As Xiao Han walked down the central aisle, a young female congresswoman in the front row suddenly stood up.
"Mr. Xiao!" Her voice was particularly loud in the silence.
"I... I just want to say thank you. You saved my sister during the New York subway accident yesterday."
Xiao Han paused slightly, nodded in acknowledgment, and continued forward.
This simple action, however, seemed to open a valve, and people in the audience began to stand up and applaud.
By the time the two pushed open the doors of the congress hall, a thunderous applause and cheering erupted behind them.
Senator Stern stood alone on the podium, the gavel in his hand suspended in mid-air, finally falling powerlessly.
The hearing ended in an eerie silence.
When Xiao Han and Tony walked out of the congress building, thousands of people had already gathered outside.
They held banners supporting Superman, and cheers rose one after another.
"Can I get an autograph?" A little girl shyly handed over a notebook.
Xiao Han crouched down, took the pen: "What's your name?"
"Alice." The girl replied, blushing.
Xiao Han wrote "To Alice - With great power comes great responsibility" in the notebook.
Then he signed his name.
Tony raised an eyebrow beside him: "Plagiarizing quotes?"
"Anyway, the original author wouldn't mind." Xiao Han stood up, nodded to the crowd, and then, escorted by security personnel, walked with Tony towards the Audi R8.
The moment the car door closed, Tony let out a long sigh: "God, I almost thought you were going to sweep the congress with Heat Vision."
Xiao Han buckled his seatbelt: "They're not worth it."
The engine roared, and the sports car drove away from the congress building.
In the rearview mirror, the crowd was still cheering, and camera flashes merged into a continuous stream.
"So."
Tony turned the steering wheel, "Where to next? Save the World or grab a coffee?"
Xiao Han looked at the fleeting street view outside the window: "First to your Tower, then home. Wanda is still waiting for her training session."
Tony whistled: "Wow, who is Wanda? Hiding a beauty so quickly?"
"She is a Mutant." Xiao Han said lightly, "Her abilities are very strong, but she needs guidance."
"Mutants, alien technology, magic." Tony shook his head and sighed.
"My life has been a mess since I met You."
Xiao Han rolled his eyes: "But You enjoy it."
Tony didn't deny it, he just stepped on the gas, letting the sports car speed away on the streets of Washington.
Stark Tower Laboratory
The silver-gray elevator doors slowly slid open, and Pepper Potts walked in holding a stack of documents, her high heels clicking crisply on the marble floor.
She was looking down, flipping through the data pad in her hand, her blonde hair styled into a neat bun at the back of her head.
"Tony, the quarterly financial report You wanted, I put it on....."
Her words stopped abruptly, and she looked up to see a strange figure standing in the laboratory besides Tony.
Xiao Han was standing with his back to her, his captivating profile looking even more charming under the laboratory lights.
He heard the sound and turned around, his eyes glowing with a faint golden light under the lamps.
Pepper's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh, Pepper!" Tony poked his head out from behind the workbench, holding a sparking circuit board in his hand.
"Perfect timing, let me introduce You, this is our new shareholder, Xiao Han."
Xiao Han nodded slightly, showing a polite smile: "Miss Potts."
Pepper quickly adjusted her expression, showing a professional smile: "Mr. Xiao, I've heard a lot about You. Tony often mentions You."
"Hopefully nothing bad." Xiao Han's voice was gentle.
"Quite the opposite."
Pepper placed the documents on the table, her gaze lingering on Xiao Han's suit for a moment, "He said You are the smartest person he has ever met."
Tony spread his hands exaggeratedly: "I didn't say that!"
Pepper rolled her eyes at him, then turned to Xiao Han: "Although You hold shares, You never seem to participate in company decisions?"
"I'm not interested in business." Xiao Han said calmly.
"Only have ideas about technology itself."
Pepper nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer: "That's perfect, saves me from having to deal with another willful board member like Tony."
Tony pretended to be hurt and clutched his chest: "Hey! When was I willful?"
"Do You need me to list them?" Pepper raised an eyebrow.
"Since You came back, our military industry has completely disappeared, and last week..."
"Alright, alright!" Tony quickly interrupted, winking at Xiao Han.
"See? That's why You can't mess with women, it's terrifying."
Pepper let out a light snort, picked up the coffee on the table, and took a sip: "I just came to deliver documents, You two continue. By the way, Tony, are You still going to Monaco to watch the race on Thursday?"
"Talk to me after I'm done." Tony replied perfunctorily.
She nodded to Xiao Han in greeting, then turned and walked towards the elevator.
After the elevator doors closed, Tony let out a long sigh, turned, and walked towards the central workbench: "Women, You'll never understand them."
Xiao Han looked in the direction of the elevator, thoughtfully: "She is very smart."
"Too smart." Tony muttered, his fingers rapidly typing on the holographic keyboard.
"Sometimes I really suspect she is the CEO."
The holographic projection lit up, displaying a design blueprint for a brand new suit of armor.
Unlike the previous streamlined style, this suit of armor was more angular, and the joints used retractable Vibranium structures.
"A new prototype of the Mark armor, nanotechnology combined with the uru metal You gave me, and a bit of Asgard's new technology You gave me." Tony excitedly rotated the model.
"Energy conduction efficiency is increased by 40%, but the weight is only one-tenth of the previous generation."
Xiao Han walked closer to observe, Super Vision penetrating the projection, analyzing every detail: "The shoulder joints need to be strengthened, they are prone to overheating during high-speed maneuvers."
"Already considered that." Tony swiped open a sub-menu.
"I added a liquid cooling system, but it will take up 3% of the energy output."
"Use uru metal instead." Xiao Han pointed to the shoulder armor area.
"Asgard's energy circuit can solve this problem."
Tony's eyes lit up: "That's right! Why didn't I think of that!"
He immediately modified the design, and the uru metal patterns formed complex rune patterns on the shoulder armor.
The two discussed technical details like this, and time flew by quickly.
After a long time, Tony suddenly stopped working, leaned against the table, and looked at Xiao Han: "I remember what You were saying before Pepper came? That Wanda, is she related to me?"
Xiao Han put away the holographic image, hands in his pockets: "Her parents died in an explosion in Sokovia, and the perpetrators used Stark Industries missiles."
Tony's expression froze instantly.
"She and her twin brother hid under the rubble for three days, with a dud missile lying in front of them, engraved with your name." Xiao Han's voice was calm, but it made Tony's fingers clench unconsciously.
"Obadiah." Tony said in a low voice, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
"As expected, that batch of weapons must have been smuggled out, I had no idea."
"Does she know?"
Xiao Han shook his head: "Even if she knows, what then? The facts won't change."
The laboratory fell silent, with only the hum of machines echoing in the air.
"After she is emotionally stable, I will try to persuade her, although this has nothing to do with You." Xiao Han finally said.
Tony looked up at him: "Do You think she will listen?"
"She is stronger than You think." Xiao Han walked towards the floor-to-ceiling window.
"Hate blinds the eyes, but the truth always finds a way out."
Tony nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly asked: "Why did You help her?"
Xiao Han showed a meaningful smile: "You guess."
He raised his hand, golden sparks drawing a perfect circle in the air, and the other end of the portal was the living room of the Long Island Villa.
Wanda was sitting on the sofa reading, and looked up when she heard the movement.
"See You tomorrow, Tony." Xiao Han stepped into the portal, his figure disappearing in the golden light.
Tony stood alone in the laboratory, the blue light of the holographic projection reflecting on his face.
He was silent for a long time, then suddenly slammed his fist on the table.
"Jarvis, activate the clean energy plan."
"All of it, sir?"
"All of it."
Tony's voice was more resolute than ever, "Shut down all production lines and redirect funds to healthcare and energy.
Also, contact the families of the victims, especially those from Sokovia."
He looked at the night view of New York outside the window, a determined light flashing in his eyes.
This time, he was going to atone in his own way.