After hearing a few casual remarks from Master Gu Yi, Qin Xiao felt a surge of confidence as he stood beside Thor. At the very least, the task the system had assigned him now seemed perfectly reasonable.
Even if Odin himself were to appear before him, Qin Xiao could calmly say, "The Ancient One said she would take care of Thor's matter for you."
That sounded far more natural than pretending to be a fortune-teller.
So this time, Qin Xiao told Jane and the others directly.
"Thor has caused you quite a bit of trouble lately. To show my gratitude, I'd like to invite you to Monaco to watch an F1 race!"
The way he spoke carried a hint of Thor's own tone—as if he were one of Earth's guardians.
As for the Ancient One, Qin Xiao didn't explain much to Thor. He merely mentioned that Odin had old friends on Earth.
Faced with Qin Xiao's sudden enthusiasm, Thor could only explain it to Jane this way:
"The All-Father's old friend… an ancient deity from our world? A god? Zeus? Or some other god?"
Jane immediately put on her scientist's curious expression and asked with great interest.
Thor's appearance had fully validated her previous research, so she'd recently become fascinated with ancient myths and legends.
"He's just a mortal who knows a bit of magic," Qin Xiao said with a shrug."So-called gods are merely more highly evolved intelligent civilizations. Apart from strength, the Asgardians aren't much different from humans—socially speaking, they might even be less open-minded."
Then he turned to Thor.
"Thor, this is exactly what Odin wants you to understand."
Jane smiled faintly and said nothing. She didn't object to staying by Thor's side.
Daisy, on the other hand—another of Erik Selvig's students—suddenly became extremely enthusiastic.
"I've always wanted to see an F1 World Championship race! Handsome, are you paying for the round-trip tickets?"
When Qin Xiao smiled and nodded, Daisy immediately jumped up and cheered.
"You go on ahead. I still have things to do," Dr. Erik Selvig suddenly said.
"Erik, come with us," Thor said sincerely."Thank you for taking care of me lately. I'd like to do something for you in return."
"I've just found a new job," Selvig replied."Like Mr. Qin, I've become a consultant for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. They have a research project I'll be involved in, and I'm very interested."
In the film, Coulson had confiscated Selvig's and Jane's research, only for Nick Fury to later recruit Selvig into the Tesseract project.
With Thor's arrival—and the ancient organization Qin Xiao mentioned—S.H.I.E.L.D. seemed to sense looming danger. Nick Fury began recruiting talent early, preparing to develop weapons using the Cosmic Cube.
"Congratulations!"
Jane and Daisy both stepped forward to hug Dr. Selvig.
The old man was brilliant, but he'd spent most of his life researching abstract ideas that no one appreciated. Now, at last, everyone sincerely felt happy for him.
Qin Xiao didn't know whether money felt so easy to spend now—or whether Tony's ruthless exploitation had changed him—but this time, he did something very uncharacteristic.
He chartered a private jet.
"My God! I thought I'd be sitting in a seat for over ten hours—I even brought a neck pillow! But this… this is amazing!!"
The jet Qin Xiao chartered was large, with three small bedrooms, a living room, a bar, and even a mini KTV.
The moment Daisy boarded, she threw away the pillow hanging from her backpack.
Jane was far calmer, but she still dragged Thor around excitedly.
"I want to take selfies in every corner so I can show off on social media for six months!"
Daisy snapped a selfie, then sat directly across from Qin Xiao and asked curiously,
"Honestly, your wealth is beyond my imagination. The newspapers say you and Tony Stark are really—"
She bent her two index fingers toward each other suggestively.
"I mean… that would be such a shame. Uh—I mean, it'd be a shame for both of you!"
She shot Qin Xiao a sly glance.
"Such a pity he's older than you."
"First of all, I'm not gay," Qin Xiao said, prying her fingers apart."Second, even if I were, I wouldn't go for someone like Tony Stark."
"So you have a girlfriend?" Daisy asked bluntly.
Her directness made Qin Xiao a little embarrassed. Technically, Natasha and the others weren't officially his girlfriends—but they weren't just ordinary friends either.
Sticking to his principle of honesty, Qin Xiao answered truthfully:
"A girlfriend? Tonight hasn't arrived yet!"
"Heh," Daisy chuckled. "That's exactly what I was asking about."
Fine.
Qin Xiao suddenly felt he should've rented a smaller jet. Two bedrooms would've been enough, right?
Daisy had just graduated—she was straightforward, cheerful, and had no intention of settling down. Young, rich, handsome, and with a superhero vibe, Qin Xiao fit her ideal type perfectly.
And she fit his taste just as well.
He never imagined that his first sexual experience in the Marvel world would happen on a plane. Did that count as air turbulence?
There was a professional chef onboard. The four of them enjoyed a lavish dinner, sang their hearts out in the KTV, and afterward, Qin Xiao and the big idiot took the two girls into the bedrooms.
For the next ten hours or so, he didn't come out again…
(Please use your imagination for the omitted content. Thank you.)
…
The Principality of Monaco is the world's second-smallest country, after Vatican City.
Surrounded by France on three sides and bordering the Mediterranean Sea, it covers only 1.98 square kilometers and has a population of fewer than 40,000.
Relying mainly on gambling and tourism, it's one of the wealthiest countries in the world—though not in terms of total economic output.
Besides casinos and royal gossip, Monaco is most famous for its F1 circuit that runs through stadiums and city streets.(This description may or may not perfectly match reality. Those interested in royal gossip can look it up—it's quite entertaining.)
Every year, the world's top Formula One race is held here, drawing drivers, team owners, and financial tycoons from around the globe, greatly boosting local tourism.
Monaco doesn't have its own airport—it's simply too small. Usually, travelers land at Nice Airport in France, the closest city.
Qin Xiao was no exception.
But what he didn't expect was to run into a familiar face the moment he stepped off the plane.