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Chapter 62: Early Winter Daily Life (2)

As human beings, inherently social creatures, we often exhibit a propensity for conformity. When placed within a particular group or environment, it becomes challenging to remain unaffected by that setting. Stark now had firsthand experience with this phenomenon.

Peter's days were filled with sweet moments spent with his childhood sweetheart, Gwen. After Gwen and Peter had officially established their relationship not too long ago, they began dating at a frequency of two or three times a week.

Spider-Man, who had not yet progressed to the stage of meeting his future father-in-law, was currently bubbling over with happiness. Every day, he enthusiastically discussed the small gifts from his girlfriend or raved about the delicious dishes at the restaurants they visited.

Stark had to acknowledge that despite Peter's seemingly juvenile details and their choice of dining establishments that Stark, a billionaire, would never consider, he could sense Peter's genuine joy in every word.

Apart from Peter, thanks to the talkative Scarecrow, Schiller and his wife's story had grown richer and sadder after passing through many retellings. Originally just information Coulson had gathered during a routine investigation of Strange, this piece of juicy gossip was not something he could keep to himself. The next day, Natasha and Nick heard a remarkably detailed and authentic version of the story from Coulson.

Coulson, a genius agent, had expanded Strange's brief statements into a full-fledged narrative. As this story made its way to Natasha and Nick's ears, Natasha, with her sensibility unique to women, was particularly interested in this romantic love story. She added her own imaginative romantic details, making it feel even more real.

Nick, however, was a skeptic, and upon learning of this, he naturally wanted to investigate. His investigation eventually led him to some intriguing leads.

He discovered that the large sum of money S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark had paid Schiller had initially been deposited into a U.S. account, but recently, this substantial amount had been transferred to an international account in Switzerland. The trail of the money then disappeared, and Nick speculated that Schiller might be using his magic abilities to visit his wife.

Nick always believed that being a good agent required not only meticulous logical thinking but also the ability to think outside the box. Many times, an unexpected insight could lead to unexpected changes in action.

He suspected that Schiller's wife might not be a U.S. citizen, as there was no record of such a woman disappearing in the archives. Schiller might have met her while traveling, and after falling in love and getting married, she might have developed a debilitating illness that was temporarily incurable but continually worsening. Combining this with Schiller's mention of low-temperature technology earlier, Nick speculated that Schiller might possess a technique that could freeze a person, preserving his wife's condition and preventing it from deteriorating while he continued searching for a treatment.

Nick saw more than just a tragic love story in this narrative. He wanted to recruit Schiller fully into S.H.I.E.L.D., believing that if S.H.I.E.L.D. could make progress in treating his wife, they would gain a powerful ally.

Therefore, Nick started gathering materials from various neurology experts, intending to find someone qualified to deal with this issue.

If Schiller ever heard Nick's thoughts or learned about the story he had woven in his mind, he would surely applaud the Agent of the Shield. After all, wasn't this the love story of Freeze Victor and his wife?

And so, the story of Freeze was in Nick's hands for the taking.

When this story reached Stark's ears, he naturally assumed that Nick must have concrete evidence, leading him to believe that Schiller had indeed been striving for years to find a treatment for his wife.

This revelation was quite a shock to Stark. After all, he had spent most of his formative years on the road, surrounded by individuals who were, in essence, just as hedonistic as his father.

The more devastating blow, however, came from Captain America, Steve.

A few days ago, Stark noticed that Steve had stopped his early morning runs. Concerned, Stark approached Schiller to inquire about Steve's condition, and Schiller informed him that Steve had been in low spirits lately.

Stark was delighted. If Captain America was feeling down, Iron Man's spirits could only soar.

However, when Steve returned, he appeared incredibly worn out, and Schiller also seemed solemn and sorrowful. Peter, for the most part, kept a low profile.

During these days without Pepper, Stark had been wandering aimlessly, and he had finally started picking up on social cues. Seeing everyone's somber demeanor, he decided to hold back his words.

Later, he went to Schiller again to ask about what was bothering Steve. However, Schiller simply shook his head and told Stark to ask Steve himself.

How could Iron Man willingly approach Captain America?

But Stark's overpowering curiosity eventually led him to seek out Steve.

And that's when he learned about the century-spanning romantic love story between Steve and Peggy.

As a newly enlisted soldier, Steve, frail and helpless, encountered a commanding female officer who was both impressive and attentive. Afterward, as this new recruit rose to become the renowned Captain America, they faced life and death together, becoming each other's perfect soulmates. Even after a century had passed, Steve remained unwavering in his belief that Peggy was his perfect dance partner.

However, the ending of this romantic tale was heart-wrenching. A few days ago, Steve had visited the aging Peggy, lying in a sickbed, and learned from the doctor that her time was running out.

He saw the photo that Peggy had kept. It wasn't the strong Captain America after the serum injection, but the timid and bullied Steve who had just entered the boot camp. After his transformation into Captain America, Steve hadn't cried like that in a long time.

He was on the verge of breaking down, even irrationally rushing to Nick's office, asking if there was any special serum that could save Peggy.

Unfortunately, in the end, Steve could only accept this painful and helpless outcome.

This story had a profound impact on Stark because in Steve's words, his father Howard had been a part of this entire story, and he and Peggy had been friends.

This made Stark ponder, wondering if he was a bit too different.

When it came to women, Stark was never short of options. From magazine models to party girls and Hollywood actresses, Stark changed companions daily, sometimes even multiple times a day.

But when it came to love, genuine love, Stark realized he had nothing to show for it that would resonate with his friends.

First love? He vaguely remembered something, but Stark had to acknowledge that he had forgotten most of it.

Peter and Gwen were in love, Schiller and his wife experienced life and death together, Captain America and Peggy, their love story never unfolded.

And then there was Stark, surrounded by these people, who couldn't help but use his brilliant mind to ponder why he was so different.

"Lately, Pepper's been giving me some strange looks," Stark, Schiller, and Peter sat at a table in the S.H.I.E.L.D. cafeteria. After Schiller kicked Stark out, Pepper had no choice but to place him in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s care, which Stark wasn't thrilled about. But if he didn't go there, he'd be sleeping on the streets.

"Strange? What kind of strange?"

"I'm not joking, I'm serious. Her eye contact, I can't quite put my finger on it. It's a mix of worry, relief, and a hint of sympathy."

"I should let you handle my profession; you can read so much from eye contact."

Stark waved his hand dismissively. "Come on, I've encountered a thousand, if not eight hundred, women in my life. I can tell exactly what's on their minds from their eye contact. So, what's going on with Pepper?"

"It depends on what's been going on with you lately. Do you have anything on your mind?"

"What's there to worry about? I'm doing great."

Schiller put down his fork and snapped his fingers. "JARVIS, can you analyze any recent changes in your owner's behavior?"

JARVIS chimed twice, and Stark rested his face on his hands, waiting for his intelligent butler's response.

"According to the analysis, you've turned down 18 invitations from the opposite sex in the past week. That's the only noticeable deviation from your usual behavior..."

In that moment, Stark saw an expression on Schiller's face almost identical to Pepper's.

"Damn it, I'm not..."

"You don't have to explain. Well, if you've come to terms with it, congratulations. If you're struggling..."

Schiller shrugged. "...then you brought it on yourself."

Schiller knew that in comics, Stark was quite the ladies' man. Putting aside his first love, the doomed Meridith, and the treacherous Bane, he had dallied with Gamora, the Amazing Captain, Wasp, Spider-Woman, She-Hulk, and countless others.

"I'm not..." Stark put down his utensils and leaned on the table. "I just think they aren't that great..."

"Who was it that couldn't stop talking about the beauties on his yacht back then?"

"Okay." Stark, like a deflated balloon, admitted, "I've never had a decent love affair. You guys are always in my ear, talking about love and romantic stories."

"I thought they were everything—sexy, charming, short-lived but passionate. What's not to like?"

"But Peter said yesterday that his girlfriend enjoys hearing about how he creates those machines. They spent an entire afternoon discussing that topic!"

"And they didn't get tired of it. The next day, we went to the exhibition hall, the one belonging to Stark Industries. The machines there were amazing, and we spent the whole day without getting bored..."

As Stark gave Peter a piercing look, Peter silently stuffed his mouth with a sandwich.

"...Well, no one has ever wanted to hear me talk about these things. They'd rather hear about Hollywood gossip, fashion show scandals, and what's new in winter and spring clothing. Who would willingly listen to me talk about how to build Mech armor?"

"But you do want to talk about these things, right? In your eyes, Mech armor is much more attractive than those designer coats."

Stark pouted, now resembling a sour lemon.

"But you won't get anywhere by telling us. You should talk to Pepper."

"But she doesn't know anything about Mech armor, and she's already busy."

"Like I said, as long as you talk to her, she'll definitely be willing to listen."

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