“Why so surprised?” Noah smiled. Someone who could afford a two-million-seven-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-dollar supercar naturally wouldn't be short on cash for a few parties. "You're my VVIP customer; this is nothing. At least four wheels on my supercar were sponsored by you."
Finn: ".." That was true.
Isn't it your birthday next month? Don't worry, I have already custom-made a suit for you; it will definitely give you more presence than your brother." Noah continued, "Also, if you want to sneak out to play in the middle of the night next time, you can call me to go with you, or call other friends. Don't just run around by yourself.
Thank you!" Finn said sincerely, "Setting everything else aside, Noah, I'll draw a whole set of stickers for you!
—After all, what system could refuse a birthday collector's edition skin?
Friends really are so wonderful.
No wonder those stepping stones among the Hosts that he looked down upon loved gathering with their fair-weather friends so much.
—At least the happy times they once shared were real!
Finn felt a sense of self-reproach; after all, he had ultimately become the very person he once despised.
The party venue was a detached villa in the suburbs of New York.
This was also a well-known party venue within the social circles, with professional teams handling everything from themed decorations to beverage service. Finn Osborn naturally had villas under his own name, but he hated trouble, so he simply rented this place every time to avoid having to clean up a mess afterward.
At this moment, Peter was on his way to the villa with his friends.
He told Ned about the party yesterday, Ned never expected Peter to be so capable that he could actually obtain an invitation from Young Master Osborn. Ned was also very efficient; he went straight to their classmate Chix and drove over in a small van.
When Peter arrived at the appointed time to meet Ned today, he was startled by the scene inside the van: five classmates who usually dressed casually were now all changed into carefully prepared outfits, the girls had also applied exquisite makeup, waving to him enthusiastically.
"You invited this many people?" Peter was shocked, asking in a low voice.
Doesn't everyone want to go to Finn Osborn's party?" Ned had even gone out of his way to wear a special cowboy outfit today. "This is also a great chance to show off, buddy! Your classmates are all incredibly envious now that they know you got an invitation from Finn Osborn! They all think you're incredibly capable now!
Indeed, the classmates in the back of the truck were also greeting Peter with great excitement, sincerely thanking him for inviting them to attend Finn Osborn's party together.
"Isn't it a bit too many people.." Peter asked hesitantly. Although he had been invited, bringing six people along all at once made him seem a bit unsophisticated.
Didn't Finn Osborn tell you that you could invite friends? It's fine if there are a few more," Ned said with a wave of his hand; he didn't think Finn would personally come to host them. "At a party like this, the more people, the livelier it is. Who's going to care about a few more high schoolers like us?
Peter thought about it and realized that it made sense.
When Peter and his group arrived at the villa entrance, they saw several bodyguards dressed in sharp black suits standing outside the carved iron gates, looking just like something out of a movie. They had solemn expressions and were checking each guest's invitation one by one, lending the scene a profound sense of ceremony.
Under the expectant gazes of his classmates, Peter opened the electronic invitation sent by Finn—the moment the screen lit up, a layer of flowing, gilded luster spread across the display, like a melting galaxy slowly drifting through the silent universe. The background was a dark, velvet texture, studded with tiny, diamond-like stars, the party name, "Night of Shimmering Starlight," was presented in flowing, gold-leafed lettering, its edges wrapped in a soft, moonlight-like glow. It was clearly a meticulously designed invitation.
The review passed without any surprises. As soon as they stepped into the villa district, the students were captivated by the scene before them, unable to help but gasp in low voices.
I know that woman! It's the pottery teacher Lillian who's been super popular online lately! She's really beautiful in person!
Isn't that the band OVERSTEP? They're so cool! I heard they were special guests at Finn's party, they always have a special stage performance. Will they be performing today?
I've seen that young man with black-rimmed glasses before, too. I think he's.. Kyle, the professional Werewolf Killer player?
Huh? A professional Werewolf Killer player as well?
Yeah, Kyle is really famous online; he's a high-level Werewolf player. Of course, he also plays other games, he's incredibly skilled at all of them.
..
Peter also listened to his classmates' enthusiastic and disorganized discussions, realizing that the participants of Finn's party seemed to be influencers active on various platforms and people with some fame in niche fields. Even Peter saw several familiar faces that he had seen in trending videos.
What is that! Is it some new model? It's so cool!
A vibrant purple supercar was parked in the center of the courtyard, surrounded by layers of people taking photos of the new vehicle. The classmates soon dispersed, Peter also crowded closer to take a look. It was the latest "VELOX" supercar; he couldn't even imagine how much this car cost. It was truly an eye-opening experience—even as a model, he had never seen one this handsome.
What surprised Peter even more was the atmosphere of the party; it wasn't as grand, or rather, as extravagant as he had imagined, nor was it a wild, debauched revelry under neon lights like in the movies. Warm yellow string lights illuminated the entire villa, inside and out. Naturally, there were plenty of sofas and lounge seats inside the villa, while many white wicker tables and chairs for relaxation were placed on the lawn outside, with various zones designated for games and activities. The most conspicuous thing was the sign next to the bar, which clearly stated: 【No Alcohol for Those Under 21】.
Indeed, there was a dedicated buffet area for juices, milk, soy milk, milk tea.
Especially that Soy Milk, which clearly showed Finn's personal preference.
Peter!
A familiar, lively voice came from behind him, Finn walked toward him carrying two glasses.
"What is this?" Peter asked with a hint of confusion, looking at the clear and beautiful liquid in the glass.
"Don't worry, it's not alcohol, it's a special mixed drink." Finn handed over a cup with a smile.
Peter pointed at the prohibition sign, his tone carrying a hint of confusion: "At parties these days, few people take such rules so seriously.."
Even among their classmates' gatherings, most people turned a blind eye to the prohibition on alcohol.
I know." Finn nodded. "But isn't this illegal?
This was a consensus that Finn and System PP had reached a long time ago: [Until the mission reaches its final stage, try not to do anything illegal or against the rules.]
Attempting to Analyze · Peter Parker: ".." Final stage? As much as possible?
You know, things are tense between Harry and me right now. I'm afraid that because of a small matter like this, Harry might report me and have me thrown in prison." Upon mentioning Harry Osborn, Finn curled his lips into a cold, arrogant smile. "If Harry uses his influence to ensure I can't get out later, it'll be even worse.
Finn could accept accumulating 95% of the Misery Value, but being sent to prison while stuck at the final 5% was unacceptable.
But he could never accept only having 5% progress, having to grind out the remaining 95% while stuck in prison.
"You are his brother, Harry wouldn't do that," Peter Parker said, stunned.
“Human hearts are inherently unpredictable.” Finn looked up at Peter, his green eyes swirling with a cold, sharp edge, the sense of pressure intensified. He perfectly mimicked Harry Osborn's habitual cold and arrogant temperament, even capturing the subtle, imperceptible sense of detachment deep within his eyes, "I am fighting Harry for the family fortune; he already hates me, he certainly won't care about the thin blood relation between us. Besides, it is a fortune of 1.6 trillion dollars; anyone would resort to any means to get it.”
Finn had rehearsed this opening line in his mind many times already.
Of course, so am I," Finn sneered. "Even if you are Harry's friend, you'd better not get in my way.
"Otherwise, I might do something truly terrible." Finn once again unleashed his acting, a blend of thirty percent arrogance, thirty percent disdain, forty percent impending illegality.
As the young man wore such a cold and arrogant expression, at that very moment, even Peter felt that Finn and Harry were indeed a pair of biological brothers.
In addition, those fragmented inner thoughts began to frantically crowd into his mind again—
[I need to start designing some schemes to put Harry in a dangerous predicament to initiate a new plotline.]
[Right now, I am going to give Peter Parker a warning, to let him know that I have ulterior motives! To make him stay on his guard against me! To let him know that I am not a good person!]
[Once my plan is in place, Peter Parker will act as Spider-Man to save Harry, stopping me—the mastermind behind the scenes—and causing my plan to fail at the last moment!]
After going through this ordeal, their friendship will be strengthened, my mission to accumulate Misery Value can be successfully accomplished.
Besides, I can also appreciate Spider-Man's heroic stance as he KOs me from a close distance in my identity as a villain.
At this moment, beneath his deliberately aloof and cold expression, the young man hid a clever, mischievous, wicked idea that made him feel excited.
Peter: "??"
You really are—
You're so split!
If he couldn't hear his inner thoughts, Spider-Man would have truly thought he was being successfully acted.
Just as Finn thought Peter would speak up for Harry Osborn with righteous indignation, firmly declaring that he would stand by Harry's side to protect and support him, Finn only saw Peter drink the beverage he had handed over, before asking with a complex expression—
Is your cold feeling any better?
Hmm?" Finn blanked for a moment before nodding, "Much better.
I brought you some cold medicine, if you need it," Peter said. "With symptoms like yours, you might feel quite uncomfortable tonight.
.. Thanks, you're a good person," Finn said with a subconscious sigh, then his expression suddenly darkened as he thought of the persona he had taken on. "But if you stand against Harry Osborn and me, I will still—
Eat your medicine first, okay?" Peter interrupted Finn's outburst at the right moment. "I'll go pour you a glass of water.
Okay." Finn froze for a moment, looking at the medicine box in Peter's hands with a slight, troubled frown, before his originally distant green eyes softened as if soaked in warm water. He pursed his lips and nodded, "Thank you.
"You're welcome," Peter said with a smile, looking at the young man's well-behaved manner.
System PP couldn't help but pop up: [.. Host, can you please control your [People-Pleasing Personality]? Do you still remember that you were making big promises before?]
But Spider-Man brought medicine specifically for me!" Finn Osborn said righteously, before adding a complaint, "PP, as a System, you can neither give me missions nor help me brainstorm plotlines; I have to push everything forward by myself. The key is, you never even rush my progress—you have zero initiative as a System! Even as your senior, I can't stand your passive attitude toward missions. Before twelve o'clock tonight, you must come up with ten plotlines to help me accumulate Misery Value.
[??] System PP discovered that the videos on eloquence and management that his Host had been binge-watching lately were actually useful.
—It's not like being able to talk back to the system in private is some kind of skill; why haven't you directed that energy toward Harry Osborn?
Chapter 8: Lively Party
While pouring the water, Peter was also listening intently to Finn's inner thoughts.
Now, some clues have become very clear.
A system called System PP exists within Finn's body, which assists Finn in completing tasks, it seems these tasks require Finn to accumulate Misery Value. Therefore, Finn is attempting to play the role of a "stupid, inheritance-seeking bad brother," trying to be loathed by Harry Osborn, with the goal of being crushed by Harry. On the other hand, Finn also seems to want to make his move against him, intending to become a "villainous character" so that he can be defeated by him in the role of Spider-Man's justice.
With a complex expression in his heart, Peter prepared to hand the water in his hands to this young man who was planning to become Spider-Man's nemesis.
Whether to say it or not—
It wasn't that Peter looked down on people, but he really didn't think.. he could consider Finn his "lifelong nemesis."
Suddenly, a hand forcefully pressed down on his arm, the one holding the cup.
Peter looked up to see a young man staring at him with a wary gaze. The young man was quite handsome, with striking purple highlights in his hair that gave him an exceptionally flamboyant appearance. Following behind him was another, taller young man, who seemed to be a member of the famous rock band OVERSTEP that Ned had mentioned before, though Peter couldn't quite remember clearly.
"What are you giving Finn to drink?" the purple-haired youth asked, his voice full of suspicion.
Noah, this is my friend I invited to the party, Peter Parker," Finn introduced immediately upon seeing the newcomer. "I have a cold, so Peter brought some cold medicine specifically for me.
You have a cold? Why didn't you say anything before? Did you catch a chill from running around outside last night?" Noah frowned as he looked at Finn, then immediately reached out to touch Finn's cheek to confirm he didn't have a fever. Then, he unceremoniously took the medicine box from Peter's hands and inspected it thoroughly. "Don't just take anything someone gives you.
Noah did not hide his words from Peter when he spoke.
Peter also realized that Finn's friend seemed to have suspected him of giving Finn something unclean just now.
It's only natural to be that vigilant." Peter didn't feel offended by Noah; in a crowded party like this, it wasn't wrong for either boys or girls to be cautious. Instead, he spoke up proactively, "This cold medicine was just bought this afternoon, it's unopened, the water was just poured.
Take this medicine before you go to sleep tonight," Elias said calmly. "This medicine is known to cause drowsiness; since you're taking it tonight, you might as well get a good night's sleep.
Did you buy it this afternoon? Have you two already met today?" Hearing Peter say this, Noah looked at Peter a few more times, then looked toward Finn and asked, "Where did you meet this new friend?
"He's Harry's friend," Finn explained.
"Harry Osborn's friend?" Noah's tone rose in disbelief, the wariness in his eyes deepened, as if this party did not welcome Harry Osborn's friends.
"Yeah." Finn said candidly, then he introduced Noah and Elias to Peter.
Only then did Peter realize that Noah was actually the owner of that new supercar that everyone had been admiring and crowding around. Moreover, looking closely, Peter discovered that Finn, Noah, Elias were all wearing "METAL" branded clothing. Standing together like this, the three of them looked quite like an idol group.
Noah frowned deeply, as if he wanted to dig into Finn's head to see why he was trying to be friends with Harry Osborn's friend at such a critical moment when he was actually fighting with Harry Osborn over the family inheritance.