"Damn it!"
Ross furiously pulled the walkie-talkie from his chest pocket and smashed it to the ground.
"Find them! Help me locate the Hulk and Betty. And notify the others—I want a seminar on Superman organized."
Although furious, Ross hadn't lost his composure. Clark's display of power today had opened his eyes. The Hulk might be powerful—after all, he was a product of Ross's own lab—but compared to Clark, Hulk's performance was disappointing. The green giant was basically pinned to the ground the entire time, unable to land a solid hit.
Thinking of how Superman's powers could be stripped away in the comics, Ross's interest in Clark intensified. If he could create an army of Supermen, the Earth would be at his feet.
That said, Ross had no intention of giving up on the Hulk either.
"Clark, I was just about to call you. Someone came in for the job interview—they're waiting inside."
After flying around and basking in the sun, Clark returned to New York. Just as he reached the flower shop, he ran into Jenny, who was about to make a call. She informed him that someone had come in for the job.
Jenny was about to go on maternity leave and had decided to resign to become a full-time housewife. So Clark had recently posted a job opening for a new female clerk.
And why specifically a female clerk? Well, that's obvious. Most flower-buying customers were men. If a beautiful woman told them, "I think this flower is lovely—your girlfriend would love it. I'd be happy if someone gave me this flower," nine out of ten guys would pull out their wallets right there.
And let's be honest: when the shop is quiet, having someone attractive around just makes the atmosphere better.
Jenny had been Clark's favorite until he learned she already had a boyfriend before she joined his shop. Otherwise, Clark might have stirred up a little workplace romance.
Jenny knew what Clark was looking for in candidates. So anyone who wasn't good-looking enough? She'd just tell them, "We'll call you later."
Which is why when Clark heard someone was waiting for an interview, he was naturally curious what she looked like.
When Clark entered, he saw a woman sitting with her back to him. She wore a white shirt and jeans, giving the vibe of a cheerful, fresh college girl.
But these days, assassins came in all kinds of disguises—demon-like faces, angelic bodies. Still, since she had passed Jenny's visual screening, Clark assumed she looked good.
"Hi, I'm Clark, the owner here…"
As the woman turned around, Clark was stunned. Wasn't this the beautiful Black Widow?
Wait a minute—wasn't she supposed to be interviewing as Tony's secretary right now? Why was she here instead? And dressed like a fresh graduate, far from the usual tight-suit spy look he remembered.
Seeing Clark's reaction, Natasha Romanoff raised an eyebrow. "You know me?"She wanted to test him.
"Beautiful lady, are you planning to seduce me first and then ask for a raise?"
Clark didn't answer her question directly. He knew lying now would only require more lies to cover it up later. The best way to deal with Natasha's test was to dodge the question entirely.
"Boss, so you're saying I'm hired?"
Even though Clark had been careful, Natasha caught the slip—he recognized her. Otherwise, why would he decide to hire her the moment he saw her?
But the real question was—how much did Clark know about her? Did he know her role? Her identity? Natasha couldn't help but grow wary. Her training demanded heightened vigilance.
"Don't call me boss, just Clark. And if you're wondering why I hired you, you can ask Jenny later.""Right, I still don't know what to call you?"
Seeing the shift in Natasha's gaze, Clark added a bit of explanation—he didn't want S.H.I.E.L.D. guessing he was a time traveler.
"Natalie Rushman."
"Alright then, Natalie. Talk to Jenny, and you can start tomorrow. Trial period's one week—do well and you stay. Also, Jenny will be around these few days, so learn from her—not just random stuff, but how we do things around here."
"Routine?" Natasha didn't understand the term. That word didn't exist in English like that—it must be a new slang. She let it go for now.
"Jenny will explain it later. Carry on."
Clark then lay down in his usual deck chair, basking in the sunshine.
Seeing him lazing around like that, completely ignoring her, Natasha started to doubt her own charm. Watching a bit longer, she realized—he really had fallen asleep. With a sigh, she turned and went to find Jenny.
"Natalie, our flower shop works a bit differently from the rest. Let me explain…"
After hearing Jenny's explanation, Natasha glanced back at Clark. How could someone take selling flowers this seriously? Her biggest takeaway today was learning a new word—"套路" (tào lù)—'routine' or 'trick.'
Over the next few days, Natasha threw herself into selling flowers. Or rather, she sold them all by herself—because ever since she started, the number of male customers had surged.
After all, Black Widow Natasha was not only beautiful, but also well-versed in psychology and sociology. She didn't even need to use her spy skills—just a few subtle techniques, and business was booming.
Watching all this unfold, Clark couldn't help but admire her. Black Widow was still Black Widow. Even when using her skills, she maintained her pure, straightforward persona.
But Natasha had been observing Clark just as intently.
He was nothing like the Superman she had imagined. Originally, she was supposed to interview for a secretary job at Stark Industries, but mid-route, she received a call from Fury—"Change of plans. Your new target is Clark. Go undercover."
S.H.I.E.L.D. already knew about Banner, and in Fury's view, Banner was nearly perfect—except for the part where he lost control after transforming. So although Banner had been temporarily removed from the Avengers candidate list, Fury kept tabs on him.
Then came the campus battle. Superman vs. the Hulk. Fury reviewed the footage and realized—Clark was way beyond what they had expected.
Add to that Clark's rejection of the Avengers invitation, and Fury started getting uneasy. So Natasha was sent in to evaluate him—was he dangerous to Earth? Did he resent humanity? Or... was he someone they could trust?
And now, after days of surveillance, Natasha had only one conclusion: this Superman… was a total slacker. No aura, no sense of mission. She'd seen Tony flying overhead countless times, saving people or showing off.
Clark?He eats, naps, lounges, and occasionally sells flowers. Like a pig.
So Natasha decided—it was time to test the waters.
"Clark, I got two Broadway tickets in a raffle a few days ago. They expire tomorrow. Wanna go see a show with me tonight?"
"Huh? Is this a date, Natalie?"
"Don't overthink it. I just couldn't find anyone else to go. So are you coming or not?"
She gave a sly, almost shy smile as she spoke.
"Sure, sure. A beautiful woman offering free tickets? Of course I'll go."
go to "patreon.com/Hussain678" for more chapter