American Comics: Something's Wrong with This Superhero World

Chapter 99 Most Popular Superheroes

Barry stood there, staring blankly at Iris, the pizza box in his hands seeming to grow heavier. His gaze shifted from Iris to Xiao Xian, then back to Iris, his expression complex, as if he had gone through countless emotional changes in just a few seconds.

Finally, Barry took a deep breath and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace as he spoke to Iris.

"Iris, I understand. I didn't mean to bother you; I just wanted to give you a little surprise. Since you have more important things to do now, I won't stay any longer."

Barry turned to leave, but before taking his first step, he couldn't help but turn back to Iris and Xiao Xian and say, "Iris, no matter what happens, I hope you can be happy. Xiao Xian, take good care of her and make her happy."

After saying this, Barry Allen turned and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the night, leaving only the box of pizza he had brought from Italy, quietly sitting on the table.

"This works?" Xiao Xian thought, "This plot development is really beyond my expectations."

"He's not good enough for me, he can't make me happy, so does that mean he can stop me from finding someone who can?" Iris said disdainfully, glancing in the direction Barry had left.

"Don't be fooled by his bravery on TV. He's actually a coward. He's never dared to fight back when he was beaten up since he was a kid. He could only run away. If it weren't for the fact that he became a superhero and my ex-boyfriend, a policeman, died in the line of duty, I definitely wouldn't have looked down on him."

"But if you're talking about happiness, you seem to have chosen the wrong person. You know me, I have no plans to find a girlfriend," Xiao Xian said, his arms around Iris, his hands never stopping.

"I know, but I'm very happy right now." After saying that, Iris took the initiative to kiss Xiao Xian.

"It's really hard to understand these people's thought processes unless you see it with your own eyes." On the private jet she borrowed from her wealthy friend, waiting for the airport's scheduled takeoff time, the White Queen still felt it was unbelievable when she recalled what had just happened at Iris's house. How exactly does the Flash's brain work?

"Who knows? Human diversity never disappoints me," Xiao Xian shrugged.

"That Iris is a bitch too. If she says she's only with the Flash for money and fame, she's not lying," the White Queen said, trying to sow discord among Iris.

"To be honest, aside from money and fame, I really don't understand why Iris likes this Flash."

Xiao Xian thought about what the Flash looked like at the party. Those who knew him would think he was a big fan of The Flash, but those who didn't would think he was a hippie who cosplayed as The Flash.

If we had to pinpoint anything about the Flash that Iris liked, it would probably be his deep affection for her. He had a crush on her since childhood, and even after she grew up to be a superhero surrounded by beautiful women, he never forgot his feelings for her. He was willing to leave with nothing after their divorce, and even after the divorce, he continued to show her care and concern.

But as the saying goes, a simp will end up with nothing. Someone as humble as The Flash can't win Iris's heart. No one falls in love with a humble person except McDonald's. McDonald's only likes being humble himself, not others being humble towards him.

"I discovered a secret while reading The Flash's mind," the White Queen whispered in Xiao Xian's ear.

"When the Flash saw you and Iris being intimate, a thought flashed through his mind: 'I should have kept my ex-boyfriend, the policeman, at least he was a decent person and treated Iris well.' Now the Flash is incompetent, his policeman ex-boyfriend is dead, and Iris actually got hit on by a scumbag like you."

"Oh, Iris also told me that he's a coward, that he's too scared to even kill a chicken, and that he was so frightened by the super villain's makeup on set, which covered him in red syrup, that he went home and had nightmares. Besides, what scumbag? Iris tricked me into going to her house under the guise of a visit, and then asked me to help her check out the quality of the underwear she wanted to buy. I was just being helpful."

"Iris didn't lie to you; at least, that's what she really thought," the White Queen replied.

"Wait a minute~ Why are there so many messages on my phone all of a sudden?" Xiao Xian heard his phone notifications ringing incessantly. He took his phone out of his pocket and saw a bunch of messages from people he knew, such as Mary Jane, Aunt May, and Taylor Swift. Even those he didn't know were sending messages congratulating him on becoming the number one most popular superhero.

"Huh? Let's not talk about third and fourth. Isn't Superman in first place way ahead of me? And Batman in second place is also much higher than me."

Xiao Xian was a little confused when he saw the congratulatory message on his phone. He had quickly climbed to the top of the most popular superhero rankings thanks to a large number of female fans. However, due to the fans of the male star who had been cheated on, as well as the boyfriends of the female fans giving him low scores, Xiao Xian's ranking had been fluctuating between third and fifth place.

But Superman is number one and Batman is number two, and their popularity has always been far ahead. Superman, in particular, as the strongest superhero, has always firmly occupied the first place, with data leading the second place by a large margin.

"Let me see." The White Queen searched for relevant information, then covered her mouth in shock and exclaimed, "This is outrageous!"

"No, what's wrong?" Xiao Xian asked curiously upon seeing this.

"Superman, Superman actually did something like this?" the White Queen exclaimed in disbelief.

As she spoke, the White Queen turned her phone screen towards Xiao Xian, where a prominent news headline read: "Superman's cheating scandal breaks: He has an affair with a married woman, 55 years old!"

"Huh?" Looking at the news headline, Superman had a delighted expression, as if he had found a treasure. He was walking into the room hand in hand with a woman in her fifties with obvious nasolabial folds, behaving ambiguously. Xiao Xian was dumbfounded. Not only did she have the same personality as his grandfather, but even her hobbies matched.

"This woman seems to be Superman's child's homeroom teacher," the White Queen added to Xiao Xian. "Superman's ranking has plummeted; he's now third. Wayne Enterprises is claiming this is a digitally created video and will sue the rumor-mongers. We hope everyone won't believe such absurd rumors."

"Ugh...this is way too abstract!" Xiao Xian's lips twitched. As everyone knows, an official denial is tantamount to confirmation. It's one thing for Superman to have an affair with a married woman, but to have an affair with someone so experienced in life is bound to severely damage his public image.

"This is all over the media, especially in New York. It must be the New York companies that are behind it. Superman has now dropped to third place on the list of most popular superheroes, and his overall rating is still declining," the White Queen said.

"Furthermore, there has been audio evidence that a Wayne Enterprises executive attempted to bribe a ranking website executive in an effort to buy votes for Superman."

"Wait a minute, Superman dropped to third place, so I should only be second. How did I end up in first place?" Xiao Xian asked curiously.

"Oh, your female fans started a 'For Your Beloved' ranking campaign, and there's also a rumor that, apparently to humiliate Superman and Bruce, a lot of New York companies boosted your ranking, making you the most popular superhero," the White Queen replied. "I also heard they're trying to get a 'Most Popular Superhero Award' from a website."

"I think we should forget it. This is just pushing me into a fire pit." Xiao Xian shook his head immediately upon hearing this.

(End of this chapter)