Chapter 7 of 100
Chapter 7
18 min read4,481 words
A new week, I seek all kinds of support!
Bookmarks, recommendations, clicks, evaluations, comments, and rewards, not one can be missing!
...
In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Earth, Stark Tower...
Liu Rui'an, stepping down from the Rolls-Royce Phantom, glanced at the famous skyscraper from the movies, smiled slightly, and walked in.
Since it was Tony Stark himself who had given the instructions, after Liu Rui'an identified himself and stated his purpose at the reception, it wasn't long before a familiar figure appeared in his line of sight.
Pepper Potts, full name Virginia "Pepper" Potts, is Tony Stark's personal secretary, also known as Iron Man.
If Liu Rui'an had to say which female character in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe he liked the most, it would definitely be this Pepper Potts.
Don't misunderstand, this liking isn't because he has a crush on her. On the contrary, neither her appearance nor her figure suits Liu Rui'an's taste.
The reason for his liking is entirely because, no matter how difficult the situation, she stands by Tony Stark without hesitation and is willing to do anything for him.
What? You say Pepper and Tony Stark always bicker, and she occasionally gives her boss a hard time.
Please, haven't you heard the saying, "Love is shown through scolding and beating"?
The bickering and the hard times are just a way for these two to express their feelings.
In Liu Rui'an's view, if Pepper were the kind of girl who just accepts everything and has no personality, how could she win the love of the playboy Tony Stark?
"Mr. Liu, it's really nice to meet you." Pepper, with a warm smile on her face, stepped forward and extended her hand.
It has to be admitted, while her looks aren't particularly stunning, her smile can't help but make people feel good.
"Miss Potts, it's nice to meet you too." Liu Rui'an extended his hand to shake hers and smiled.
"Mr. Liu, please follow me, Tony is waiting for you." Pepper stepped aside and gestured for him to come in, smiling.
"Please." Liu Rui'an made a polite gesture for her to go first and smiled.
Soon, the two entered the private elevator, which ordinary people couldn't use. As the elevator started, Liu Rui'an noticed that this undeniably leading lady didn't ask about the palladium poisoning, and he knew that Tony Stark was still keeping it from her.
It's not surprising; in the original plot, Pepper only found out at the end that her boss and lover was almost killed by palladium poisoning.
As Tony Stark's personal secretary, Pepper was very curious why her boss suddenly wanted to meet the CEO of Umbrella Biopharmaceuticals.
Especially after doing some routine investigations and discovering that this company was the developer and manufacturer of the highly popular "Dragon Blood" and "Succubus" on the market, she was even more surprised.
Pepper really couldn't figure out what connection her boss could have with this company.
Could it be that Tony Stark's excessive nightlife has affected some of his functions?
Out of concern, Pepper enthusiastically chatted with someone after entering the elevator.
Liu Rui'an didn't mind the probing questions; the more she did this, the more it showed her concern for Tony Stark. Besides, chatting with this female character he liked was a pleasant experience.
With his "overclocked" brain, Liu Rui'an's witty remarks quickly filled the elevator with laughter.
So when the elevator opened with a "ding," the two people who stepped out already seemed like old friends.
"Tony, this is Mr. Liu from Umbrella Biopharmaceuticals."
"Mr. Liu, this is Tony, the true owner of Stark Industries."
As Pepper introduced them, Liu Rui'an noticed that the face of this Iron Man was somewhat sour.
After a moment's thought, he understood. Who wouldn't be a bit surprised when someone chats so well with their significant other? Despite being a playboy, Tony Stark is actually quite serious about his feelings.
Even though at this point, Tony Stark and Pepper haven't officially acknowledged their relationship, to this Iron Man, Pepper already bears his personal mark, and he can't tolerate outsiders getting involved.
"Hello, Iron Man, it's really nice to meet you." Liu Rui'an extended his hand and smiled.
Tony Stark, with no intention of showing any respect, casually shook his hand and said:
"Mr. Niu, I don't know whether to be happy or unhappy to see you."
The "Niu" here is not a typo but a deliberate choice by Tony Stark.
When he decided to meet the CEO of Umbrella Biopharmaceuticals, Tony Stark had already conducted a thorough investigation.
The more he investigated, the more mysterious Liu Rui'an seemed, to the point where there was no trace of his existence a few months ago, as if he had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
As for the "Liu" and "Niu" thing, Tony Stark confirmed that although the man held a Singapore passport, he was actually a 100% Chinese.
As a genius, while he might not master many languages, he has some knowledge of the most widely used ones in the world.
Besides, with Jarvis as his assistant, making a sarcastic remark was entirely in Tony Stark's style.
Liu Rui'an didn't take offense at this playful and somewhat insulting nickname.
After all, he was about to "cut" a deep "wound" in this Iron Man, so a few verbal slights were nothing compared to the actual benefits.
Seeing her boss's behavior, Pepper, as his personal secretary, quickly gave him a reproachful look and tried to smooth things over:
"Mr. Liu, would you like tea or coffee?"
"Please give me tea, thank you." Liu Rui'an smiled.
Soon, a cup of fine black tea was placed in front of Liu Rui'an.
The initial dislike made Tony Stark lose any interest in further conversation. After finding a reason to dismiss Pepper, he got straight to the point:
"Mr. Niu, you said in your email that you have a way to completely cure my palladium poisoning. Is that correct?"
"Please believe me, Mr. Stark. While Umbrella Biopharmaceuticals is far from matching Stark Industries, I wouldn't joke about such a serious matter." Liu Rui'an shrugged, ignoring Tony's attitude.
"Alright, then tell me, how do you plan to treat my palladium poisoning?" Tony, leaning back in his chair, held a cup of chlorophyll juice and asked.
"The method is simple and effective. However, before we discuss this, can we talk about what I can get in return?" Liu Rui'an put down his tea cup and said calmly.
Tony Stark wasn't too surprised by this.
As a business genius, even if he often seems unreliable, he knows there's no such thing as a free lunch.
Alright, maybe they don't say it that way abroad, but the principle is the same.
"Tell me, what do you want? Money? Orders? Or something else?" Tony Stark, increasingly annoyed by Liu Rui'an, asked.
"Regarding this, I have a few options. Mr. Stark, you can take a look first." Liu Rui'an pulled out a folded note from his pocket and pushed it across the table.
Tony Stark, expecting the man to ask for the moon, was surprised to find that his demands were even more outrageous after reading the note.
Besides the Iron Man armor technology, the mini-arc reactor technology, and the AI system, the note also listed the Edman metal formula and some new element synthesis technology.
Compared to these options, the $100 billion at the bottom of the note seemed insignificant.
"Are you joking?" Tony Stark crumpled the note and threw it in the trash, his face expressionless.
Ignoring the anger in Tony's eyes, Liu Rui'an smiled and made a calming gesture, then said:
"Mr. Stark, please don't get upset. In our world, there's a saying: 'You ask for the sky, I pay the earth.'"
"I'm not expecting to get everything on the list. As I said, you can choose any two."
Tony Stark knew this seemingly easy-to-satisfy demand was far from it.
Of all the options on the note, only the $100 billion seemed reasonable.
After all, this was a matter of life and death. Even more than $100 billion, Tony Stark could accept.
The problem was, any of the other options were incredibly valuable.
Whether it was the Iron Man armor technology, the mini-arc reactor technology, or the AI system, if they fell into the wrong hands, who knows what consequences it would bring.
"Do you think you have me cornered?" Tony Stark's face was so dark it could almost drip water.
"No, no, no, Mr. Stark, this is just a win-win situation."
"I save your life, and you pay a little in return. See, how fair is that?" Liu Rui'an pointed to himself and then to Tony, smiling.
"I don't think this is fair at all!"
After saying this angrily, Tony Stark knew he was at a disadvantage in this negotiation.
So he suppressed his anger and said, "One hundred billion dollars. That's it. No more."
Liu Rui'an, not surprised by this response, smiled and said:
"If I told you that the method I have not only cures your palladium poisoning but also creates a new element."
"Making the arc reactor even more powerful, would you still think my demands are excessive?"
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