Chapter 4

This wait lasted for several hours, until the sky was completely dark and a few bright headlights finally appeared on the coastal highway below the villa, quickly driving towards it.

Needless to say, this was Tony Stark's convoy.

Seeing the convoy return, Zhou Chao's spirits were lifted, and he quickly stood up from the ground, anxiously looking at the rapidly approaching convoy. Soon, the convoy, consisting of two black security cars and a silver supercar, drove onto the connecting road and sped past Zhou Chao without stopping, heading towards the villa.

Zhou Chao, who had inhaled a nose full of car exhaust, coughed lightly twice and took large strides to catch up.

However, compared to the four-wheeled gasoline-powered cars, Zhou Chao's two legs were truly no match. So when he returned to the front of the villa, he was once again blocked by the re-closed gate.

Zhou Chao did not stop there and went to the pillar again, reaching out to press the doorbell.

"Hello," Jarvis's voice came from inside.

"Hello, Jarvis, it's me, Zhou Chao. I saw Mr. Tony return. Could you ask him if he has time to meet me?" Zhou Chao, still slightly out of breath from the previous sprint, panted.

"Sure, please wait a moment." After about ten seconds, Jarvis's voice sounded again in Zhou Chao's ear.

"Sorry, Mr. Tony is very busy and doesn't have time to meet you."

"..., alright, I'll come back tomorrow," Zhou Chao said dejectedly. Although the car passed him very quickly, Zhou Chao was certain he saw a woman in the silver supercar. Therefore, based on this and the playboy nature of Iron Man from the movies, Zhou Chao was sure that the so-called "busy" was not an excuse, but definitely not related to being "busy"!

But there was nothing he could do. After all, Zhou Chao was a penniless, identity-less, and skill-less person, so he had to endure it.

"It looks like I'll have to sleep on the roadside tonight." Zhou Chao, who had turned and walked away from the front of the villa, looked up at the starry sky and sighed. Fortunately, it was summer in the United States, and although the temperature difference between day and night was significant due to the proximity to the sea, it wasn't cold enough to freeze someone to death. At worst, it might cause a mild cold. Otherwise, Zhou Chao would rather give up this contact and find a place to spend the night properly.

Even if this meant facing a long wait and hunger and cold after running out of money...

After a moment, Zhou Chao returned to the previous spot, looked around, found a place that seemed relatively sheltered from the wind, jumped into it, huddled up, and leaned against the rock layer behind him, closing his eyes to rest.

Although it was initially very uncomfortable, it must be said that human adaptability is truly strong. After fully relaxing, it didn't take long for Zhou Chao to fall into a deep sleep.

Time passed, and the night flew by in an instant.

"Buzz~"

The next morning, with the sound of a light engine hum, Zhou Chao, who had not slept well due to the poor sleeping conditions, immediately woke up from his dream.

"Um~" He blinked his eyes in confusion, looking at the unfamiliar environment in front of him. It took a moment for him to fully wake up and realize his situation.

"Right, I've traveled through time. I wonder what time it is now..."

Then, he used his hand to support the rock surface beside him, endured the soreness and stiffness of his muscles, and stood up from the ground, stretching his body like an old man doing morning exercises in a park. After his body recovered somewhat, he climbed back onto the connecting road between Tony Stark's villa and the coastal highway, enduring a headache and slight hunger, and walked towards the villa.

After about three or four minutes, Zhou Chao arrived at Tony's front door for the third time, reaching out to press the doorbell.

"Hello."

"Good morning, Jarvis, it's me, Zhou Chao. I think Mr. Tony should have time to see me now." Zhou Chao leaned against the wall, slightly lowering his head, and said with a hint of resentment in his voice.

After about a minute, with a "ding" sound, the tightly closed gate finally opened for Zhou Chao. Seeing this, Zhou Chao, who was truly relieved, gathered his spirits and walked into the villa.

After passing through the spacious front courtyard, Zhou Chao entered the villa. Instantly, a clean and tidy, almost spotless, grand living room with elegant but not luxurious furnishings and excellent lighting came into view. Besides Zhou Chao, there were two other women standing in the living room.

Both women looked young, around 27 or 28 years old. One of them was only wearing an extra-large T-shirt, revealing a pair of white, straight legs, with her chestnut-brown hair naturally falling down. The other was wearing a black OL suit, with her golden hair simply tied into a ponytail at the back, holding a package and handing it to the other woman.

Hearing the footsteps, the two women turned their heads simultaneously and looked at the unfamiliar Zhou Chao.

"Um... Hello." Zhou Chao greeted awkwardly.

"Hello. You must be Mr. Zhou Chao. Please sit over there for a moment; I'll be done soon." Pepper Potts said, of course in English, which Zhou Chao didn't understand, but he could still grasp the situation. He smiled awkwardly at Pepper and turned to walk to the side, pretending to know nothing and not seeing anything.

"Any more questions?" Seeing Zhou Chao's understanding, Pepper smiled and turned back to the woman in front of her, speaking gently.

"Hmph." The chestnut-haired woman coldly snorted, snatched the package from Pepper's hand, and walked back into the house.

Pepper didn't mind and turned to Zhou Chao, who was looking around aimlessly, and called out, "Mr. Zhou."

"Oh? Oh, hello." Zhou Chao turned around, awkwardly smiling at Pepper. He couldn't help but feel embarrassed, as he was dressed like a beggar, and the dust from sleeping outdoors made him look even more like one. It was hard to believe that he could have any connection with the world-renowned CEO Tony Stark.

"Um, my English isn't good. Can we speak in Chinese?" Zhou Chao then said in broken English.

Pepper blinked and said, "Jarvis, could you please translate for us?"

"Sure," Jarvis responded.

"Hello, I am Pepper Potts, Mr. Tony Stark's assistant secretary." Pepper extended her hand, smiling and introducing herself. This time, with Jarvis acting as a simultaneous translator, Zhou Chao could understand what she was saying.

"Hello, I am Zhou Chao." Zhou Chao quickly extended his hand to shake Pepper's, gently shaking it twice. Then he withdrew his hand and looked at Pepper, saying, "I have some matters I want to discuss with Mr. Tony Stark. When can I see him?"

"This might take some time. If it's not something particularly important, you can tell me, and I will convey your message to Mr. Tony Stark." Pepper said formally.

"I would still like to speak to Mr. Tony Stark in person," Zhou Chao said with a hint of nervousness.

"Alright, I will convey your request to him. Please wait a moment." Pepper looked at Zhou Chao and nodded.

"Thank you. By the way, where is the restroom?" Zhou Chao thanked her and asked again.

"This way..." Pepper led Zhou Chao to the restroom. After about five minutes, Zhou Chao, with a clean face and hands and a relieved bladder, reappeared in the living room, just as the chestnut-haired woman was walking out of the villa.

After waiting for about ten more minutes, Pepper and Tony Stark, dressed casually, appeared in front of Zhou Chao.

"Is it you who wants to see me?" Tony looked Zhou Chao up and down, examining him. This time, the AI system Jarvis automatically translated Tony's words into Chinese.

Zhou Chao did not immediately respond. He first secretly glanced at Tony Stark's chest, and upon seeing no sign of the arc reactor, his eyes flickered, and he said, "Yes, it is."

"Although I don't think I have any connection with someone like you, given your earnestness, I will be merciful and give you three minutes to state your case. Now, the clock starts." Tony, who had walked to the wine rack and poured himself a small glass of whiskey, said.

"Are you going to fly to Afghanistan on a private jet soon?" Knowing that this was the decisive moment, Zhou Chao took a deep breath to calm his excited heart and then looked directly at Tony, who was leaning against the bar with his right elbow on the counter, and asked.

"Hmm? How do you know about this?" Tony frowned.

He was going to Afghanistan to demonstrate a new weapon to the U.S. military, which, although not a secret, was not widely known. Only a few top executives at Stark Industries knew about it. Now, a man who looked like a homeless person or an illegal immigrant had come to his door and mentioned it, and from his confident demeanor, it seemed he was certain. This made Tony Stark take the matter more seriously.