Last night, Liu A'dou had performed a little show with the lifelike robot in front of Tony, and today, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agent they sent arrived.
Max, male, twenty-seven years old, from Texas, USA, unmarried and single. He had been assigned by the Director to supervise Liu A'dou to ensure he didn't do anything out of line. Before setting out, he had been briefed on Liu A'dou's background and discovered that he was no ordinary person. At such a young age, Liu A'dou was already a legend.
In Gotham City, Liu A'dou had been an excellent journalist, but later, after coming into contact with gods from two different pantheons, he acquired an artifact and gained formidable combat abilities. He then transitioned from journalism to filmmaking, with his first movie making huge profits, grossing over two billion dollars worldwide. Given the strength of such a person, Max couldn't afford to underestimate him. He was also curious about Liu A'dou's ultimate goal, which was one of his tasks.
However, Max had initially thought that Liu A'dou was a low-key individual. He didn't expect to see a Lamborghini parked outside. Of course, Max wasn't surprised. Liu A'dou's wealth was evident.
Ding dong.
Liu A'dou had just finished breakfast when he heard the doorbell. "Who are you looking for?" The handsome man standing outside wasn't the neighbor.
"I'm from S.H.I.E.L.D., sent here to assist you," Max said.
Liu A'dou nodded. "Come on in."
Starting today, Liu A'dou would be busy. He might not have any free time until after summer, and he definitely needed an assistant.
So, an interview took place in the living room. "Name, age?"
"Max, twenty-seven."
"What kind of work have you done before?" Liu A'dou asked.
"I served in the military, went to Afghanistan and Iraq, then joined S.H.I.E.L.D.," Max answered without hesitation, though he noticed Liu A'dou shake his head, wondering if something was wrong.
Liu A'dou spoke up. "Spending all your time fighting and killing is meaningless. You should take the opportunity to learn about modern life while you're young. Alright, starting today, you're my assistant. You'll do whatever I tell you, and on top of your S.H.I.E.L.D. salary, I'll pay you fifty dollars an hour. If you do well, it can go up." He then tossed a set of car keys onto the coffee table. "The sports car outside is yours. First, go register a company for me, and I'll write you a check."
"…" Max was supposed to be here to supervise Liu A'dou, not to work for him. But he didn't say anything as Liu A'dou pushed him out the door, handing him the keys and the check.
He immediately called the Director. "What is going on here?" But the extra fifty dollars an hour wasn't bad. Max reported everything to the Director, who simply said one thing: "Do as Liu A'dou says." Max had no choice but to go apply for the company, but he had no idea what kind of company Liu A'dou wanted to register. Liu A'dou didn't even tell him the company's name. He had to ring the doorbell again.
Liu A'dou greeted him with a smile. "I knew you'd need to report, and that you'd be coming back." Liu A'dou placed a folder in front of Max. "Here are the details for registering the company. Go over them and then register with the commercial department. I also need to go find someone at Stark Tower."
The two of them split up to work. Things moved much more efficiently now. Pepper was very polite. As the newly appointed CEO, she had to prove herself, despite her age and limited experience. When Tony had told her to take charge of the concert, she had complained that she was already busy, and now Tony was adding more to her plate. However, once she learned that it was the star of Frozen planning to hold a concert, she changed her mind. This would be a great opportunity to boost Stark Industries' publicity.
Pepper was eager to prove her capabilities. Even though she had been personally chosen by Tony, she knew that her authority could easily be undermined. So, she decided to use this concert as an opportunity to promote Stark Industries. Even though Stark Industries was already famous, continuous advertising was necessary to maintain visibility. The company was currently going through a transformation, transitioning some of its subsidiaries from military to civilian use, making this promotion even more important.
After Tony Stark was kidnapped, he briefly announced the suspension of military production. If it hadn't been for the company veterans shaking him out of his stupor, Stark Industries might have collapsed. However, Tony still made the decision to shift the company's focus, starting with spinning off some less important subsidiaries to experiment with military-to-civilian transitions.
If the military-to-civilian companies could be ensured to remain profitable, it would not only prove Tony's decision to be correct, but also demonstrate Pepper's capabilities. At the same time, it would help Stark Industries expand its market, achieving three goals in one. Therefore, the concert had to be done, and it had to be done to the standard of Stark Industries.
Pepper assembled a concert project team, bringing together the elite from Stark Industries' publicity department.
When Liu A'dou saw the scale of things, he immediately felt out of his depth. He was holding a proposal, drawn up by X Academy's students and faculty, but it seemed trivial compared to the plans of these elite professionals. The meeting room was filled with sharp ideas, one after another. Liu A'dou started to sweat. Were they hosting a concert or promoting Stark Industries' civilian products?
Nonetheless, it was good that Pepper was taking it seriously, because the funding was absolutely sufficient. Over the next few days, the meetings dragged on. Sometimes Liu A'dou attended, other times he sent Max in his place.
With the collaboration of the invited stage effect experts, the final stage design was decided: it would be Frozen-themed. The movie was already well-known, and Elsa's nickname, the Snow Queen, perfectly fit the theme.
Meanwhile, Liu A'dou's toy company, Toyland, was officially established, and the Frozen series of toys were launched. In fact, toy companies had approached him when the movie was first released. Liu A'dou thought that starting a toy company was a good idea. Back in the detective world, Aoi's dream had been to open a toy company, and Liu A'dou was interested in that as well. He thought, why not start his own? In the future, all the movie merchandise could be produced by his own company.
He had headhunting companies go out and recruit talent, and Liu A'dou offered high salaries, attracting many excellent toy designers. Sure enough, money came in fast, but it was spent just as quickly because he wasn't worried about it.
With the company framework set up and the general manager hired, it was time to work overtime on designing the Frozen series of toys. The goal was to promote them before the concert and then sell them at the event.
The name Toyland sounded a bit tacky, but Liu A'dou didn't mind as long as the toys were top-notch. The company's general manager was a burly man with a receding hairline, who was twice as wide as Liu A'dou. His name was Mike, and he had thirty years of experience in the toy industry. He was known as the "Toy Expert Mike." Liu A'dou had signed him with a yearly salary of four hundred thousand dollars, not to mention five percent of the company's shares.
In addition to the Frozen toys, Liu A'dou had Mike set up a secret team to focus on designing a new toy. This new toy would make countless American children go crazy: Transformers. Liu A'dou had already decided that his plan for the second half of the year was to make a Transformers movie.
After seeing the design for the Transformers toys, Mike, with his expert eye, immediately knew it would be a huge success. Transforming robots, far more imaginative than the Iron Man toys on the market, with a backstory that would make anyone's jaw drop. From the robot's home planet "Cybertron" to the distinction between the Autobots and Decepticons, the intricate storylines were simply outstanding. Mike was certain that this wasn't just a toy; it would usher in a new era of toys.
Meanwhile, Max, the ever-watchful S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, couldn't understand what Liu A'dou was doing. With his abilities, why was he focusing on the entertainment industry? Now he was even starting a toy company? It didn't make sense. Little did Max know, as a time traveler, Liu A'dou was living a carefree life in this world, unattached to anything, free to do as he pleased. After all, Liu A'dou wasn't anti-human or bent on destroying the Earth. He just wanted to make the world a little more enjoyable.