Taking control of Black Widow
When Li Qi called out the name "Black Widow Natasha" with a piercing gaze and utter certainty, Natasha's heart clenched.
Yet her years as an agent, along with all that intense, hellish professional training, had long since etched an unshakable composure deep into her soul.
Even now, her signature smile remained on her face as she played the part of a conscientious secretary to perfection.
She shook her head gently and spoke in a perfectly measured tone of innocence.
"Chairman, you must have mistaken me for someone else. I was lucky enough to be hired by Stark Industries just today as a secretary here. I really don't understand any of what you're saying."
As she spoke, she was all innocence and bewilderment.
Li Qi regarded Natasha with interest as she stood before him in her finely tailored secretary's uniform.
Her blouse was snow-white, while the black pencil skirt she wore below hugged her curvaceous figure tightly.
Her black stockings were like a mysterious veil, adding a hint of elusive, seductive mystery.
Taking it all in, Li Qi could not help smiling inwardly. What he had searched high and low for had now fallen into his lap without any effort.
Li Qi paid no further attention to Natasha's denials. Less than half a meter separated them. His gaze suddenly sharpened, and he decisively activated the unique ability he had gained upon transmigrating-mind control.
This ability was like a wondrous, mysterious key that could silently unlock the shackles of the mind between people and take control of another person's will.
In an instant, Natasha's attitude underwent an obvious change. Her earlier facade quietly fell away, replaced by an obedient expression.
She said warmly, "Master, if there's anything you need, just give the word. It would be an immense honor to be of help to you."
From that moment onward, in Natasha's understanding, a special and close master-servant relationship had formed between her and Li Qi.
In public, with others present, she would respectfully address Li Qi as sir; in more private settings, they would use more intimate forms of address for each other.
Li Qi nodded slightly and took the stack of documents from Natasha.
Most of them were important Stark Industries documents that had required urgent attention over the past few days and needed the chairman's signature. He picked up a pen and swiftly signed his name.
Li Qi did not want to face those difficult, stubborn board members.
So he turned to Natasha and said, "I don't want to attend this board meeting. Go in my place. Tell the directors that Stark Industries will gradually shut down its weapons design and manufacturing divisions and firmly shift its development focus toward new and clean energy. Natasha, go with Tony, and make sure you persuade them."
Natasha nodded firmly, her eyes filled with resolve and confidence. After politely inclining her upper body to Li Qi, she turned and walked toward the conference room with elegant, confident strides.
Tony followed close behind her, and their figures disappeared one after the other through the door leading into the conference room.
The moment the conference room door was pushed open, a noisy clamor rushed out like a surging tide. Nearly a dozen Stark Industries directors sat packed around the enormous round conference table.
They came in all shapes and sizes, men and women, fat and thin. At that moment, they were engaged in a heated discussion, talking over one another without yielding an inch, their voices mingling and echoing through the conference room.
Every one of these directors put the company's profits first. In their eyes, profit was the sole measure of the company's development, as though its future depended only on those strings of cold numbers.
This year, Tony Stark, renowned as a weapons design genius, had yet to produce a new weapons design. This had directly caused Stark Industries' profits to decline noticeably compared with the previous year.
The directors were therefore racking their brains, discussing how to force Tony Stark to come up with a proposal that satisfied them as soon as possible and reverse the company's financial downturn.
Earlier, the bald Obadiah Stane had gone to great lengths to win over and persuade these directors, solemnly assuring them that he could bring the company greater profits.
Under the spell of his silver tongue, the directors had already reached a preliminary agreement with him.
The moment Tony Stark entered the conference room, the room, which had been as noisy as a marketplace, instantly fell silent.
Every gaze focused on him at once. Those looks held doubt, anticipation, and scrutiny, as though they were trying to see right through him. Just as someone was about to question Tony, Natasha stepped forward first.
She straightened her back, standing tall as a poplar, cutting a striking figure. In her usual confident, decisive, and compelling manner, she said loudly,
"Listen, members of the board! Mr. Stark has now transferred all his shares in the company to Mr. Li Qi. From now on, Mr. Li Qi holds the largest share in the company and has the greatest say.
"Mr. Li Qi's goal is very clear: to move Stark Industries out of traditional weapons manufacturing and into sustainable development as soon as possible. This is crucial to the company's long-term development and its plans for the future. If anyone has different opinions or ideas, we can certainly discuss them calmly together."
Her voice rang out like a great bell, echoing through the conference room. Every word was clear and powerful, as though an invisible force compelled everyone to listen.
As a super agent who held a relatively high position within S.H.I.E.L.D., Natasha had the connections she had accumulated over the years and extensive communication skills. She was fully capable of engaging these directors in thorough, effective discussions and ensuring that decisions moved forward smoothly.
Standing beside Natasha, Tony cleared his throat and spoke in his usual frank, straightforward tone.
"Miss Romanoff is right. I have now officially left the board and handed over all my shares. From now on, I will also give the company's new direction my full support.
"If you want to oppose Mr. Li Qi's decisions, you might want to give more thought to the company's long-term interests and future development."
As he spoke, his unwavering gaze swept over every director present. His expression was solemn and earnest, with none of his playboy demeanor remaining.
For a moment, the conference room fell silent, followed by a wave of hushed discussion.
These directors knew Tony very well and understood that he had always been a man of firm opinions and foresight. Now even he supported the new decision.
Together with Natasha's highly persuasive explanation, this prompted everyone to reassess this entirely new direction for development, and the balance in their hearts quietly began to shift.