Entering the Hotel
Hammer, who had been in conversation with "Musk", spotted Renjie the moment he arrived and hurried forward to greet him.
"Boss, you're finally here…"
"How would you like to arrange the rest of your schedule?"
"Should I have dinner prepared for you?"
"Oh—this is Mr. Musk. His rocket engines are simply outstanding."
Hammer stepped to Renjie's side and introduced the man standing before him.
"Hello, Mr. Ren. It's an honor to meet you."
Musk extended his hand, openly expressing goodwill.
"Oh… so you're the so-called genius who thought of putting rocket engines into electric cars?"
Renjie hesitated for a brief moment before taking Musk's hand—his lips curling with a mocking, sarcastic tone.
"Mr. Ren… I'm afraid I don't quite understand what you mean."
Musk's expression stiffened.
Yet he forced a thick-skinned smile, pretending to be clueless.
You can never wake someone who's pretending to sleep.
That saying fit him perfectly.
"Because your electric cars—just like your rockets—have no brakes."
Renjie didn't bother holding back his ridicule.
His voice wasn't quiet.
It carried across the lobby.
Guests burst into laughter, and the entire hotel filled with a lively, almost cheerful atmosphere.
Musk's face darkened instantly.
Humiliated, he turned and left the scene.
Renjie, visibly disgusted, removed his genuine leather glove and tossed it to Hammer.
"Burn it. Along with your suit…"
"He makes me sick."
Picking up his pace, Renjie walked away.
The good mood he'd had all day was completely ruined by that man.
Just as he was about to leave—
A carefree, mocking voice rang out from the bar.
"Hey, Jie."
"Care to come over for a drink?"
That magnetic male voice belonged to Tony Stark.
The playboy genius raised his glass toward Renjie, casually inviting him over.
Renjie glanced at Tony Stark, his gaze lingering on Tony's chest.
This so-called superhero who played through life still wasn't using his energy reactor.
He was continuing to drown himself in excess, burning away what little lifespan he had left.
Renjie disliked people that stubborn.
He preferred those who understood the times—
people like Hammer, subordinates who knew when to bend and when to endure.
"If you don't want your loved ones to cry,"
"then you should learn to accept goodwill from others."
Leaving behind that cold warning, Renjie ignored Tony's invitation completely.
The scene was captured by several reporters.
A clash between two super-geniuses was far more entertaining than any celebrity girlfriend scandal.
As Renjie's lackey—
The crafty Hammer seemed to understand something.
With malicious satisfaction, he puffed out his chest and followed closely behind Renjie, walking past his old rival.
How pathetic.
To think that even a clown like Hammer could now openly mock him.
Tony, having been rejected, shrugged awkwardly.
He watched Renjie's retreating figure and downed the clear liquid in his glass in one gulp.
Perhaps he drank too fast.
A violent wave of nausea surged through him.
It wasn't that the alcohol tasted bad.
It was palladium poisoning.
It came faster than yesterday—
and far more intense.
"Sorry… I need to use the restroom."
Covering his mouth, Tony apologized to his companions.
Before Pepper could even speak, he was already pushing through the crowd, disappearing from the lobby.
…
Restroom
Tony, his complexion waxy and pale, weakly braced himself against the sink.
Staring at his reflection in the mirror—
that hollow, lifeless gaze was filled with confusion and defeat.
The symptoms of palladium poisoning were worsening.
Blood toxin concentration: 53%.
Looking at the data displayed on the device, Tony let out a bitter laugh.
His finger, where blood seeped out, went into his mouth.
That nauseating metallic taste nearly made him vomit again.
Loneliness.
Loss.
And repeated blows from Renjie.
The playboy's eyes reddened, clear tears threatening to spill.
Accepting Renjie's goodwill meant announcing to the world—
That all of his research on the Arc Reactor…
was nothing special.
Stark had lost.
All his halos would fade.
Even the title of "Iron Man" could be taken from him.
His pride.
His arrogance.
They would never allow him to compromise.
He had to defend his family's honor.
He absolutely could not lose!
Right now, his heart was drowning in despair.
He needed release.
He needed external stimulation—
something to force his spirit back to life!
Staring at the failure reflected in the mirror,
Tony Stark mocked himself with complicated bitterness.
"…Is there anything that could possibly be worse than this?"