PFC Chapter 2671 Hollywood Rhapsody (29)
Chapter 2671 Hollywood Rhapsody (29)
Chapter 2671 Hollywood Rhapsody (Twenty-nine)
In fact, Stark doesn't look much younger, or it could be said that staying up late for a long time and overdrawing his body to do experiments made him look much older than his peers. In addition, Pepper Potts hadn't come yet, so he looked particularly unkempt, like a second-generation rich man who was addicted to alcohol and sex.
What Strange didn't expect was that Stark at this time was even ten times or a hundred times more annoying than in the future. In the process of dealing with him, Strange wanted to give up his plan hundreds of times and just punch this bastard twice.
But fortunately, he did not learn magic in vain. At least meditation gave him a more resilient mind and a calmer mentality than others, allowing him to control his emotions and at least barely suppress the anger caused by Stark.
Then Strange soon discovered that this sloppy appearance and annoying personality were more like Stark's screening mechanism. He did not expose his brain, which was far superior to that of ordinary people, but instead covered himself with a sharp shell. Only truly smart people could see the gems hidden under these harsh conditions.
After several chance encounters and gradually in-depth exchanges, the future mature version of the Sorcerer Supreme was able to finally grasp the inexperienced Iron Man, making him regard him as a confidant, and the two became friends.
Strange once inadvertently mentioned that he had taken psychology as an elective in college, and pointed out that Stark might suffer from anxiety disorder. Stark did not comment on this and did not want to be treated at all, so Strange chose not to force him.
But soon, a person who changed Stark's life appeared. That was Pepper Potts. At this time, Pepper Potts was young, beautiful, capable and bold.
After she took over the job of Stark's personal secretary, she easily sorted out the stubborn problems left over the past few years and reorganized the various teams around Stark, including the medical team where Strange was.
Of course, Pepper also made Stark feel annoyed, and it made him scream in pain both physically and mentally. But Obadiah stood on Pepper's side at the time and tried his best to correct his nephew's bad habits.
The internal pressure was too great and Stark couldn't help complaining, but some of his rich second-generation friends had similar problems and no one could give any good solutions. Finally one night, Stark invited Strange out for a drink, and when they were both a little tipsy, Stark couldn't help himself.
"She, she is very beautiful." Stark swallowed his saliva and said, "It's not that she is so beautiful, but, but she has a kind of beautiful temperament. I don't know how to put it, I admire her soul."
Strange sneered, and Stark glared at him and said, "What do you mean? Can't I appreciate other people's souls?"
"Yes, you called the beautiful models on that yacht over last week, probably to admire their souls all night long." Strange said, holding the wine glass to his lips.
"That's different!" Stark raised his voice, stretched his neck like a turkey, and then muttered: "I don't know what's going on, but my love for her is different from that for others. It's not a physical impulse, but... I'm eager to understand her, to know what made her what she is today, to know what shaped her. Don't you think this is a bit strange?"
"It's not surprising. Ordinary people usually call this heart-throb."
"You mean I'm in love with her?" Stark seemed to have heard an absurd joke. He shook his head and said, "No, it's impossible. How could I fall in love with such a woman? She's like a nagging old woman. She always makes trouble for me and complains to my uncle. How could I fall in love with her?"
"Yes, then you take her to the yacht..."
"Shut up!" Stark seemed to be greatly offended. He yelled, "I never thought about it that way! That's an insult to her. You can't say that about her. She's different from those models."
"Then you are in love with her."
Stark was silent for a while, drinking glass after glass. By the end, his speech was a little unclear. He said, "But she doesn't seem to like me very much. She looks at me with disgust, just like you at the beginning."
Stark put his head on the table, blinked and said, "How do you think I should pursue her? I have never seriously pursued anyone before. What if she rejects me? What if I make her hate me? Do you think she will like me a little more if I do what she says?"
From an angle Stark couldn't see, Strange smiled and said, "I can teach you a method, but whether it will succeed depends on your own performance."
Stark sat up suddenly, stared at Strange's profile and asked, "What method?"
"Be a hostage and train a kidnapper."
Stark was very drunk. After returning to Stark Tower, he fell headfirst onto the sofa. Less than half an hour later, he heard a scream. He turned over in a daze, his stomach churning. He finally managed to hold it in, staggered to his feet, ran to the bathroom, and vomited violently.
"Oh my God, Tony? What's wrong with you?!" Pepper's voice appeared outside the bathroom door. Stark was lying on the toilet, gasping for breath. After vomiting, he felt better. He said, "Nothing, just a little, uh... a little dizzy."
"You drank too much." Pepper smelled the alcohol in the air and frowned. She was about to say something when she saw Stark's pale face.
"God, are you really okay?" Pepper was obviously a little scared. She said, "I'm going to call the doctor."
"No, don't go." Stark rinsed his mouth, washed his face, and leaned on the sink with both hands in deep thought. Then he said, "I just drank a few kinds of wine together. I feel a little uncomfortable. I'm fine."
"You don't look like you're okay." Pepper said, "Come here quickly, I'll put a hangover patch on you."
Stark lay on the sofa, Strange's words still echoing in his mind. He saw Pepper busy above his head and decided to give it a try.
"I thought you would be very angry." Stark lowered his eyes, clasped his hands together in front of his chest, and said, "Well, I shouldn't go out drinking so late, especially when you have told me so many times, but I went to see an old friend and we talked a lot about Howard."
Pepper paused immediately, her expression softened a lot, and she no longer gave the kind of formulaic persuasion that she used at work. Instead, she said, "If you're always sad about something that happened so long ago, then there are too many things in this world that deserve your sadness. But you can't always be sad, Tony. You have to let it go one day."
"It's not sadness, I just miss him." Tony said, "When he was still around, I always felt that I couldn't meet his expectations, so he always avoided me and refused to go home. When he came back, he was drunk."
"At that time I didn't know what was so good about alcohol, but now I seem to understand a little bit. When you want to escape from something, alcohol can paralyze your brain and make you indulge in illusory happiness. What do you think he is avoiding, Pepper?"
"It's definitely not his responsibility to raise you." Pepper sat on the chair next to the sofa, tilted her head to look at Tony and said, "He doesn't dare to face you, but he is not necessarily avoiding his feelings for you. He has no reason to do so. Maybe he just... doesn't want to give you hope."
"Why doesn't he want to give me hope?"
"I don't know, Tony. I don't know. There is no one in this world who doesn't want to be a good father. There is no one who doesn't want to be a hero in the eyes of his children. Even in the most critical moment, no one wants to behave badly in front of his children. If he does this, he must have his reasons."
Stark turned his head back, blinked and said, "Thank you, Pepper, I think these words are more effective than alcohol."
He acted childish, but Pepper laughed and said, "Really? About as much as a bottle of whiskey?"
"It was at least a bottle of whiskey, but I think there were more like two bottles, and I only drank one and a half bottles." Stark said, sticking his lips out at her.
"Then your alcohol tolerance is too low. I can drink two bottles." Pepper said, and soon she lowered her eyes and said, "The following words are not for me to remind you as a personal assistant, but for me personally, Tony. I can see that you are not as decadent and degenerate as you appear. You have been contributing to the group."
"You act like that only because you feel that no one can protect you, so you dare not show your true self. However, once certain bad habits are formed, they will inadvertently push you in other directions like the sails of a sailboat, which will make your proud wisdom fall into the quagmire."
"From my personal perspective, I don't want you to become like this, so if you have a way, if there is a slight possibility of changing it, try your best to do it, okay?"
"Do you think I will be a good father?" Stark looked at Pepper. At this moment, there were not so many wrinkles around his eyes. Everything he looked at was filled with gentle and tender water light, like a rippling sea.
"You will, Tony." Pepper comforted him and said, "You will definitely be a hero in your children's eyes."
Strange stood in an alley, completely blending into the darkness, his slender figure like a lone ghost.
A figure quickly walked forward from the alley, and just as it passed the front of the alley, Strange raised his hand, and black energy gushed out, turning into a long tentacle, dragging the person into the alley.
The opponent kicked his legs in fear, but was eventually devoured by the black energy, leaving no trace. Until finally Strange opened his hand, a small piece of paper appeared in his palm, with a genetic code and a slogan written on it - "Long live Hydra!"
In the next two days, there were sneaky figures hovering around Strange's car. Finally one day, Strange saw the familiar red hair in a bar.
Natasha was as beautiful as ever, like a beautiful snake spitting out its tongue. She twisted her waist and pressed herself against Strange on the dance floor. Strange readily accepted her request and held her until the end of the dance. He saw the thin layer of sweat on Natasha's neck reflecting the brilliant lights of the dance floor.
"It's not polite to stare at a lady like that." Natasha's English was free of an accent. Strange supported his chin with his hand, leaned on the bar and stared at Natasha, slowly uttering a word through his thin lips.
"'Long Live Hydra'?"