Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 418 I'm only responsible for persuading people, not for breaking up fights.
"I'm relieved to see that you're in stable condition." Ma Zhaodi said after watching the other person finish the chicken leg, "Then, please come with me—Professor Stein."

The moment those words left his mouth, Professor Stein was startled. He took a few steps back, and a faint spark seemed about to burst forth between his hands.

“There’s no need to make things so tense, Professor.” Ma Zhaodi remained relaxed, advising as if in a casual conversation: “If I had any ill intentions towards you, I wouldn’t be talking to you so frankly—look, I even made you some fried chicken.”

"What do you want to do?"

“Can’t you guess? I have a friend in the Star Labs, and you’re using her fiancé’s body.” Ma Zhaodi replied, “Caitlyn wants to save her lover, so I’m here on her behalf.”

"..." Stein was silent for a moment, then shook his head: "I understand her thoughts and feelings, and I also feel some sympathy for her, but I can't give her back her boyfriend, I'm sorry."

"And what about your wife?" Ma Zhaodi asked again. "Do you want to see her with this face? Even if you can accept hiding in the central city for the rest of your life, you can't accept losing her forever."

This question hit the nail on the head. When his wife was mentioned, Stein's face showed a sad and painful expression.

He regained some consciousness a month after the explosion and immediately returned home to see his wife. However, he was still in a daze and felt unwell. He realized that his body had completely transformed into Ronald Raymond's, but he still wanted to see his wife.

But the first thing his wife saw was Ronald's face.

"Clarissa?"

"Who are you? How did you get in?!"

"The key you left me is under the stone slab—I'm old and often lose my keys."

If this scene had happened between an elderly married couple, it would have been nothing more than a normal everyday conversation. But when it came from the mouth of a strange man who suddenly appeared in her home, it instantly filled Clarissa with intense fear and a sense of eeriness.

He spoke the words that Stein would normally say, his expression so natural, completely unaware of how strange or crazy his behavior appeared to others.

"Get out of my house immediately! I've called the police!"

When Clarissa actually answered the emergency call, Stein realized that she really didn't recognize him. He was in a state of panic and ran away from his house, but had nowhere to go and could only wander the streets.

My own life seems so close, yet it has become unattainable.

"I will find a way to solve my own problems." Stein managed to pull himself out of his memories, and in his melancholy and disappointment, he could only manage to squeeze out this sentence.

"Excuse me for being blunt, but you can't mobilize any resources right now," Ma Zhaodi replied. "Laboratories, medicines, testing equipment—I'm sorry, you're even struggling to survive."

"Work with us, Professor Stein. Star Labs has no other ambition than to be a poor soul like you who longs to see his lover again. We have medicine, equipment, funding, and Dr. Wells—if you remember him, he's the brilliant scholar who almost succeeded in running the particle accelerator."

"He is also the culprit who made me the way I am now. Although I do admire his talent and understand his unintentional mistakes, I can't forgive him easily."

“Yes, I completely understand,” Ma Zhaodi replied. “That’s how you should think, Professor Stein.”

"?"

Stein looked at Ma Zhaodi with a puzzled expression, his mind suddenly going blank: "Didn't you come to persuade me on behalf of Starry Sky Lab?"

“Yes, but I’m only responsible for advising you, not for mediating fights.” Ma Zhaodi shrugged. “Personal grudges should be settled privately. Wells’s messes are yours to settle accounts with—as long as you come with me to the Star Lab, you can punch him in the face and give him a good scolding.”

“That guy is still in a wheelchair. You can punch him as many times as you want, and you can kick his bad legs hard. He can’t escape.”

"?"*5
Stein, standing in front of Ma Zhaodi, and the four members of the Star Labs on the other end of the headset, all simultaneously typed a question mark.

“Mr. Ma Zhaodi,” Wells said with a complicated expression, “I can understand your desire to do everything you can to win over Professor Stein, but your approach is rather unethical.”

"Old Ma, aren't you afraid of going to hell someday?" Cisco couldn't help but complain, "How can you say something so terrifying?"

Caitlin and Barry had the same expression, but they didn't say anything.

Only Xiao Na chimed in, "Old Ma is definitely reliable; I trust him."

Clearly, after being helped by Lao Ma several times, she now has a somewhat blind faith in Ma Zhaodi's abilities.

Half an hour later, Ma Zhaodi indeed led Professor Stein into the lobby of the Starry Sky Laboratory.

"I must say, Mr. Ma Zhaodi, your negotiation skills are truly impressive."

Wells smiled and slid out of his wheelchair: "I remember seeing an ancient Eastern saying before, 'The best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans; the next best is to disrupt their alliances; the next best is to attack their army; and the worst is to besiege their cities.' Do you know what that means?"

“I do know that.” Ma Zhaodi laughed: “Before becoming a citizen of the central city, I spent quite a long time at Dongda University—that is to say, try not to fight if you can talk, because everyone will suffer if you fight.”

"The words may be rough, but the principle is sound."

Wells immediately extended his hand to Stein, and Stein, seeing Wells in the wheelchair, did not actually punch him twice as Ma Zhaodi had said, but instead maintained the demeanor and dignity of a scholar and calmly shook hands with him.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you, Professor Stein,” Wells said. “It was all because of me. Please allow me to make amends for my mistakes.”

“Dr. Wells, I don’t hate you. I just want to go back to my own life.”

"Now, what should I do?" Stein asked.

“Caitlyn—take Professor Stein for a checkup.”

".good."

Stein saw Caitlin walking towards him, her eyes fixed on him, and instead of looking at him, she showed an apologetic expression.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized softly. “I’m sorry about what happened between you and Mr. Ronald, but I didn’t have a choice.”

“This isn’t your fault, Professor Stein.” Caitlin tried to compose herself, avoiding looking at Ronald’s face again, and replied, “We’ll find a solution.”

The two turned and headed towards the medical room.

(End of this chapter)