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Under the spotlight, Dan looked a bit nervous but kept smiling.
After all those rehearsals, he'd already memorized his long speech by heart.
As he went on, however, many of the rich folks in the audience started to lose interest. At first, they thought Tony had discovered some young genius. But now? Ehh… not so much.
When Dan finished his speech, Tony came back on stage.
"Hm, that was a solid speech. Pretty standard stuff—but hey, the kid deserves some encouragement."
Dan gave a polite bow in response.
Tony took the mic and turned to the audience.
"Alright, that's the end of the opening ceremony. I'm sure most of you are sick of these cookie-cutter speeches by now, right? So let's keep it real. I hereby announce that the charity fundraising event for the Valentin Orphanage… officially begins!"
A large donation box slowly rose up onto the stage.
One by one, the social elites stood up and started heading to the side of the stage.
Tony, of course, went first.
"Since I'm the one hosting this little party, I should lead by example. I, Tony Stark, on behalf of Stark Industries, donate $250 million."
He pulled out a check with that exact amount written on it and dropped it into the donation box.
Dan bowed deeply. "Thank you. On behalf of everyone at Valentin, I sincerely thank you."
Tony shook Dan's hand and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder. "No need to thank me—we're partners, aren't we?"
A wealthy businessman standing behind them froze when he heard that. Tony Stark, genius scientist and billionaire, just called a high school student his partner?
Tony straightened his tie and turned to the man with a smile.
"You didn't mishear. Dan is my partner. Because he's a genius—an absolute genius."
Then, Tony walked off the stage and immediately got swarmed by a group of beautiful women, disappearing from the spotlight.
He said all that just to send a clear message—Dan is valuable. And if these people saw value in Dan, they'd be more inclined to support Valentin in the long run.
"Wow, little bro Dan—if Tony says so, then I believe in you too!"
The businessman pulled out a check and wrote down a donation of $200 million.
"Thank you! Valentin will never forget your kindness."
Once the first few stepped up, the others didn't want to look stingy, so most of them donated around the same—nearly $200 million each.
Soon, a familiar face stood in front of Dan—it was Norman Osborn. No doubt about it, Harry really did look just like his dad.
"Hello, Dan. My son Harry has mentioned you before."
"Hello, Mr. Osborn. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Norman pulled out two checks—one for $200 million, and another for $150 million.
"I'm glad you're friends with Harry. He doesn't have many close ones. Take good care of him. This one's from Osborn Corp, and this one's from me and Harry personally."
Norman really didn't hold back—donating both as a company and individually.
"Thank you so much. On behalf of everyone at Valentin, I offer our deepest gratitude."
Dan held Norman's hand and gave a deep bow.
Norman gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Keep it up, young man. I believe in you. Come visit Osborn Corp sometime."
"I'd love to."
One by one, business elites and wealthy donors—representing their companies or foundations—came forward to donate. Then, an older man with white hair stepped up to Dan.
"I represent the Aranka Foundation. We're donating $200 million to Valentin."
As Dan looked at the old man, he suddenly felt a cold, sinister energy.
"A vampire!"
Dan's heart skipped a beat. The man had hidden it well, but at this close distance, Dan could sense it.
"The Aranka Foundation… that means this guy is Nonika Aranka!?"
Dan was stunned. He never expected that guy to show up here.
Still, though his heart was racing, he kept a calm expression.
"Thank you. On behalf of everyone at Valentin, I sincerely thank you."
He subtly wiped his hand on his coat before extending it.
Nonika gave a polite handshake and offered a few encouraging words before walking off the stage.
Dan kept watching him out of the corner of his eye until the man was completely out of sight.
The donation ceremony soon came to a close. The Valentin Orphanage had raised nearly $10 billion, along with support for food, clothing, housing, education, and more. From tonight onward, Valentin wouldn't have to worry about funding for the next hundred years.
Dan stood center stage, holding the mic.
"Really… thank you. Thank you all so much for supporting Valentin. On behalf of everyone there, I offer our sincerest gratitude."
He gave another deep bow to the crowd.
Tony reappeared on stage and took the mic.
"Wow, I gotta say thanks too. Some of you even donated more than me—what, are we competing now?"
The audience cracked up again.
Tony laughed too.
"Alright, the donation part's done. Let's move on to the grand finale of the evening."
He snapped his fingers, and waiters brought in all kinds of gourmet food and fine wine.
"Let's give Valentin the celebration it deserves!"
With that, he led Dan off the stage. Beautiful performers began entertaining the crowd, and the uptight guests finally relaxed—eating, drinking, and having a good time.
Turns out, the donation was just the warm-up—the afterparty was the real deal.
"How you feeling?" Tony asked, grabbing a drink from a passing waiter and handing Dan a soda.
Dan took the drink and smiled. "Not bad. Way better than the rehearsals."
"Good. Your job's done—now just enjoy yourself."
Tony pulled Dan over to a seat.
"Hey hey, Tony, when'd you meet this kid? Why didn't you tell me?"
A chubby guy in his 50s or 60s walked over with a beautiful woman on his arm.
Tony put down his glass and hugged the guy.
"Whoa, Stane, what are you doing here? I thought you'd be in bed by now."
He gave the woman a polite handshake and teased, "Huh, wasn't this morning's lady someone else?"
Stane laughed heartily.
"Alright, cut it out. Aren't you gonna introduce me?"
Stane's hawk-like eyes scanned Dan from head to toe, like a predator sizing up its prey.
"....."