Today, Xia En was headed to Las Vegas with Bernie and several of the company’s exhibition staff to attend the CES Consumer Electronics Show.
The drones for the exhibition, along with related promotional materials and display props, had already been packed and shipped to the venue by a specialized team.
They didn’t need to worry about carrying anything themselves.
All they had to do was head to the airport together, catch their pre-booked flight, and arrive safely in Las Vegas.
In his past life, Xia En rarely flew.
In fact, he almost never did.
He was naturally prone to airsickness.
Every time he stepped onto a plane, he would suffer from dizziness and nausea, making the experience agonizing.
Consequently, he had always gone out of his way to avoid air travel.
However, the experience in United Airlines business class this time was exceptionally pleasant.
The seats were spacious and comfortable with plenty of legroom.
The flight was smooth and steady throughout, without a hint of turbulence.
Sitting in his seat, Xia En didn’t feel the slightest bit of dizziness; he could even relax and read through some materials for a while.
Perhaps this also had a lot to do with his current physical condition.
After a period of careful recuperation and a regular schedule, his body had become very healthy and full of energy.
He was no longer the frail, lethargic person he had been in his previous life.
After a few hours of flight, the plane finally landed smoothly at the Las Vegas airport.
Stepping out of the airport terminal, a gust of dry, hot wind blew against his face, carrying with it the unique hustle and bustle of Las Vegas.
Bernie walked quickly to Xia En’s side.
With a smile on her face, she leaned in and whispered, “Boss, we’ve booked rooms at the Wynn.
It’s right near the convention center, so getting around will be very convenient.
You can go to the hotel first to rest and get over the jet lag, or you could take the opportunity to go have some fun…”
As she spoke, her fingertips made a light motion as if throwing dice, her eyes glinting with a bit of playfulness and teasing.
Everyone knew that Las Vegas was the world-famous City of Sin.
The casinos here were always a popular spot for entertainment; whether they were billionaires or ordinary people, everyone liked to come here to test their luck.
She assumed that Xia En might also be interested in the casinos.
If she could tempt Xia En into a gambling addiction, it would be much easier to strip the shares from his hands in the future.
Xia En, however, shook his head slightly.
His tone was flat but carried an unquestionable firmness.
“No need.
Let’s go straight to the hotel.”
He had no interest in gambling whatsoever; in fact, he felt a deep-seated resistance toward it.
In his view, gambling was an act of seeking gain without labor, a game of speculation.
Wealth gained through luck would eventually be lost through luck.
Every penny of the wealth he had painstakingly accumulated was hard-won.
He would never gamble it away on luck, nor would he allow others to easily take his wealth from him.
The group drove to the Wynn Hotel.
The hotel was luxuriously decorated and magnificent, exuding high-end elegance at every turn.
After arriving and completing the check-in procedures, Xia En took his key card and walked into his room alone.
Once inside, Xia En had no intention of resting.
He didn’t bother looking at the luxurious and exquisite furnishings, nor did he even sit down for a drink of water.
He walked straight to the desk, set down his laptop, and immediately turned it on.
The screen slowly lit up, casting a faint glow on his focused face.
He skillfully opened various learning websites and academic forums.
His fingertips tapped rapidly on the keyboard, making a crisp “clack-clack” sound as he began to frantically absorb knowledge from all fields.
Electronic engineering, mechanical manufacturing, biological research, genetic engineering, materials science…
as long as the knowledge was useful, as long as it could help him improve, he welcomed it all, studying and recording everything meticulously.
He was like a sponge that had been dry for a long time encountering a plentiful source of water, hungrily absorbing the intellectual nutrients left by the scientific giants of history on the internet.
He wouldn’t let any opportunity to strengthen and improve himself slip by.
This kind of learning process was dry and tedious, with no pleasure to speak of. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Day after day, repeating the same thing was monotonous and boring.
But Xia En found joy in it.
He didn’t complain, nor did he slack off.
He knew clearly that his “cheat” was inseparable from this solid accumulation of knowledge.
With every bit of knowledge he gained, he was one step closer to his goal, and he would have more confidence and strength in the future.
When a person is fully immersed in something, they forget the passage of time, and time flies by exceptionally fast.
In the blink of an eye, the night passed.
As a glimmer of light appeared on the horizon, the Las Vegas CES Consumer Electronics Show officially kicked off.
Xia En turned off his computer and rubbed his sore eyes.
He briefly straightened his clothes, picked up his key card, and walked out of the hotel room toward the exhibition venue.
He followed the flow of people into the exhibition hall.
The hall was bustling with noise and excitement, filled with crowds of exhibitors and all kinds of novel electronic products.
The air was thick with the scent of technology and clamor.
Following the signs, Xia En slowly walked toward the Lark Company booth.
Lark was only a recently established small startup with little fame and shallow strength.
Among the many well-known enterprises, it appeared quite inconspicuous.
Therefore, the CES organizing committee had allocated it a booth in the most remote corner of the venue, far from the high-traffic areas.
On regular days, it would be almost ignored and quite lonely.
Xia En arrived at his company’s booth and stopped.
He watched the pedestrians passing by in twos and threes; most of them just cast a cursory glance at the drones on the booth before turning away without stopping.
But Xia En wasn’t discouraged.
On the contrary, he was very calm, his face showing no emotion as if he had long expected this situation.
After all, the drones Lark was currently promoting were primarily aimed at the agricultural market, focusing on utility and cost-effectiveness—helping farmers spray pesticides and monitor crop growth.
Their functions were singular, and their appearance wasn’t particularly refined.
The electronic products at CES, however, were mostly flashy and novel, aimed at the broad consumer market.
The positioning of the two was completely different, making them a poor fit for this venue.
Therefore, it was only natural that Lark’s booth was ignored here.
Moreover, his attention had never been entirely on his own booth, nor did he expect Lark to become famous overnight through this exhibition.
His gaze, from beginning to end, was fixed on the entrance of the venue, his eyes focused and unwilling to move even slightly.
Until that familiar figure slowly walked in—Tony Stark.
The moment he saw him, Xia En’s gaze was instantly and firmly captured, unable to look away.
As a natural focal point, Tony Stark carried his own radiance and aura wherever he went, as if he were born to stand under the spotlight.
He wore a perfectly tailored, high-end custom suit.
His posture was tall and lean, his face wore a somewhat cynical smile, and his eyes were flamboyant and confident.
Every gesture he made exuded a bold charm and an innate sense of superiority.
Just by walking into the hall, he instantly attracted the attention of everyone present, becoming the focus of the entire venue.
The surrounding crowd immediately swarmed toward him.
There were reporters carrying cameras and microphones, scrambling to interview him.
There were entrepreneurs from all walks of life, wanting to take the opportunity to chat and collaborate with him.
There were also many people looking to curry favor, surrounding him with flattery.
Besides these, there were many fans who had come out of admiration, excitedly shouting his name.
The dense crowd surrounded him so tightly that there wasn’t even a gap; others simply couldn’t get close.
“A living genius, the future Iron Man…”
Xia En stood where he was, watching the crowd-surrounded Tony Stark from afar, his lips moving as he whispered softly.
A faint, hard-to-detect excitement rose in his heart, and his heartbeat quickened slightly.
But this trace of excitement didn’t last long.
He quickly forced it down, and his face returned to calm.
He knew clearly that the Tony Stark of this moment was not yet the future Iron Man who would endure hardships, shoulder responsibilities, and command respect. Read this novel at g.com for the best experience.
Right now, he was just a playboy obsessed with pleasure, who loved being the center of attention, spent money like water, and lived a cynical life.
Perhaps he was indeed exceptionally gifted, young, and wealthy, sitting atop a vast business empire, but in the end, he wasn’t worth excessive awe or adoration.
Xia En had considered moving closer to observe this rumored genius up close, to see what made him so extraordinary and how he differed from ordinary people.
But seeing the swarming, ever-growing crowd and those who surrounded Tony with extreme flattery, he silently abandoned the idea.
Right now, he was just a nobody—the boss of a small startup with no fame, no strength, and no powerful background.
Even if he squeezed in, Tony wouldn’t notice him; instead, it would just be incredibly awkward.
At that moment, he inexplicably thought of a lyric: “That year, eighteen, at the school ball, standing there like a lackey.”
That was likely his state of mind right now—in front of the radiant Tony Stark, he was like an inconspicuous lackey, small and ordinary.
Just then, Bernie had finished handling all the chores at the booth, arranging the promotional materials neatly and briefing the staff on precautions.
She turned around and saw Xia En standing there, his gaze fixed firmly in Tony’s direction.
Bernie walked over quickly and stood beside him, following his gaze before she couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, are you envious of him?
Envious of everything he has, envious of how everyone adores him?”
Xia En didn’t deny it.
He nodded slightly and said sincerely, without any disguise, “Exceptionally gifted, young and wealthy, and sitting on a massive business empire, adored wherever he goes—who wouldn’t want to be such a person?”
He continued to watch the adored Tony Stark, a faint hint of envy flashing in his eyes.
But more than that, there was a steady light—a determined light that belonged to him, a refusal to be defeated.
“But not everyone is born with that kind of background and luck.
We have no shortcuts to take and no powerful background to rely on.
We can only rely on ourselves, taking it step by step, working hard to get everything we want.”
Bernie looked at his determined expression and smiled gently, her tone carrying sincere encouragement.
“Actually, Boss, your talent isn’t bad either; it’s even better than many people’s.
The drones you developed have high technical content and great market potential.”
“As long as you develop a few more core products for the company, steadily advance the company’s development, and continuously improve its reputation and strength, maybe in the future, you’ll be even richer and more outstanding than him.
You’ll have your own radiance, recognized and adored by everyone.”
Xia En froze for a moment, looking at Bernie with some surprise.
A playful look flashed in his eyes, as if he hadn’t expected his assistant to try and sell *him* a grand vision.
*Good grief, is she really trying to sell the boss a dream?*
*Talk about the world being upside down!*
He mentally complained, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.
He quickly suppressed his internal commentary, his face showing a perfunctory smile.
In a flat tone devoid of any emotion, he said softly, “Heh, perhaps.”
At that moment, Xia En suddenly understood Bernie’s intent in insisting he attend this CES exhibition; he understood her painstaking efforts.
Or rather, he understood her little scheme.
She probably wanted to use this massive gap between people to stimulate and motivate him.
On one side was the radiant, adored Tony Stark—the golden boy who had everything.
On the other side was him, anonymous and standing in a corner—a nobody who still had to worry about the company’s growth.
She wanted to use this contrast to push him to put more focus on the company’s development, to work harder on R&D, and to drive the company’s growth.
That way, the company’s market value would rise rapidly, and investors would get their rich returns faster.
And as Xia En’s chief assistant, she could better demonstrate her value, gain more recognition and rewards, and have a better future.
Unfortunately, she had miscalculated.
In the end, she still underestimated Xia En and misunderstood his thoughts.
Xia En didn’t care about these little schemes of hers; he didn’t even take them seriously, and they didn’t stir a single ripple in him.
His goal had never been merely to surpass Tony Stark or become someone like him.
Nor was he limited to this small company or satisfied with steady growth.
His ambition was greater than anyone’s, and his goal was farther than anyone’s.
What he wanted was to control his own destiny and possess enough strength to deal with all the unknowns of the future, realizing the dreams he hadn’t been able to achieve in his past life.