There was a boxing ring inside the interview room.Judging by the setup, this was clearly where Tony Stark worked out on a regular basis.
The place looked strangely familiar.
Qin Xiao stared for a moment before remembering—this was the very spot where Tony Stark interviewed Black Widow in Iron Man 2.
That fit Stark's personality perfectly. Sitting stiffly behind a desk in an office had never been his style.
"Korean?"
Tony Stark pushed the door open and asked the moment Qin Xiao walked in.
"Me? I'm Chinese," Qin Xiao said, pointing at himself.
"Yes!"
Tony Stark pumped his fist in victory.
Beside him, Happy pulled out a dark, well-worn ten-dollar bill and slapped it onto the table.
These two were actually betting on him.
Qin Xiao muttered under his breath and walked toward Tony Stark.
"To be honest, I don't really enjoy meeting people," Tony said casually."It's nothing personal. I just don't like meeting strangers—especially men."
"If I hadn't promised every board member this year, I wouldn't even be here reading your internship report."
"But since we're here, let's make the most of it."
"First of all, congratulations, Mr. Qin. Your internship evaluation is excellent."
"Your lab supervisor gave you an A rating and said you were extremely helpful to everyone in the lab."
"So now there's only one question left."
"Do you want to stay in the lab, or transfer to the legal department to do what you're supposedly better at—law?"
According to Qin Xiao's file, he had graduated from law school.
"Uh…" Qin Xiao spread his hands."Honestly, I don't really mind. I'll go wherever you arrange."
"And, Mr. Stark… to be honest, law isn't actually what I'm best at."
"Oh?"
Tony Stark glanced down at the file again, confirmed he wasn't mistaken, then joked,
"Chinese kung fu?"
"I do know a little Chinese martial arts," Qin Xiao said calmly."Although I'm not that strong. For example—your burly bodyguard there? I could probably handle about ten of him. But that's not really my—"
"Wait. Hold it."
Happy finally snapped.
"You just said you could handle ten people. Did you mean me?"
"Sorry, boss, I have to interrupt. This concerns my dignity."
Happy had followed Tony Stark for over a decade and was one of the people Stark trusted most, so he spoke freely.
Instead of being annoyed, Tony Stark looked intrigued.
He ignored Happy and turned back to Qin Xiao with interest.
"You haven't answered his question yet. Are you sure you could take him on? Ten of him?"
Tony appreciated confidence—but even if Qin Xiao claimed he could defeat ten men, Stark wouldn't believe it.
Young people exaggerated. That was normal.
But Qin Xiao nodded seriously.
"More or less. Maybe twelve. He looks pretty solid, so it would take a bit more effort."
With Qin Xiao's current physical condition, not to mention ten or even a hundred people like Happy—one punch would be enough.
But that wasn't the point.
All he needed was to catch Tony Stark's attention and complete the mission.
However, as Stark's personal bodyguard, Happy was clearly irritated.
It wasn't about his combat ability being questioned—it was the fact that the challenger looked like a skinny young man.
"Kid, I don't know whether your Chinese kung fu is as impressive as you say," Happy said coldly, stepping forward and clenching his fists,"but I'll give you a chance to take that back. Otherwise—"
Qin Xiao smiled faintly.
He ignored Happy completely and walked straight over to a heavy punching bag.
He twisted his waist, took a breath, stepped forward—
BAM!
The punching bag exploded apart under a single punch.
"Oh my God!"
"Oh my God!"
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts exclaimed at the same time.
"The kind of martial arts I practice isn't suitable for sparring," Qin Xiao said calmly."I can't control the strength very well."
"Are you sure you still want to continue? Just so you know—I don't have money to pay medical bills."
Qin Xiao clearly saw Happy swallow hard, his Adam's apple bobbing.
"That's enough, Happy. Stand down," Tony Stark said, stepping forward and patting Happy on the shoulder."His punch hits harder than a world champion boxer. Don't worry—I'm not firing you over this."
Then Tony turned back to Qin Xiao.
"How did you do that?"
"I mean… what you just did clearly exceeds—well—certain limits."
"This doesn't look very scientific, you know what I mean?"
Tony Stark was genuinely interested.
Qin Xiao finally relaxed.
Because the system notification had already sounded.
"Congratulations, Host. Your performance has left a deep impression on Tony Stark. He has remembered your name.""Mission completed. Reward: 500 points."
"Points detected. System Shop unlocked."
The mission was finally complete.
Qin Xiao let out a quiet breath—but didn't bother checking the shop yet.
Instead, he smiled and answered Tony Stark.
"It's a technique that focuses on instantaneous explosive power. But it requires years of training."
"Training… all year long?"
Tony muttered softly, mimicking a punching motion.
"If I learned this from you, could I reach your level?"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Stark," Qin Xiao shrugged."Frankly speaking, these skills require monotonous, painful, day-after-day training."
"I don't think you could handle it."
Tony Stark narrowed his eyes.
Was this kid doubting him?
At first, he'd asked out of pure curiosity.
Despite being arrogant, self-centered, and prideful, Tony Stark was not someone lacking self-awareness.
He knew exactly where his strengths lay.
Yet for some reason, Qin Xiao's words stirred an unfamiliar sense of doubt.
It reminded him of his childhood—when his father constantly praised Captain America, Steve Rogers, while criticizing him as useless.
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