Li Wei and Norman Osborn stood before the reporters for more than ten minutes before finally heading inside the company.
The reporters had gotten plenty of photos, and Li Wei had given them a few choice quotes. The headlines were practically guaranteed.
Put Tony Stark in the story, and the attention was guaranteed too.
Li Wei then showed Norman Osborn around the company.
Norman Osborn said he had come to discuss a partnership, though Li Wei had no idea what kind of partnership he wanted.
Whatever it was, Li Wei had plenty of confidence in his company's products.
When they reached the upper floors, Norman Osborn suddenly asked, "Ren, I hear Otto works here?"
"He does."
Li Wei nodded.
He narrowed his eyes, only then remembering that Dr. Otto and Norman Osborn had worked together before.
"I haven't seen him in ages. He's an old friend of mine."
Norman Osborn said it plainly.
Since they were old friends, Li Wei could only take him to see Otto.
They arrived at Dr. Otto's laboratory.
Norman Osborn remarked, "Oh, this is much bigger than his old lab. Looks like Otto's doing well."
The group went inside.
Dr. Otto saw them too.
He wore a lab coat, and his thinning hair gave him a somewhat worn-down look.
Norman Osborn, meanwhile, wore a suit and tie and looked every bit the successful businessman.
You would never guess that the two of them had once been poor students...
But decades had passed, and the Osborn Group had grown into a giant.
Dr. Otto was still working in a laboratory.
So when Dr. Otto saw Norman Osborn, his expression turned complicated.
"Norman, what do you want?"
His voice was cold.
Norman Osborn replied, "Nothing. I just came to see you. I didn't expect you to be exactly the same."
Dr. Otto's face flushed with anger. Norman was saying he had accomplished nothing.
"That's none of your business. I have experiments to run."
Dr. Otto's voice was icy.
He had already built the Brain-Computer Interface, but he had yet to test how well it worked.
"In that case, Mr. Osborn, shall we go to my office?"
Li Wei cut Norman Osborn off.
Dr. Otto worked for him now. He couldn't let Norman Osborn keep mocking him.
He shot Dr. Otto an apologetic look, then led Norman Osborn away.
If Li Wei had known the two were at each other's throats, he never would have brought Norman over.
Back in the office, 2B took over Gwen's duties and made coffee for them both.
Watching 2B's unusual movements, Norman Osborn asked curiously, "How does this young lady manage without using her eyes?"
"Special circumstances."
That was all Li Wei said.
He felt he needed to make some changes to 2B. Otherwise, anyone could tell there was something unusual about her.
Once 2B had left, Li Wei asked, "What sort of partnership did you have in mind, Mr. Osborn?"
At the mention of business, Norman Osborn sat up straight, and even his smile seemed a little more sincere.
"I'd like your help, Mr. Li Wei."
"With what?"
Li Wei had thought the Osborn Group might bring him some orders, so this caught him off guard.
"My run for mayor."
Norman Osborn rested his elbows on the desk and clasped his hands as he looked at Li Wei.
He leaned forward, making his presence hard to ignore.
But this was Li Wei's office. Unfazed, he leaned back in his chair.
"Mayor? Interesting. Go on."
Li Wei's interest was piqued.
The mayoral election was coming up. It was an election year, and both sides were fighting tooth and nail.
Of course, none of that had anything to do with Li Wei.
The only reason it concerned him now was that Norman Osborn wanted to run.
Norman Osborn understood what he was asking. Smiling, he said, "If I'm elected mayor, I'll allocate at least several billion in funding to help people with disabilities."
"And artificial intelligence is the future. If I'm elected, New York's government will make it a priority and give it strong support."
Why did big corporations always back political candidates?
Because it let them feed off America.
Norman Osborn's meaning was clear. If he won, Li Wei would receive policy support for backing him, and New York would give his company funding directly.
That one payout would exceed everything Future Technology Company had earned through all its hard work combined.
Now that's how you make money!
If you're making money in America, you might as well make it from America!
Li Wei was tempted, of course. Was this the fabled art of helping each other out?
He helped Norman Osborn win, and Norman Osborn returned the favor.
That was how partnerships worked in America!
Still, Li Wei asked cautiously, "Who are you up against?"
"There's only one opponent I need to worry about."
Norman Osborn grew serious.
"Who?"
Li Wei waited for his answer.
"Kingpin."
Norman Osborn spoke the name slowly.
Li Wei was puzzled. "Isn't he a mobster?"
"He's gone legitimate."
Norman Osborn sneered. "Plenty of fools love a supposed reformed sinner. They don't realize it's all an act."
Many people knew Kingpin was an underworld boss, even New York's underground emperor.
But after spending all this time cleaning up his image, Kingpin had reinvented himself as a successful businessman.
Fisk Tower at 439 West 38th Street was the best proof of that.
America was a strange place. Forget mobsters going legitimate—even people with dementia and lunatics could become president.
Li Wei thought it over and decided to side with Norman Osborn.
After all, if he had to choose between Kingpin and Norman Osborn, he would choose Norman.
"In that case, what do you need me to do?"
Li Wei asked the question aloud.
"It's simple. Publicly support me more often. You have a lot of fans."
Norman Osborn smiled.
Of course, financial support was indispensable too.
Political donations were legal, after all. In America, the easiest way to help was to put money in.
Li Wei's mouth twitched.
He had been riding Tony Stark's wave of publicity all this time. Now Norman Osborn wanted to ride his.
In New York, many celebrities drew less attention than Li Wei and Tony Stark.
And Li Wei was a businessman himself, so it made sense that Norman Osborn had come to him.
In America, you had to learn to share. Keeping all the money for yourself wasn't realistic.
Without other people's support, Norman Osborn couldn't win either.
After all, he wasn't up against just one man, but an entire group.
"Here's to a successful partnership."
Li Wei agreed on the spot.
He hadn't expected popularity to have this kind of benefit.
Then again, it made sense. Hadn't Ma Sheng, the carmaking mogul, used his absurd popularity to do the same sort of thing?
Norman Osborn stood as well. They shook hands firmly, making their shared commitment clear.
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