After experiencing the wonderful sensation brought by 'infinite waist strength', Stark immediately designated Shi Xiaolei as an important partner and actively befriended him.
The pride of a scientist billionaire?
In the face of the reproductive instinct, the character developed later in life is merely relegated to the sidelines.
"I say, do you not have anything else to do all day?"
The store had just closed, and before he had a chance to tidy up, Stark once again drove his sports car to the shop.
Speaking of which, within this short week, Stark came to check in almost every day. Although his fame brought a lot of business to the store, which was a happy thing in terms of revenue, conversely, the disturbance from the paparazzi that followed also affected the family's daily life to some extent.
2B, who hardly ever went out, was fine, but even the little girl Conna, who was in school, was being shadowed by paparazzi, which Shi Xiaolei found unacceptable.
"You know, for a big boss like me, I basically don't need to get my hands dirty. If there's anything to be done, there are plenty of people to handle it." Stark took off his sunglasses, sat down at the table on his own, and casually pulled out a tissue to wipe the table: "Is there anything else to eat? Give me a portion. That noodle dish with meat chunks yesterday was pretty good. Add two more pieces of meat for me."
"You're really not polite at all, huh?" Shi Xiaolei rolled his eyes and pointed at the door: "There's a big 'Closed' sign, can't you read?"
"Don't be so rigid, I think we're already friends, aren't we?"
"Do you want fried rice? There are no noodles anyway."
"That works too. I'll have one with those black leafy greens."
"Those are called pickled vegetables. For a rich person like you, it's a shame you've never had pickled vegetables."
Despite his words of disdain, Shi Xiaolei still dutifully went into the kitchen and made Stark a delicious and affordable plate of pickled vegetable fried rice. Considering Stark's preferences lately, he even specially took out a small box from the refrigerator and packed him a small stack of his homemade pickled radishes.
Just as Stark said, through their interactions over this period, the two had already become friends.
Regardless of what Stark was thinking, Shi Xiaolei had three reasons for accepting Tony Stark.
Buying some potions every time he came over, spending large sums of money to help his family improve their lives, was the least significant reason. In contrast, having read the original work and knowing about Stark's heroic act of sacrificing his life for humanity in "Avengers 4," and greatly admiring his choice, was the key reason Shi Xiaolei was willing to befriend him.
In addition, Stark always brought a small gift for Conna every time he visited, and occasionally helped guide the little girl with her homework, which also played a significant role.
"Tony, Tony." Sure enough, hearing 2B say that Stark had come again, Conna, who was watching cartoons in the back, ran out with pattering steps.
"Oh, Conna, good evening~."
No one could dislike such an adorable little girl. After a few interactions, Stark also succumbed to the innocent and pure eyes of Conna.
Greeting her, Stark pulled a small box from his pocket: "Here, I specifically called Switzerland yesterday and had them air-freight these chocolates."
"Wow~~! Chocolate!" Happily accepting the small box, Conna looked up, her small face beaming, and gave Stark an extremely bright smile.
"Do you want me to help you open it?"
"Mm-hmm~." Climbing onto the stool, kneeling on the soft cushion, her small hands propping up her chin, Conna's big eyes were full of anticipation.
Waiting for Stark to open the box, take out a piece of chocolate, and peel off the foil wrapper, Conna opened her small mouth wide: "Ah~~."
Casually putting the chocolate into Conna's small mouth… This act, like feeding his own daughter, filled Stark with a warmth he had never experienced before.
Just as Shi Xiaolei came out with a plate of fried rice, Stark couldn't help but suddenly look up at Shi Xiaolei and say, "Locke, consider it, how about letting me be Conna's godfather?"
If it were anyone else, upon hearing this, even if they didn't immediately agree, they would unconsciously weigh the pros and cons.
After all, Stark's wealth and status were undeniable.
But Shi Xiaolei's reaction was different from the norm. Looking at Stark, his eyes were full of the question, 'Are you out of your mind?'
"Alright, I was rash." Being stared at by Shi Xiaolei, Stark chuckled awkwardly.
He never thought of taking advantage of Stark, merely treating him as an ordinary friend. That is to say, whether to agree to Stark's proposal had only one reference factor: whether their friendship was close enough for that.
How many days had they known each other? He hadn't even invited Conna to his house to play yet. Clearly, at this point, Stark was far from qualified to be the little girl's godfather.
Giving him a look that said, 'At least you know your place,' he sat down at the table and casually picked up the little girl, cradling her in his arms.
Looking at Stark, who was eating, Shi Xiaolei naturally asked, "Tell me, how many bottles do you want today?"
"Still the same as yesterday, ten bottles of each kind."
"Okay, I'll get them for you in a bit." Nodding, Shi Xiaolei smiled at the little girl in his arms, refused a piece of chocolate she offered to his mouth, and then looked at Stark again: "By the way, you've taken over a hundred bottles of potions from me so far. How's it going, have you figured anything out?"
The game did not explain how the potions were produced.
But if you think about it carefully, since they are magic potions… referring to the magical concoctions in "Harry Potter," the production process of the three potions should also have used some special ingredients.
Whether those ingredients could be found in the Marvel Universe was questionable. To be honest, Shi Xiaolei was not optimistic about Stark, nor did he think he could replicate potions with the same effects. At least, it was unlikely he would achieve this before he befriended the Kamar-Taj forces and met Doctor Strange.
"I haven't found a clue for the red and black potions yet." To Shi Xiaolei's surprise, Stark actually showed a hint of smugness: "But for the white potion that enhances stamina, I've pinpointed the research direction. If nothing goes wrong, in another month—no, three weeks will do—I'm sure I can put together a formula."
"Really??" Blinking, Shi Xiaolei couldn't help but press: "Are you sure, I mean, will the replicated formula also achieve the same effect as the original potion?"
"It might be a little bit off." Stark chuckled sheepishly, but replied defiantly, "From a promotional standpoint, controlling the effect to about thirty to fifty percent of the original is the most suitable choice."
"Tsk, if you can't make it, just say you can't. Wouldn't it be better to be direct instead of making excuses?"
"What do you know~." Stark retorted stubbornly: "For a high-class big business like this, how much more could a small restaurant owner like you understand than me? If you don't understand, don't interfere, just wait for your dividends, okay?"