After sending off the annoying Agent Coulson, Zhou Yi rubbed his temples, a little troubled. He suddenly realized that this deal with S.H.I.E.L.D. was too much of a loss. Exchanging a few potentially useless pieces of information for two powerful opponents, it seemed like a choice only an idiot would make. And now, he was that idiot.
This made Zhou Yi sigh about his unfortunate choice of friends; his friends were either jokers like Tony or schemers like Agent Coulson who would always try to trap him. Was this fate's punishment for his good character and upright values? When he asked Ada this question, he was met with Ada's eye roll and Natasha's merciless ridicule.
"You should say, the kind of friends you have is enough to prove the kind of person you are!"
Zhou Yi was not happy to hear this. In essence, he still believed there was a huge difference between him and character-damaging guys like Tony. So he immediately retorted.
"Natasha, speak with evidence. Remember, I saved your life."
"Using kindness for recompense? Alright, I admit you're different from them!" Shrugging her shoulders, Natasha put on a helpless expression, making Zhou Yi grit his teeth in frustration. This was a life-saving grace, couldn't she show a little more sincerity?
"Do you expect her to give you any answer, Master? I'm sure you're overthinking it!" Ada, who had finished tidying up, walked over. She rolled her eyes at her Master and then said to Natasha.
"Aren't you supposed to be working? Why aren't you leaving?"
"I just asked Agent Coulson for leave; I'm spending today with Young Miss Shirley!"
Zhou Yi's mouth twitched at Natasha's explanation. Agent Coulson hadn't said anything to her when he left. Was it really okay to tell such an obvious lie?
Ada sneered twice and stood behind Zhou Yi.
"Too bad, we're all not home today. Master decided to take the Young Misses to the amusement park, so your little scheme fell through again."
Her implication was simple: there's nothing for you here, you can go back where you came from. But Natasha was far more resilient than she thought.
"As long as I'm with Shirley, I don't mind where we go to play. Can I, Darling Yi?"
As she spoke, she walked in front of Zhou Yi and bowed slightly. She met Zhou Yi's gaze with her glistening emerald eyes. Her gaze was very captivating, but Zhou Yi's attention was completely drawn to the scenery below her neckline. It had to be said, the view was truly alluring.
This blatant seduction was clearly not allowed by Ada. She reached out, turned Zhou Yi's face, and said to him meaningfully.
"Master, are you really sure you want to invite her to join us?"
How did he become the battlefield for these two women? Zhou Yi hadn't figured that out either. But he knew that if this continued, the day would be ruined. So he simply held Ada's hand back and gently pushed Natasha's shoulder, standing up.
"Ladies, today is not the time for bickering. The children are about to come down, and it wouldn't be good if they saw you fighting like this! You know, I don't want my children to learn this kind of thing from you."
Hearing Zhou Yi say this, even if the two women were still interested in fighting, they could only forcibly suppress it. No one wanted to be a negative example in this home, because the Master of this house definitely had the ability to make you regret it. So, the two women wisely chose to calm down. And this was what Zhou Yi wanted to see. However, he knew this situation was only temporary; once they were alone, there would definitely be all sorts of trouble again. So he thought for a moment, then squeezed Ada's hand and said.
"Ada, can you go check on the children? I don't want them to waste the whole day tidying up!"
Ada nodded obediently. Before leaving, she gently rubbed Zhou Yi's palm with her finger, then gave Natasha a provocative look before heading upstairs.
Natasha watched her retreating figure with a strange expression. Only when she disappeared at the stairwell did she say to Zhou Yi.
"She's only worked for you for how long, and you're already this intimate?"
"You should watch your wording; this should be called understanding." Zhou Yi didn't agree with her statement. During this time, he had been very self-disciplined. Not to mention his past philandering ways, he hadn't done anything out of line with the beautiful women around him.
"Alright, understanding. We'll use that word!" Natasha, wearing a white shirt, crossed her arms, highlighting her perfect figure. Zhou Yi's keen eyesight clearly saw the color underneath: black. It was a color that suited her well. Mysterious and alluring, just like her personality.
Natasha seemed to notice Zhou Yi's gaze, but she didn't say much, just continued with her previous question.
"How did you become so understanding?"
"Ada is very capable!" Zhou Yi raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "I didn't expect her to help me so much at first. She's like my right-hand man now. Over time, that understanding slowly developed. Just like Pepper and Tony!"
"Pepper Miss Potts has worked for Mr. Tony Stark for twelve years, but she has only worked for you for six months."
"Tony's judgment has never been very good, so he needs over a decade to see something clearly. But I'm different, my judgment has always been good, so I think six months is enough!" On this matter, Zhou Yi showed complete confidence. His current worth was definitely due in large part to his judgment.
Natasha was noncommittal about Zhou Yi's statement. However, she still didn't agree with the relationship between Zhou Yi and Ada.
"I still think you trust her too much. I've looked into her past; it's very mysterious. You should also be able to tell that her abilities are definitely not something an ordinary organization could cultivate."
"That's not important, Natasha!" Zhou Yi stood up, walked behind her, and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Ada's effort and dedication are worthy of my trust in her. Moreover, I don't believe anyone can get to me through her. Also, Natasha, don't you think your concern for me is a bit excessive?"
"Is it too much?" Natasha turned her head, almost pressing her face against Zhou Yi's. She retorted. "We've shared a bed before, and given that, my asking such a question shouldn't be too much at all, should it? And don't forget, Shirley is still here. I'm not comfortable with a ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment near her!"
Regarding her explanation, Zhou Yi genuinely felt that less than fifty percent of it was credible. Shared a bed, it sounded ambiguous. But he clearly remembered that they hadn't done anything that day. In his eyes, Natasha's reason for doing this was only one: she, or rather S.H.I.E.L.D. behind her, was not at all comfortable with Ada's presence by his side.
For them, Ada was like an uncontrollable variable, and one that could influence Zhou Yi. So, unable to control this variable, they began to find ways to remove it from Zhou Yi's side. Sowing discord was the easiest method.
However, they still didn't understand Zhou Yi's style. His trust in those around him far exceeded their imagination. He knew who Ada was much better than they did, so their attempt to use her identity to create trouble was a completely ineffective tactic against Zhou Yi.
Natasha seemed to realize the futility of this approach, but she didn't care. Because she was just delivering a message, whether Zhou Yi was provoked or not had nothing to do with her. Zhou Yi also understood this, so he didn't show any displeasure towards Natasha.
Their relationship was, at best, more than just friends. So, under normal circumstances, he wouldn't choose to fall out. Unless it genuinely involved a matter of principle.
"Alright, stop these boring questions. You can tell those guys behind you not to try to provoke me. When I go crazy, even I'm afraid of myself!"
Zhou Yi wasn't joking when he said this; if he went crazy, it would definitely be catastrophic. And he believed that the people behind Natasha wouldn't want to see him go mad.
"I'll relay your message. Also, regarding Shirley, what I said is true. You'd best pay attention to their safety!" Natasha said this, indicating her tacit agreement with Zhou Yi's meaning. And her repeated emphasis piqued Zhou Yi's interest.
"You seem to have special feelings for Shirley. Can you tell me about it? I've also noticed that Shirley is very different with you; to some extent, her feelings for you are even deeper than her feelings for me."
He pulled over a chair, sat opposite Natasha, and said to her with an expression like he was listening to gossip. This, apparently, made Natasha feel a little uncomfortable.
"Please, at least pay attention to your image. Don't be like a paparazzi, alright!"
"This is my family matter, after all. Is there anything wrong with me being concerned? As a father, my daughter is actually closer to someone else than to me; this is clearly a problem, alright!"
"Oh, God. Shirley is not your biological Child, you need to remember that. If I couldn't adopt her, you wouldn't be involved at all! You're just a stand-in who moved up, understand!"
"Shirley would be sad if you said that. She genuinely called me Papa. Besides, these two Children were just asking me why there isn't a 'Mama' role in this family!"
Facing Natasha's rebuttal, Zhou Yi calmly unleashed a killer move. And this killer move was clearly extraordinarily effective, because he clearly heard what Natasha mumbled under her breath.
"Shirley, you little traitor!"
This was big news for Zhou Yi, because Natasha seemed to have completely immersed herself in the role of a mother for Shirley. Although this immersion was limited only to Shirley and had nothing to do with him, even so, it still shocked him.
What was this? An Agent developing mother-daughter affection for a Child she had no relation to. Even imagining it felt incredible. At this moment, he began to have thoughts of exploring Natasha's past.
But not now, he had plenty of time.