Tony raised his hand and glanced at the Bvlgari watch on his wrist: "Alright, I think it's about time. I've already had jarvis book the St. Regis Hotel for a banquet. Let's go, Ethan, and our Little Wizard, Mr. Chen Yu."
Then he said to Pepper, "I hope you can come too, Pepper."
Pepper shook her head expressionlessly: "You know, I never attend your ridiculous parties. I still have company matters to deal with."
"No, no, no, put aside those unimportant things," Tony denied. "This isn't some ridiculous pool party. This is serious business. I have an official announcement to make at the venue, and I need you there."
Seeing Tony's serious expression, Pepper hesitated for a moment, but ultimately agreed.
"I hope it's good news this time."
"Of course, of course it's good news, I guarantee it!"
Hearing Tony's assurance, Pepper decided to attend the banquet.
Tony led Chen Yu, Ethan, and Pepper to his private garage.
Looking at the rows of luxury cars in the garage, Chen Yu once again experienced what it meant to be obscenely rich.
Maseratis, Porsches, Lamborghinis, Bugattis... hundreds of luxury sports cars, all with keys in the ignition. These sports cars were parked neatly in the underground warehouse, like soldiers awaiting inspection.
"Dr. Ethan, pick any one you like, just don't choose those dozen or so Audi R8s. That's my favorite series of cars, no contest."
Tony strutted as he finished speaking to Ethan, then turned to Chen Yu and said, "As for you, Little Wizard Chen Yu, well, I originally wanted to get you one too, but as you can see, there's nothing here you can drive... I mean, you're too short right now, you can't even reach the pedals, so..."
Seeing the wand Chen Yu suddenly pulled out from nowhere, Tony Stark quickly finished his sentence.
"So I had a professional children's sports car custom-made! Don't worry, I guarantee it'll be cool!"
Hearing Tony's continued teasing, Chen Yu pointed his wand at a white Audi R8 luxury car: "Shrink!"
Under the incredulous gazes of Tony, Pepper, and Ethan, the luxury car, originally meant for adults, instantly shrank to the size of a child's car.
Placed among the other luxury cars, it looked just like a toy car.
Seeing this, Tony let out a wail: "No, my favorite car!"
He then went to embrace the luxury car that Chen Yu had shrunk.
Tony passionately hugged the luxury car, his entire weight resting on the car, as if he were embracing his "lover."
Chen Yu then restored it to its original size.
The enlarged white Audi R8 luxury car immediately pushed Tony back a few steps, and he accidentally sat down on the ground.
Seeing Tony's comical, bewildered look as he sat on the ground, Chen Yu, Ethan, and Pepper couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Tony's basement was very clean; even sitting on it didn't get him dirty.
But Tony still habitually patted his backside after getting up, pointed at Chen Yu, and said, "Alright, you've made me hate this car now. This one's yours."
He then chose another black Audi R8 and sat in the passenger seat.
Pepper followed Tony, skillfully taking off her high heels and sitting in the driver's seat.
Ethan and Chen Yu exchanged glances and decided to drive the white luxury car Tony had given them.
There's no reason not to take advantage of a rich man's generosity.
Chen Yu directly climbed into the back seat; as Tony had said, his current height indeed prevented him from driving.
The reason he didn't sit in the passenger seat was because he didn't like the feeling of being tightly restrained by a seatbelt.
The two black and white luxury cars, with their low rumbling, streaked across the night sky and arrived at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan.
This was a hotel that looked very Victorian from the outside, with classic, retro yet luxurious decor, exuding an aura of high society.
Chen Yu saw many men and women in suits and dresses eagerly awaiting around the hotel.
When Tony stepped out of the passenger seat, countless eyes focused on him.
At this moment, he was the center of attention, showing no trace of his disheveled state from five days ago.
The incessant clicking of cameras filled the air, and dozens of reporters tried to break through the security's blockade to thrust microphones into his face.
Chen Yu could tell Tony was enjoying himself. He enjoyed being the center of attention, enjoying his moment of infinite glory.
"Let's go, leave Tony to handle this for now. We need to go change."
Pepper had appeared behind him at some point, pulling Chen Yu into the hotel, then following the reception staff to the changing room entrance.
At the changing room entrance, Chen Yu and Pepper parted ways.
Inside the changing room, there were already seven or eight stylists.
They used various tools to gesture around Chen Yu, and in just over ten minutes, they had designed a new look for him.
Chen Yu looked at his dashing reflection in the mirror and couldn't help but marvel at the formidable power of stylists.
In just over ten minutes, they had increased his attractiveness by at least eight percent.
Whistling, he bid farewell to the stylists who had made him more handsome. Chen Yu found Pepper and Ethan, already dressed in their formal wear, waiting for him outside the door.
There wasn't much to say about Ethan; he still looked conventional after putting on a suit and tie.
But Pepper, after changing into a blue backless gown, gave off a completely different vibe.
Previously, she only exuded an intellectual beauty, but in this gown, her fiery figure was perfectly accentuated.
Sexiness and intellect were perfectly blended.
If Pepper wasn't also a well-known figure managing Stark Industries, many successful men who considered themselves accomplished would probably already be trying to chat her up.
"Hi, Chen Yu, you look really cute right now." Pepper's eyes lit up when she saw Chen Yu's attire. "I dare say there isn't a boy as cute as you in the entire banquet."
"Thank you for the compliment, Miss Pepper, but I'd rather hear 'handsome' than 'cute,'" Chen Yu said, a bit helplessly. Although he looked like a little adult in his exquisite suit, he wasn't truly an adult.
Instead, in the eyes of adults, he had a childish cuteness.
"Wait a few more years, I guarantee you'll be a handsome man by then." Pepper covered her mouth and laughed.
"I dare say, no matter how much he grows up, he won't be as handsome as me!" Tony walked over, asked a waiter for two glasses of red wine, and handed one to Pepper.
Then, pointing in another direction in the hotel, he said to Chen Yu, "There's a dedicated children's area over there. If you get bored, you can go play there, but remember not to wander too far. I still have something to announce later, my cute Little Wizard."
Chen Yu glanced at the specially set up children's play area in the hotel. There were indeed many high-end-looking toys there, but that didn't change the fact that it was a children's playground.
Chen Yu suspected Tony was subtly mocking him. He looked at the crowds of people coming and going, greeting Tony, and decided not to use a jinx to embarrass Tony.
If he were to cast a 'Sphincter Retraction Charm' on Tony in this setting, given Tony's current self-esteem, they probably wouldn't even be friends anymore.
"Consider yourself lucky."
Chen Yu mumbled quietly. For the sake of Tony giving him an Audi R8, he'd let him off the hook this time.
After Tony finished speaking, he greeted someone Chen Yu didn't recognize, likely a business mogul.
The two quickly engaged in a pleasant conversation.
Pepper also found another woman to talk to.
As for Ethan, he had long since disappeared from Chen Yu's sight, off carousing with someone at the banquet.
It seemed everyone could find something to do at the banquet, except for Chen Yu.
Looking around, he felt there was truly nothing for him to do, so he walked towards the nearest waiter.
If Tony had truly hosted a pool party, he might have even performed a couple of magic tricks to celebrate.
But for this kind of business conference-like banquet, Chen Yu really couldn't muster any interest.
People seeking money, discussing business, and even those feigning helplessness after getting drunk, all played out in the dark corners of the banquet hall.
Under the bright lights, everyone was an actor, everyone wore a mask, forcing smiles.
Chen Yu was not used to such banquets. After asking a waiter if there was a self-service restaurant area at the banquet, he followed the waiter to the beverage lounge.
Seeing many exquisite pastries and seafood platters arranged on the tables,
he finally felt like he was at a banquet.
