CHAPTER 26: CHAPTER 026: TONY, WHO CAME ALONG FOR THE RIDE! TIME TO CLOCK OUT!

Although he wanted to bring up the recipe again, Tony still wasn’t after money—he just wanted to eat fried rice like this every single day!

It was like when he had gone to grab a burger right after coming back from Afghanistan. That taste... he couldn’t get enough of it!

But this time, no such luck.

Lorien slowly chewed the last bite of fried rice in his mouth, then looked at Tony, shook his head, and said,

"No."

"No what?" Tony froze. "Don’t tell me you don’t have the recipe."

"That’s right." Lorien nodded. "I really don’t. Just think of it as something I made myself. Limited edition—once it’s gone, it’s gone."

"!!!"

Tony’s eyes went wide. He pressed a hand to his forehead in mock agony.

"Oh no..."

"This is the worst news I’ve heard all year..."

Good grief. So even bad news about the Avengers wouldn’t count as bad news to you, huh?

Lorien didn’t bother responding and kept eating.

But Tony just stared at Lorien... and the fried rice in front of him. Kept staring. Like he was looking at a gorgeous woman.

That was enough to make Lorien hurry up and finish, afraid Tony might suddenly say, "Give me your leftovers."

Instead, the next moment, Tony sighed in satisfaction and spoke again.

"Alright, listen, Lorien."

"Do you have any more fried rice like that?"

"I want another plate. How about ten thousand USD for it?"

Lorien set his empty plate aside, grabbed a napkin to wipe his mouth, and shook his head.

"Next time."

"It’s already afternoon, and I’ve only got three and a half hours left before I clock out."

"Time’s tight—let’s get to business."

Hearing this, Tony let out a long, regretful sigh.

No more fried rice... My fried rice...

How could that be better than the burger place downstairs? Damn it!

Will burgers taste bland to me now? ...Nah, probably not.

So, with Tony in that odd mix of carefree and responsible, Lorien helped him work through the last two issues—about 20% for himself, 40% out of curiosity.

The third question was personal. Nothing complicated.

Lorien’s advice was just one sentence: "Eat well, sleep well, work hard to improve yourself. Either die after spending all your money, or die without regrets. Any other way isn’t worth it."

Tony listened. And got it.

Because that was the same approach he took with the Avengers—no rushing. If you want someone, or a team, to change instantly, it’ll take something huge happening. Otherwise, don’t waste the effort.

So Tony nodded, saying he’d head back and work on upgrading his armor for the threats to come.

Exactly.

The last question was simply Tony’s curiosity about Lorien. Easiest one of all. There wasn’t much to say, and Lorien didn’t plan to reveal anything more.

Like he’d already said—just an ordinary psychologist with a few unique quirks.

"Alright."

After hearing Lorien’s guidance, Tony straightened his suit, stood up, and offered a handshake.

"Whatever the case, you’ve helped me relax a lot."

"You might not know this, but last night I had a fight with Captain America—yeah, that stiff, old-fashioned relic from World War II."

"That put a lot of pressure on me. And I really can’t stand the guy."

"But now I think I know how to handle it."

Lorien nodded in satisfaction—though when he noticed Tony had offered the hand he’d just used to wipe his mouth, Lorien extended his other hand instead.

Tony caught on, coughed, and swapped hands before they shook.

Finally, Tony slid on his sunglasses, strutted confidently to the door, and said,

"I’ll transfer the counseling fee to your account in a bit."

"But before that..."

His gaze swept the room and landed on the fridge in the corner, where bottles of iced milk tea sat.

So... Tony strolled over, opened the fridge, grabbed two bottles, and explained while making a break for it,

"You know me—I take care of my employees."

"One’s for my assistant Pepper, the other’s for my driver Happy."

"It’s not like I’m trying to sneak two for myself."

With that, he pressed down on the door handle, hooked the door open with his foot, and slipped out.

"That’s it, goodbye."

Lorien: ...

He really couldn’t figure out how a superhero could be this eccentric in real life. One moment dead serious, the next totally off the wall.

Well, maybe that was just Tony Stark’s charm.

As soon as Tony left, a six-figure transfer hit Lorien’s account. Truth was, his counseling sessions weren’t nearly that expensive—but if Tony was happy, that was fine.

Lorien checked the time. 4:45 p.m. Almost time to clock out.