Arrogant Tony

With Dazzler leading the way, the others also warmed up to the idea.

That was especially true of the two girls, Kitty Pryde and Li Qianhuan.

Perhaps every woman dreamed of being a star. They were born loving the spotlight and the feeling of being adored by countless people.

That was also why so many young women with dreams came to the unfamiliar city of Los Angeles and plunged right in, even if they didn't make a splash...

But as long as they were given a chance, they would give it their all.

In Hollywood, anyone in the industry with even a little power never lacked young, beautiful women. Perhaps that was why.

Kitty Pryde had been a little uneasy, but now her eyes lit up as she looked at Li Chen.

"Can we really become stars?"

she asked timidly.

She seemed a little timid by nature, but Li Chen didn't mind.

"I can arrange for you to join a production, but whether you become famous will depend on your own efforts."

Li Chen spoke.

But that one opportunity was enough.

Kitty Pryde immediately nodded. "Then I'll join too."

With the two of them leading the way, the others joined one after another.

Li Qianhuan hesitated a little, but she went along with the rest.

In any case, if she was unhappy later, she could leave whenever she wanted.

The Hellfire Club couldn't force them to stay. Professor X had told them that too: if they didn't want to stay, they could come back anytime.

Even so, Li Qianhuan had a favorable impression of Li Chen.

For one thing, they were both named Li, and they were both Asian. They needed to stick together here.

That was also why she didn't refuse.

She went straight to Li Chen and asked, "Sir, can I follow you?"

"Follow me to do what?"

Li Chen asked, puzzled.

"Be your bodyguard."

Li Qianhuan spoke confidently.

Li Chen looked her over. She had short black hair, and her appearance reminded him of Tracer from Overwatch.

Her outfit was rather flashy too: a pink shirt and a yellow jacket, both in vivid colors.

"So, what's your superpower?"

Li Chen thought for a moment before asking.

This woman didn't want to be an actress or a singer. She just wanted to be a bodyguard...

Interesting.

"I can set off fireworks."

Li Qianhuan immediately added, "The explosions are very powerful, and I've also learned fighting techniques."

The fireworks she spoke of were actually releases of energy.

Li Chen thought for a moment and said, "I'm not exactly a good person. Are you sure you want to follow me?"

"Good people don't say they're good people."

Li Qianhuan seemed to have made up her mind about him.

Compared with going to an unfamiliar club, it was better to stick together.

Li Chen's face was why she had chosen to follow him.

That was the benefit of good character modeling.

"All right, then. I'll pay you ten thousand dollars a month. All you need to do is follow me when I'm out."

Li Chen had no intention of bringing her home. After all, some things weren't suitable for outsiders to see.

"Thank you, boss."

Li Qianhuan settled into her role quickly. Then she asked curiously, "Boss, what's your superpower?"

Li Chen stopped, glanced at her, and said, "Being rich."

"..."

A few of them almost lost their composure, but on second thought, he had a point.

The power of money seemed more important than superpowers.

Every one of them had superpowers, but weren't they still working for Li Chen?

Alas! How tragic!

After settling the matter with the X Academy, Li Chen left on his own.

The Mutants still needed to make preparations before they could follow him, and they all had to go to Los Angeles.

After all, Los Angeles was the place that represented the "American dream."

By the time he returned to the Hellfire Club on Long Island, it was already evening.

If not for his superhuman physique, Li Chen would have been exhausted from going nonstop.

But he was still full of energy.

That was because the most important party was still to come that evening.

New York didn't have as many "celebrities" as Los Angeles, but it still had plenty of big shots from all walks of life, especially the elites of Wall Street.

Most of the prominent ones had joined the Hellfire Club.

Justin Hammer, for example, wasn't even wearing a mask. He wasn't worried about being recognized.

If even he was like that, Tony Stark was even less likely to wear one.

And so, in an instant, he became the center of attention.

After all, he was the prince of parties.

As for Tony Stark, it had been a long time since he'd attended a party.

After returning to New York, he had announced the closure of his weapons division and shut himself away to begin building a real Iron Man Armor.

Back in the cave, the Iron Man Armor hadn't had a chance to do much before the US military rescued him.

But he had realized that he needed the Iron Man Armor to save himself at critical moments.

If he'd had the Iron Man Armor before he was kidnapped, he could have saved himself during the ambush and even killed those guys instead.

That was why Tony Stark had come to realize he needed the Iron Man Armor.

After building the Mark I, Tony hadn't immersed himself in parties. Instead, he had begun putting it into "actual combat."

He had to see what the Iron Man Armor could do in a real war.

So lately, Tony had been flying to the Middle East all the time.

The US military had even lost a fighter jet because of it, but publicly reported it as an accident.

No one had noticed the Iron Man Armor yet. After all, Tony hadn't worn it openly in front of everyone.

Today was a day for Tony Stark to relax.

It had been a long time since he'd attended a banquet at the Hellfire Club.

Only then did Li Chen appear, wearing a Batman mask.

"Welcome, everyone."

Li Chen said, "The club has prepared drinks and various activities today. Please enjoy yourselves."

A party like this was essentially a social platform.

The wealthy were willing to attend occasions like this because they wanted to find "opportunities."

Tony Stark, however, was clearly here to relax.

He turned down the others' invitations, took a drink, and walked straight over to Li Chen.

He strode along with a confident smile on his face.

"Are you the club's White King?"

He was clearly asking a question, but he gave Li Chen a very "arrogant" impression.

But that was Tony Stark, a self-centered idiot.

To be fair, the Tony Stark of this moment was not yet the Iron Man who would later say "I love you three thousand."

Although he had put on the Iron Man Armor, he hadn't changed inside. He was still that playboy.

In particular, Yinsen hadn't sacrificed himself to save him, but had made it to New York alive with him.

Yinsen's fate had changed, and Tony Stark's fate had changed too.

Just like Batman's line: "It's the pain that makes us who we are."

Tony Stark hadn't experienced much "pain" yet, so it hadn't reshaped him.

Li Chen wasn't angry. He nodded and said, "That's right."

"Thank you for saving me. You can tell me what you want."

Tony still acted as though the whole world belonged to him.

Though as far as he was concerned, he simply didn't want to owe anyone a favor. The feeling made him very uncomfortable.