I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 506 [Two Chapters Combined] Lightning-Fast Face-Slapping

Xiaoyu's father coughed lightly, picked up his now-cold coffee, took a sip, and tried to hide the embarrassment on his face with this action.

"Well... that doesn't really prove anything."

Actually, when Xiaoyu's father saw Sheriff George appear, he already knew that letting Xiaoyu stay in New York might not be a bad thing.

However, as is well known, the traditional Chinese "patriarch" is all about saving face at all costs.

Therefore, after he put down the cup, he put on a stern face, trying his best to maintain the authority of a parent, and stubbornly responded.

"Perhaps Xiaoyu is just lucky to have met such a kind-hearted bureau chief. She should stick to her studies; that would be a better future for her."

Xiaoyu's eyes widened.

"Good luck? Dad, you call our relationship good luck?"

"Otherwise what?" Xiaoyu's father retorted, his tone carrying a hint of sophistry. "New York is so big, isn't it normal for the police chief to be so public-spirited and willing to help citizens solve problems? If I participate in more community activities, I'm sure I'll get to know him too."

Riley, who was standing nearby, almost burst out laughing.

Xiaoyu became even more anxious and immediately stood up, calling out urgently.

"Dad! How could you be like this! It's clearly...!"

"What is it?" Before Xiaoyu could finish speaking, her father interrupted her rudely, continuing on his own. "Just because of this one bureau chief, does that prove you're doing well here? Does that prove we don't need to worry? He's not related to you at all. Can he take care of you for the rest of your life? In the end, won't your mother and I still have to find a way out for you?"

Xiaoyu's mother gently tugged at her husband's sleeve, signaling him not to take it too seriously.

But Xiaoyu's father felt he was losing face and was unwilling to admit defeat easily. He broke free from his wife's hand and stared at Xiaoyu, showing no intention of backing down.

"Fine, even if you're right."

Xiaoyu wanted to argue her point, but Riley patted her shoulder, making her realize that reasoning with her father, who had already abandoned the facts, was pointless.

Then, taking a deep breath, he took out his phone and, in front of his parents, turned on the recording function while asking the question word by word.

"Then tell me, what will it take for you to believe that I'm doing well here before you'll let me stay?"

Xiaoyu's father was stunned for a moment.

He was just being stubborn and trying to save face, but he didn't expect his daughter to take it so seriously.

"Uh... this... um..."

His mind raced, trying to find a reason that would both save face and discourage his daughter.

As he glanced around, he happened to see Tony on the coffee shop's television, showing how the promotion of clean energy had brought tangible changes to the lives of ordinary citizens, and how he was being interviewed by Harry. This caught Xiaoyu's father's eye, and without thinking, he blurted out...

"You need to understand, Jade, this is different from where we are. It's a capitalist country. The police chief is, after all, a civil servant, someone who gets paid to do his job. Only the wealthy are the real upper class, able to easily decide the fate and future of ordinary people. If you really want to prove you have connections and a future here, you'll have to become friends with those top-ranked billionaires on the Forbes list. Like this guy on TV right now, Tony Stark."

As soon as Xiaoyu's father finished speaking, Xiaoyu was stunned, and so was Xiaoyu's mother.

Even Riley's hand holding the coffee cup paused slightly, and his lips trembled uncontrollably.

"...Dad...you...you're making things difficult for me..." After a brief silence, Xiaoyu turned her head away, her shoulders visibly trembling, and complained to her father in broken sentences, "I'm just a little kid, how am I supposed to know the famous Tony Stark? And even if I did know him, what if you suddenly change your mind like before?"

"What do you mean by 'difficult'? Didn't you say you were doing very well here? Didn't you say you knew a lot of impressive people? Getting to know one or two millionaires shouldn't be difficult, right? Besides, you have video evidence on your phone, what's there to be afraid of?"

Seeing his daughter's expression, Xiaoyu's father felt a strange sense of satisfaction.

He got more and more excited as he spoke, slowly sipping his coffee while exuding an air of confidence and continuing to speak with self-assurance.

"I told you, you were just lucky to run into that bureau chief. But those wealthy people are different. Their time is precious; their daily schedules are arranged by specialists. They can't just meet anyone. If you can prove you know someone like that, and are even a friend of theirs, I'll let you stay!"

"real?"

"Of course!"

"Hehe, okay, Dad, you'd better not regret it!"

After actually filming her father's promise, Xiaoyu, who seemed embarrassed but was actually trying hard to suppress her laughter, turned back to look at her father with a triumphant smile.

It was precisely because of the smile that Xiaoyu could no longer hide on her face that her father's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Wow, why did this kid laugh even harder after hearing that?

It's impossible for her to actually make a phone call and summon Tony Stark to this coffee shop...

"jingle."

Before the thought could fully form in Xiaoyu's father's mind, the door to the coffee shop was pushed open again.

Then, a man wearing an expensive bespoke suit, with slicked-back hair and sunglasses, strode in.

"Sorry, bro, there was traffic on the way, I'm a little late..."

After he walked over to Riley and the others on his own, just like Sheriff George had done before, he casually put his hand on Riley's shoulder as he spoke. He then removed his sunglasses, revealing a face recognized throughout America.

That was Tony Stark, whom Xiaoyu's father had been talking about not long ago.

"Hey, you must be Xiaoyu's parents? It's nice to meet you. Could you teach me how to have such a lovely daughter?"

His gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Xiaoyu, and a bright smile immediately appeared on his face.

Clearly, Tony, like Sheriff Black, is a future doting father and genuinely loves Jade, this quirky little girl. So when he learns that someone is going to take Jade back—even if that person is her biological parents—Tony promptly postpones his scheduled meeting and comes to support her personally!

"Uncle Tony! You've finally arrived!"

Upon seeing Tony arrive, Jade didn't stand on ceremony at all, jumping up and down to cling to him for a big hug. Then, turning to her stunned parents, her smile widened, and she teased them with a straight face.

"Hey Dad, is there anything else you want to say?"

Compared to Xiaoyu's smug face, Xiaoyu's father, who felt a burning pain on his face, was already frozen in place, his hand hanging in mid-air, as if he had been acupunctured.

No, I was just saying it offhand, how come you actually brought the person over here?

Also, I don't think I heard wrong just now...

The world's richest man calls this seemingly honest and unassuming ordinary person "brother"?

How come I didn't know Tony Stark had an older brother?

So, Xiaoyu, you turned your head away just now not because you felt awkward, but because you were afraid I'd caught you in the crossfire, and then you changed the terms at the last minute, right?

Xiaoyu's father felt increasingly aggrieved.

He had lived for over forty years and considered himself to have seen it all, having navigated the complexities of society and understood human nature.

Today, he was tricked in public by his twelve-year-old daughter.

Moreover, it uses the most primitive "feigned indifference" technique.

He looked at Xiaoyu.

Xiaoyu was standing next to Tony, holding her phone in one hand and covering her mouth with the other, her shoulders shaking violently.

That's clearly someone trying to suppress a laugh.

"Xiaoyu," he said, his voice hoarse.

"Huh?" Xiaoyu turned her head, her face clearly saying, "I'm so innocent."

"You...you knew he was coming all along, didn't you?"

Xiaoyu blinked, her face full of innocence.

"Dad, how am I supposed to know when Uncle Tony is coming? He's a very busy man; his schedule is all arranged by his assistant."

Xiaoyu's father: "..."

Listen to this tone, this wording, does it sound like something a twelve-year-old should say?

He looked at Riley.

The middle-aged man was holding a coffee cup, with an expression of indifference, but the slight upturn of his lips betrayed him.

He then looked at Tony.

Tony was looking at him with a half-smile, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Um... Mr. Tony, if I hadn't obeyed..." Xiaoyu's father began with difficulty, "You just called this Mr. Riley... brother?"

"Yes, so what? Is it not allowed?"

"No...nothing, I just wanted to ask...are you two brothers?"

Tony paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"We're not blood brothers, but closer than blood brothers." He said, patting Riley on the shoulder, his tone filled with heartfelt emotion. "He's helped me a lot since I was little, and later he saved my life more than once. So he deserves to be called 'brother'."

Tony's words make sense, and his genuine feelings are evident between the lines.

However, Tony didn't notice...

After Tony said those words, Riley and Jade exchanged a glance, both wearing strange expressions that suggested they wanted to laugh but dared not.

Xiaoyu's father's attention was entirely on Tony at the moment, so he naturally didn't notice the strangeness between the two.

He opened his mouth, shocked by what Tony had mentioned.

Did he save Tony Stark's life?

This middle-aged man, who looks honest and unassuming, with no power or background?

This completely changed the way Xiaoyu's father looked at Riley.

"Brother, don't overthink it. I'm just an ordinary person who happens to know a few friends. And coincidentally, these friends have achieved a little bit of success in their respective fields."

Riley put down his coffee cup and, with a Versailles-like tone and an innocent expression, continued to provoke Xiaoyu's father.

"Of course, Xiaoyu is indeed a lovable child, so everyone is willing to help her, that's all."

Xiaoyu's father remained silent for a few seconds.

An ordinary person?

Could an ordinary person make Tony Stark willingly call you "bro"?

Could an ordinary person really make the police chief personally make a trip?

How could an ordinary person allow their daughter to turn into what she is now in just six months?

He suddenly realized that he might have made the mistake of judging a book by its cover from beginning to end. He had also greatly underestimated the formidable network of connections that Xiaoyu had now amassed.

"Dad." Xiaoyu walked up to him, put away her phone, and her playful smile faded slightly. "I didn't mean to tease you. I just wanted you to see that I'm really doing well here. These people are genuinely good to me."

Xiaoyu's father looked at her.

In her daughter's eyes, there was no pride, no mockery, only... earnest expectation.

"I know you're worried about me," Xiaoyu continued, "but I'm really grown up now. I know what I'm doing, and I know what I want. Can you... try to trust me just this once?"

Xiaoyu's father remained silent.

He looked into his daughter's eyes.

Those eyes were completely different from when I saw her off at the airport six months ago.

At that time, Xiaoyu's eyes were filled only with resentment and reluctance at suddenly leaving her parents.

Now, in Xiaoyu's eyes, there was confidence, determination, and... a light he had never seen before.

As he watched, Xiaoyu's father suddenly smiled.

That smile no longer held any self-deceiving stubbornness, but rather the deep affection and helplessness a father feels for his daughter.

"Alright, Xiaoyu, Daddy keeps his word. You win this time."

Clearly, compared to the "face" of being a parent, what Xiaoyu's father values ​​more is his daughter's future prospects.

Since Xiaoyu is having a good time here and has made so many important "friends"...

Why not let Xiaoyu stay here?

It's impossible that during the time I'm "raising" Xiaoyu, some strange little blond guy suddenly appears and runs away with my precious daughter, right?

At the same time, seeing her father back down and give in, Xiaoyu's eyes lit up.

"real?!"

"Really, you can stay here," Xiaoyu's father nodded, "but I have a condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"I'll give you another year. In this year, you need to prove that you've really grown up and that your parents no longer need to worry about your studies. If you perform well enough, after a year, you can decide for yourself whether to stay or leave. Come back if you want, or stay if you want... then stay."

Xiaoyu paused for a second.

Then she got out of Tony's arms, rushed to her father, hugged him, jumped and danced, and smiled broadly.

"Thank you, Dad!"

Caught off guard, Xiaoyu's father was knocked backward by her collision. He couldn't help but widen his eyes in surprise at his daughter's strength, wondering when she had become so powerful.

But soon, Xiaoyu's father took it as just a sign that his child was growing rapidly during puberty and didn't pay much attention. He patted her back and smiled slightly, teasing her half-jokingly and half-seriously.

"Sigh, you cried and begged not to come here back then. Now that we've come to take you home, you don't want to go back... Sometimes, we can't blame your parents for not understanding you. It's just that your parents are getting old and can't keep up with your little brain."

"Hehe, we're not old at all! Mom and Dad will always be young!"

Xiaoyu chuckled and went to hug her mother again.

Xiaoyu's mother, with tears in her eyes, hugged her tightly.

Since her husband was willing to set aside his pride and respect Xiaoyu's wishes, she, who already doted on Xiaoyu, would certainly not ruin Xiaoyu's bright future at this critical juncture.

only……

Another year has passed, and I still haven't seen my child...

We must take this opportunity to give Xiaoyu a good hug and look at her more.