New York, Hell's Kitchen, inside the Good Luck Restaurant. Chen Ye stood at the bar, holding his phone and speaking to the person on the other end.
"Did you see the news just now? My dear godson."
Wilson Fisk's voice came through the phone.
"Thanks to you, I've made quite a bit this time. This is much faster and easier money than my usual business. Hahaha," Fisk laughed heartily.
It turned out Fisk was calling because of the news about Tony Stark shutting down his weapons factory.
"Made a lot, huh? As for when to sell, I trust you have professionals on your side to handle it, Uncle Fisk. So, can we start preparing for the community college I mentioned?" Chen Ye quickly responded.
"It's already being prepared for you, but let me tell you, there will be a lot of resistance. The people in Hell's Kitchen aren't as easy to deal with as I am."
"Even without this windfall, would I not prepare it for you, my dear godson? You don't even want to call me Godfather," Fisk complained.
"You know I never believed in religion, and I believe you don't either. If it weren't for my late father—" Chen Ye said irritably.
Hearing this, Fisk wasn't angry. If others in Hell's Kitchen saw Fisk chatting and laughing on the phone, they'd be shocked.
"Don't speak ill of your father. I think the best decision he ever made was making you my godson. I don't know why you insist on building a school and running a restaurant after returning to Hell's Kitchen. If it doesn't work out, just take over my business so I can retire early," Fisk continued.
"You're joking, aren't you? You still have Richard. Why do you have to give it to me?" Chen Ye quickly declined.
"You know Richard isn't cut out for this world. If he got involved, he'd be devoured without a trace. I just want him and Vanessa to live a safe and peaceful life," Fisk said helplessly.
"Besides, if I took over, I'd have to cut down a lot of your businesses. You know how I am. Your men might tolerate it, but not just Hell's Kitchen—the entire underworld would be in chaos," Chen Ye explained.
"This weekend, Vanessa, Richard, and I will come to see you for dinner. You've been busy with your part-time job and haven't seen them in a long time. Vanessa says she misses you, you little rascal. No refusals, it's settled," Fisk said firmly.
Yes, this Fisk was the notorious villain of Hell's Kitchen—Wilson Fisk, also known as the Kingpin. A towering man with only two percent body fat. At least 40% of criminal activities in the Marvel Universe were related to him.
Mention the heroes of Hell's Kitchen, and you might immediately think of Spider-Man or Daredevil. But mention the villains, and there's only one name that comes to mind: the Kingpin. Other villains don't leave as strong an impression as Fisk.
In fact, Chen Ye didn't really dislike Fisk because, unlike other Marvel villains who were always trying to destroy or conquer the world, Fisk was just focused on making money—whatever made money. Of course, his methods of making money weren't entirely right.
At the very least, Chen Ye felt that he had an irreconcilable enmity with gambling and drugs.
Next, Kingpin was one of the few normal humans in Marvel, relying neither on mutation nor background. He relied solely on self-discipline, hard work, and learning to earn money, develop businesses, and escape Hell's Kitchen, climbing step by step to the top.
Should he be like a certain Spider-Man, who, despite already living in a slum, didn't work hard to earn money even after gaining powers, flying around every day, only to end up with his uncle dead, himself being cheated on, and losing his job?
Chen Ye didn't oppose them punishing evil and promoting good, but he believed that if you couldn't live well yourself, and your family couldn't live well either, focusing solely on saving irrelevant people was something he couldn't do.
Comics are ultimately just comics; the characters become heroes for the sake of becoming heroes. When comics turn into reality, many people have to struggle for a few pieces of silver, leaving no time to care for others.
When Chen Ye was born, his deceased father had invited Kingpin to be his godfather.
Most people might think that a godfather is the same as a 'dry father' in Chinese culture.
In fact, in the West, a godfather is related to religious activities. In families with religious beliefs, after a newborn is born, they go to a church for a baptism by clergy.
The newborn would vow to be loyal to God forever, but at that time, the newborn doesn't even have teeth, let alone the ability to speak.
So usually, the child's biological parents would speak on behalf of the child.
Later, this task wouldn't need to be done by the biological parents; instead, they would find the best friend of the parents to say this on behalf of the child.
This man would be called the godfather, and the woman would be called the godmother.
Moreover, being a godfather or godmother isn't just a title; they have the duty to oversee the child's growth. A
nd if the child's biological parents pass away, leaving the child without guardians, the godparents need to fulfill the responsibilities of the biological parents.
So, a godfather has more obligations than a 'dry father.'
However, since Chen Ye was someone who had been influenced by five thousand years of Chinese culture in his past life and was an atheist, if he had to believe in something, it would be the Monkey King or ancient Chinese gods.
Calling someone a godfather was indeed a bit difficult for him.
Kingpin was also a money-driven person and didn't force Chen Ye to call him that. However, their relationship was still very close.
Vanessa was Kingpin's wife, and Richard, whose full name was Richard Fisk, was the child of Kingpin and Vanessa.
In many Marvel universes, Kingpin's wife and child died at the hands of Kingpin's enemies. It's somewhat similar to the relationship between Spider-Man and his uncle, where they need to be sacrificed to force the protagonist to level up.
In other parallel universes, after Kingpin lost his child, he gave up the idea of retiring and became even more insane, almost triggering the Fourth World War.
Mainly because Kingpin's enemies were all over the world. Eventually, he even realized that a king shouldn't have ties, and he justified killing his wife.
It perfectly illustrated the saying, "With no woman in his heart, the sword is naturally divine."
But since Chen Ye had crossed over and had this relationship with Kingpin, he certainly wouldn't let such things happen.
Moreover, because of Chen Ye's influence, Kingpin had restrained himself a lot.
He wasn't as cruel and cold-blooded as other Kingpins in Marvel, nor did he do many heinous things—otherwise, Chen Ye wouldn't be able to live with his conscience.
Furthermore, the Kingpin in the comics really stirred up a lot of trouble. Ordinary superheroes like Daredevil, Punisher, and Spider-Man were just the beginning; he even provoked groups like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four.
If Chen Ye didn't hold him back a bit, it was estimated that 90% of the world's superheroes would have a grudge against Kingpin.
So Chen Ye always taught Kingpin to quietly make a fortune.
"By the way, Hell's Kitchen hasn't been very peaceful lately. A few days ago, while you were away, some rats tried to get into your restaurant but were stopped by my people.
Also, recently, members of the Hand and the High Table have been frequently appearing in Hell's Kitchen, seemingly looking for someone," Kingpin reminded Chen Ye.
"Be careful yourself. I'll also ask around. Hmph, causing trouble on my turf without even greeting me—do they really think I'm a pushover? Others might fear the High Table, but I don't. It's just a bunch of people playing house."
"Alright, I'll be careful too. I'm not afraid of them coming; after all, the school renovation still needs a lot of money," Chen Ye said nonchalantly.