Although Tony Stark had flaws like arrogance, willfulness, a sharp tongue, lechery, and self-centeredness, it was undeniable that deep down, he was a good person.
If Obadiah was still the CEO of Stark Industries, Shi Xiaolei would almost certainly not have received a single cent in dividends. But now, Obadiah was in prison, stripped of his authority to negotiate. The person overseeing the negotiations had changed to Pepper Potts, who was more willing to listen to and cooperate with Tony Stark's wishes, and things became different.
"Happy cooperation."
"Happy cooperation."
It was another weekend. Invited by Tony to the Stark Industries headquarters building, after half an hour of discussion, Shi Xiaolei and Pepper reached an agreement and solemnly signed his name on the newly printed document.
According to this agreement, Shi Xiaolei would have a ten percent stake in Stark's newly opened subsidiary.
From a proportional perspective, only ten percent did seem a bit small. However, from an objective standpoint, this ratio was not excessive. After all, Shi Xiaolei only provided the original potion as experimental material and did not directly provide the formula. Furthermore, the 'Energy Supplement Drink' launched by the company was re-formulated by Stark using his extraordinary intellect, and its formula indeed had significant differences from the original stamina potion.
Considering it was merely a catalyst, getting ten percent was truly not a small amount.
Moreover, the agreement also contained a separate clause: when providing the original potion to certain special customers, all income would belong to Shi Xiaolei personally.
Simply put, if the military, intelligence agencies, or upper-class individuals wanted to purchase the original, undiluted potion, the company would handle commercial negotiations, delivery, and other trivial matters. At the same time, all profits from these transactions would belong to Shi Xiaolei personally, and the company's accounts would not take a single cent.
This was equivalent to using the company's shell to open a private, tax-exempt studio for himself, without even having to pay labor costs. Coupled with the ten percent dividend mentioned earlier… aside from converting the potions, he didn't have to worry about any other trivial matters. The money was like it was falling from the sky. How could Shi Xiaolei not be satisfied?
"Mr. Locke, may I have a word with you?"
"Uh." At the celebration dinner after the negotiations, he encountered Coulson, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.
Although he didn't yet know the other party's intentions, thinking of the other party's identity, Shi Xiaolei couldn't help but shiver, and his originally happy mood was also affected.
There was no escaping it. After thinking for a moment, Shi Xiaolei could only nod: "Alright."
He glanced at Conna, who was accompanied by 2B. The little girl was happily enjoying various delicacies and should be fine. Shi Xiaolei turned around and followed Coulson out of the restaurant to a secluded spot in the courtyard.
"Speak, Coulson, what is it?"
"First, congratulations on reaching an agreement with Stark Industries." With his signature kind smile, Coulson said in a gentle tone: "Mr. Locke, I believe that in the near future, you will also become a billionaire and live an even better life."
"Thank you." Seeing Coulson raise his glass, Shi Xiaolei also casually raised his glass and lightly clinked it with his.
He drank the wine in his glass, placed the empty glass on a nearby step, and looked into Coulson's eyes again, maintaining a questioning gaze.
"Furthermore." Meeting Shi Xiaolei's gaze, Coulson explained his true purpose: "If possible, we would like to order a batch of potions from you."
Straightforwardly, Shi Xiaolei didn't bother with evasive talk: "Are you talking about the original potions?"
"Yes." Coulson nodded, smiling, and said: "The ones you gave to Stark. I mean, all three types."
Even Stark couldn't replicate them, so it would certainly be the same result for S.H.I.E.L.D., or rather, Hydra.
There was no need to worry about them being deciphered. After thinking it over, even if Hydra got the potions, they wouldn't be able to truly endanger his family's safety. So Shi Xiaolei nodded: "Alright, since you've made it so clear, there's no need for me to hide anything. Three types of potions, right? Okay, I agree."
"If possible, we hope to have them in a 6:3:1 ratio. Sixty percent red potions, thirty percent white potions, and the remaining ten percent black potions."
During missions, injuries from gunfights or combat are the most common, situations requiring increased stamina are relatively fewer, and situations involving toxins are the least frequent... From this ratio, it's not hard to see that Coulson's order was not intended for buying potions to analyze and manufacture themselves, but rather for genuine use in missions.
A sigh of relief escaped him, and his mood became even more relaxed. Shi Xiaolei nodded readily: "No problem, 6:3:1, right? What about the specific quantity? Oh, and I don't need to mention the price, do I?"
"Regarding the price, we have already investigated it thoroughly, ten thousand dollars a bottle, correct?" Coulson replied: "As for the quantity… due to budget constraints, I can only pre-order one hundred bottles. You know, for agencies like ours, the approval process for external procurement is a bit tedious. We usually start with small batch purchases, and once the effects are confirmed after use, then large-scale orders might be possible."
"One hundred bottles, huh…"
Coulson didn't know that Shi Xiaolei was secretly complaining about the small quantity. Instead, he considered it from a conventional perspective, believing that Shi Xiaolei couldn't produce so many potions all at once.
Coulson, without changing his expression, probed: "Is that too many? If you can't supply them all in a short time, we can trade in batches. Starting today, within a week, deliver half. Can you do that?"
How often to trade, how many bottles each time… by mastering this data, one could deduce Shi Xiaolei's efficiency in making potions.
He was an agent after all, with a trap in every word.
However, this probing did not yield any useful intelligence, because Shi Xiaolei gave this reply: "It's not too many. I still have some in stock. As long as the money is in the account, we can trade anytime."
He had stock… Coulson was slightly disappointed that he couldn't deduce the other party's potion-making efficiency. However, he still maintained a faint smile on his face: "That's great. How about tomorrow? If I remember correctly, tomorrow is Sunday, and your shop is closed."
"The day after tomorrow, come at 8 PM, I'll be waiting for you at the shop." Shi Xiaolei shook his head: "Tomorrow won't work. I promised the little girl at home that I'd take her fishing at sea tomorrow. She's been preparing for days for tomorrow, and if I suddenly say I'm not going… Heh heh, I don't want to see her cry."
"Alright, then it's 8 PM the day after tomorrow." Coulson nodded and said very gentlemanly: "Oh, and I wish you all a fun time tomorrow and that you catch a big fish."
"Thank you."
Returning a smile, Shi Xiaolei couldn't help but mutter to himself: 'Even if I don't catch a big fish, I'll definitely be very happy, because…'