Strange Question

The gentle sunlight and warm breeze set the scene by the poolside of a luxurious estate. Two men and a woman, dressed in casual beachwear, lounged in hammocks, basking leisurely in the sun.

Behind them, on the other side of the estate, a group of construction workers were busy with the ongoing renovations.

The efficiency of the workers was indeed remarkable. In just over a month, the renovation of the estate was already more than halfway complete.

Hence, Raiden, Yinsen, and Pepper had come here to enjoy some sun.

"Thank you, Raiden. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known when I'd get a chance to rest" Pepper said, lying in the hammock.

Following Tony revised design, the poolside was now adorned with numerous coconut trees, each equipped with hammocks for relaxation. It had to be said, the design was quite impressive—lying here was incredibly comfortable.

"Pepper, are you saying Tony never gives you any time off?" Raiden, wearing sunglasses, lay in his hammock gazing at the blue sky. He picked up a nearby juice, sipping through a straw as he spoke.

"Time off? I've worked at Stark Industries for ten years—no annual leave, no holidays, no maternity leave, not even the legally mandated weekends... Oh, it's just exhausting," Pepper murmured softly, her voice trailing off as if she were about to fall asleep.

"Ohmygod Tony... what a ruthless capitalist" Raiden muttered weakly, feeling that such a perfect afternoon was ideal for a nap.

But judging from what Pepper had said, she really did owe Raiden some gratitude. After all, it was Raiden who had helped her get this break—by requesting time off from Obadiah.

Over the past month, Raiden relationship with Obadiah had warmed up rapidly. The two often went out together for golf or skiing.

Obadiah no longer brought up topics like persuading Tony to do something.

Instead, whenever he had free time, he enjoyed inviting Raiden out for casual chats, covering a wide range of topics—from the origins of humanity to the advancements of technology.

Fortunately, Raiden had plenty of free time too. Seeing Obadiah's enthusiasm, Raiden was happy to engage in these leisurely conversations.

In recent days, as Raiden estate was nearing completion, he had invited Yinsen over in advance. The two would spend their afternoons swimming or playing golf.

Coincidentally, when Raiden went to Tony house today, he ran into Pepper at the entrance. Subtly, Pepper expressed her longing for a break. After a quick discussion among the three, Raiden promptly approached Obadiah to arrange a three-day leave for Pepper.

Thus, without even stepping into Tony house, the trio made their way to Raiden new home.

...

"So, Pepper, what was your first job at Stark Industries?" Yinsen, lying nearby asked curiously.

"A secretary... When I first joined Stark Industries, I was Tony secretary. Ten years have passed, and I'm still his secretary. I've been doing this job for a decade" Pepper replied with a hint of resignation.

"Oh, wow. That must have been tough for you" Yinsen said, half-amused and half-sympathetic.

To have been Tony Stark secretary for ten years? Yinsen was starting to believe what Raiden had said—Pepper and Tony were definitely meant for each other.

The three of them were chatting idly when suddenly a phone ringtone interrupted their conversation.

"Whose phone is that?" Raiden asked, adjusting his sunglasses.

"Raiden, I think it's yours" Yinsen said, sitting up and looking around. The ringing seemed to be coming from Raiden phone.

Raiden took off his sunglasses, sat up straight, and glanced toward the umbrella by the poolside. It did seem to be his phone.

Raiden shook his head, picked up the juice beside him and downed the juice in one go. Only then did he slowly get up and stroll over to his phone.

But by the time Raiden reached the umbrella, the call had already ended. He picked up the phone from the table and checked the screen. There were three missed calls, all from Tony.

Seeing Tony name, Raiden immediately perked up. He hurried back with the phone and said to Yinsen and Pepper.

"It's Tony! He's called three times already. Quick, check your phones!"

At the mention of Tony name, Pepper instinctively opened her eyes, her drowsiness completely gone. Without even processing what Raiden had said, she jumped off the hammock and rushed to find her phone.

Yinsen, though unsure why he needed his phone, followed Raiden advice and went to the table to pick it up.

"Oh my god! Tony called me four times! This is bad, really bad!" Pepper exclaimed, clutching her head with a look of distress.

Meanwhile, Yinsen walked over, shrugged, and frowned at Raiden.

"Tony called me twice too."

"Okay, okay, it's fine. We just went out without inviting him. He's been busy lately anyway. Don't worry, let me call him back and see what's up" Raiden said, waving his hand dismissively.

It was true—Tony had been swamped recently. Every time Raiden and Yinsen went to his house, Tony was holed up in his workshop, refusing visitors.

This had also brought Raiden, Yinsen, and Pepper, who visited Tony daily, closer together, strengthening their bond.

"Hey, Tony, what's up?" Raiden said as he called Tony back.

Tony voice on the other end sounded urgent.

"Raiden, what's your favorite color?"

"What?" Raiden was completely baffled by the question. Favorite color? What was this about?

Tony slowed his tone. "What's your favorite color? Red, yellow, blue, green—something like that."

Raiden thought for a moment before replying firmly "Red. I like red!"

There was a brief silence on the other end before Tony said.

"No, no, red's too plain, too old-fashioned. Pick something else."

"Then... alternating red and yellow? That's trendy enough, right?" Raiden said hesitantly.

"Nope, try again. Pick another one," Tony insisted.

"Alright, then blue! Blue, like the ocean!" Raiden said after some thought.

"Fine. What about Yinsen? He's with you, right? Ask him what his favorite color is" Tony added.

"Got it," Raiden replied to Tony before looking up at Yinsen, who was staring at him expectantly.

"Yinsen, what's your favorite color?"

The sudden question left Yinsen completely confused. Favorite color? What was this about?

Seeing Yinsen bewildered expression, Raiden didn't press further. Instead, he lowered his head and spoke into the phone

"Yellow, yellow like a color of poop. That's the color he likes."

"Huh? What?" Tony voice came through the phone, filled with disbelief.

Someone actually likes that color?

"You heard me right, yellow like a poop. That's the color" Raiden repeated firmly.

"Uh, uh, alright then. That's it. Bye, Raiden" Tony said, about to hang up.

"Hey! Wait a second" Raiden quickly interjected.

"What is it?" Tony asked, confused.

"Did you forget something?" Raiden glanced at Pepper, who was standing nearby.

"No, that's it" Tony hesitated for a moment before replying.

"What about Pepper? She's here with us. Aren't you going to ask her what color she likes?" Raiden rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"Why would I ask her? I'm busy, Raiden. Gotta go!" Tony hung up the phone, leaving Raiden staring blankly at Yinsen and Pepper.

You're asking the wrong person and ignoring the one you should be asking.

What's the deal with that?

Pepper gently nudged Raiden and asked.

"Is everything okay? What did Tony want? Is he upset? I rarely miss his calls."

"Oh, it's nothing" Raiden snapped out of his thoughts and briefly explained what Tony had said.

This left Pepper feeling a bit uneasy.

He made so many calls, asking Raiden what color he liked, and even Yinsen, but he didn't ask me... Maybe Tony remembers my favorite color.

Pepper tried to console herself.

But this is Tony Stark we're talking about! There's no way he'd remember my favorite color!

Feeling a bit unsettled, Pepper left Raiden estate and headed to Tony house.

She wanted to see what Tony had been so busy with lately.

Back at the estate, Raiden and Yinsen exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and continued to bask in the sun.

After lying in the hammock for a while, Yinsen suddenly asked.

"Raiden you bastard, why did you tell Tony I like poop?"

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