It took a full half-minute for Finn's brain to reboot before he heard the sound of hands urgently pounding on the car window from outside, accompanied by the anxious voice of a young man: "Finn! How are you? Are you injured? Can you hear me!"
Finn turned his head stiffly, when he saw the figure outside the window, he was completely stunned—it was actually Andrew?
After opening the car door, compared to him, who had crashed into a tree, Andrew's face was even paler, like paper, his hands were still trembling slightly.
Andrew also knew clearly that it was his sudden appearance that had caused this unexpected car accident. Even without seeing the car's emblem clearly, the luxury texture of this supercar was enough to show that its value was something he wouldn't even dare to touch. Of course, he had thought about running away on the spot just now, but in his panic, he suddenly caught a glimpse of the person in the driver's seat was Finn.
In that brief moment, a massive conflict arose within Andrew Damon's heart. He desperately wanted to run away, terrified of the consequences that he simply could not bear. Ultimately, however, the image of the young man lying weakly on the grass at midnight yesterday in search of a stray dog surfaced in his mind, his concern for Finn Osborn finally took precedence.
"Are you hurt?" Andrew asked in a dry voice.
"I'm fine." Finn shook his head.
Then Andrew and Finn both stood there, looking at the heavily damaged supercar with bewildered expressions on their faces.
Even the prestigious "VELOX" emblem had been smashed by the impact.
System PP: 【Misery Value detected rising! Misery Value +0.5%.】
System PP: [Misery Value has reached 3.5/100.]
—The sudden impact of fate profoundly illustrated the meaning of being both a blessing and a curse.
Finn: ".." This 0.5% Misery Value is truly expensive.
[It's good that the Host isn't injured.] System PP offered timely consolation, [Although an accident occurred, we have also gained an unexpected harvest.]
[System PP high-fived you. gif]
Finn felt a sudden surge of emotion. If he were the System, he would definitely not be able to resist blabbering about how the Host would have avoided this mess if he had just listened to him and gone home early. Although System PP was a newbie, it was truly considerate, even offering him comfort at a time like this.
"I'm sorry." Andrew also knew that such hollow words were utterly meaningless, but it was the only thing he could do. Andrew didn't know the value of this sports car, but in this moment, his heart was filled with dark, self-deprecating thoughts, wondering if even if he had been sent flying by the collision just now, he probably wouldn't have been worth the price of this sports car.
This is a bit bad." If Finn Osborn had crashed his own car, it wouldn't have mattered, but the key was that this was a sports car Noah Hart had just bought—and it was a hard-to-find limited edition. "This isn't even my car.
Andrew's face grew even paler.
He looked at the luxurious and expensive sports car, its perfect, spiritual lines seeming as if they were enough to completely sever his already impoverished life.
Andrew even began to regret it.
Since Finn was not injured, he should have run away immediately just now; it is so dark here and there are no surveillance cameras, so they wouldn't be able to find him.
Moreover, Finn is the Young Master of the Osborn Group; with a car accident of this magnitude, he will certainly have plenty of ways to settle it.
Yeah, why would he stay?
He was always such a selfish and despicable scumbag.
Don't worry, it's just a car." Seeing Andrew looking like the world was ending, Finn also comforted him somewhat reluctantly, "You know my brother is very rich; this is just a small matter.
Having only become a person for a little over a month, Finn didn't really have a sense of what money was like.
It might also be because, compared to most people, he was far too wealthy, so to him, money was nothing more than a string of numbers.
Finn thought about it, it did indeed make sense.
Anyway, the accident had already happened, so he might as well just let things go to ruin and deliberately let Harry Osborn help resolve it.
"Stupid little brother" should be just like this—useless at getting things done and only good at causing trouble, with no ambition to improve.
Finn felt a surge of excitement just thinking about it, he immediately dialed Harry's number.
"Harry, I accidentally got into a car accident," Finn said immediately once the call went through.
[Were you drinking?] There was a two-second silence on Harry's end, his voice calm and devoid of any emotion. [Or were you speeding?]
"Neither." Finn denied.
"Are you injured? Are there any casualties?" Harry continued to ask, his calm tone betraying no sign of concern.
No, just.. hit a tree." Finn glanced at the sports car with a hint of heartache, his voice tinged with helplessness. "But this is my friend's new car; he just picked it up. This car cost two million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, I hit it quite hard.
Hearing that unimaginable figure of two million seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars, Andrew's face had turned deathly pale, like a ghost.
Andrew suddenly felt it was both absurd and pathetic.
He had just been darkly speculating that his own life might not even be worth as much as this car.
Indeed, it was far more than just being unable to compare.
He and this car were not even worthy of being compared to one another.
He couldn't even scrape together two hundred and seventy-five dollars, let alone a massive sum with six zeros added to the end.
Finn Osborn." Harry's voice turned cold. "This is an accident you caused yourself; the car will have insurance. If it were your friend's car, you would find your friend to resolve it, rather than coming to me. You are an adult; I will not be like my father, blindly indulging you and fixing the mistakes you make.
The night was thick, even the night wind was deathly still.
Andrew's pupils constricted; he could clearly hear Harry Osborn's words through the phone, sounding so cold they seemed devoid of all emotion.
Can you handle it?
The harsh and cold tone did not sound like that of a brother.
Andrew only knew that even Matt, his cousin, would never speak to him in such a tone.
It was nothing less than an arrogant interrogation from a superior to a subordinate.
"I understand." Sensing the coldness in Harry's words, Finn believed his brother's annoyance toward him had reached a new level.
After the call ended, Finn looked at the pale Andrew and said with a smile, "Don't worry, I can afford to pay for this much. There's definitely car insurance, but.. it's just that it was a new car when the accident happened. I'm truly sorry to Noah."
Harry Osborn, as the biological older brother, refused to offer any help, yet Andrew Damon hadn't expected that Finn Osborn wouldn't be angry at all; instead, he smiled and comforted him.
"I'll still have to call Noah; I'm definitely going to get a lecture," Finn said with a long face, his tone filled with a sense of resigned helplessness.
[You crashed the car? I received an alarm, are you okay? Are you injured?] Before Finn could even make the call, the next call pushed through first—it was Noah.
“.. I'm fine, I just accidentally hit a tree.” Finn's voice sounded a bit lacking in confidence.
"Are you really okay? Didn't I tell you to go straight home tonight? Why are you still wandering around outside?" Noah's tone was filled with anxiety and worry.
"I.. I'm sorry," Finn said hoarsely, feeling even more guilty in his heart.
[Don't panic, don't worry.] Noah's tone softened first, soothing him in a rush, [Finn, Elias and I are coming to find you right now. Take a deep breath, do you hear me? Don't worry about the car at all. As long as you aren't injured, just stay exactly where you are and don't move. We'll be there immediately.]
After hanging up the phone, Finn turned to Andrew, who was still deathly pale, smiled as he offered words of comfort: "My friend is a good person, don't worry."
Andrew also breathed a deep sigh of relief.
The anxious and concerned tone of Finn's friend on the phone created a stark contrast with his own brother, Harry Osborn.
What are you doing here?" Finn asked, looking at Andrew with confusion. "Don't tell me.. you're still helping me look for the stray dog?
Andrew felt too embarrassed to nod.
He was indeed still helping Finn look for the dog; Steve Montgomery and Matt had already given up, but he still held onto a glimmer of hope in his heart.
This was, of course, all for the "reward" that Finn had mentioned before.
It goes without saying that if he could truly help Finn find that stray dog, Young Master Osborn would certainly not be stingy with a substantial reward for him.
But now, not only has he failed to find the dog, but he has also—caused such a massive disaster.
Andrew didn't say it explicitly, but his embarrassed expression said it all.
Finn understood and immediately pulled the remaining few hundred dollars in cash from his pocket, handing it to him.
Seeing that stack of banknotes, Andrew acted as if he had been burned, shaking his head repeatedly in a panic, not daring to say a single word.
He couldn't afford to compensate, he certainly couldn't afford to lose it.
"Anyway.. I've already crashed a car worth millions, so a few hundred dollars is nothing." Finn insisted on shoving the money into Andrew's hand.
Thinking about how Andrew had been looking for stray dogs for him until midnight all day long, Finn felt a pang of guilt in his heart.
At that moment, Finn suddenly recalled things from the past.
He had also followed many impoverished Hosts before, encountering wealthy second-generation heirs who used their status to bully others; those heirs would bully his Host simply because they were extremely rich. Furthermore, those heirs loved throwing parties; although the Host loathed such places, he was still forced to participate in their games because of the massive medical expenses required for his family's illnesses.
The rich second generation believed that everything could be easily bought with money. He arrogantly used his wealth to humiliate and crush the Host's self-esteem, even forced the Host to perform acts in public at parties just to entertain his group of fair-weather friends.
The final outcome—
Of course, it was his clever little System PP that played a major role in assisting the Host's counterattack, helping him reach the pinnacle of his life and sending that arrogant, detestable rich second generation into prison in a miserable state.
But suddenly—
It seems like everything fits together!?
Finn's eyes lit up, his tone suddenly shifted: "However, you're the one who suddenly rushed out, which is why I crashed. You can't avoid taking any responsibility for this matter either."
Andrew was stunned, then he nodded mutely.
You've probably heard that I like throwing parties, right?" Relying on the successful plotlines from his previous memories, Finn believed that as long as he played the role of the "bully rich second-generation heir," he could easily reap Misery Value. "As compensation, you'll perform an act for us, won't you? Something that can make everyone happy.
"I can't do something like that." As expected, Andrew Damon's face turned pale; there was simply no room for him to squeeze into those kinds of wealthy people's parties.
“Why not?” Finn frowned intentionally. “If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have crashed my friend's car like this either.”
Of course, Finn thought that if it hadn't been for him, Andrew wouldn't still be looking for stray puppies for him in the middle of the night.
So, he must be held fully responsible.
Andrew's face grew even paler, his knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists, his lips were pressed into a tight line.
After a long silence, Andrew finally managed to squeeze out a few words through his teeth: "I understand."
—It was exactly this kind of submissive reaction!
Finn was secretly delighted. Although he had crashed his car, he had managed to unlock a new side quest—[VS Andrew Dignity Confrontation Track: Rich Second Generation Defeat Plan]—in addition to [VS Harry Family Inheritance Struggle Track: Younger Brother's Total Defeat Plan] and [VS Peter Arch-Nemesis Final Battle Track: Villain's Total Defeat Plan], so it wasn't a total loss.
Finn Osborn!
Angry shouts drifted from the distant winds across the vast wilderness, another luxury car sped to a halt. The car door was flung open, a figure stepped out with rapid strides.
Are you injured?" Noah rushed over, looking Finn up and down with an anxious tone. "Did you hit your head? Do you feel unwell? Are you dizzy?
Insurance adjusters and roadside assistance teams arrived one after another, completely shattering the silence of this dim countryside.
Finn, you have a fever! Can't you feel it yourself?" Noah touched Finn's burning cheek in surprise, then he truly became angry. "What did you come to this place for? You aren't here to look for that stray dog again, are you? You really.. do you just want to raise dogs that much? Tomorrow I'll take you to pick out seventeen or eighteen dogs to bring home to you, so you'll have plenty to fuss over. You won't just be throwing human parties; you can throw dog parties too!
Hearing Noah's frustrated and anxious expression, Finn said in a timid, low voice, "I'm sorry."
"Forget it, as long as you're okay." Elias patted Noah's shoulder beside him.
"Who is he?" Noah glanced at the young man beside Finn.