"I mean it!" Tony Stark inhaled deeply. "I want you to be the CEO..."
Pepper paused, eyes widening as she stared at Tony in disbelief. "Did you drink?"
"I drank chlorophyll..." Tony replied, then without waiting for Pepper's reaction, he seriously continued, "I hereby appoint you as the Chairman and Executive Director of Stark Industries!"
"Effective immediately!"
"Wow!"
For a long moment, Pepper stood still, her tears freezing in place. Tony's sudden appointment felt to her as if he was preparing for his last words. The overwhelming sadness made her cry even louder...
Tony gasped, unsure what to do with his hands. He awkwardly raised them in the air, unsure whether to hug Pepper or not. This wasn't going well. He turned his gaze to the culprit—Lin Feng, who had been silent all this time. Lin Feng had been eating snacks for a while and had even taken the opportunity to steep the Life Tree leaves. When he saw Tony looking at him, he felt his scalp tingle. He regretted telling Pepper about Tony's palladium poisoning—who knew she would be so emotional?
"Buddy, this is all your fault!" Tony muttered under his breath, not speaking aloud, but Lin Feng could read his lips perfectly.
"Ahem!" Lin Feng cleared his throat loudly, catching Pepper's attention. She blushed as she suddenly realized Lin Feng was present.
"Pepper, did you forget why I'm here?" Lin Feng smiled and pushed two cups of tea in front of them. A mysterious fragrance wafted from the cups, and both Tony and Pepper felt invigorated as the aroma filled the air.
"Try it! This is something money can't buy."
"Try it yourself!" Tony pointed to the tea, then turned to Pepper, who was now staring at her cup in confusion. "Does this tea cure Tony's palladium poisoning?"
"Oh! Miss Pepper, you'll see for yourself!" Lin Feng replied with a smile. "And this tea is good for women, too. Drink it while it's hot!"
Skeptical but intrigued, Pepper took a sip. Inside the cup were leaves she had never seen before. The tea had a faint green hue, almost translucent, with wisps of smoke swirling inside.
"Oh my god!"
As the warm liquid flowed through her, she immediately felt a surge of energy. Her skin, which had been slightly yellowed, became noticeably fairer. The blemishes from long hours of work faded, and her hair started to shine with a healthier glow.
"I feel... I've never felt this alive!" Pepper exclaimed, wide-eyed in shock. "This is unbelievable!"
"Oh my god," Tony gasped, witnessing the transformation. "Pepper, did you just get younger?"
In disbelief, Pepper pulled a small mirror from her bag, staring at herself with astonishment.
Without hesitation, Tony grabbed the other cup of tea and drank it. Instantly, a warm wave of energy spread through his body, erasing the dizziness from palladium poisoning. His limbs regained strength, and he lifted his T-shirt to check his chest. The black spider-like pattern, visible only moments before, began to fade away, and within moments, it completely disappeared.
"Fuck!" Tony could hardly believe his eyes. He pulled out a small testing device for palladium levels and pressed his thumb on it. The device beeped, and the result appeared: Palladium content—0%. Immediately, Jarvis's voice sounded in his earpiece: "Congratulations, Sir, your palladium content has been cleared!"
"This is impossible!" Tony shouted, looking at Lin Feng in disbelief, before the realization hit him—he wasn't going to die!
"You don't need to care about whether it's scientific or not!" Lin Feng rolled his eyes. "As long as it saves your life, who cares about the details?"
"You're right!" Tony agreed, nodding fervently. Forget about science—what mattered was that he was saved. For weeks, Tony had tried everything to combat palladium poisoning, but nothing worked. Now, this miraculous tea had completely cured him. It was unbelievable.
"What kind of tea is this? Where can I get more?" Tony asked eagerly. With this tea, he no longer feared the risks of using his Iron Man suit and suffering from poisoning again.
Lin Feng immediately knew what Tony was thinking. "You can't rely on this tea forever, Tony!" Lin Feng warned. "This is just a temporary fix, not a permanent solution."
"I get what you mean, buddy!" Tony said, a bit bitterly. "But I've tried every possible solution! All the elements!"
"None can replace palladium! It's saving my life, but it's also killing me!"
"What am I supposed to do?"
"No, Tony!" Lin Feng said mysteriously, "You haven't tried everything yet!"
"Meaning what?" Tony asked, completely puzzled. "I haven't tried everything? What haven't I tried?"
"Yes, Tony!" Lin Feng nodded, "It's what your father left you!"
"What?" Tony's expression turned to one of confusion. "What does that mean? And why would that matter now?"
"This is the way it is," Lin Feng continued. "Your father was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D."
"And S.H.I.E.L.D. has something your father left for you, Tony!"
Before Tony could react, Lin Feng explained further, "That something can solve the palladium problem."
"So, when 'Black Egg' comes to see you, listen to what he has to say!" Lin Feng advised. In the original storyline, 'Black Egg' (Nick Fury) did bring something left by Howard Stark to Tony, and even though Lin Feng's presence had altered some parts of the plot, he was confident that the outcome would remain largely the same. Nick Fury would still return Howard Stark's legacy to Tony.
Even if there were deviations, Lin Feng felt confident he could keep things on track for Tony.
"I won't disturb you two anymore!" Lin Feng stood up, preparing to leave. He handed Tony a small bag of Life Tree leaves. "Here's some more tea. You and Pepper can drink it."
This was Lin Feng's backup plan in case something unexpected happened to Tony Stark. "Oh, and don't drink too much! Too much of this stuff can have the opposite effect!" Lin Feng warned. "Once a week is enough—just steep one leaf at a time!"
"It's good for both of you. It'll improve your constitution!"
"Well, I've got to thank you, my buddy!" Tony said with a look of genuine gratitude as he held up the small bag. "Do you have more? This stuff is amazing!"
"Get lost! You won't find anything like it anywhere in the world!" Lin Feng shot back, rolling his eyes. "This is all you're getting. It's enough to cure your problem and still leave a lot left."
Tony grinned, teasing Lin Feng, while Pepper, deeply moved, gave Lin Feng a respectful bow to show her gratitude. Lin Feng, feeling proud of Pepper's thoughtfulness, waved goodbye and headed to his car. He was off to pick up Susan after her shift!