Tony sat on the sofa, his brow furrowed.
Lin Hai lounged on the sofa opposite him, holding his half-finished glass of water. His gaze occasionally drifted to Tony's conflicted face, and a smile never left his lips.
He was in no hurry. Tony was the one who had to decide, and it made no difference to Lin Hai how long that took.
Two choices were warring furiously in Tony's mind.
He remembered the cave in Afghanistan; the Mark I and First-Generation Miniature Arc Reactor that had been blown to pieces; and what Yinsen had told him: "Then cherish your life. Don't waste it."
He also remembered Monaco a few days ago, and the madman with the Electric Whip laughing wildly as he was dragged away. "You lost! You lost, Stark!"
Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, he looked at Lin Hai, who seemed entirely at ease. After agonizing over the choice, Tony finally made up his mind. "I choose the first option. Tell me about the new reactor."
With that, he leaned back against the sofa and let out a long breath, relief mingled in his sigh.
Lin Hai set his glass on the coffee table and asked, "Can you answer a question for me?"
Tony raised an eyebrow. "What question?"
"Why did you choose the first option?"
Tony paused, then replied irritably, "Why should I satisfy your damn curiosity?"
Lin Hai smiled and waved a hand. "Come on, Mr. Stark, don't say that. I can solve your health problem, which makes me your attending physician. Surely it's only natural for me to ask my patient a few questions?"
Tony laughed despite his irritation.
"Oh?" he drawled. "Now you admit you're a doctor? Where was that admission when we were discussing medical ethics?