Lu Mingfei doesn't want to be a superhero

“On a research level only,” Tony casually pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Lu Mingfei. “From the perspective of life and handling company affairs, I think Pepper is better as an assistant.”

"So you really have no feelings for Pepper?" Lu Mingfei raised an eyebrow. "I feel like you two are... exchanging glances."

"If you're going to use an idiom, wouldn't '郎情妾意' (láng qíng qiè yì) sound better? Or is it that my Chinese isn't good enough?" Tony took a sip of his drink, his eyebrows furrowing involuntarily—this stuff really didn't taste good.

"So you admit it?" Lu Mingfei asked with a gossipy look on his face.

“Admit what?” Tony asked.

"Never mind, forget I asked." Lu Mingfei pursed his lips. He had discussed this topic with Tony before, and Tony had always glossed over it.

Tony downed the green drink in his glass, then snapped his fingers. A mechanical arm appeared from the side, carrying a tray with two wine glasses and a bottle of Louis Roederer champagne.

“Come on, let’s celebrate the successful completion of your first research project,” Tony stood up, opened the champagne, poured it into two glasses, took one for himself, and handed the other to Lu Mingfei. “Cheers!”

"cheers!"

Lu Mingfei and Tony clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp.

But then, to Lu Mingfei's surprise, Tony gave him a big hug.

Lu Mingfei was still not quite used to this kind of American enthusiasm, but fortunately Tony didn't hold him for long before letting go.

“After you’ve rested enough,” Tony said, putting down his glass, “I’ll throw you a celebration party. What kind of party do you like?”

“A pool party!” Lu Mingfei blurted out.

Don't get me wrong, he's a respectable person. He doesn't want to see beautiful women in swimsuits playing in the pool, chatting by the poolside, and showing off their beautiful skin and sexy curves.

He just really enjoys swimming.

Really.

Tony curled his lip—he knew Lu Mingfei all too well. He'd throw a pool party, and this guy would never flirt with any of the girls. He'd just find a lounge chair, lie down, put on sunglasses, hold a wine glass, and put on a cool, aloof young master's face while secretly glancing at the girls' thighs and abs through his sunglasses.

When a girl takes the initiative to chat him up, he will pretend to be like, "I have no interest in you ordinary girls. I just want to enjoy the moonlight here. If you know what's good for you, don't bother me." In reality, he is just afraid to talk to pretty women.

However, since it was Lu Mingfei's victory celebration party, he had the final say on how the party was conducted.

Lu Mingfei had no idea that the hug Tony had just given him, and the idea of ​​throwing him a celebration party, were all encouragements Tony had hoped his father, Howard, would give him when he made an invention as a child.

“Tony, the party is yours now. You'd better hurry, I don’t have enough energy left to stay any longer,” Lu Mingfei put down his glass. “But I need to get some sleep first…”

“Wait a minute,” Tony suddenly said, “before you go to sleep, there’s something else I want to ask you.”

"What is it? If it's not important or urgent, can we talk about it after I catch up on my sleep?" Lu Mingfei rubbed his dark circles, even activating his golden eyes to try and wake himself up.

“No rush, but there’s something important,” Tony stared into Lu Mingfei’s eyes, a rare serious expression on his face, and asked in a deep voice, “Mingfei, are you interested in becoming the new CEO of Stark Industries?”

Lu Mingfei blinked.

No, you call this...somewhat important?

Chapter 32 Tony's Strangeness and Return

In Tony's laboratory.

Lu Mingfei sat down in front of Tony and reached out to touch Tony's forehead.

"What?" Tony slapped Lu Mingfei's hand away.

"Let me check if you have a fever," Lu Mingfei said seriously.

“No, I was just joking,” Tony said. “If one day I want to retire and enjoy life, and Stark Industries needs a successor, would you be willing to be the CEO?”

Lu Mingfei's expression immediately changed: "Tony, don't scare me! When I watched period dramas before, there were scenes where the emperor tested the crown prince. The emperor would ask the crown prince if he wanted to oversee the country, and if the crown prince dared to say yes, he would be served a cup of poison the next day..."

“I have no objection if you want to be my son,” Tony said, shrugging.

"Godfather, what are you saying?" Lu Mingfei was shameless.

"So, going back to the previous question, if I wanted to retire someday, would you be willing to be the CEO of Stark Industries?" Tony asked.

Lu Mingfei's face was resolute as he answered decisively, "Of course not!"

"Why?" Tony wasn't too surprised.

"Tony, why did you suddenly start thinking about retirement?" Lu Mingfei didn't answer Tony's question, but instead asked him in return.

“My current focus has shifted to developing new armor and your blood. For example, I’m currently developing portable armor. Even with Pepper’s assistance, the CEO’s job takes up a lot of my time and energy, slowing down my development. Plus, I have to constantly deal with the military, government, and other countries and companies, which is also a waste of time and energy…” Tony said.

“Look,” Lu Mingfei slapped his thigh, “that’s the problem. You don’t like doing those kinds of work, and neither do I! If I ever decide to become CEO, wouldn’t I be spending all my time inventing, doing research, and attending meetings like you? That would be so tiring!”

“If you hadn’t insisted on training me through hell like you were selecting Saint Seiya, I wouldn’t even want to do research,” Lu Mingfei said with a self-righteous air. “I don’t have any lofty ideals, and I don’t intend to contribute to human development or the progress of civilization. I just want to lie on the dividends of my shares and enjoy games and good food for the rest of my life. Why would I torture myself like this?”

"You're wasting your talent!" Tony exclaimed in anguish.

"People strive to live the ideal life they desire. I'm already doing very well, so why should I strive harder?" Lu Mingfei said emphatically.

"What if I transfer my shares to you when you take over as CEO?" Tony coaxed.

“When you have a lot of money, it’s just a number,” Lu Mingfei said with a wave of his hand. “I now regard money as dirt.”

That's the truth. Even if he gets more shares from Tony, his life in this world can't be improved any further. After all, his current standard of living is already top-notch, and even if he has more money, he can't improve it any further.

Tony then asked, "So, if I retire, who do you think should become CEO?"

"Look at me in the company, besides you, Happy, and Sister Pepper, do I know anyone else?" Lu Mingfei asked, pointing to his own nose.

"So what do you think of Pepper?" Tony asked.

"Do you want to hear the truth?" Lu Mingfei asked seriously.

"Tell me about it?" Tony seemed to have a hint of nervousness in his eyes.

“To be honest, I think Pepper is more suitable than you when it comes to handling company affairs,” Lu Mingfei complained. “While you’re out partying, she’s the one working like a diligent old ox, handling the work and documents that you should be doing. If it weren’t for the high-end skincare products she uses, I’d worry she’d age prematurely.”

Tony lowered his head and pondered for a few seconds. When he looked up again, his expression suddenly relaxed, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"If Pepper takes over as CEO, would you be willing to serve as Stark Industries' chief technology advisor?" Tony asked again.

"Tony, what's wrong with you today? Why do you look like Liu Bei, who knew he was about to die in Baidi City and entrusted his son to Zhuge Liang?" Lu Mingfei complained.

"It's nothing, I just feel... I feel like I should focus my energy on my identity as Iron Man. Too many other things would distract me," Tony laughed. "Maybe one day I'll step down from my job and become a superhero? I think the public seems to like the superhero Iron Man a bit more than the playboy Tony Stock?"

Lu Mingfei didn't think much of it and casually joked, "Probably because Iron Man doesn't throw bikini parties."

“Iron Man, bikinis, a prom…” Tony pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up. “Great idea! I’ll go figure out how to do it right away! Oh, and all the girls at the prom need to wear glowing stickers like my reactor on their chests… Oh, and on their palms too…”

"Mingfei, I'm going to prepare for your pool party and my dance. You can rest!" Tony left with great enthusiasm.

"This guy is hopeless." Lu Mingfei shook his head repeatedly as he watched Tony's departing figure.

However, for some reason, a lingering worry always remained in his heart.

Perhaps because he himself was a super genius, Tony had always pushed Lu Mingfei very hard in his studies and research, as if he was eager to make him a scholar who could stand on his own.

Not only that, Tony would also take the time to teach him social skills, including how to be wary of people who approach you with seemingly good intentions, how to avoid traps in conversations, and the principles of exchanging interests between companies and governments, wishing he could turn Lu Mingfei into an adult overnight.

There was a sense of urgency, as if we were racing against time.

……

In the Dragon Raja world, in a budget hotel, in Lu Mingfei's room.

Lu Mingfei's figure appeared out of thin air.

Unable to bring the stored data back, Lu Mingfei had to bring all the data back with him after attending the celebration party, before returning.

This is unimaginable for normal researchers, because research projects are usually carried out by teams, with each team member responsible for a part, and long-term research will result in mountains of data.

Not to mention that it's already incredible enough to remember just the part you're responsible for, it's even more unbelievable to remember other people's parts as well.

Even if something goes wrong with the data, the original team may not be able to successfully replicate the research.

Even if it were possible, it would require a huge amount of manpower and resources.

However, Lu Mingfei was not included in this group; he completed all the research himself, with only Jarvis playing a supporting role in organizing the data.

Given his learning ability, it wouldn't be difficult for him to memorize all the information that Jarvis had compiled.

As for what he needs to do next, he will have to replicate this information bit by bit in his own world.

It's not difficult, it just takes a little time.

The biggest challenge Lu Mingfei faces now is how to explain where this technology came from, and how to convince Su Xiaoqiang's father that it is an advanced metal smelting technology and get him to fund its purchase.

This is also the main reason why he chose to acquire the metallurgical technology needed by Su Xiaoqiang's family for his first pot of gold.

Although it's difficult to fool people, it's always easier to fool acquaintances than strangers, right?

Thank you to 陌上之石 for the 600 coins, 文月生不同 for the 500 coins, 赫尔Carlos for the 500 coins, 书友20221127093438098 for the 100 coins, 书友20181011124950959 for the 100 coins, 书友20230315221731860 for the 100 coins, and 照无眠D for the 100 coins. Thank you!

It will be available on the first of next month, please support it~ *sobs*

Chapter 33 Kassel College

In a remote mountain area on the outskirts of Chicago, USA.

A cluster of extremely luxurious buildings stretches between the saddles of two mountains.

Angers sat on the sofa in the principal's office, brewed himself a cup of Ceylon tea, and turned to look out the window, where a crescent moon hung high above the eaves of the clock tower.

The nights at Kassel College are as usual...

"boom--"

A loud explosion resounded, the teacup bounced on its saucer, making a soft clinking sound, and a few drops of black tea splashed out of the cup, landing on the snow-white document next to it, blooming into pale flowers.

The towering pillar of fire obscured the moon's brilliance, and the shadows of the buildings became even more pronounced under the intense light. Angers' eyes were hidden by the shadow cast by his high brow bone, making it impossible to discern his expression.

The nights at Kassel College are as noisy as ever.

Angers picked up his teacup and took a small sip—he was already used to these occasional explosions.

Weird.

Angers slammed the teacup down on the desk with a loud thud, then dialed the phone next to him: "Norma, transfer me to Director Akadura of the Equipment Department."

"Equipment Department" is actually an abbreviation. Its full name is "Alchemy and Science Engineering Application Research Institute". Because the name is too long and complicated, everyone usually calls it Equipment Department. Therefore, the head of Equipment Department is not "Minister" but "Director".