Give You All of Stark Industries

As the two took a photo together, Helen Cho was so excited that her face nearly pressed against Lu Xi's, striking all kinds of cute poses.

After the photo was taken, Helen Cho looked at the pictures on her phone with satisfaction. Resting her chin on her hand, she continued staring intently at Lu Xi and said:

"By the way, I still don't know your name."

Lu Xi looked at her, his voice low and magnetic:

"You can call me Lucifer."

"Lucifer? Did I hear that right? The one from the legends who rules Hell?" Helen Cho's eyes widened in surprise.

Lu Xi neither confirmed nor denied it, merely saying calmly:

"I'm on vacation on Earth right now."

Helen Cho's eyes lit up even more, as if she had heard something incredibly fascinating.

Lu Xi raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, "What, aren't you afraid?"

Helen Cho froze for a moment, then gently shook her head, excitement gleaming in her eyes:

"Not at all. I've done a lot of research in biology too. Can I study you? I'm really curious whether the body structure of someone as powerful as you has anything special about it."

Lu Xi smiled, carrying a hint of mystery.

"We'll see. Maybe there'll be a chance someday."

Meanwhile, Tony had changed into a well-tailored suit, cleaned himself up until he looked sharp and handsome, and emerged once more looking invigorated.

However, the moment he appeared, Pepper came rushing out from who knew where.

She hurried after Tony, clutching a stack of documents.

"Tony, you can't keep doing this. The moment you shut down the weapons division, every supplier and client came looking for me."

"You made this mess yourself, then just walked away and dumped the whole disaster on me? These are all matters that need your signature and decision!"

Pepper spoke extremely quickly, her tone carrying obvious urgency.

Tony was currently immersed in the party's cheerful atmosphere, and Pepper's stream of demands made him somewhat impatient.

After thinking for a moment, he suddenly had an idea. With a broad wave of his hand, he announced directly:

"Pepper, I hereby declare that from now on, you're the CEO of Stark Industries."

"You can handle all this miscellaneous stuff yourself. Don't come looking for me anymore."

He had assumed Pepper would be overjoyed by the news, so he had even specially brought over two glasses of champagne, ready to celebrate with her.

But Pepper's reaction was far beyond his expectations.

Rather than being happy as Tony had imagined, she seemed weighed down with worry, her gaze unconsciously drifting toward Lucifer in the distance.

Tony keenly noticed Pepper's odd behavior. His brow furrowed slightly as he asked with concern:

"What's wrong? Why are you reacting like this? Did something happen?"

When Tony questioned her like that, Pepper immediately panicked.

A flash of alarm crossed her eyes, and she quickly waved her hands repeatedly in denial:

"No, no, Tony. Don't ask."

Following Pepper's gaze, Tony happened to see Lucifer chatting happily with Helen Cho.

His heart skipped a beat, and his brows drew together even tighter:

"What's going on? Did that Lucifer bully you? Tell me, what did he do to you?"

Pepper hurriedly shook her head.

"No, Tony, really, no. Don't make wild guesses."

Seeing Pepper react this way, Tony became increasingly certain that something was wrong.

Then inspiration struck him, as if he had remembered something. His expression instantly turned serious:

"Right. You said the price for asking him to bring me back was that you owed him a favor."

"What kind of favor could be worth that much? Pepper, you have to tell me."

Pepper fell silent for a moment, slowly lowering her head without saying a word, as though deliberately avoiding Tony's gaze.

Watching Pepper's reaction, disbelief gradually appeared in Tony's eyes, and his face turned ashen.

Without saying anything more, he turned and strode toward his workshop.

Pepper stood where she was, tears gradually welling in her eyes.

She raised a hand to wipe away her tears, then seemed to suddenly realize something and hurried after Tony into the workshop.

The moment she entered, she saw that Tony had already put on his Iron Man armor again.

The lights gleaming across the armor reflected his fury-filled face. He looked ready to go risk his life.

Pepper immediately panicked, her voice trembling as she asked:

"Tony, what are you trying to do?"

Tony had fully suited up. Without the slightest hesitation, he walked outside, his tone resolute:

"If you won't tell me, I'll ask Lucifer directly. I want to see exactly what he did to you."

Seeing this, Pepper rushed over to block his path and pleaded anxiously:

"Don't be impulsive, Tony. I'll tell you."

Then Pepper took a deep breath and slowly explained every detail of how she had traded her soul to Lu Xi.

At first, when Tony heard that she had merely signed a contract, he relaxed slightly.

He had even secretly felt fortunate, having nearly thought she had cheated on him.

But when he then heard that the contract's price had been Pepper's soul, his eyes widened in shock.

"What? You sold your own soul? Are you out of your mind? Is that something you can sell?"

Pepper looked at Tony with complicated eyes, filled with helplessness and deep affection.

Tony instantly understood what she meant, and a profound wave of emotion surged up within him.

He took a deep breath, as if making a major decision, then strode out of the workshop.

Tony walked to the center of the living room, raised his hand, and fired a repulsor blast straight into the ceiling.

With a deafening boom, the ceiling was blasted through, leaving behind an enormous hole.

The previously noisy crowd dancing wildly and the ear-splitting music fell silent in an instant.

Everyone was startled by the sudden turn of events and turned to look at Tony.

Tony swept his gaze around and shouted:

"All nonessential personnel, get out!"

The crowd immediately began screaming and ran frantically toward the villa's exit.

Helen Cho was badly frightened as well and was about to flee with the crowd.

Seeing this, Lu Xi hurriedly reassured her:

"Dr. Cho, you're not nonessential personnel. Don't worry, nothing will happen."

At that moment, Tony strode toward Lu Xi aggressively, glaring at him furiously.

"Lord Lucifer, did you take Pepper's soul?"

Lu Xi remained calm as he corrected him:

"More accurately, I took ownership of her soul after death."

Tony gritted his teeth and said urgently:

"I don't care what it is. Please give her soul back. I'll trade something else with you. How about twenty percent of Stark Industries?"

Lu Xi merely smiled without speaking, his expression impossible to read.

When Tony saw that Lu Xi did not respond, he assumed the offer was not enticing enough and gradually raised the price.

"Thirty percent? Forty percent?"

Lu Xi still only shook his head gently, seemingly uninterested in those shares.

Tony's brows furrowed. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Fifty percent! That's half of Stark Industries. You should be satisfied now, right?"

Lu Xi looked at Tony, a trace of amusement flashing through his eyes.

"Those things are useless to me. That wealth is nothing more than fleeting smoke to me."

Anxious, Tony turned to look at Pepper, who stood nearby with worry written all over her face. Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind.

"Seventy-eight percent. That's every share I own, all of it to you. How about it? Just give Pepper her soul back."

Lu Xi was slightly surprised and asked with interest:

"Oh? Stark Industries is your family business, the result of several generations of hard work. Are you willing to hand it over just like that?"

Tony looked at Pepper again, determination filling his eyes. He took a deep breath and nodded.

"As long as I think it's worth it. We can sign the agreement right now. Give Pepper her soul back!"

Lu Xi still shook his head, a trace of appreciation in his eyes.

"I can see that you've made a huge decision, but unfortunately, I don't lack money."

Anger showed in Tony's eyes as he raised his hand, his repulsor beginning to charge.

The beam emitter in his armored palm glowed brightly, aimed directly at Lu Xi.

"I'm not negotiating with you. This is your final warning. Give Pepper's soul back!"