Tony vs. Oaks

Tony had only brought his driver along for this "store visit" because, frankly, he was very interested in Oaks.

Putting aside all his lifestyle and personality issues, he was a true genius.

And when a genius discovers another genius, they always do something about it.

Especially when that genius is much younger, the complete opposite of him, and incredibly low-key.

On top of that, the other's achievements had just slapped him in the face.

In truth, Tony wasn't someone who couldn't handle being slapped down—

He'd just get hyped up, develop new tech, and slap back hard.

But this time was a little different...

Because it crossed fields entirely.

"So, Dr. Lin, due to some rather unpleasant circumstances, I'm very interested in you."

Oaks was experiencing Tony Stark's personality for the first time. Sure enough, just like the rumors said, it made you want to sew his mouth shut.

"Oh, that's a shame."

He could only shrug and tell himself to stay calm:

"Just call me Oaks. And I'm not interested in men."

"Actually, according to your public records, you don't seem interested in women either."

Tony Stark took another sip of coffee, forcing his gaze away from Goose, and cleared his throat:

"While I know some experts in certain fields have... peculiar hobbies, that's precisely a reflection of their unconventional way of thinking."

"Take me, for example. To maintain this sharp, efficient, and leapfrog way of thinking, I usually need to find new inspiration from many different beautiful women."

"If you're suffering from a creative drought, I highly recommend this method."

"This is the first time I've seen someone describe being a playboy in such a refreshing and original way."

Oaks leaned back in a tactical recline, expressing profound admiration.

"But I have to admit, there's some logic to it. I know a famous physicist who likes to use shoes as metaphors and, when excited, carry experimental equipment while running naked."

"Wow, then he must have great achievements."

"You'll meet him in a couple of years."

After exchanging some meaningless small talk, Tony Stark found he couldn't fully dominate the conversation with his presence.

Right, this was the other guy's turf after all.

It definitely wasn't because the great Tony Stark's aura had shrunk.

So he extended his right hand:

"Tony Stark. Call me Tony."

"Oaks Lin."

They shook hands, and Oaks knew the guy had finally put himself on equal footing.

"Now, can you tell me why you're here?"

"Yeah, I read the papers you published, Oaks.

Your achievements in biology are truly impressive, especially in the environmental direction.

Microbial water treatment, plants for air pollution control, animal-plant balance models, micro-ecosystem theory, and so on...

Interested in becoming the environmental director at my company?"

"No interest."

"Happy, how long has it been since I was rejected so bluntly?"

"Two hours, sir. Two hours ago, Miss Pepper rejected your dinner invitation."

"..."

Tony regretted bringing his driver. He should have driven himself.

"Alright, Oaks, that was a joke."

He held up three fingers:

"Three million dollars a year. As president of Stark Industries, I sincerely hire Dr. Oaks Lin as an environmental consultant. No need to clock in."

"Can I ask what you see in me?"

Oaks was starting to get a little interested in Tony. The guy hadn't gone through his awakening yet, but he wasn't just an annoying narcissist.

He had the capital to be narcissistic. Besides his tech skills, he possessed extraordinary vision and the decisiveness to make bold moves.

"These special green plants you've cultivated can let me build the purification systems for my old and new factories at a tenth of the cost, and save your salary every year."

Tony didn't shy away from the fact that he'd been slapped down. On the contrary, a great scientist should be good at learning from all advanced things:

"Biology isn't my forte, but that doesn't mean I don't recognize its value and potential."

"I have my own plans, Tony."

Oaks shook his head with a smile.

"And while you're the president and chairman, Stark Industries isn't your one-man show. A hire at this level—it shows your sincerity, but sorry, if I agreed, I doubt the trouble would be worth it."

Seeing Tony raise an eyebrow and extend five fingers, Oaks quickly stopped him.

"Wait, it's not about money. You know that if I made this technology public, money wouldn't be an issue for me at all."

"...Fair enough."

Tony leaned back into the sofa. He understood this perfectly, which was exactly why he wanted to lock Oaks down as soon as possible.

Whether as an environmental director or an environmental consultant, having that connection would bring Stark Industries unimaginable benefits in the future.

And social prestige.

Especially now that the media liked linking him to murderers—though he didn't care much and even enjoyed the female reporters who came to interview him.

But with Tony's intelligence, even if half his energy went to women, he was still one of the world's top geniuses.

How could he not see the incredible value of the environmental industry?

Even though Stark Industries was a defense contractor and he was the largest arms dealer in the U.S., that didn't stop him from foreseeing global trends.

The energy core of Stark Tower, the Arc Reactor, was something he had poured immense effort into researching—one of the future's major directions: clean energy.

But he still couldn't break through the technical bottleneck left by his father, Howard Stark. The Arc Reactor in Stark Tower was already the limit.

Its economic efficiency was nearly negative. That massive thing was built just to shut the reporters up. The board had already judged it a dead-end technology.

And with New York's release of the PlaNYC2007 plan—the city's ecological improvement initiative—Oaks and his miraculous greenery appeared like a goldmine of pure purity!

He wasn't foolish enough to try buying the technology outright. That would be pointless. He wanted Oaks himself!

But the man clearly wasn't just a traditional scientist with a single trick.

"Alright, then. Becoming a partner supplier for Stark Industries—that should work, right?"

Tony felt this was the first time in his personal negotiations that he'd run into someone this stubborn. Usually, his money solved everything.

But the other party had even brought up his influence on the board, showing he was keeping a very clear head.

"If the delivery isn't urgent, that's acceptable."

After a moment of silence, Oaks slowly nodded.

"These special plants are still in the experimental phase. I need some time—at least a year—before mass production is possible."

"A year. No problem."

Tony snapped his fingers, finally breaking into a smile.

Even if it was just a business relationship, he was confident that once Oaks tasted the benefits, he wouldn't be able to resist deeper cooperation.

"Now, the second thing... I heard you can mix potions?"

Tony rubbed his hands together, looking at Oaks with unusual seriousness, which caught Oaks off guard.

"That's right. Are you injured?"

"No. I want to get some skincare products for my assistant."

"..."