**Monaco, Hotel de Paris**
The most luxurious hotel in all of Monaco. (Whether it's truly the most luxurious, I'm not sure, but this is the correct hotel. I specifically rewatched Iron Man 2 to confirm.)
For this race, the Monegasque royal family had completely reserved the hotel to host the team owners participating in the competition and the wealthy elite attending as spectators.
Not only were dedicated hotel rooms provided for them and their entourages, but a high-rise bar with panoramic views of most of the racetrack served as the viewing lounge.
When Tony Stark arrived, Qin Xiao was already deep in conversation with Justin Hammer at the bar.
Daisy and Jane, meanwhile, were indulging in a feast of gourmet delicacies at a window-side table with the big guy.
"Hey! Tony! You're finally here! We've been talking about you all evening!"
Justin Hammer had a knack for spotting Tony in a crowd. He noticed Tony and Pepper the moment they entered.
"Oh, how could I forget you, dear Miss Potts? Congratulations on becoming the CEO of Stark Industries!"
Justin Hammer strode forward, first giving Pepper a cheek kiss, then enthusiastically slinging an arm around Tony Stark's shoulders.
Compared to Pepper, who offered Justin Hammer a polite smile and at least basic social courtesy,
Tony looked like he was about to write "I hate you" on his forehead.
With a look of disgust, he peeled off Justin Hammer's arm, too lazy to even glance at him. He turned directly to Qin Xiao and said,
"I seem to remember you telling me you had no interest in car racing. What are you doing here with this guy? Has your taste in friends gotten worse lately? Come on, let's chat."
"Sure!"
Qin Xiao picked up two drinks the waiter had just mixed at the bar and walked to an empty table by the window.
"We still had things to discuss!" Justin Hammer called out from behind as Tony was about to leave.
"I'll return Qin Xiao to you. Sit here and have a drink while you check out the beautiful ladies around!"
Tony patted Justin Hammer on the shoulder in a childish tone.
He then walked straight to Qin Xiao's table.
"Well, I've already scheduled an interview with a female reporter anyway!" Justin Hammer grumbled weakly from behind.
He reached for the cocktail he'd just set down on the table, but his hand closed on empty air.
"Hey! That drink was mine!"
"How did you end up walking with this guy? I hate that detestable clown! Just looking at his face reminds me of the apple pie I dropped into the gorilla cage at the zoo as a kid and got stomped on by a gorilla!"
"Hahahaha!"
Qin Xiao pictured the scene in his mind and burst into laughter.
"Damn it! I swear I'll never eat apple pie again! That guy wanted me to endorse their upcoming battle armor! To be publicly defeated by his armor at your expo! Three hundred fifty million dollars! Hahaha! He must hate you to death to offer such a price!"
Having dealt with government officials for half his life, Tony was well aware of the dirty politics involved—using such tactics to manipulate public opinion for political gain.
"They want to defeat me, but they don't dare face me directly. They can't even create anything decent, so they just want to crush you with money? Damn it! Sounds like your job is just like being a blonde girl in the Dutch Red Light District! You haven't agreed to it, have you?"
"I haven't signed the contract yet. Wait until he sends it over. Have your company's lawyers look it over. After I've completed the performance specified in the contract, would accidentally crushing a few battle armors be considered a breach of contract?"
Tony's eyes lit up. "Suddenly, I have a lot of more interesting ideas!"
The two leaned together, whispering and chuckling, occasionally sharing smiles that sent a shiver down one's spine.
In the movie, Tony Stark's palladium poisoning led him to reckless self-destruction.
Many of his subsequent actions were attributed to this poisoning, such as handing over the chairmanship of Stark Industries to Pepper and personally racing in Monaco.
It wasn't until Qin Xiao, the butterfly, arrived that Tony upgraded the Arc Reactor early, completely eliminating the threat of palladium poisoning.
But Tony Stark remained stubbornly focused on his laboratory, researching new battle armor, and left all of Stark Industries' affairs to Pepper.
This was simply his nature. If he were to settle down and manage the company, he wouldn't be Tony Stark anymore.
He would always find a way to surprise everyone.
Like now.
"I'm leaving. It's my turn to race. The driver on our team hasn't won a single championship in five years—he hasn't even placed in the top three. I'm going to show him what real racing looks like! By the way, don't tell Pepper I'm replacing the driver!"
Tony stood up, glancing nervously around to make sure Pepper wasn't watching, and quickly prepared to leave.
"Tony! Be careful!"
Qin Xiao gave a mysterious smile.
Thor was still chatting and eating with the two girls. Qin Xiao went over to say hello and mentioned he was stepping out for a moment.
He went straight to the fire escape and climbed to the hotel's rooftop.
He needed a vantage point to properly enjoy the drama that was about to unfold.
***
In the employee lounge of a racing team, Ivan Vanko sat staring blankly, a matchstick between his teeth.
He had spent nearly half a year preparing for this day, not only successfully developing the Arc Reactor but also for this race!
All for the chance to get close to Tony Stark.
He had studied Tony Stark's behavior for a long time, finding little regularity except for this annual race. After each competition, Stark would descend from the stands to pose for commemorative photos with his team.
That was his opportunity!
He would avenge his father, who had died in Siberia, enduring ice, illness, and bitter resentment.
He would seek justice for the unfair treatment he had endured for decades.
The Stark family's wealth, the title of Iron Man—these were all stolen from his father.
As he recalled the look of bitter defiance in his father's eyes before death, the television screen suddenly switched from the racetrack to the Stark team's pit.
It turned out Tony Stark himself had donned a racing suit and climbed into the car.
The screen showed Tony Stark seated in the race car, waving to the crowd, with the furious driver who had angrily thrown off his helmet standing beside him.
"Show-off. I'll settle this with you on the track, Iron Man. Hah!"
Ivan Vanko glared at Tony's triumphant image on the screen.
He irritably pulled open the collar of his shirt. Under the eerie blue glow of the Arc Reactor, Ivan Vanko erupted into a wild, maniacal laugh!
-----------------------
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