Chapter: 13

"I don't quite understand..." Faced with Tony's strange request, Pepper was extremely puzzled. If it weren't for her favorable impression of Tony, she would have already considered him a pervert.

"Show me." Fortunately, at a critical moment, Tony remembered the tactics of a domineering CEO he had learned online. With a deep and magnetic voice, he extended his hand, and Pepper finally shyly placed her palm on Tony's outstretched hand.

"Exquisite, petite." Tony said solemnly, uttering a remark that sounded quite lascivious. "I need your help."

After saying that, Tony's subsequent actions became increasingly shady. He took off his own t-shirt, revealing the arc reactor on his chest.

"Oh my god, is this what keeps you alive?" Pepper asked incredulously.

"It used to be, but now it's an antique." Tony said as he took out a brand new arc reactor from the workbench. Pepper could tell with her naked eye that this one, both in terms of material and craftsmanship, was more exquisitely made than the old one. "This will sustain my life for some time in the future. I want to replace it with this upgraded version, but I've encountered some obstacles."

"Obstacles? What do you mean?" Pepper understood that this obstacle was probably where she needed to help, but she wanted to understand what exactly she needed to do.

"It's not a big deal, just a small problem." Tony tapped the reactor on his chest with his finger. "There's an exposed wire underneath this device that is causing a short circuit against the casing."

Upon hearing this, Pepper looked at Tony with surprise, but Tony waved his hand to explain, "It's okay."

"So, how can I help you?" Pepper asked with a concerned expression.

Upon hearing Pepper's question, Tony knew that things were probably going smoothly from here. Pepper was willing to help him. He lay back in a chair, connected a few electrodes to his chest, and then, under Pepper's alarmed gaze, pulled out the arc reactor from his chest. "Don't worry, help me put this on the table over there. It's useless now."

"Oh my god!" Pepper carefully took the replaced arc reactor in her hands and placed it gently on the nearby table.

"Now I want you to reach inside and gently pull out the wire."

"Is it safe to do that?" Pepper asked with worry on her face.

"It should be fine, it's like a surgical game. Just make sure the wire doesn't touch the casing, otherwise, it will make a sound."

"What surgical game?" Nervous, Pepper couldn't catch Tony's humor at this moment.

"Alright, forget about the game. It's nothing to worry about. Just gently pull the wire out. Are you ready?"

"OK!" Pepper slowly reached her hand to the edge of the casing, but as if she had been electrocuted, she quickly pulled her hand back. "You know, I think maybe I'm not capable of doing this. Maybe you should have the Doctor come over and help you."

Tony looked into her eyes and said seriously, "You can do it. You are the most qualified and trustworthy person I know. You will do great."

"Is my request too demanding? Because I really need your help."

Tony now used every trick in the book. First, he comforted her affectionately to win her favor, and then he revealed his vulnerability to gain her sympathy. Under Tony's pursuit techniques that garnered the most likes on the internet, Pepper nodded and agreed.

"Okay, I'll help you." With courage, Pepper once again reached her hand towards Tony's chest.

"Oh, there's pus inside!" Pepper's face showed a disgusted expression, and her features almost twisted into a bun. "Now I understand why you didn't let Mark help. He would definitely refuse."

"No, no, that's not pus. It's inorganic biomatter released by the device, not something my body secretes." Tony insisted. "And Mark stayed up late last night, he can't do such delicate work."

"Mark, who had been observing the progress of the two outside the door, sneered and rolled his eyes. 'A man's mouth, full of lies! No, wait—it's Tony's mouth, full of lies!'"

"It stinks!" Despite Tony's forced explanation, the unpleasant smell still made Pepper unable to help but complain.

"Yeah, it does have a bit of an odor..." Tony awkwardly responded, quickly changing the subject. "The copper wire, have you found it?"

"I've got it!"

"You've got it? Great, be careful not to touch the groove when pulling it out. Oh!" The pain caused by the short circuit made Tony exclaim, "I mentioned this to you earlier."

"Sorry." After the small accident just now, Pepper's face was now pale, and she continued the task with her eyes closed.

"It's okay, just be careful not to pull out the end coil of the electromagnetic wire... " Tony watched as the electromagnetic coil wobbled in front of him. "Okay, you've already pulled it out."

"Oh my god, I didn't expect..." Pepper opened her eyes, feeling even more panicked, and in her urgency, she wanted to put the pulled-out thing back in.

"Don't put it back!" Tony quickly stopped her.

"What do I do now? What's wrong with you?" Seeing Tony's condition change, Pepper was on the verge of tears.

"It's nothing, it's just that my heart is about to stop beating because you pulled out..."

"What?! Didn't you say it was perfectly safe?"

"Forget about it, quickly replace it with this." Tony handed the new reactor to Pepper.

"Okay. Tony, you'll be fine, right?"

"I'll be fine, I can handle it."

"I hope so."

At this point, Pepper was completely overwhelmed with nervousness, and even though Tony's acting was extremely poor, she couldn't see through it.

"Dad's move was clever, making Pepper feel guilty. With her personality, she will definitely find a way to make it up to him. It seems I'll have to start calling her 'stepmom' soon."

Outside the door, Mark, who was also well-versed in online pursuit techniques, immediately saw through Tony's tricks. Feeling that his old man had succeeded with this move, Mark quietly left the door and returned to his own room.

"Remember to connect that connector to the chassis." Tony reminded.

They heard a sound, indicating the completion of the wiring connection.

"Phew, is that it?" Pepper breathed a sigh of relief.

"Was it that difficult? It was quite fun, wasn't it? Alright, well done, Pepper! Are you okay?"

"Of course, I feel great, but please, please, please never ask me to do something like this again."

"I have no one else but you. Mark is too much of a clean freak to help me."

"As I suspected, it was pus." Pepper said, vigorously shaking off the liquid from her hand.

"Alright, don't worry about it."

"What should we do with this?" Pepper picked up the reactor that had just been replaced from the table and asked.

"That? Destroy it, burn it, it doesn't matter."

"Don't you want to keep it as a memento?"

"Pepper, people have attached many labels to me, but that's not one of them."

"Alright, is there anything else, Mr. Stark?"

"No, everything's fine, Miss Potts."

Pepper left the underground garage with the Ark Reactor that Tony had replaced in her hand. She lowered her head, lost in thought, as if she had already figured out how to handle it.