Harry, filled with gloom, was infuriated by Finn, even Peter, who had been close to Finn lately, suffered from the collateral damage. The impatience and coldness in Harry's tone were almost palpable. Naturally, the mediation ended on a sour note, Peter was even told by Harry in a cold voice to stop interfering in their affairs.
Spider-Man: ".." Why shouldn't I interfere? I'm even your brother's destined Life-long Nemesis!
By the time Peter returned to Finn's house, Andrew, another of the [Life-long Nemesis] lines, had just stepped out the door.
That was fine; he had originally wanted to have a chat with Andrew, or at least exchange contact information.
As a result, neither of them came to anything.
"What is this?" Peter looked at the empty living room in shock; a piano had somehow appeared there.
Can't you tell?" Finn looked at him with a puzzled expression, "It's a piano.
Spider-Man could obviously tell it was a piano, but what surprised him was—
“Why did you suddenly buy a piano? Can you play the piano?”
No," Finn shook his head. "It's just because I can't learn dancing right now, so I'm switching to something else that involves using my hands.
Spider-Man: ".." You really can't sit still for a second.
Peter's expression was complicated; he felt that he had worried himself to death for Finn behind the scenes, yet this young man was truly carefree and heartless.
Spider-Man: ".." Why don't you install a Misery Value detection plugin for me as well?
Peter also felt like he was suffering.
Finn, Harry came here because he cares about you too," Peter said, still unwilling to give up hope. "You know, he came because he knows you injured your foot—
Before the words were even finished, a low, deep piano note suddenly fell from Finn's fingertips.
He interrupted him without bias.
“I know you want me to mend my relationship with Harry Osborn,” Finn said, looking up at Peter with a calm tone, “But you know, our relationship wasn't good to begin with. To Harry Osborn, Finn Osborn is nothing more than an insignificant existence.”
The young man's eyes gazed steadily at Peter without flinching, his expression serious.
The warm yellow light of the living room fell upon his emerald eyes, shattering into beautiful fragments of light, but it was in this very instant—
Peter suddenly captured something that he had been overlooking all this time.
These eyes were indeed beautiful, as clear as top-tier emeralds.
Yet at times, they would carry a coldness that was almost inorganic.
Like exquisite handicrafts displayed in a showcase, beautiful, yet separated by a layer of glass.
There was never any brotherhood between us to begin with. Even if you are our friend, you have no obligation to feel the need to mend something that never existed in the first place." Finn certainly knew what a helpful and kind-hearted person Peter Parker was, but he didn't need Peter to go out of his way to help smooth things over between him and Harry; it wasn't Peter's responsibility to begin with. "You know that after my father died, the only thing connecting Harry and me wasn't family affection, but disputes over the inheritance.
This was good, pure.
Originally, once the mission ended, Finn was going to leave.
He came into this world as an existence that was [superfluous].
It should be the same when leaving this world.
Finn looked down at the piano beneath his hands with eyes curved in a smile, his fingertips gently stroking the smooth and delicate keys. This piano was truly to his liking; although it had significantly exceeded his budget, the new installment from the trust fund had just arrived, making it the perfect time to spend as he pleased.
Staccato, scattered piano notes rippled intermittently from Finn's fingertips.
“Peter, can you play the piano?” Finn suddenly looked up, his smiling eyes as clean and bright as ever.
Peter did not say anything, staring fixedly at the person before him.
That sense of dissonance in the depths of his heart grew heavier and heavier.
He suddenly realized that Finn was very easygoing and warm, he was friendly to everyone.
But this was merely a superficial appearance.
The real him was a bystander drifting outside of this world, a character detached from everything.
And everything he planned was never about blending in; instead, he was step by step pushing himself from a "negligible" role toward a state where it would be best to simply disappear.
Finn's world is vast; he can passionately love, be curious about, try everything that interests him;
But his world was also very small; the only things truly contained within it were himself and System PP.
[Detected increase in Misery Value, Misery Value +0.5%]
A sudden system notification rang out in his mind, causing Finn to startle slightly—how could playing the piano trigger Misery Value?
"I don't know how to play." Peter walked to Finn's side, his eyes cast down as he gazed at the young man's slender, pale fingers, desperately suppressing the sudden impulse to reach out and grab Finn's hand.
An indescribable sense of stifling frustration welled up in Peter's heart.
At this moment, he really wanted to tell Finn that it was unfair.
Whether it was he, Harry, or Andrew, they were all merely characters in Finn's plan, with no way to know the real Finn Osborn, trapped helplessly within his predetermined framework.
But as soon as the thought arose, Peter paused in hesitation.
If he took advantage of being able to hear Finn's thoughts without restraint to interfere with his choices time and time again, would that be fair to Finn? And if the mission failed, what would happen then?
Spider-Man knew that Finn's identity was very special, he was also clear about the other party's ultimate goal—
He only wanted to walk toward an ending that would only harm himself, moving forward step by step, clearly and rationally, solely to perfectly complete that unknown mission.
Alright, go eat. We've all finished, Joseph specially saved some lunch for you." Finn was naturally unaware of Peter's current thoughts. The young man's tone was as lighthearted as ever, he pointed at the plastic bag Peter was carrying when he entered the door. "Did you just go to the supermarket? What did you buy?
"I bought popcorn for you." Only then did Peter remember.
"Popcorn?" Finn's eyes lit up, his voice tinged with obvious surprise.
Seeing Finn hopping on one foot, about to jump over to grab the plastic bag, Peter instinctively blocked him with one hand and then lifted him up to the dining table.
Right." Peter took out a plastic bag of corn kernels from the bag and showed them to Finn. If he hadn't gone to the supermarket to buy popcorn, perhaps he would have made it back in time to exchange contact information with Andrew. "It's corn kernels; we can make homemade popcorn.
“Sure, then after you finish lunch, we can make popcorn,” Finn said with an expectant look, his voice filled with excitement.
When Joseph served lunch to Peter, Finn was not idle either; he sat opposite Peter, holding a tablet and continuing to bury himself in drawing his hamsters.
Finn didn't make a sound with his mouth, but he was still humming that Rat Rock Anthem in his heart.
That lighthearted rhythm and his focused appearance made Peter suddenly feel that he might have truly been overly impatient—
No matter what Finn's plan was, the young man was clearly as vivid, earnest, passionate, full of vitality as he appeared in his eyes.
As his mood gradually calmed down, Spider-Man began to tell himself:
He was already a mature hero; he could not act recklessly and needed to be more patient.
There will definitely be a better solution.
He would also surely be able to.. pull Finn into this world, piece by piece.
After dinner, Joseph took the initiative to leave the kitchen to the two young people, as they crowded around the stove together to make popcorn.
Finn was clearly seeing this kind of operation for the first time, as he had to stand on one foot due to his injury, his eyes fixed unblinkingly on the corn kernels in the pot. Peter also reached out to support Finn, watching as the corn kernels in the hot oil gradually began to "pop," with golden kernels popping one after another in a frantic rush, a sweet aroma instantly filling the entire kitchen.
"Sometimes Aunt May makes popcorn like this at home," Peter said with a smile.
"It already smells delicious," Finn said in surprise.
"Careful, it's hot." Once the popcorn was popped, Peter watched Finn, who was using his fingers to stuff popcorn into his mouth.
A fine shimmer danced in Finn's green eyes, even the corners of the young man's upturned lips seemed to be tinged with sweetness.
A large bag of corn kernels for three dollars was enough to buy the young man a sense of happiness that left him feeling satisfied.
You should eat some too." Finn proactively reached out, picked up a piece of popcorn, held it to Peter's lips. "It's quite delicious.
Spider-Man looked up, his eyes meeting those sparkling green orbs. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he obediently opened his mouth and took a bite—
Yes, it was fragrant, sweet, soft.
There's plenty more," Peter said with a smile. "We can do it many more times later, we can do other flavors too.
Peter finally returned home just in time for his appointment with Aunt May. Finn wasn't idle in the evening either; Noah, Elias, Anthony came specifically to see him.
Didn't you say you twisted your ankle while dancing?" Noah looked up at the railing on the second floor, which was clearly newly installed, "Why is there this on the second floor as well?
Finn: ".." It always felt a bit embarrassing to say that he had fallen from the second floor while night walking.
Noah didn't press the issue, his gaze sweeping over the piano standing in the corner of the living room. He knew Finn well enough to sense the underlying truth, his tone tinged with helplessness, "You aren't planning to just pick up an instrument that's easy on the hands just because you've sprained your ankle and can't move, are you?"
"You want to learn the piano? I can teach you." Anthony said enthusiastically as soon as he saw the piano.
"You play the piano?" Finn was somewhat surprised.
Yeah, there are piano melodies on my Peanut & Pippin channel," Anthony said. "I played them all myself.
Finn immediately reached a consensus with Anthony, this small interlude passed quickly. Anthony was primarily there to talk about his show, "Rat Rise: The Great Human Level-Clearing Battle." The recording for the first episode was scheduled to begin in mid-November, so there wasn't much time left to prepare for them. However, these matters had nothing to do with Finn; after all, he was only responsible for designing the hamster's image.
Oh, right, Finn also took it upon himself to undertake the important task of dressing up as a hamster and dancing.
Is your foot okay?" Noah asked, unable to help but worry. "You're still going to dress up as a hamster?
It's just a sprain," Finn said hurriedly. "It'll definitely be better in a couple of days; it won't be an issue.
“Did you get paid enough for your appearance?” Noah turned back to look at Anthony and asked with a smile, “You certainly have quite the status, having the young master of the Osborn Group come and dance for your hamster.”
"He didn't give anything at all, just a blank check," Finn immediately chimed in.
It's just that lately, all the money has been tied up in this project," Anthony said, looking somewhat embarrassed, but he quickly added, "A blank check is still a check. After all, you're investing in the future of the rats.
".. Then I can't tell either, whether it's better to work for the Osborn Group or work for the hamsters," Finn chuckled.
"Speaking of the Osborn Group—" With the discussion about the project nearly finished, Anthony began to transition to the main topic of this meeting.
Finn didn't expect that his friends would actually come over to have a serious discussion with him about how to fight the inheritance lawsuit.
After all, this matter was of great importance. Anthony had contacted very professional lawyer friends, ensuring Finn that this matter would certainly not reach Harry Osborn's ears, the three of them were definitely the most tight-lipped of friends.
Finn: ".." But I only just sent him an angry text this morning.
Currently, there are approximately two directions—
Finn could claim that Norman Osborn lacked full capacity to act in civil matters when he made his will.
"If it can be proven that your father was experiencing side effects from medication or suffering from cognitive impairment at the time the will was made, the will could be declared invalid. However, this would require obtaining his complete medical records and finding the caregivers or private doctors from that time to testify," Anthony said. It was true that Norman Osborn had indeed been severely ill and taking medication before his death, which was a point that could indeed be exploited.
“May I ask how long a lawsuit like this would take?” Finn asked.
"Two to five years, or even longer," Anthony said, especially since the opponent was Harry Osborn.
Finn: ".." I don't have that much time to waste on fighting over an inheritance.