Peter and Ned dragged Blaine into playing with Lego building blocks.
It had to be said, the two were really skilled at it, constantly pulling off impressive moves, leaving Blaine unable to even join in.
However, because he wasn't very interested in building blocks, Blaine stayed only for a while before heading home.
Although he intended to befriend Ned, it was purely as friends. If things didn't work out, Blaine could simply buy a skill related to computers — there was no need to desperately flatter anyone.
For the next few days, Blaine stayed at home.
Half a month had passed out of his one-month vacation.
Just as he was considering whether to return to school, something happened.
Tony was rescued.
What was Tony's identity?
The lifeline of Stark Industries, the largest weapons manufacturer in the United States, serving as both Chairman and CEO.
After the news of his disappearance spread, almost everyone believed Tony was dead.
There were those who gloated, those who were sad, and those who were downright ecstatic.
But regardless of the sentiment, countless people and news agencies were closely monitoring the situation.
As soon as he was rescued by Colonel Rhodes, later known as War Machine, the news flooded the media instantly.
Almost every citizen of New York who had access to the internet, a mobile phone, or simply went outside, knew about the playboy Tony Stark's dramatic return from death.
Upon hearing the news, Blaine smiled lightly. Though he appeared calm, excitement flickered in his eyes.
It was inevitable.
After all, fifty million was finally about to arrive.
After returning home, the first thing Tony did was eat three double cheeseburgers.
"Mmm~~~ I've never felt this comfortable at home," Tony said as he drank a glass of wine and exhaled a long, satisfied breath.
Ever since Blaine had shown up, Tony's "game mode" had upgraded from hard to hell-level difficulty, with the difficulty at least doubling.
Materials were harder to acquire, and the number of terrorists had increased — all challenges he and Dr. Yinsen had to face.
Thinking of Dr. Yinsen, Tony's usually unruly expression finally showed a trace of sorrow.
Just like in the movie, Dr. Yinsen had delayed the terrorists alone to allow Tony to escape, sacrificing himself in the process.
Tony didn't blame Blaine.
Because he knew, Dr. Yinsen had probably already made up his mind to sacrifice himself even before Blaine appeared.
The only one Tony blamed was himself.
Why hadn't he hired Blaine back then?
What an idiot.
However, after going through this life-threatening ordeal, Tony learned a lot.
During his long period of captivity, he witnessed terrorists using Stark-manufactured weapons to attack civilians, causing him a powerful visual shock.
Thus, the second thing he did after returning to his company was to hold a press conference.
There were two reasons for the press conference:
First, to announce to some scheming people that Tony Stark was back.
Second, to announce the shutdown of Stark Industries' weapons manufacturing division, ending weapons research and production.
The first reason wasn't much of a problem.
But the second reason caused an uproar — a real earthquake.
It shook all of New York and the entire Stark Group.
What kind of company was Stark Industries? A weapons manufacturing giant!
It even had direct ties with the U.S. military!
The weapons division accounted for the highest profit margin and the largest portion of the company's business.
With its closure, Stark Industries' market value inevitably plummeted — and it did. The very next day after the announcement, Stark Industries' stock price crashed.
But Tony didn't care at all. So many soldiers and civilians were trapped in terrifying wars every day, and Stark Industries' weapons of mass destruction killed countless people every single day.
Maybe he could have turned a blind eye and continued profiting from weapons, but after witnessing such misery firsthand, he asked himself: was it really worth it?
The answer was no.
In his eyes, shutting down the weapons division was absolutely necessary.
Of course, that was the next day's matter.
Right after hastily finishing the press conference, Tony immediately pulled out a piece of paper so crumpled it couldn't get any worse, copied down a bank account number, and handed it to Pepper: "Transfer fifty million to this account."
Pepper, who was almost fully obedient to Tony after he returned from the Middle East, wanted to ask something but, seeing Tony still munching on his burger, decided to step aside and prepare the transfer.
But just as she turned to leave, Tony took another bite of his burger and mumbled, "By the way, look into the owner of that account too. If it's a beautiful woman, I'll be very happy."
Pepper could only respond with a cold, dry chuckle.
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