After seeing off Little Morgan and Lin Feng, Tony finally couldn't maintain his composure.
He leaned back heavily on the sofa, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled.
His formerly strong, smiling face turned into a grimace, and he gently massaged his temples with his right hand.
Creak.
The door opened, and Pepper walked in slowly.
With a worried expression, she approached Tony, who was slumped on the sofa, deflated.
"Little Morgan's gone?"
"Mm..." Tony replied with a muffled voice.
"Morgan, she... she probably knows, doesn't she..."
Pepper's face held a hint of disappointment.
Knows what? Of course, she knew that they weren't Little Morgan's biological parents.
"Probably..." Tony said, somewhat dazed.
Pepper became even more disheartened.
Little Morgan's unusual behavior hadn't escaped the notice of the two adults.
Pepper and Tony both realized that Little Morgan had definitely figured out part of the truth, leading to her emotional state.
But they were powerless to do anything about it.
Furthermore, Little Morgan had expressed a strong desire to see Lin Feng.
Her excuse was that she was afraid to go on the upcoming cosmic journey and wanted to stay at her Big Brother Lin Feng's house.
Poor Teacher Tony hadn't dared to ask too many questions, fearing he might upset Little Morgan if he wasn't careful.
So, he could only try to pacify her and see what Little Morgan wanted with Lin Feng.
"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault..." Pepper was extremely dejected, showing none of her usual strong businesswoman persona.
Normally, Pepper spent more time with Little Morgan.
Despite Jarvis's assistance, there were still subtle differences in behavior and habits compared to the Tony and Pepper from another world.
She hadn't expected Little Morgan to be so sensitive, able to detect these minor inconsistencies.
On a daily basis, she had carefully managed her communication and interaction with Little Morgan.
But over time, through this back-and-forth, not only was Pepper tired, but Morgan herself could also feel that her mommy was not quite right.
Tony shook his head with a wry smile, got up, walked over to Pepper, and gave his recently married wife, who was on the verge of tears, a tight hug.
"No, it's not your fault, you know that, right?"
"Together, we can solve all problems! Little Morgan will eventually come to terms with this."
"Little Morgan wanting to go to Lin Feng's must be because there's something she doesn't want us to know."
"I'll call Lin Feng in a bit, don't worry too much."
Tony was also at a loss, feeling for the first time that being a parent was quite difficult.
"Mm..." Pepper responded, then walked out of the room, wanting some time alone.
Tony sat back down, his expression turning calm.
He glanced at the watch on his wrist.
Inside it was a Mind Stone, given to him by Lin Feng.
Sometimes, he truly wished he could use the Infinity Stones to make Little Morgan forget that sad memory, or perhaps, alter the content about zombies?
That way, she would be a truly carefree, happy child.
Both the Mind Stone and the Soul Stone could alter memories.
But he couldn't do it. Little Morgan was his daughter.
He didn't want Little Morgan to miss any part of her memory, especially since that memory, though sad, was her recollection of her other-world self and Pepper.
He would never use the Mind Stone on Little Morgan.
...
In the sky above New York, Lin Feng was flying Little Morgan towards his villa.
Little Morgan was unusually quiet. If it were another child, they would have been jumping for joy, excited about flying through the sky.
Or perhaps, jumping with fright?
Lin Feng knew that Little Morgan had something on her mind.
A child's worries were usually hard to conceal.
Just look at Little Morgan; it was practically written all over her face that something was wrong.
Lin Feng found it a bit amusing but said nothing.
Children's worries were not only hard to hide but also hard to keep in. She might even tell him without him having to ask.
The two soon arrived at Lin Feng's villa.
Little Morgan sat on the sofa, her small hands incessantly tugging at the hem of her clothes, a sign of her inner turmoil.
Lin Feng grinned, went to the kitchen, made a cup of hot chocolate, and brought it over to Little Morgan.
"Alright, say what you need to say! Don't hold back!"
Patting Morgan's little head, Lin Feng chuckled, seeing that she was about to tear her clothes to shreds. He should quickly ask what was wrong.
When he was with Tony, he had already noticed that Little Morgan seemed off.
Moreover, Tony must have sensed it too; he had even given Lin Feng a meaningful look at the time. That's why Lin Feng, being considerate, didn't ask too many questions and brought Little Morgan back directly.
Little Morgan nervously held the large cup of hot chocolate, not drinking it.
She looked up, and Lin Feng noticed an unsettling, troubled, and even sad look in her eyes.
Hiss...
Lin Feng frowned, his expression turning serious.
What was going on? That look in her eyes.
"It's okay, tell Big Brother Lin Feng, what's wrong?" Lin Feng softened his voice.
Little Morgan's strong insistence on coming to his place must mean she needed his help with something.
Little Morgan mustered her courage and said, "Big Brother Lin Feng, can you take me home to see...?"
"It's... my old home..."
Lin Feng's pupils trembled. What did Little Morgan mean by this?
Was she homesick? But her home was right here.
Could it be that...
"What's wrong, is Tony not treating you well?" Lin Feng asked instinctively, but then immediately dismissed the question.
Tony had the potential to be a doting father; how could he treat Little Morgan poorly?
As expected, Little Morgan shook her head.
"Daddy and Mommy are very good to me."
"But, they aren't my old Daddy and Mommy, are they?"
Lin Feng's mouth twitched.
Indeed, one couldn't lie to oneself.
How had he managed to fool Little Morgan back then...
He seemed to have said that her old father Tony had gone to another world without zombies...
He had casually concocted such a lie at the time, intending to bring Little Morgan over.
However, both Tony and Lin Feng had been mentally prepared for Little Morgan to eventually see through this lie.
Although they were two parallel universes with very similar historical developments, there were still many differences.
Other things might be manageable, but if Pepper and Tony slipped up, there was no solution.
Children of this age were usually not so sensitive.
But Little Morgan had noticed these subtle differences. Lin Feng could only attribute it to her survival in the apocalypse making her more sensitive and mature than in the movies...
Lin Feng and Tony had discussed the possibility of Little Morgan discovering this issue more than once.
However, facing it directly was still a bit of a headache.
His lips moved for a while, as Lin Feng wanted to make a feeble excuse.
But upon seeing Little Morgan's clear, innocent eyes, Lin Feng found himself unable to tell a lie.