Chapter 2674: Hollywood Rhapsody (Part 33)

In the Schmitzger Orphanage in the Brooklyn district of New York, a black-haired, grey-eyed boy was looking left and right. He picked up a bundle of twigs wrapped in newspaper, though not to start a fire, but to check the date on the paper.

Good. It was over thirty years ago. Schiller was not yet ten. He had spent yesterday just finding the orphanage, so only now did he have the leisure to confirm if the time point he had traveled to was correct.

This was an orphanage he had scouted before traveling. Its reputation and conditions were excellent because the founders, the Schmitzger couple, were scientists themselves. They had always provided basic natural science education to the orphans, making it highly favored by scholars and scientists. Many couples who couldn't have children of their own would come here to select a child to adopt.

Of course, this was also one of the government's vanity projects. Most children who managed to enter here had passed certain tests—not necessarily to be prodigies, but at least to be bright, clever, and stable in temperament.

Knowing this, Schiller had headed straight for it. Although he was now in the body of a child, he possessed an adult's soul, so passing the tests was simple.

In the original timeline, the Hamilton couple he had chosen adopted little Hamilton, but the family of three was wiped out by Hydra. Schiller intended to replace little Hamilton; besides saving his life, it would also provide him with a reasonable background.

Regarding how the couple adopted their foster son, the reports on the massacre didn't mention much, and the timing wasn't very precise. All that was certain was the year, so Schiller had no choice but to wait at the orphanage.

But he hadn't been idle. He had toured the entire orphanage, focusing especially on the Hall of Benefactors. It housed the founders and past donors, mostly famous scientists. Schiller even saw many familiar faces there.

And most importantly, through his excellent performance, Schiller stood out among all the children, becoming deeply liked by every teacher and the orphanage director. If a good adoption opportunity arose, he would certainly be recommended first.

After waiting for half a month, Schiller finally received news. A couple, quite accomplished in electronic engineering and computer science, had expressed an interest in adoption. They had taken the list of all the children a day ago.

Schiller had done his research beforehand and knew their specialties, so when he came over, he had brought Ultron along and had also displayed considerable talent in computer science, helping the orphanage resolve quite a few technical headaches.

Sure enough, the next day, the deputy director called Schiller into her office. She was a kind-faced, plump lady who had always liked Schiller since he had fixed her computer.

"Come here, little Shiller," the deputy director said, leading Schiller to the desk. "Mr. Hamilton just called me to confirm if what the director said about your deep interest in computers was true."

Schiller looked up at her and said, "Of course. I've always been interested in computers, but the ones here are too old. If I took them apart, I might not be able to put them back together, so I didn't dare."

The deputy director gave a happy smile. "I know you're a sensible child, but we shouldn't let your talent go to waste here. If the Hamiltons want to adopt you, would you be willing?"

Although Schiller wanted to nod immediately, to avoid appearing abnormal, he put on a hesitant expression. "I'm doing just fine here. Can't I just stay here forever?"

"Oh, of course not. While the orphanage staff must do their best to raise you, we can never replace the position of parents. So, the most responsible thing for you is to find a good adoptive family."

"Don't be too sad, Shiller. This is our shared wish. If you leave, you can still come back to visit. I can't make heads or tails of these circuit components, so I might have to rely on you later. You'll become a good scientist, won't you?"

Schiller nodded. He had always been rather taciturn, so his silence didn't arouse suspicion. The deputy director patted his head. "The Hamiltons will come to see you tomorrow. I'll introduce you to them. Don't be too nervous; they are very kind people..."

The deputy director gave many instructions, most of which Schiller remembered. After all, he hadn't gone through an adoption process before, so there was indeed much he didn't know.

The Hamiltons had an older son, but he had been away at school for a long time. The couple felt lonely and wanted to adopt a younger son. Originally, they had their eyes on another boy in the orphanage, but now they clearly preferred Schiller.

The next day, the Hamiltons came to the orphanage. As Schiller had expected, they were both dark-haired. Schiller's advantage over the other boy was that he was also dark-haired, making him look more like their biological child.

Moreover, Schiller displayed quite a few talents corresponding to their profession. After talking with him, they were very satisfied and almost immediately wanted to sign the adoption agreement.

However, this orphanage was relatively professional and knew that some couples, distressed by having no children for too long, might want to take a child home immediately upon seeing a cute one, which could involve impulsive factors. Adopting in such a state was good for neither party.

Therefore, no matter how much the adopters liked the child, they had to wait a week before signing the formal agreement. This week was a cooling-off period to confirm they truly liked the child and had the ability to raise and educate them before returning to sign.

Although Schiller wanted to speed up the process to complete the backstory, he had established a taciturn persona, so it wouldn't be appropriate to blurt out that he wanted to go to his new home immediately. A week was fine; waiting was no issue.

But this wait led to trouble.

On the third day, the deputy director suddenly found Schiller in a rush. Her expression was complex, and she kept staring at Schiller, which left him feeling quite baffled.

"What's wrong, ma'am?" Schiller had to ask.

"No, nothing. You couldn't possibly... never mind. It's not your problem. I mean... um..."

"What exactly is wrong?" Schiller asked, very confused by the deputy director's conflicted and troubled expression. He really didn't understand what kind of snag things could have hit.

"Well, I'm very sorry, little Shiller. The bad news is that the Hamiltons have given up on adopting you. The good news is that you have a new adopter, and we cannot refuse them."

Schiller opened his mouth wide. "Why? Why would this happen?"

The deputy director, thinking he was devastated, immediately hugged him. "Please believe me, it's not that the Hamiltons don't like you. It's just that someone found them before they could sign the agreement, discussed it with them, and made them give up."

"And the person who discussed it with them is the new adopter who wants you. I heard they saw your talent in computer science and believed only they could teach you well. After discussing it with the Hamiltons, both sides agreed."

"Now they want me to ask for your opinion, but I think... I mean, I know this is hurtful, but I absolutely don't suggest you refuse."

The deputy director's expression was clearly very conflicted and pained, as if there were many things she wanted to say but couldn't. After several days of contact, Schiller was certain this deputy director was a good person; it was unlikely she would be forced to say something against her will through benefits or threats.

"Who wants to adopt me?"

"The Stark couple," the deputy director said, holding Schiller's arm. "They are brilliant scientists, and most importantly, they are extremely wealthy. They are world-famous billionaires."

"I know you might like the Hamiltons, but they are just ordinary scientists, and their family conditions aren't that great. But the Starks are different. The Starks are incredibly, incredibly wealthy..."

The deputy director rambled on for a long time before finally falling silent. After a while, she looked into Schiller's eyes and said, "I know you might not understand the gap between the two right now, but you will when you grow up. The Starks will be a better choice."

"Of course, if you really don't want to, no one will force you, but I really hope you agree. It's a rare opportunity." The deputy director's tone was hurried. "Although many famous billionaires invest in this orphanage, none compare to the Starks. And this is the first time such a family has been willing to come here to adopt a child. They can completely change your destiny. Even if you only inherit a tiny fraction of their wealth, you'll have more money than you could spend in several lifetimes..."

Schiller hadn't listened to a word of the deputy director's rambling; he was in a daze the moment the name "Stark" came up.

Wait a minute, how could it be the Starks?

Of course, he knew that the Stark of this era must be Howard Stark, Tony Stark's father. But didn't Howard already have Tony as a son? Why was he coming to adopt another one?

At this moment, Schiller suddenly remembered that in most comic universes, Anthony Stark was not Howard Stark's biological son; rather, he was an adopted son Howard had taken in.

The specific process was very complex and involved aliens. In short, Howard had a biological son, but he couldn't keep him by his side. To protect that biological son, Howard had adopted a foster son—Tony Stark.

And in many comic universes, Tony Stark's biological father was named Jude, who was a member of Hydra.

But Schiller knew that in the universe he was in, Tony was Howard Stark's biological son. They looked very much alike, and the relationship registered with Death was also one of blood. There was no possibility of adoption. So why would Howard come to adopt him?

Wait a second. Schiller suddenly thought: did the Stark couple also die at the hands of Hydra?

But that still wouldn't work. If Schiller were adopted by Howard Stark, he would inevitably meet Tony Stark ahead of time, which would change the relationship between the two and affect future events.

Schiller was just about to refuse when someone knocked and walked in, saying to the deputy director, "Ma'am, the Stark family has arrived and is waiting for you downstairs."

"They really are impatient," the deputy director complained, then turned to Schiller. "Well, it seems we should first..."

Schiller took off running.

If he hadn't misheard, the person had said "the Stark family," meaning Tony Stark had come too. He couldn't meet Tony now; otherwise, everything would fall into chaos. If he didn't run now, when would he?

"Hey! Shiller... Shiller!!!"

Schiller turned a deaf ear to the deputy director's shouts behind him.

"... Shiller!"

A slightly familiar voice came, and Schiller had no choice but to stop.

He turned back and saw a teenager with his arms crossed, wearing an expression he was very familiar with, calling out a name he shouldn't have known.