I'm not sure if I missed anyone... This place isn't safe right now. You should leave first!"
"A murder case? A family of four?"
Matilda listened and seemed to realize something. She quickly ran upstairs, stepping up the spiral staircase.
Jessica was puzzled: "What's wrong with her?"
Ye Li asked, "Jessica, do you know Matilda's full family situation?"
"I don't. I only know her family treats her terribly and often beats her."
Jessica looked a bit distressed, "I always see injuries on her, but since it's someone else's family matters, I can't interfere. I can only help her treat the wounds..."
Ye Li blinked: "…Then after knocking out those gang members, did you check the crime scene?"
"No. After kicking the last guy out of the room… I saw you guys coming downstairs... Oh, right!"
Jessica suddenly realized, "Brother, you reminded me! I still need to collect evidence!"
After saying that, she ran upstairs as well.
"Sigh..."
Watching his detective-obsessed sister,
Ye Li rubbed his forehead and sighed.
No wonder Jessica could remain so calm in front of Matilda—it turns out she had no idea that the ones killed were Matilda's family...
…..
Hammer Industries Control Room.
Clack-clack-clack—
Natasha typed on the keyboard and contacted Stark: [I've regained control of Colonel Rhodes' armor, but Ivan Vanko, who was swapped out of prison by Justin Hammer, is missing.]
At the same time.
Rhodes, realizing he had regained control of his armor, exclaimed with joy: [Oh! Tony! I'm good to go!]
[Hey! Watch your wording.]
Tony pushed Rhodes off him: [Don't give the ladies the wrong idea.]
[Don't celebrate too soon.]
Natasha, checking the surveillance program, said: [A target is approaching you, and its energy levels are extremely high!]
Whoosh—!
Right as Natasha warned them.
Bang~
Ivan Vanko, piloting his new 'Whiplash' armor, landed in front of Rhodes and Tony.
In a mix of English and Russian, he declared war on Stark, "Good, Tony, I live, you die."
'This is bad.'
'I need to use a special weapon against him.'
Rhodes deployed the missile launcher on his shoulder: [Let me use the 'Ex-Wife' missile to dismantle his armor.]
Tony: [Use what?]
The next moment.
Whoosh———Ding~
"..."
Watching the 'Ex-Wife' missile fizzle out in the water, Tony and Rhodes fell into silence...
Tony: [Hammer Industries' weapon?]
Rhodes: [...Yes...]
…..
Slums.
"How could this happen..."
Mathilda stared at her brother lying in a pool of blood, tears streaming down her cheeks...
"Mathilda..."
Jessica, with an unusual gentle expression, comforted the poor girl.
She had just realized that it was Mathilda's entire family who had been killed, and she couldn't help but sympathize...
Luckily, she had met Li.
But now, Mathilda had nothing left.
Just like when she had her accident...
'Huh, just like me...'
Jessica was thinking, and her clever little mind suddenly started working again.
She looked at the crying Mathilda, then at Li, who was leaning against the wall doing nothing...
"Why are you looking at me...?"
Li was biting on a lollipop (which he had snatched from Mathilda's room) when he noticed his sister looking at him. He could tell she was up to no good...
"Has it been too long since I last smacked your butt? Feeling itchy...?"
"Mmph!"
Jessica reflexively covered her butt, then leaned in and whispered, "Li... are you thinking about... adopting another little sister?~"
Li rolled his eyes, "Do you think our home is a shelter for girls?"
"Don't be like that, Li~"
Jessica hugged her brother's arm, pressing herself against him as she acted spoiled. "Just let Mathilda live with us! I'll take care of her. She can even be my assistant at the detective agency~"
Bonk~
Li flicked her forehead, "And you actually thought of letting a normal girl work in your detective agency right outside Hell's Kitchen?"
Jessica pretended to hold her head in pain, pouting, "Because she already lived there, I forgot for a second... Besides, being an assistant doesn't mean she has to work in the agency. She can help me organize files at home or something."
While the siblings were discussing this.
Mathilda quietly listened from the side.
She knew this would determine her fate...
She really wanted to stay with Jessica...
"Fine, fine."
After listening to Jessica's chattering for so long, Li finally gave in, "But you said it—you'll be responsible for taking care of Mathilda. You're about to start university anyway, so you'll have time."
"Mhm! Mhm!"
Jessica nodded happily, tiptoed, and kissed Li on the lips. "Thank you, Li! Long live big brother!"
"Thank you... big brother..."
Hearing Li agree to take her in.
Mathilda, grateful, tried to tiptoe and kiss Li on the cheek—
But because she was still young, even on her tiptoes, she couldn't reach...
"Just call me Li for now."
Li picked up Mathilda and let her plant a kiss on his cheek, nodding in satisfaction, "Once you're used to it, then you can call me 'big brother.'"
It seemed that although Mathilda was a little rebellious, at heart, she was still a well-behaved child.
With a little bit of 'guidance'... ahem... education, she should become a good little sister.
As Li was thinking this.
Tears still wet on her face, Mathilda pulled a cigarette from her small pocket and held it out to him—
"Li... smoke?"
"..."
"Ahem... No need to smoke this from now on."
As her new big brother, Li gently kissed Mathilda's lips in an affectionate manner~
"Ah~〃〃"
Mathilda's face turned red, her ears burned with embarrassment, and she raised a delicate finger to cover her small mouth...
Jessica had kissed him earlier too...
This must be normal behavior among family members, right...? Brother Li was just showing he had accepted her...
This feeling... was more intoxicating than nicotine...
'As expected, he's just like Jessica...'
'This whole family is so gentle...'
"Li... I want to..."
After a moment of regaining composure.
Mathilda looked at the unconscious gangsters and their weapons, her eyes filled with hatred. "I... I want to..."
"You want to kill them?"
Li flicked a pistol into the air with his foot and caught it with one hand. "Do you want to do it yourself, or have someone else do it?"
"I..."
Mathilda flinched slightly in fear, but she didn't want to be a burden to Li. She reached out to take the gun from his hand...
'A brave girl.'
Li made an internal assessment...
Then he simply raised the gun.
Aimed at the gang members———
Bang!
Bang!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
With bursts of blood.
The magazine emptied.
"Ah."
Jessica looked a bit worried. "Brother, won't randomly killing people like this..."
"It's fine."
Li twirled the gun in his hand before tossing it back onto the corpse of its original owner. "Contact Skye and have her send someone to clean this up."
"Brother..."
At that moment.
Mathilda, still in Li's arms, looked up at him with gratitude, pressed her lips together, then leaned in...
Li: "Mmm..."
"Mas... Li, who is she?"
Felicia, seeing Li bring home an unfamiliar girl, corrected her usual casual way of addressing him.
"Ah———"
Li stretched his voice out lazily and patted Mathilda's head. "New little sister."
"New little sister?"
Felicia didn't ask much more. She simply sniffed lightly in front of Mathilda with her upturned nose and smiled. "Mhm, I've memorized your scent~"
"Hello..."
Mathilda greeted politely, but in her heart, she thought: 'This white-haired sister is so beautiful, but she seems a little strange... Is she also a family member...?'
"Brother is so lazy, he doesn't explain things properly."
Seeing that Li didn't bother to introduce them properly.
Jessica took the initiative, pulling Felicia and Mathilda to the couch to help them get to know each other.
Seeing the two older girls and the younger one chatting more and more excitedly.
Li turned on the TV and saw that the battle at the expo had already ended.
'Tony is probably about to start bragging again.'
'Hmm... The new energy project is about to be announced soon...'
Li thought about it and decided to use the two checks Tony had given him to buy Stark Industries' stock directly.
By then, the vice president of the Ghost Spider Club would also be a major shareholder of Stark Industries.
After watching TV for a bit.
The girls had almost finished their conversation.
Li turned to Jessica and asked, "Any rooms left?"
"Rooms?"
Jessica tapped her lips with her finger and thought aloud, "I think they're all taken... How about letting Mathilda sleep with me?"
"Jessica..."
Felicia tugged on Jessica's sleeve and reminded her, "Did you forget... you've been staying with Li at night lately..."
"Oh..."
Jessica blushed awkwardly. "Right... Well, we all sleep together anyway..."
She put her arm around Mathilda's shoulders and asked, "How about... you take my room? I'll go sleep with my brother."
"This..."
Mathilda, afraid of being left out in her new family, hesitantly asked, "If sister is sleeping with brother... then can I sleep with you too...?"
"Ahem...!"
Li, for once, blushed slightly and firmly refused, "That's absolutely not happening... Mathilda..."
With this new little sister around...
How was he supposed to handle things with Gwen and the others...?
"O-okay..."
Mathilda looked a little disappointed.
"Don't be sad, Mathilda! I'll go make something delicious for you, some Chinese food~"
Jessica seemed to have awakened her motherly instincts. She said this dotingly before running off to the kitchen, eager to show off her cooking skills to the new family member.
After Jessica left.
Mathilda kept glancing at the TV.
Li noticed this and asked, "Are you interested in Iron Man? If you like, I can take you to visit Tony someday."
Mathilda shook her head gently.
She looked like she wanted to say something but was too shy to speak...
If there was one thing Li was good at, it was guiding... ahem... enlightening girls...
Seeing Mathilda like this, he pulled her onto his lap and spoke softly.
"Go ahead, don't be shy. From today on, you can live a happy life."
"Um..."
Mathilda, her small legs wrapped in cute tights, wiggled slightly and shifted her delicate body backward.
Finally, she leaned into Li's embrace, looking at him with hopeful eyes, and softly said—
"Big brother... I want to watch cartoons..."