Although in this world Qin Xiao wasn't as wealthy as in the real world, he still had a bank account with several million dollars.
So when choosing ingredients, he picked the most expensive ones, whether they were strictly necessary or not.
For hot pot, technique mattered less; as long as the ingredients were properly prepared, it became a superb meal.
For these foreigners, the meal was an unprecedented experience.
Even Tony, who had tasted the dish before, ended up sweating and raving in praise after finishing it.
If it was too spicy, one sip of cold beer was the perfect relief.
"Qin, I think you're too stingy. Even if Banner brought wine, you don't have to keep drinking it. Hot pot is best with cold beer!"
Nick Fury, rarely relaxed, hissed at Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao only smiled mysteriously and said nothing, though he muttered privately in his mind:
"A bunch of barbarians—first time eating spicy hot pot and daring to pair it with cold beer. I haven't had this in ages, and I wouldn't dare. Let's see how your stomachs churn tonight, how your… uh, blossoms explode. Serves you right for showing up without red envelopes!"
As he cursed them mentally, he glanced at the Black Widow, sweating profusely from the spicy food.
Qin Xiao somehow produced a bottle of dark herbal tea.
He grabbed a beer for Black Widow.
"Try this!"
"What's this? Looks like a non-carbonated cola!"
Black Widow took a sip.
"Tastes… a bit weird."
Nowadays, many people add all sorts of things to improve taste in cold dishes, but in northern China, herbal tea wasn't common; most people weren't used to drinking it, let alone foreigners.
"This is good stuff, great for beauty. I specially went to Chinatown to buy it today—trust me!"
Qin Xiao mischievously winked at Black Widow.
After nearly two hours of dining, a group of people capable of destroying a small country with ease finally collapsed expressionlessly onto the sofa.
Black Widow, however, being conscious of her figure, hadn't eaten enough.
Seeing everyone so sated, Qin Xiao naturally took on the task of clearing the table.
To make things simple, all the utensils he had bought in Chinatown that day were disposable.
Everything except the pot went straight into trash bags; the pot itself was a bit harder to deal with.
Yet in this moment, Qin Xiao felt grown-up.
He had invited a group of friends home to eat, and afterward, they lounged about while his "wife" cleaned up.
Watching Black Widow busily tidying, Qin Xiao straightened up.
"Qin, Dr. Banner should have told you the purpose of this trip. The Avengers Initiative has officially started. Once you all get more familiar with each other, I'll assign some tasks for skill practice. Agent Romanoff has already found you. Once we have a base, we'll be ready to move together."
Nick Fury abandoned his tough-guy act, collapsing onto the sofa like a pitiful old man.
"My future work focus might be in New York. As you know, Stark Industries no longer manufactures weapons. We're now in new energy and finance. New York might suit us better than Los Angeles."
In fact, Tony had already bought a piece of land in New York and was constructing a new Stark Tower.
He hadn't yet handed over the chairman position to Pepper, and with Obadiah's recent passing, the board was in chaos.
"Coincidentally, Stark, your base is in New York!"
Nick Fury snapped his fingers and said, "Fuck!"
Qin Xiao straightened.
He knew his focus would eventually be in New York—but not immediately.
"I just bought a house. Do you know how much effort I put into decorating it? How hard I worked to buy this big house in downtown LA? I've only slept here one night. Damn it, I don't have money to buy another one in New York!"
"Technically, the money for the house came from Agent Romanoff winning at a casino. You used the chips Stark gave you. The furnishings and décor? Stark bought them. You basically got a bargain."
Even with one eye open, Fury's look of contempt was unmistakable.
"No! I asked for a raise, and now I've been moved from the West Coast to the East. The Pacific in front of my door turned into the Atlantic. I can't adapt to this climate."
Qin Xiao acted like a rogue.
"Don't worry! This salary will make everyone happy!"
Nick Fury smiled mysteriously.
Even in the Marvel movie world, there weren't this many global crises.
Besides, this was only the early stage. Setting aside some hidden powers, Odin and Gungnir were both divine-level experts.
A guardian sat in Asgard, preventing all cosmic forces from coveting the Nine Realms.
A magical array, formed by temples in New York, London, and Hong Kong, shielded Earth from alien observation.
Even Qin Xiao didn't know exactly what target Nick Fury sought.
Yet from the old man's mysterious words and flickering gaze, it was clear he had no good intentions.
The meal was enjoyable. Afterward, Qin Xiao originally planned to take Black Widow for a walk to bond, but Nick Fury whisked him away for a mission.
"That idiot will never have a woman in his life. I bet the photo on his nightstand is some tall, buff guy. What a jerk!"
Qin Xiao complained to the only Tony present.
"Exactly, my friend! Not everyone has a genius playboy on display in their bedroom!"
Tony shamelessly replied.
Qin Xiao recalled the huge composite photo on his own nightstand, with him and Tony making peace signs.
He couldn't even speak.
That night, the ever-garage-loving Tony went straight to the luxury restroom at home.
On the flight to Washington, Hawkeye hadn't left the bathroom once.
The two worst offenders were Coulson and Nick Fury.
Black Widow carried out the first step of the plan, temporarily housing Banner at the LA branch.
It was around three in the morning…
Coulson and Nick Fury stood atop nearly shattered branches.
Beside them, Dr. Banner lay on the ground, finally controlling his transformation.
"Qin Xiao, you bastard! Mom, don't mess with the mask!"
The power of the spicy hot pot was terrifying!
It answered Qin Xiao's curse! The… well, exploded!
Qin Xiao lay in his bedroom, with a photo of him and Tony on the wall, flipped over.
He didn't know what he had dreamed, but suddenly laughed and let out a pig-like snort!
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