"I should say, as expected of the largest intelligence organization, to have pushed Umbrella to this extent so quickly!" Zhou Yi raised his paddle, increasing the price of the item being auctioned, and said casually.
Coulson just smiled subtly. "They had too many internal problems; a slight exposure, coupled with some pressure on Europe, quickly deterred some investors. With these problems accumulating, a funding chain issue was almost inevitable."
"With our capabilities, making them suffer for a while isn't a very easy thing to do, is it?"
The extent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s influence in this World could be glimpsed from this incident. A large multinational corporation almost unknowingly fell into a predicament. Such methods were enough to make anyone take them seriously.
Perhaps they couldn't compare to those World-destroying guys in terms of true power, but their potential energy was enough to influence many more things. This was a collective society, and in this society, they were far more powerful than any superpower.
"Just contact me directly when you're ready; I should have a lot of free time recently." Having raised the price directly to two million U.S. dollars, Zhou Yi led Airesha, preparing to leave. He had already spent almost five million U.S. dollars here, which was more than enough for charity.
Coulson quietly winked, but did not say goodbye to Zhou Yi. He was still playing the role of a stranger, and too much interaction with Zhou Yi would only attract the attention of interested parties. That would not be good for their cooperation.
After bidding farewell to Director Stacy, Zhou Yi drove away with Airesha.
Along the way, he glanced at the somewhat dispirited Airesha, slowed down the car slightly, and asked softly.
"Sorry, Darling. I brought you to such a boring place."
"It's okay, Papa." Airesha looked up, a forced smile on her cute Little Face. "I just feel a bit tired."
Airesha, who had been frozen for several years, had long since blurred her childhood memories, and it was precisely for this reason that she was able to accept Zhou Yi as her father so quickly. For her, Zhou Yi was actually just a character filling a void in her heart.
Gently stroking the black long hair of this poor Little Girl, Zhou Yi felt a little guilty. Preoccupied with his plan, he had overlooked the Child's psychology. Everything tonight was clearly not suitable for her, especially since they were not truly father and daughter.
"Sorry, Darling. I promise this won't happen again." He began to promise solemnly. If he hadn't been a qualified father before, then now and in the future, he would strive to become a good father. Since he chose to bear this responsibility, he would bear it to the end no matter what.
And it's not easy to be a qualified father, let alone a good father.
Looking at the forced smile on Airesha's face, Zhou Yi thought for a moment before asking.
"Darling, if I send you to school, do you think it would be better than having a tutor at home?"
"School?" Airesha, who was forced to endure a tragic fate before school age, had a natural longing for this term. Perhaps this was what she most desired before everything happened. "Really, Papa!"
"Of course, but you might need to wait a few more days. You know, children your age have quite a bit of homework difference, so maybe you should let Serana tutor you well."
"No problem!" Airesha, instantly full of vitality, immediately replied. "I'll go find Serana as soon as I get back and ask her for help!"
"Oh, really? Aren't you afraid Serana will bite you?" Seeing the Little Girl's reaction, Zhou Yi teased Airesha about her embarrassing incident. Ever since watching a movie about Vampires, Airesha had become completely afraid of Serana, even asking for the lights to be left on at night to prevent Serana from secretly sneaking in to suck her blood in the dark.
"I'm not afraid of her, she wouldn't really bite me, would she?" Airesha pouted in protest, but soon she hesitated and asked again. "Will she bite me?"
"I wouldn't know." Shrugging his shoulders, Zhou Yi began to exaggerate. "Perhaps you should ask Serana yourself and see if young girls are on her menu."
Airesha's face immediately showed a look of fear. Being alone with Serana at night was a huge psychological challenge for her. What should she do? The Little Girl, who couldn't distinguish between jokes and truth, fell into her own little dilemma.
And looking at his adopted daughter's appearance, Zhou Yi's heart immediately filled with an inexplicable smile. At this moment, he suddenly recalled the feeling of teasing Charisse when he was a Child; both of them had spent one fearful night after another in his made-up ghost stories.
The car drove smoothly all the way and soon arrived near Queens. Looking at the somewhat familiar streets, Zhou Yi suddenly remembered when he first came to New York.
At that time, he had once settled his first cheerleader acquaintance in New York at a cold drink shop on this very street. Of course, they broke up very quickly.
He casually made a turn and quickly spotted the somewhat old-looking sign. This surprised him; a cold drink shop next to the most chaotic underground bar being able to stay open for so long was truly beyond his expectations. However, it might also be related to the owner's craftsmanship.
Back then, many girls liked to stay there all day just to savor the owner's unique pastries and ice cream.
Parking the car by the roadside, Zhou Yi asked the Little Girl, who was still in a dilemma.
"Darling, would you like some more ice cream and dessert? Vanilla, strawberry, or chocolate?"
Upon hearing ice cream and dessert, Airesha immediately let go of her little dilemma. She had absolutely no resistance to such things.
"Strawberry flavor, and I want sweet jam and beautiful strawberries!"
"Gladly, my Darling Little Princess." Opening the car door, Zhou Yi didn't forget to remind the Little Girl. "Stay in the car. Don't wander off, and don't talk to strangers."
He didn't leave until he saw Airesha nod obediently. As a newly joined father, he always had some lingering worries. This was a common affliction for parents.
Although the cold drink shop wasn't open twenty-four hours, it usually stayed open quite late due to the bar next door. And now, it was far from closing time.
Just like more than ten years ago, the owner was still the same person. Although he looked much older, he was still energetic and full of enthusiasm for every customer.
He didn't care about Zhou Yi's expensive suit, which was out of place in such a small shop, and as always, he spoke in a warm tone with a strong French accent.
"Welcome, esteemed guest. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Of course, please give me a serving of your special strawberry ice cream and the best strawberry cake. Also, please give me a hot cocoa." Although more than ten years had passed, Zhou Yi was still familiar with this place. For him, it was part of his youth. Although this part now seemed somewhat absurd and ridiculous, as capital for memories, it was always something one couldn't let go of.
The reason the owner was able to keep this small shop standing for over ten years, enduring all sorts of challenges, was largely because everything was handmade. This limited his scale but also allowed him to retain more customers' hearts, especially given his excellent craftsmanship.
As he skillfully prepared the exquisite desserts, he chatted with Zhou Yi.
"This gentleman seems very familiar with my place, but please forgive me. My impression of you is really a bit vague."
"When I was in high school, I often brought girls here, but I haven't been back for a very long time. I remember back then, this place seemed to have just opened."
"Oh, that's almost ten years ago. Now that you mention it, I think I have some impression. Back then, you seemed to often bring a blonde Young Miss to visit the shop."
"Your memory is really good; most people wouldn't remember customers from their shop over ten years ago." Listening to the owner's recollection, Zhou Yi began to praise him. This made the owner very proud, giving him a feeling of youth.
"You know, among high school students back then, there weren't many who could ride a Harley-Davidson with a beautiful girl. Is that your daughter? Are you already married to that beautiful girl?"
"Airesha is my daughter, but that girl from back then probably doesn't even recognize me anymore."
"Oh, I understand. This is youth, especially for men, there are always beautiful memories." The owner made a gesture of understanding, placing the packaged desserts and drinks in front of Zhou Yi.
"It's truly a pleasure to see an old customer like you. I'll only charge you for the dessert; the drinks and ice cream are on me. I hope you don't mind. Although it might not be much to you!" The owner said, nodding towards the Bentley parked outside the door. "But consider it a small token of my regard for the Little Princess in the car."
Looking at Airesha, who was pressed against the car window looking somewhat drooling, Zhou Yi couldn't help but chuckle. He paid for the dessert but didn't insist on refusing the other items. It was the owner's kind gesture, and there was no need to be so precise about it.
"Thank you, boss. I wish you a prosperous business!"
"I wish you a pleasant life, sir. I look forward to your next visit." The owner smiled as he bid farewell to Zhou Yi, also offering his blessings. This was the way of life for this simple man, and it was precisely because of this that he was able to be remembered by so many people.
Watching Zhou Yi walk back with the desserts, Airesha eagerly rolled down the car window. Whether it's women or children, their resistance to such things is very low.
As for Little Girls, their resistance becomes negative.
Handing the cake to Airesha through the car window, Zhou Yi wasn't in a hurry to drive. He watched Airesha heartily enjoying her cake with a spoon, then stood outside the car and lit a cigarette.
Ever since there was a Child in the house, Serana had been implementing a no-smoking policy, claiming it would affect Airesha's development. Zhou Yi couldn't refute this reason, so he had to indulge his smoking habit outside.
Like now, it was a good opportunity to smoke and pass the time. However, a gunshot interrupted his rare moment of leisure.
Across the street from him, an old man fell to the ground clutching his stomach, while two panicked-looking guys ran quickly towards this side of the street. It seemed they wanted to steal a car to escape, and Zhou Yi, with his car door wide open, became their target.
A tall Mexican man immediately pointed his pistol at Zhou Yi. He gestured to his panicked companion while shouting.
"Get out of my way, you yellow-skinned monkey. Or watch your head explode."
"You guys are really unlucky." Zhou Yi placed his hot cocoa on the car roof, blowing smoke rings and sizing up the two guys with a playful look.
"What the hell are you talking about? Are you looking for death?" Relying on the pistol in his hand, he walked straight up, seemingly wanting to press the muzzle directly against Zhou Yi.
But after only two steps, he found Zhou Yi pressing close to him. This sudden movement made him instinctively want to shoot, but he couldn't pull the trigger. Looking closely, he realized that the guy opposite him had actually extended his hand and used his thumb to jam the gap in the trigger.
Losing the space to move, shooting with a pistol became impossible. The big Mexican man tried to exert force to snatch back the pistol, but Zhou Yi had already delivered a palm strike to his jaw.
The force wasn't great, but it was enough to knock out a normal person. As for whether he would suffer from a concussion or similar symptoms, that was none of Zhou Yi's concern.
Seeing Zhou Yi take down his partner in an instant, and even have the gun snatched away, the other guy clearly lost the courage to approach. Especially after seeing people around starting to call the Police, he ran into the alley between the streets without looking back.
He knew very well that the Police would arrive soon. Only in such an alley would he have a chance to escape.
Ignoring the fleeing thief, Zhou Yi turned back to Airesha, told her to stay put, and ran towards the other side of the street. He hadn't forgotten the old man who had been shot, and saving a life was more important than chasing a petty thief.
"Are you alright? How do you feel?" The old man lay on the ground, dark blood beginning to seep through his shirt. It was clear that the old man's condition was very serious. But Zhou Yi still pretended to be concerned and asked.
This was a rhetorical question for him. Because under the effect of his super vision, he had already clearly seen the situation inside the old man's body.
To some extent, he was already beyond saving. The bullet had pierced his internal organs, causing very severe internal bleeding. Unless he could immediately receive the most advanced medical treatment, there would be no hope. However, looking at the old man's clothing, one knew he couldn't afford such treatment.
However, he could enjoy a treatment that even the wealthiest might not necessarily receive: a gift from a deity.