Su Yi let out an inward sigh of resignation. While his body was now a fortress of enhanced vitality and his mind operated at a superhuman clip, he realized that time management is indeed a profound field of study—one that even his Lv7 mental power, which allowed for the instantaneous assimilation of entire textbooks, couldn't fully master.
The sheer complexity of balancing five emotionally invested Hong Yan with an exponentially growing list of world-altering intellectual pursuits was staggering.
He was beginning to appreciate the true mastery of a manager like Old Luo (referencing the famed polyamorous tactician from ancient folklore), whose skills went far beyond the simple division of hours.
Su Yi's goals were not just academic; they were intertwined with the women who held the keys to the Marvel Universe's deeper secrets:
Jane Foster (Astronomy): Essential for understanding cosmic phenomena, the Aether, and the mechanics of the Bifrost. He needed to understand space to control it.
Hope van Dyne (Quantum Realm): Crucial for mastering dimensional travel and manipulation via Pym Particles, a technology far more fundamental than Tony's nanotechnology.
Christine Palmer (The Enduring Heart): A long-term project. Winning over the future emotional anchor of Doctor Strange was a delicate dance of patience and sincerity, less about power and more about shared values.
He calculated his itinerary: two days of cooking with Peter (now handled), a flight to Monaco, and then the chase began. He wasn't anxious; he was methodical. The world could wait.
Su Yi finalized the temporary arrangements for his successful gourmet business. Peter, while sad to see Su Yi go, was immediately revitalized by the challenge.
"I've got it covered, Su!" Peter promised, standing beside his equally excited best friend.
"Don't worry about a thing, Su!" Ned Leeds chirped, adjusting his glasses. "We can build a complete logistics and inventory system by the time you get back. Think of it as an enterprise architecture exercise! Maybe we can even integrate a basic AI chatbot to take orders."
Su Yi smiled. "Excellent. Have fun, but don't let the orders get in the way of your homework, guys."
With the business secured, Su Yi joined Pepper Potts and Tony Stark on the tarmac. A sleek, silver private jet gleamed under the early morning sun.
"Tony, don't you have an Iron Man Armor?" Su Yi asked, leaning against the boarding stairs, his voice dripping with faux innocence. "I think you can totally fly there and just let Pepper and me have the plane. Think of the fuel savings. Plus, the atmosphere is simply superior when it's just two people."
Tony, dressed in designer sunglasses and a sharp suit, paused with one foot on the first step. He turned, a smug smirk firmly in place. "Ah, the classic 'I want the plane to myself' gambit. Very subtle, Su. This is my plane, my fractional-ownership slice of airborne paradise. And the answer is no."
He pointed a finger at Su Yi. "And don't even think about messing around. I have cameras and a highly advanced Jarvis-powered privacy scanner installed for exactly your kind of adolescent schemes."
"Me messing around?" Su Yi countered, matching Tony's arrogant look with a smooth, knowing expression. "I'm afraid you've already cornered the market on that particular form of aerial entertainment, haven't you?"
Tony didn't answer directly but offered a sardonic wink and boarded the plane first.
Su Yi felt a slight regret. What a missed opportunity. But the problem was solved: he would just torture this single dog with relentless proximity and affection instead.
Su Yi and Pepper boarded together, settling into the opulent cabin. They sat intimately close. Pepper immediately opened her laptop, a stack of crucial Stark Industries documents spread across the table. Su Yi, however, pulled out a few books.
Only then did Tony, lounging across the cabin, realize the true punishment: he would be eating dog food the entire way to Monaco. With nowhere to hide, he busied himself with the in-flight entertainment system, only to glance over and see Su Yi engrossed in a text.
"Su, you're actually reading?" Tony drawled, needing a distraction. "And it's astronomy? Are you planning to major in that after all the food trucks and physics?"
"No, it's just to expand my fundamental knowledge," Su Yi replied simply, effortlessly flipping a page. "I'm casually reading."
"I also have books on quantum mechanics here," Su Yi continued, pulling a second, thicker volume from his bag—a dense theoretical text on particle entanglement. "Do you want to pass the time? You know, I heard there's a Dr. Pym who used to be a colleague of your father's and has deep research into the Quantum Realm, even developing something called Pym Particles."
Tony immediately scoffed. "Dr. Pym, I've heard of him. He also opened a Pym Technologies company, but it's a boutique failure now, certainly not as good as my Stark Industries. The man is an eccentric relic who thinks scaling things up or down is the future. I'm busy with Nanotechnology—true power, true utility, infinite complexity in a tiny footprint."
"That's natural," Su Yi conceded. "Weapons and marketable gadgets are certainly the most profitable. But Dr. Pym's technology and his research into the Quantum Realm are indeed very impressive. Nanotech controls the immediate. Quantum mechanics controls the fundamental reality of spacetime."
Tony waved a dismissive hand. "The fundamental reality of spacetime is fine right where it is. I've encountered some problems recently with my own core elements, and I need to quietly think about these issues, not read about things shrinking and growing. Just… don't go too far, Su."
"Don't worry, I won't mess around," Su Yi assured him, his eyes already back on the page. "Pepper also has things to be busy with."
Pepper didn't reply, too focused on the corporate restructure documents, but she was listening.
Then, the bizarre spectacle began.
Su Yi didn't just read the page; he scanned it. His eyes darted from top to bottom, absorbing paragraphs in mere moments. With his Lv7 mental power and vastly enhanced dynamic vision, Su Yi was achieving the speed of reading ten lines at a glance. A 400-page book on astrophysics was finished in under twenty minutes.
He slapped the cover shut and immediately picked up the quantum mechanics text. ****
Pepper looked up, her professional composure momentarily shattered. "Su, what are you doing? Are you alright?"
"Reading," Su Yi said, already halfway through the first chapter of the new book.
"But your page-flipping speed is too fast! You've already gone through fifty pages of that physics manual!" Pepper exclaimed, shocked.
Tony, hearing the incredulity in Pepper's voice, peered over. He watched in stunned silence as Su Yi's eyes focused with inhuman intensity, his comprehension complete before his fingers even finished turning the page. The theoretical text on the most complex laws of the universe was being treated like a children's picture book.
"Jarvis," Tony mumbled into the air. "Scan Su Yi's eye movement and neural activity. Give me a reading."
"Sir, Subject Su Yi is exhibiting a sustained reading speed approximately 1,200 words per minute, with 98.7% content retention and simultaneous deep analytical processing. This is physically impossible for a standard human brain," Jarvis reported matter-of-factly.
Tony slumped back. "Great. My best friend is not only better looking, more charming, and a better cook, but he can also assimilate the entirety of human knowledge while I'm battling heavy metal poisoning." He muttered darkly, "Perhaps I should start reading my own books at the speed of sound..."
Pepper simply gazed at Su Yi, a deep mix of awe and possessiveness in her eyes. Su Yi's power wasn't just physical; it was intellectual, an ability that promised a destiny far beyond Stark Industries.
The rest of the journey was leisurely, dominated by the hypnotic sound of rapidly turning pages.
They arrived in Monaco, checking into a lavish hotel overlooking the shimmering blue of the Mediterranean. Su Yi and Pepper enjoyed a romantic dinner by the sea, the stress of New York momentarily suspended. Following dinner, they retired for a well-deserved, intimate rest.
The new day brought a stark contrast: Pepper began her demanding corporate work diligently, while Tony prepared to go racing, embracing the carefree life of an unburdened billionaire. Su Yi, having completed his reading material, had no desire to join the crowds.
While waiting, Su Yi observed the media scrum, spotting two key figures. First, Justin Hammer, the opportunistic rival CEO, swaggered past, surrounded by his entourage. Second, the striking female reporter, Christine Everhart, was working the crowd near the press area.
Su Yi compared the reporter in front of him with Doctor Christine Palmer, the woman he was determined to win over.
The female reporter was undeniably glamorous, with sharp, visible beauty—the kind that demanded attention and fit perfectly into Tony's old playboy lifestyle.
However, Doctor Christine Palmer possessed a different kind of beauty: one that was kind-hearted, enduring, and rooted in a selfless devotion to healing. Su Yi felt he could genuinely look at her for a lifetime and never tire of her character. He dismissed the reporter, his focus already elsewhere.
He continued to monitor the news, waiting for the inevitable appearance of Whiplash.
Tony, having received a clean bill of health thanks to the Water of Life, was indulging himself more and more, confirming Pepper's recent fear.
The race had already begun, and Tony, piloting an aggressive, cherry-red Formula 1 car, immediately sped off.
Pepper stood nearby, watching the live feed from the safety of a VIP box. "Su, are you sure he won't get into trouble? Ever since you gave him the Water of Life, I feel like he's been indulging himself more and more. He's taking unnecessary risks."
"He won't, Pepper," Su Yi reassured her, his eyes fixed on the track feed. "Happy Hogan is there, carrying the Iron Man Mark V suitcase armor, and I am here. We can support him at any time. As long as he doesn't die instantly—and with his improved health, the odds are low—he should be able to be saved."
Only then did Pepper relax slightly; she trusted Su Yi's judgment and power more than any armor.
The racers sped past, the sound deafening. Then, a chilling anomaly.
A figure in a dirty, utilitarian work uniform approached the race track barrier. The audience was immediately surprised and alarmed; a race track was an intensely dangerous place. The inevitable collision with a race car would be fatal.
The man, driven by a furious, single-minded hatred, vaulted the barrier and stood right in the middle of the track. He tore off his clothes, revealing a crude, visible Arc Reactor embedded in his chest—a grotesque imitation of the one powering Tony's heart.
This man, Ivan Vanko, was armed with two long, glowing whips powered by the same reactor technology. They crackled with destructive electrical energy, looking incredibly menacing.
"Oh, God!" the commentator screamed over the loudspeakers. "Something's going to happen! That man has a weapon!"
Pepper gasped, her professional facade crumbling instantly. Her heart leaped to her throat. "Happy! Quickly, give the box to Tony! He needs the armor, now!"
She was incredibly agitated. "Su, that person has an Arc Reactor! He must be after Tony. We need to go to the scene!"
"Calm down, Pepper," Su Yi said, his voice a steady anchor of absolute control. "I have this monitored. You go first. If there's a major problem, I can teleport over at any time, instantly."
Pepper ran, clutching her phone and contacting security, while Su Yi continued to stare at the television screen, observing the chaotic scene.
Vanko didn't hesitate, swinging his whips to cut the first two race cars in half. Shrapnel flew everywhere. Tony, seeing his friend nearly hit, swerved violently and braked, the adrenaline hitting him hard. He recognized the crude reactor immediately: Someone else built one.
Su Yi's gaze, however, lingered on the periphery of the live feed. He noticed Justin Hammer, positioned in a nearby luxury box.
Hammer, momentarily forgetting the cameras, was licking a lollipop, his eyes fixed on the Arc Reactor on Vanko's chest. He revealed a wide, greedy smile—a look of pure avarice and delighted malice. The conspiracy was confirmed; Hammer was the puppet master.
Su Yi quietly stood up. The time for observation was over.