The Tycoon's Golden Smile

"So, Director, who are you sending over as my liaison?"

Oaks spread his hands. Since he'd made it clear he wouldn't be beholden to S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury couldn't just let this "Druid" slip out of his sight. A looser cooperative arrangement like this was the best option.

"Agent Melinda. You've met."

Nick Fury finally cracked a faint smile. The deal was done, and it looked mutually beneficial for now.

"Melinda just moved to internal affairs recently due to some issues. Your work here might help her get back on her feet."

"You think this is a rehab center, Director?"

A seasoned Level 7 Agent as a liaison—Motherfucker-Man sure knew how to spend his resources. But from another angle, having such an experienced senior agent around meant he could tap into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s resources more freely.

"Sounds like a woman?"

Tony was still stewing over Oaks agreeing to be a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant. What pissed him off more was that Oaks hadn't even mentioned a salary. But now he seemed to catch on:

"Is this the perk of being a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant? You guys hiring? I think I need three liaisons."

"...Agent Melinda is old enough to be my aunt, Tony."

Oaks rolled his eyes weakly, then paused thoughtfully:

"Maybe you two would be a better age match."

"...Forget it." Tony waved it off flatly, earning a snort from Nick Fury.

"Mr. Stark, you don't meet the standards for a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant. If I hired you, I'd probably be cornered in my office by female agents the next day!" He couldn't tell him about Howard Stark's ties to S.H.I.E.L.D. yet—that little brat would go off the rails!

"Tch. Like you could afford me anyway."

Tony's sneer made Fury quickly compare him to Oaks. Hmm, this consultant was much better—no pay, just a title, a bit sly, but decent character.

"Having Agent Melinda come over is fine, but I'm not paying her salary. And I'm not consulting for free—each session is billed separately."

Oaks blinked, and Nick Fury's face immediately soured.

"Your Benevolence Society is that small—how do you plan to turn a profit?"

Fury held it in for a moment before asking:

"You're not seriously trying to sell me those weird fruits as employee benefits, are you?"

"As a scientist, I'm going the tech route, right, Tony?"

Oaks seemed to recall something, hinting:

"Oh, by the way, I still own Stark Industries stock. You'd better perform well!"

"Ha! Why worry about things that don't need worrying about?"

Tony waved grandly, oozing confidence:

"You know, my new product is about to hit the market. Stark Industries stock is about to soar—buy more now while you can. That's insider info, straight from the source."

"No problem."

Oaks smiled mysteriously. He'd buy as much as he could—right before he dumped it all.

"Uh, Director, speaking of which, if S.H.I.E.L.D. needs Christmas benefits, I can supply top-quality Christmas trees and premium apples. The price? Definitely cheaper than anywhere else."

"...Apples? I hear the Chinese have that tradition."

Nick Fury gave a knowing look—this guy was still trying to fleece him:

"When Melinda arrives, I'll have her take your products for testing."

"Top-grade appearance, green and pollution-free, rest assured—and the Benevolence Society HQ is in Little Rainforest. Just have Melinda go there directly."

"Speaking of which... Director, can you use some pull to help me secure that facility? The rent's cheap, sure, but since the Benevolence Society is under S.H.I.E.L.D. now, can you reimburse the office space?"

"Reimburse office space?!"

Nick Fury fought the urge to draw his gun:

"Who told you S.H.I.E.L.D. has that tradition?! Don't you have a profit plan? Handle it yourself!"

"Look, look, Oaks."

Tony immediately jutted his chin at Nick Fury, whose face screamed "broke," flashing a tycoon's golden smile:

"What a stingy boss. It's just a piece of land, right?"

He pulled out his phone:

"Hey, Pepper? Oaks has an Ecological Test Site in Brooklyn. Yeah, that Benevolence Society. From today, that land belongs to the Benevolence Society. Yeah, make it happen."

After hanging up, he shrugged at Oaks, whose mouth was hanging open, and Nick Fury, who was clutching his head.

"Done. Hey, Oaks, how could I miss out on a chance to build reputation, right?"

"I said, Tony..."

Oaks didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This guy was dead set on needling the bald man.

"This... this is just too much!"

"Call it my investment in the Benevolence Society. That makes me a major shareholder, doesn't it?"

A joke? With Tony's business sense, if an organization the size of S.H.I.E.L.D. gave something the green light, why wouldn't he jump in?

He'd already felt the real benefits from the Foundation's environmental work.

And now, he was starting to take an interest in S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Alright, Zhang, come here."

Zhang, who had been trying to stay invisible, pulled his chair over.

"Mr. Oaks?"

"Go back with Tony later. When I registered the Benevolence Society, I already put your name down as secretary. From now on, you'll need to learn how to handle public interest organization affairs.

Now that Tony's a shareholder in the Benevolence Society, he'll help out--

You should learn a thing or two from the work experience of Stark Industries' top secretary."

"Huh?!"

"Whoa, buddy, you sure know how to pass the buck!"

Tony slapped Oaks on the shoulder with exaggerated force.

"You've already figured out the secret to being a great manager? But let me give you one piece of advice..."

He leaned in close to Oaks' grimacing face and whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"It's what century now? Still using a male secretary?"

Zhang: "Sorry for being a man, I guess."

"Well, we've got one right here, don't we? Besides, Zhang is a graduate student in Environmental Science at Columbia. He's perfect for the Benevolence Society's secretary role. Maybe we can even set up some academic cooperation with Columbia."

Oaks turned to Nick Fury, whose face was long.

"Any problem with that, Director?"

"Melinda reports tomorrow morning."

Nick Fury felt like he'd burst a few blood vessels if he stayed any longer. These two had absolutely zero respect for S.H.I.E.L.D., especially for him, the high-and-mighty director.

"Goose~ say bye-bye~ bye~ bye~"

"Meow~"

"What'd it say?"

"It said, 'Get lost.'"

"..."