Zhou Lan was still holding a teacup, chatting casually with the woman sitting across from her with her back turned toward Zhou Yi.
At that moment, Zhou Yi walked over and called out:
"Look over here—surprise!"
Confused, Zhou Lan turned around. The moment she saw Zhou Yi, she immediately stood up and hurried over.
"Yi? My dear child, what brings you here?"
As his mother wrapped her arms around his waist, Zhou Yi smiled and hugged her back.
"You know how busy things have been lately. I've been buried under work. Since I've finally managed to get a little breathing room, I thought I'd come out to relax. And while I was at it, I figured I should come visit you."
"A vacation, then? That's wonderful. You can stay in London with me for a while."
Then she suddenly remembered her guest.
"Oh, right. I should introduce you to our visitor."
"Yi, this is Miss Susan Storm. Susan, this is my greatest pride—my son, Zhou Yi."
Looking at the intelligent and elegant blonde woman whom he had met twice before, her golden hair cascading like fine sand, Zhou Yi smiled.
Following the etiquette of an English gentleman greeting a lady, he bowed slightly.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Susan. Seeing that you are healthy and as beautiful as ever is wonderful news indeed."
Dressed in a loose black knit sweater and cream-colored trousers, Susan smiled and extended her hand.
"The pleasure is mine, Mr. Zhou. I never expected we'd meet again here. I thought our next meeting would be in America."
Zhou Yi gently kissed the back of her hand.
However, he couldn't help feeling puzzled.
Why would she travel all the way to America just to see him?
He certainly wasn't arrogant enough to think that after meeting him only once, this beautiful woman had fallen hopelessly in love and intended to cross the ocean for him. That kind of thing only happened in the fantasies of fools.
Seeing the confusion in her son's eyes, Zhou Lan explained:
"Susan and some of her university classmates have formed a research team. They've run into some difficulties and need help from someone with... special capabilities. So I recommended you."
"Since you're already here, why don't you talk with Susan about it?"
"Special capabilities?"
Zhou Yi's first thought was his own powers—or perhaps his connections with mutants.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
His mother would never reveal family secrets to outsiders.
That meant the help Susan needed was likely related to his influence and resources.
And in Europe, despite its gradual decline, the Daybreak Corporation possessed enough influence to move mountains.
"I'd like to know," Zhou Yi said with a confident smile as he sat down, "what kind of special capability could possibly help you, Susan?"
Susan remained composed.
There was no trace of desperation or excessive eagerness in her demeanor.
She simply smiled charmingly and answered calmly.
"Do you remember Reed Richards? We met him at the gathering at Alfred Manor."
"Please, call me Yi—or just Zhou Yi. 'Mr. Zhou' feels far too formal."
Then he nodded.
"Yes, I remember Dr. Richards. Last time I even wanted to invest in him. Unfortunately, that genius rejected my offer."
At those words, Susan couldn't help sighing inwardly.
As Reed's old friend—and former girlfriend—she was honestly beginning to lose hope in him.
A genuine billionaire had practically offered him funding on a silver platter, and he still refused.
What exactly was he trying to accomplish?
Just thinking about the mountains of unpaid bills piling up at the Baxter Building made her teeth ache.
Trying to help her old friend had dragged her into a huge mess.
Still, there was hope.
Looking at the man who had once offered her a chance at a new life, Susan's smile grew even more radiant.
"Reed is an idiot when it comes to anything outside of scientific research. Yi, I hope you won't hold it against him."
"Of course not. Talented people are entitled to certain privileges. I understand."
Zhou Yi's playful tone made Susan feel even more hopeful.
"I don't quite know how to explain it," she said after a brief hesitation. "But our research has made a breakthrough. A major breakthrough."
"However, we need more precise data. Data that cannot be obtained through ordinary means."
"Oh?"
At that moment, Mrs. Hamilton approached and placed a cup of milk tea before Zhou Yi.
After taking a sip, he immediately praised it.
"Mrs. Hamilton, this is excellent. I love it."
"I'm honored by your praise, sir."
She smiled and quietly withdrew.
Zhou Yi then turned back to Susan.
"You mentioned data that can't be acquired through normal channels. Let me guess—you aren't asking me to steal state secrets, are you?"
"If that's the case, you'd better prepare for soldiers kicking your door down someday."
"Honestly, I could probably obtain such information, but I certainly couldn't guarantee cleaning up all the loose ends afterward."
His joking tone lightened the atmosphere considerably.
Susan immediately relaxed.
She could hear the goodwill behind his words and quickly shook her head.
"If we wanted that kind of information, going to Tony Stark would probably be the smarter option."
"I imagine his Iron Man armor would be very effective at keeping unwanted attention away."
"No, no, no."
Zhou Yi immediately waved his hand.
"Trust me. A beautiful woman like you going to Tony Stark is the worst possible decision."
"He's far more dangerous than you think."
As expected, Susan became curious.
"Really?"
"More genuine than the finest diamonds."
"Believe me, Tony's reputation extends far beyond America."
Watching Susan nod along, clearly buying into his teasing, Zhou Yi silently gave Tony a mental thumbs-up.
Well done, buddy. Years of hard work really paid off.
Seeing her son shamelessly slander his friend, Zhou Lan couldn't tolerate it anymore.
Tony always remembered to send her gifts during holidays.
She couldn't just sit there while Zhou Yi badmouthed him.
Even if most of it was true.
"Enough, child. That's not how you treat your friends."
"If Tony heard this, he'd definitely come looking for trouble."
"Don't worry, Mom. He's too busy right now."
Zhou Yi shrugged and returned to the main topic.
"So, Susan, let's get back to your request."
"What kind of data requires a lady as beautiful as yourself to travel around seeking help?"
Susan tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, revealing her delicate profile.
Then she straightened and answered seriously.
"Our team is researching the development and application of cosmic radiation."
"We've reached a bottleneck."
"We need firsthand data, and that data can only be obtained in space."
"In a few months, an enormous solar quantum storm will pass close to Earth."
"Reed believes this is the best opportunity possible to gather cosmic radiation data."
"Unfortunately, he doesn't have enough influence with NASA to secure a launch permit."
"And even if he did, he wouldn't have access to a space station."
"We may miss this opportunity entirely."
"So I wondered whether private assistance might be possible."
Now Zhou Yi finally understood.
They needed data collected during a solar quantum storm from space itself.
To obtain it, they would require a launch vehicle, a spacecraft, and access to a space station.
Just imagining a NASA administrator hearing Reed's proposal was enough to make him smile.
Within only a few months, Reed expected them to prepare a launch rocket, scientific equipment, transportation spacecraft, and a functioning space station.
It sounded absurd.
The required funding, manpower, resources, and scheduling would be enormous.
No space agency would halt all existing plans for a single experiment with uncertain returns.
Only reckless gamblers—or the world's largest corporations—could afford such a gamble.
Zhou Yi wasn't a gambler.
But he did happen to control one of the most powerful corporations on Earth.
"How much time do you have?" he asked, already calculating the potential benefits.
"The solar quantum storm is expected to arrive in about four months," Susan explained.
"After that, an event of similar magnitude may not occur again for hundreds of years."
Three months ago, Daybreak's orbital space station had been evacuated.
It originally belonged to Umbrella.
The equipment is extremely advanced, but after the company restructuring, I recalled all personnel.
In other words, the station is currently empty.
"Furthermore," Zhou Yi continued, "I can arrange a launch mission within three months."
"That would be enough to send your team up there."
"So yes—I can absolutely help you."
Then he leaned back slightly and smiled.
"But, Susan..."
"What exactly do I get in return?"
-----------------------
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