Skye shook her head lightly, trying to brush off the magnitude of the problem, but her brow was furrowed with genuine worry. Her minivan wasn't just transportation; it was her mobile home, her office, and her entire life squeezed onto four wheels. Now, it was a crumpled monument to bad driving.
How do I fix this? Repair costs, hotel costs... The mental math was making her purse her lips tighter. Her meager savings were meant for better hacking equipment, not emergency lodging.
Su Zhan watched her, his expression a carefully manufactured blend of guilt and concern. He knew exactly what was wrong—the script called for it—but he played the concerned gentleman to perfection.
"Is there something wrong, Skye?" he asked gently.
Skye hesitated, then decided honesty was the easiest policy. There was no point in pretending she was fine. "Yeah, there is. The car is where I live, and judging by that mangled bumper, 'repaired soon' means 'next month.' I'm effectively homeless for the next few days."
Su Zhan widened his eyes in theatrical surprise. "You live in the car?"
Skye shrugged, mimicking his earlier casual gesture—a gesture that made her look suddenly relaxed and carefree. "Don't you think it's liberating? Waking up every day, opening the door, and seeing a new, different concrete jungle? I'm free from rent, man. That's the dream."
"I can't argue with the philosophy, but the reality is cold, hard metal," Su Zhan countered, stepping closer. "Since I'm the idiot who inadvertently stripped you of your domestic freedom, you have to let me make amends. Leaving a beautiful woman homeless is guaranteed to bring divine retribution. I'm staying at the Zenith Towers nearby. If you don't mind, I can easily get you a separate room."
Skye, a natural skeptic and a dedicated investigator of hidden motives, immediately pulled out her phone. While the mechanics began their assessment of the wreckage, she was finger-flying across her screen, cross-referencing Su Zhan's suggestion.
"Mmm, looks like making amends won't be so easy, big spender," Skye said, glancing up with a smug look. "The Zenith Towers? Fully booked. Apparently, the combination of post-battle reconstruction and wealthy tourists flocking to the 'new New York' means every decent establishment is maxed out."
Su Zhan frowned, genuinely startled. He hadn't bothered to check the availability; he simply assumed his high-roller status guaranteed a second room. This was a deviation from the plan, but an excellent, unplanned opportunity.
"No way?" he muttered, shaking his head.
"Way. It's not just your hotel; all the nearby places are showing red flags," Skye confirmed, shrugging dejectedly. "Looks like I'll be sleeping on some questionable park bench tonight."
Su Zhan hesitated, running the new calculation. High-risk, high-reward. Maximum proximity for maximum information gathering.
"Okay, scratch the second room idea," he decided, meeting her gaze with a carefully measured look of innocent gallantry. "Here's the compromise. I have a huge suite at the Zenith. It's ridiculous, frankly. Why don't you stay in my room? The sofa alone is big enough to host a small party. It should be perfectly comfortable. Of course," he added quickly, "I don't mean for a beautiful woman to sleep on the sofa; I'll take it."
Skye's eyebrows shot up. Her hacker instincts screamed Danger! Her pragmatic brain whispered Warm bed, hot shower.
"This... isn't this a bit inappropriate?" she asked, her voice betraying a hint of nervousness.
Su Zhan gave her a confident, engaging smile. "Compared to sleeping on the streets, battling rogue park squirrels, and risking hypothermia in your totaled van, I think... spending a couple of nights indoors, sharing a spacious suite with a handsome, harmless guy like me, would be infinitely better, right?"
"Okay," Skye conceded, sighing dramatically. "You've convinced me. But one wrong move, and I know exactly where the pressure points are, Su Zhan."
The mechanic arrived moments later, interrupting their flirtatious banter. After a short exchange of contact details and a lengthy, detailed lecture from Skye to the tow truck driver about exactly which parts of her "home" were not to be touched, she retrieved a backpack and a small box of essentials.
"Let me get that," Su Zhan insisted, easily taking her meager belongings. He was secretly pleased with the rapid escalation. This was exactly how you cemented an accidental relationship—through forced intimacy and mutual indebtedness.
"Nice environment. You drive a ridiculous sports car and stay in a hotel like this. Are you, like, filthy rich, or just rich?" Skye asked, curiosity practically radiating off her as she took in the lavish suite—the stunning view of the city, the modern art, the unnecessarily large furniture.
"It's alright," Su Zhan said dismissively, dropping her bag by the sofa. He hated talking about money; it was too easy and too boring. He preferred talking about power.
Skye pursed her lips, recognizing the deliberate evasion. But she was a hacker, and a mystery was far more appealing than a rich guy. She settled onto the sofa, pulling out her laptop. Before sharing a room with a charming, suspiciously generous stranger, she needed data.
"Do as you please," Su Zhan announced, reading her intention perfectly. "I'm going to take a shower. I feel like I'm still covered in industrial runoff from the docks."
He retreated into the palatial bathroom. Skye gave a fleeting nod, already typing.
Inside the bathroom, Su Zhan locked the door. He turned on the cold water in the oversized tub. He definitely needed a shower, but not a typical one. It was time for ability practice.
He submerged his right hand into the cold water. Activating his power, he didn't just heat the surface; he pushed the Extremis energy into a focused stream. His fingertips glowed a barely visible, internal scarlet, and the water around them began to steam. The rising temperature was fast and controlled. Within two minutes, the entire tub was filled with churning, bath-warm water that was heating rapidly to the desired, scalding temperature.
["Current practice efficiency: 85%. Host can maintain and control a stable internal temperature of 400°C in the right arm for three minutes without significant systemic drain."]
"Almost there," Su Zhan muttered, satisfied. He could generate the fire, but mastering the temperature precision was the key to turning a brute force virus into a subtle, terrifying weapon.ShutterstockExplore
He settled into the near-boiling water, his body absorbing the heat like a desert plant taking water.
Meanwhile, Skye was running every known search algorithm on her system.
"No birth certificate, no tax ID, no school records, no dental insurance, no social media, no traffic violations... nothing!"
Skye stared at her screen in disbelief, her fingers suspended above the keys. She had hacked into high-security government databases and private financial records, and still, this man was less traceable than a ghost. Even S.H.I.E.L.D. assets had traces. This was impossible.
"He's definitely not an ordinary person," she thought, a thrill chasing away her residual anger about the van. Her initial upset had been replaced by intense, professional curiosity. She had sworn to expose the truth, and here was a walking, talking conspiracy theory occupying her living room.
Maybe getting hit by that car wasn't bad luck after all. It was an access key.
Half an hour later, Su Zhan emerged, looking refreshed and effortlessly handsome. He wore simple, dark casual clothes—the T-shirt stretching slightly across a torso that spoke of dedicated, if recently acquired, physical training.
He sat down beside Skye, close enough to be friendly, but far enough to respect her space. They chatted easily. Su Zhan spoke extensively about the history and beauty of China, offering colorful descriptions of landscapes and cuisine that made the Marvel world seem drab in comparison. Skye, in turn, asked countless probing, subtle questions about his life, his travels, and his source of wealth.
Su Zhan brushed off every inquiry with a clever deflection, a witty half-truth, or a flirtatious compliment that redirected the conversation. The conversation was a pleasant dance of evasion and observation.
Before they knew it, the sky outside had turned to the deep, electric indigo of New York night.
"Well, I'm cooked. Good night, Su Zhan," Skye said, gathering her laptop and heading toward the bedroom door.
"Good night, Skye," he replied, giving her a small, genuine smile.
The door clicked shut, and Su Zhan settled onto the massive, ridiculously plush sofa, his eyes open, gazing at the ceiling. A private, knowing smirk crossed his face.
The infiltration is a success. I'm literally sleeping in the same room as my next key to S.H.I.E.L.D.
In the bedroom, Skye tossed and turned. The new environment, the missing car, and the sheer mystery of the man outside the door were too much. Curiosity and nervousness combined to keep her mind racing. She finally drifted off hours later, exhausted.
When she woke, the sun was high. It was almost noon.
"Awake? How did you sleep?" Su Zhan asked, already dressed and looking like he'd been perfectly productive since sunrise.
Skye stretched. "Honestly? Not bad, considering the circumstances. Not the streets, at least."
"I just called the mechanic," Su Zhan informed her, taking a sip of his coffee. "Three days. Maybe more. The van needs extensive work. Do you have anything urgent that needs doing in the city? If not, how about you give me a tour? I've been traveling alone, and I'd like to experience what it feels like to walk down the street and have everyone envy me."
"Envious? Why would they envy you? You're the one paying for the damage," Skye joked.
"Because I'm accompanied by a beautiful, mysterious woman, of course," Su Zhan said with a confident, effortless charm.
Skye laughed, a genuine, delighted sound. "You really know how to make a girl happy. You must have a revolving door of girlfriends, right?"
"Would you believe me if I said I've never had a girlfriend?" Su Zhan asked, fixing her with an earnest, challenging look.
Skye's jaw dropped, truly astonished. "No way! You're still a... wait, you're a virgin?" For a man this magnetic, this financially secure, and this smooth, the claim was ludicrous.
Su Zhan shrugged, affecting a look of helpless resignation. "Isn't it surprising? Now, turnabout is fair play. Have you had a lot of boyfriends, Miss Skye?"
Skye shrugged, mimicking his earlier pose again. "I've thought about it. But I haven't met the right person yet. Besides, right now, I'm way too busy for dating."
"Very good," Su Zhan said, the smile on his face deepening. Busy exposing the truth. Perfect. We have the same objective, after all.