It must be said.
Ian was genuinely skilled at self-regulation.
He felt he had a deep understanding of Darwin's theory of survival. However, compared to the boy who had calmly accepted his fate, the other three people present were far less capable of such empathy.
"You..."
Hearing Ian correct the TV host's statement, Bruce almost lost his composure. He looked at Ian with a strange expression, wondering why a sudden, inexplicable wariness had arisen in him.
Clap!
The sound of Clark slapping his forehead was loud and muffled, the strike on his steel forehead uniquely distinct. Meanwhile, Lois silently retreated to the kitchen, forcibly restraining the urge to comment that came naturally to a silver-tongued reporter.
Do not doubt, this was genuinely difficult.
So Lois chose to pour herself one, two, then three or four glasses of red wine, drinking them all down. Slightly tipsy, she somewhat felt that the moniker "Sheer-Tights Superman" wasn't so bad after all.
She was absolutely drunk.
"Ian being on TV with his relative, I don't think this is a major issue, is it?" Clark remained wary of Bruce. After steadying his emotions, he picked up the remote and turned off the TV.
"Ah, it didn't even get to my close-up yet." Ian felt somewhat unsatisfied. Seeing his image on the news, he faintly understood why Homelander was so fond of the spotlight.
Clark ignored him.
He just stared at Bruce sitting across from him.
"I did some minor investigation after seeing the news and am merely satisfying my curiosity by stopping by. Don't overthink it." Bruce's expression looked very sincere.
Clark shook his head, though.
"Bruce, after knowing you for so many years, I've come to understand one thing: when it comes to any issue involving you, I can never think enough."
Clark's gaze was profound.
Bruce chuckled softly, his fingers gently rubbing his lower lip, not denying it. "Perhaps that's because your Super-Brain hasn't truly utilized its full potential?"
He even offered a tease.
"Heh."
Clark frowned upon hearing this, then suddenly smiled for some unknown reason.
"I might not be as smart as you, Bruce, but... sometimes I do have a moment of insight." With that, his father walked towards the stairs, leaving Bruce confused.
"Your father holds a great deal of prejudice against me." Bruce watched Clark disappear down the second-floor hallway, then turned to Ian, adopting a very helpless demeanor.
"Mr. Wayne, please forgive my old father. He is getting quite old and doesn't understand social graces. He's not like me, I'm a man who understands how to socialize."
Ian began providing emotional value.
He even praised himself in the process.
"Oh?"
Bruce raised an eyebrow at Ian, looking intrigued.
He squinted, as if assessing something.
"Ian, what are your plans once you get your first royalty check?" The Batman, disguised as a human, suddenly spoke out of the blue. This was definitely an undisguised test.
Ian stroked his chin, thinking seriously. He didn't feel the need to hide anything.
"I plan to start a tech company, consolidate the current food delivery market, and severely profit-skim from merchants and delivery riders, then take all the money I earn and use it for legal usury."
Ian was unwilling to take any detours.
He wanted to replicate the successful paths of others. Frankly, Ian wasn't worried that the mega-rich man in front of him would steal his idea, as Master Wayne, in his human form, was still a man of dignity and ethical boundaries.
"..."
Indeed.
Bruce was stunned when he heard this. He glanced back and forth several times between Ian's face and Lois, who was leaning against the wall with a look of utter despair.
A strange silence fell over the living room.
Only the sound of Lois gulping wine could be heard.
A moment later.
Bruce slowly spoke.
"That's a very mature idea. You should make a qualified capitalist." In reality, Bruce felt Ian belonged in the category of people who needed to be strung up on a lamppost on the street.
However.
His emotional intelligence was quite high.
"Yes, I'm sure I'll be excellent. However, the people of America deserve to have me." Ian was not a modest person. Most of the time, he preferred to be factual.
"..."
Bruce fell silent again for a long period.
"If you need investment, feel free to contact me." After pondering for a moment, he still took out his private business card from his jacket pocket and politely handed it to Ian with both hands.
This was clearly a level of courtesy that ordinary writers would not receive.
Mainly, Bruce felt he needed to increase his attention on Ian.
"I actually have another idea..." Ian took the business card. He was about to talk about his *The Boys* idea, but at that moment, Clark came down the stairs.
The sound of his descent interrupted Ian's words.
Because Bruce's attention was instantly drawn to Clark.
"Since you admire Ian's talent so much." Clark held a few pieces of paper in his hand. Ian found them familiar and wanted to grab them, but Clark skillfully dodged him.
"Then, please publish this work as well. Otherwise, I will conclude that your investment in him has other motives." Clark slapped the papers down in front of Bruce.
"Of course, no problem."
Bruce agreed without hesitation. The publication of a few books, even with the subsequent development of various IP derivatives, was small potatoes for the massive Wayne Enterprises.
"Ian's work, I will ensure it gets movie and comic adaptations..." Bruce maintained his perfect smile. He elegantly picked up the manuscript, ready to showcase his "power of money."
However.
With just one glance.
The voice of the cash-powered, invincible Batman abruptly cut off.
The reason was simple.
*The Beautiful and Tragic Love Affair of Batman*
The title of Ian's manuscript, which only had an opening, was directly imprinted on Bruce's eyes.
His expression and thoughts were instantly frozen. Just seeing such an explosive title, the alarm bells were already ringing loudly in the mind of the Super Boss of Wayne Enterprises.
And the facts proved that Bruce's intuition was accurate. After only reading a few lines on the first page, Bruce didn't dare read further. He was genuinely afraid he wouldn't be able to control himself from hitting a child.
[Batman stood on the balcony of his luxurious villa, which was fully nine hundred stories tall, admiring the view while stroking his twenty-four Bat-abs.]
[Not only that, his teeth could emit a seven-colored glow at night—Bling-bling, super cool—the light from his teeth could not be concealed, not even by the vintage fine wine he drank.]
[Three billion! Find her!]
[Batman swirled his wine glass, savoring it. He was transported back to last night, to the twenty-kilometer red carpet, where he met that special woman for the first time.]
[To this day, he still remembered the woman's 'Heh-heh-heh' strange laughter.]
...
Even with Bruce's composure, he couldn't help but feel his hands tremble.
His whole body was stiff.
Seeing the expression of the big boss, Ian also felt a little guilty. His plot hadn't gotten to the part where the special woman was actually the Joker role-playing to defeat Batman.
Therefore.
The slightly underwhelming opening was truly difficult to attract a genuinely tasteful reader. Indeed, the expression on Big Boss Wayne's face suggested he was not satisfied with the lackluster plot.
It is worth noting that at this point in the timeline, both Superman and Batman are in a stage where they have children. They have truly entered middle age.
***
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