Oliver Queen

A few days later, Aeo appeared at a lively venue that was clearly hosting a gathering of the wealthy, dressed in a well-tailored, stylish black suit.

"I thought our current goal was to track down that organization and find out who was in it, not sneak off in the middle of the night to attend some auction! I don't like places like this. They all feel so fake," he said, frowning at Bruce, who was just as sharply dressed.

Bruce, meanwhile, gave a polite nod to all the guests who were surprised to see him, and spoke quietly to Aeo. "There's no rush on the investigation. General Riley was murdered, and our most basic lead is gone. It'll take a little time to find another one!"

"Then why are we here?" It had to be said: in this life, Aeo's genes were truly exceptional. He had strength beyond the reach of ordinary people, and he was also incredibly handsome. Beneath his smooth, golden hair, his gray eyes shone like stars. He was a perfect specimen of a beautiful man.

"I thought you didn't like this sort of thing either!" he complained.

Along the way, while everyone was astonished to see the Batman, the Son of Krypton had also earned sidelong glances and flirtatious looks from more than a dozen beautiful women. It had left him rather flustered.

Before they entered the main hall, Bruce said, "I don't like it, but Bruce Wayne needs a mask like this! Besides, aren't you curious about Oliver Queen? We came here today to meet this remarkable man!"

"!"

"Isn't that Gotham City's uncrowned king, Bruce Wayne?" A wealthy businessman greeted Bruce excitedly. "Mr. Wayne, what brings you here? Oh, I'm Warren Patel, owner of Star City's largest construction company. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Helplessly, Bruce had no choice but to exchange pleasantries with them.

When the other attendees heard that the young CEO of Wayne Enterprises was at the auction, they hurried over. Yes, it was a small private auction. They seemed to be auctioning off a company that had gone bankrupt due to poor management. Aeo hadn't paid attention to its name.

The society figures and wealthy businessmen all streamed toward Bruce.

"Hello, I'm..."

"Welcome to Star City, Mr. Wayne."

Before long, they'd even pushed Aeo off to one side.

"..."

On the second floor, a man watched the chaotic scene with a frown. The worry and anxiety deep in his eyes were impossible to conceal.

After a pause, the exceptionally handsome man in his twenties couldn't hold back any longer. He came downstairs and asked a white man in his forties, "Excuse me, Detective Lance, do you know who that is?" He nodded toward the Batman, surrounded by the crowd.

The white man replied bluntly, "Wow, our playboy doesn't recognize this big shot? Did five years on a deserted island make you completely forget the target and idol of you playboys and spendthrifts, Bruce Wayne? That's not like you, Mr. Queen!"

The young man was taken aback. "He's Bruce Wayne?"

The white man frowned. "Don't tell me you really don't recognize him, Oliver Queen. He's one of the most prominent super-rich men around. His Wayne Enterprises is far more powerful than your Queen Consolidated..."

The young man hurriedly covered. "Uh, you know, five years is a long time. Is it so strange that I didn't remember him right away? Besides, I can't even remember what I ate yesterday... Thanks for explaining, Detective Lance. See you later."

"Tsk." Watching the handsome man stroll away, the older detective spat in undisguised disgust.

Aeo smiled.

He gestured to Bruce, who immediately understood.

"Sorry, everyone. I have another friend I need to greet," Bruce said courteously.

The others replied, "Of course. Please, go ahead."

Bruce flashed a charming smile, nodded, and left with Aeo.

"That arrogant punk! I'd love to punch him right in that smug, fake face!"

"Exactly. I've been sick of him and that brat from the Stark family for ages. They're always hogging the spotlight. A while back, the two of them even showed up together at a congressional hearing. Tsk, why don't they turn the place upside down and investigate everyone? The IRS..."

"He really thinks he's something! This is Star City, our turf!"

"Right!"

Hearing the society figures and wealthy businessmen—amiable on the surface, rotten underneath—start mocking Bruce the moment he left, Aeo's lips curled.

"Hey, Bruce."

"What?"

"Want to know what they said about you after you left?" Aeo grinned mischievously.

Bruce paused and gave him an amused look. "Boy, do you think I don't know how they see me? I'm the CEO of Wayne Enterprises, so they have to smile to my face. But deep down, who knows how many times they've cursed that they weren't born into the Wayne Family!"

Well, apparently I was still too naive. Aeo shrugged in disinterest. "So you knew all along."

"There's no such thing as eternal friendship among the rich, only eternal interests!"

They came to another small group in the main hall, and Bruce raised a hand politely. "Ms. Queen, Mr. Walter. It's been a long time."

Walter Steele and Moira Queen turned around. Both looked surprised. "Uh, Mr. Wayne, what brings you— I mean, hi! It's great to see you."

They shook hands, and Bruce said with a touch of humor, "Aren't you going to introduce me to these two?" He gestured to the young man and woman beside them.

The young woman, already thrilled that her idol had arrived, said happily, "Hey, Mr. Wayne. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Thea Queen, and this is my brother, Oliver Queen."

"Oh? Ms. Moira, you have a handsome son and a beautiful daughter." Bruce held out his hand. "I'm Bruce Wayne. It's a pleasure to meet you, Oliver."

Green Arrow. That was right: the handsome man from earlier was Green Arrow, one of DC's superheroes. In his previous life, Aeo had only learned from the CW show Arrow that Oliver Queen was Green Arrow, one of DC's superheroes. He didn't know much else. After all, keeping up with a show was too much trouble; he'd always preferred short, straightforward popcorn movies.

"...It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Wayne," Oliver said flatly, his hair cut in a neat buzz.

"..."

"Mr. Queen." Seeing Bruce get brushed off, Aeo couldn't help testing the waters. "I heard you just got back from a deserted island overseas?"

Looking at the young man's handsome face, Ms. Moira asked curiously, "Mr. Wayne, who is this?"

Bruce smiled. "This is Aeo Zod, a shareholder in Wayne Enterprises and Stark Industries, and the son of a friend of mine."

Whether it was his status as a shareholder in two corporate giants, Wayne Enterprises and Stark Industries, or the fact that he was Bruce's friend's son, Moira and her husband gave him another look. "Mr. Zod, you're so young and already so accomplished? That's impressive."

"That's right."

"..." Even Thea Queen couldn't help exclaiming after taking a closer look at the young man. "It's you! The boy who was on TV..."