He opened the trunk, watched Barbara Morse put the groceries she wanted to buy into the trunk, then slammed the car door shut violently before sitting in the passenger seat. Mr. Zhou (Zhou Yi) shrugged and drove back the way he came.
He didn't care about the Agent's mood; both sides understood Mr. Zhou was simply toying with her. However, for both parties, this was the mildest course of action.
Mr. Zhou was using this playful behavior to ease the relationship, and the group behind the Agent was happy to accept this gesture. Agent Morse, knowing her place and having been instructed by Commander Hill to comply, simply swallowed her anger.
Driving the female Agent back to where he had picked her up, Mr. Zhou stopped the car. He gestured for her to get out.
"Alright, Agent, I think I can return your freedom to you now."
Agent Morse opened the door and looked back. "Mr. Zhou, there is no hostile relationship between us, perhaps we could even cooperate further..."
Mr. Zhou waved his hand, interrupting her. "I'll say it again, send someone who can make decisions to talk to me. Also, tell your Superior not to monitor me or my family anymore. If anything happens to them, I think we might have some unpleasant relations. After all, right now, only you know who I am!"
Mr. Zhou drove directly into his Villa. Watching the fence gate close, Agent Barbara Morse sighed and spoke into her earpiece (using her backup means of communication).
"Officer, I think you should have heard what he said."
"I received it, Barbara, you can come back. I will contact the target separately." Commander Hill's voice replied.
Barbara Morse drove away, and the other Agents lurking around withdrew. Only after watching them leave for a long time did Mr. Zhou turn off his super vision and put the fresh ingredients into the empty refrigerator.
The problem was, he had bought too many lively ingredients—blue lobsters, fish, and shrimp—just to mess with the Agent. He snapped his fingers, coming up with a solution: host a large dinner.
Charisse (Sister)
He first called Charisse, his sister, who should have finished classes.
"You bastard, Yi. You actually still think of me?" Charisse complained, as she had just completed a week of grounding and had been forbidden to use her powers.
"Of course, my Darling sister! I always remember the time you were punished," Mr. Zhou teased.
"I knew you wouldn't say anything nice! Is there anything else you want to say, just finish it!"
"Alright, Little fellow. Come back tonight. We haven't eaten together for a long time. I've made some Chinese cuisine. Of course, if you're willing, you can bring your friends so I can get to know them."
Charisse, who had guessed this day would come since learning about his relationship with Ororo, agreed to the condition: "If your crazy idea works, then I naturally have no problem."
"Then that's settled. You can go invite your friends now, and we'll talk about anything else tonight."
Ororo (Storm)
Next, Mr. Zhou called Ororo.
"Darling, I was wondering if we could have dinner together at my place tonight?"
Ororo immediately replied incoherently, expressing doubt and concern that their relationship was progressing "too fast" after their last night together.
Mr. Zhou laughed. "Hey, darling. Calm down, I'm just kidding. It's just a family dinner. I'd like you and Jean to bring Charisse and her friends over. I've prepared some Chinese cuisine and want you to taste it, and incidentally, thank you for taking care of Charisse."
Convinced, Ororo replied, "Alright, if that's the case. I'll come over tonight." She then teased him, recalling a past prank: "I thought of poor Scott, and how you toyed with him in that fight last time."
"You know, it's just Scott, alright, alright. Think whatever you want, see you tonight, Darling."
Jean Grey
Finally, he called Jean Grey.
"I'm Mr. Zhou." He responded to the clearly busy Jean Grey. "I'd like to ask, beautiful Jean, would you do me the honor of attending my family dinner?"
Jean Grey, instinctively hesitant since the night Ororo stayed over, tried to decline. "I think you should invite Ororo instead, shouldn't you?"
"It's just a family dinner, not just you, I've also invited Ororo and Charisse's friends. Of course, if you're willing, I'd love to have some alone time with you, have dinner or something."
Jean Grey instinctively retorted that she was busy with lab work, not a date with Scott.
Mr. Zhou pressed her. "Then, since that's the case, why not? I don't think you'd refuse me given our relationship."
Jean Grey felt a familiar internal conflict—the forbidden spiritual temptation he represented versus her long-time relationship with Scott and loyalty to Ororo. Unable to voice a refusal, she ultimately gave in. "Alright, I'll go back."
Mr. Zhou hung up, revealing a satisfied smile. He enjoyed the feeling of being entangled with these beautiful women, finding a sense of conquest and possessiveness that mirrored his power.
With the invitations sent, Mr. Zhou began preparing dinner. Since he possessed superpowers far beyond ordinary people, and the ingredients were ready, cooking was incredibly easy.
Dumpling Wrappers
He mixed the flour and water. Using his telekinesis, he ensured precise moisture absorption, followed by countless strikes and kneading motions in seconds. The flour rapidly transformed into springy dough, which was then perfectly divided and flattened into three different stacks of wrappers:
Large and thick: For potstickers and fried dumplings.
Small and thin: For small water dumplings.
Normal size, slightly thinner: For steamed dumplings.
Shrimp Dumpling Filling
Next, Mr. Zhou prepared the filling for the steamed dumplings. He took the New Zealand langoustines, prized for their sweetness and tender meat.
With a speed invisible to the naked eye, he used a cleaver:
Cut open the carapace from the back.
Twisted the knife to remove the vein.
Diagonally sliced the knife to carve out the shrimp meat, preserving the shrimp brain.
Pressed down with the back of the knife, crushing the meat while maintaining the shrimp's shape.
He quickly processed the 5 pounds of langoustines. He then carved out some fatty portions of the A-grade premium beef (from young calves) and minced it with the shrimp meat. Finally, he chopped washed Sichuan bamboo shoots into fine dices and mixed them in.
He seasoned the filling—ginger powder, cooking wine, pepper, salt, and a little olive oil—and used telekinesis to knead it to a perfect, springy consistency.
Since the shrimp dumplings only take less than ten minutes to steam, Mr. Zhou put the filling into the refrigerator to chill while he began preparing other dishes.