[A dead heart suddenly felt a vibrant beat.]
I have always believed that the Osborn Group will only walk toward a more glorious and magnificent future under his leadership.
On the dark circular giant screen behind Finn Osborn, the gilded New Era was shining brilliantly.
But even more brilliant than this gilded splendor—
It was that overly handsome and noble face under the spotlight. A brilliant smile spread across the young man's lips, carrying the high-spirited radiance of youth, yet soaked in scorching confidence.
The New Era of Osborn Group will be ushered in by Harry Osborn.
There were no superfluous pleasantries, nor any bow of respect.
The young man simply raised his hand, his green eyes shining, as he placed two fingers sharply against his temple in a casual, dashing salute.
At this moment, it was as if all the radiance of the entire world had converged upon him.
I am Finn Osborn.
See you in the New Era.
Chapter 37: Heart and Shell
When Finn stepped down from the podium at the press conference.
The way all the employees of the Osborn Group looked at Finn had completely changed.
Andrew's hands, holding the camera, trembled uncontrollably, causing the lens to shake slightly.
Staring with an expression of awe at Finn, who had appeared before him once again.
Finn remained as if nothing had happened, immediately looking around and asking about Harry's situation.
Has anyone seen Harry? Have you been able to get in touch with Harry?
"Mr. Osborn.. is in the other control room." Manager Daniel hurried over, his voice still carrying a trace of lingering dryness. He had been watching from backstage, his heart racing with both fear and excitement, his throat still felt tight even now.
Really?" Finn Osborn was a bit surprised; it turned out Harry Osborn had already arrived at the scene. "Take me to him.
But seeing how orderly the scene was, Harry's people must have already taken control.
"You.. aren't you nervous?" Andrew finally found his voice, asking stumblingly. Perhaps the people in the audience had no idea that the speaker for this press conference had been changed at the last minute, but Andrew certainly knew that Finn was completely unprepared.
"Aside from feeling nervous when I'm being scolded, I don't usually feel nervous at other times," Finn answered seriously after thinking for a moment, as if he were completely unaware of the incredible scene he had just created on stage.
"Young Master Finn.. how do you know so much about the press conference?" Standing at the scene of the press conference, Manager Daniel could be said to have had his heart in his throat the entire time, as he listened, he became increasingly shocked, could no longer help but ask.
"Don't you pull me along to every single meeting as well?" Finn asked back, a hint of confusion appearing on his face.
The department within the entire Osborn Group that understood press conferences best was, without a doubt, the Brand Promotion Department.
Moreover, ever since Finn had been cornered and scolded 1v1 by Harry in the conference room, his self-esteem had taken a small hit. With his strong drive to improve, Finn would take some time every night to review or study the business operations of the Osborn Group.
Having once been the brain of a system, Finn's mind was naturally incredibly sharp, he could memorize things very quickly. He could grasp those complex business details and data with just a glance, not to mention that he also had a portable cheat like System PP.
".." Manager Daniel opened his mouth, but couldn't say a single word.
—You're physically in the meeting room, but you're not listening at all!
—If you're not drawing hamsters, you're drawing your brother blasting people away!
Moreover, those data points were simply too precise. Even Manager Daniel, in all honesty, could not have stood on that stage under such immense pressure and spoken them effortlessly, let alone provided the most perfect answers to those tricky questions posed by the reporters.
Manager Daniel couldn't help but think.. everyone knew that Harry Osborn was a natural business prodigy.
—At such a young age, he already commanded a massive corporation with extraordinary skill and unmistakable brilliance.
But why, why couldn't his brother be?
It was simply because the CEO, as an older brother, handled everything on his own, so no one ever noticed this younger brother behind him.
Thinking this way..
Manager Daniel even felt genuine pity for Finn, who was only assigned to be a low-level employee in his department.
Pushing open the door to the control room, Finn saw Peter and Harry at a glance.
Harry was also looking at him.
That radiant young figure on the screen, who commanded the entire stage, was now standing right in front of him.
Finn Osborn completely proved his ability at the globally watched press conference.
Harry thought that Finn would stand before him with a sharp aura, angrily questioning him as to why he had been absent at such a critical moment, nearly causing the Osborn Group to suffer massive losses; or that he would ask with blatant mockery and provocation why he had humiliated and suppressed him time and time again; or perhaps, he would haughtily tell him that he was not inferior to him at all, could even completely replace him—not just by standing in the center of the stage at the press conference, but by also taking the position of CEO of the Osborn Group.
But he did nothing.
The young man simply gazed at himself quietly with those bright, pure green eyes.
Finn actually had surging excitement hidden in his heart; he just hadn't shown it before.
Just as his rookie System PP loved sending him the [High Five. gif] emoji, whenever he finished such a highlight moment, the thing he wanted to do most was to send his dear Host a [Proudly Hands on Hips. gif] emoji.
The young man gazed intently at Harry and asked immediately:
Did I do well?
Harry stared at him blankly, momentarily speechless.
He never expected Finn to have such a reaction.
The young man's expression was filled with pride, but he looked as if he were simply waiting to be praised by him.
[Did I do well? Did I do well? Did I do well?]
Even Peter could clearly hear Finn's inner thoughts.
That voice echoed with increasing excitement, desperately craving a definitive answer.
Peter suppressed his urge to praise Finn out loud, instead subtly nudging Harry with his elbow.
Harry snapped back to his senses and met Peter's encouraging gaze.
"You.. did a great job." Only then did Harry speak hesitantly, his voice carrying a trace of imperceptible dryness and hoarseness.
This was the first time Harry had ever praised Finn.
It was also the first time Finn had received praise from Harry Osborn.
"I feel like I'm amazing too!" Finn instantly felt a sense of complete fulfillment.
The young man smiled with his eyes curving into crescents, his green eyes sparkling like scattered crystals, dazzlingly bright.
"What happened to your hand?" Finn suddenly frowned, looking with confusion at Harry's bandaged right hand.
"I just injured it by accident," Harry said nonchalantly.
Finn's brow furrowed even more deeply.
[Is he having an episode? He really is having an episode, isn't he?]
Hearing Finn's thoughts at this moment, Peter couldn't help but freeze; this was the first time he had ever captured the keyword "Harry's sickness" from Finn's thoughts.
—What kind of sickness is it?
Could it be.. that Harry is the one with mental illness?
Recalling Harry's various abnormal behaviors after getting into the car, as well as how Harry had suddenly punched and shattered the mirror in the restroom before the press conference, even leaving his hands bloodied, Peter's doubts grew deeper and deeper.
You have your birthday party tonight; you should go get ready." Harry quickly composed himself, regaining his usual composure. He certainly knew just how grand Young Master Finn Osborn's twentieth birthday party would be. Harry turned to look at Peter and said in a calm tone, "Go over there with Finn. I'll handle things here.
"I can go a bit later." Peter was in no rush. Both of Finn's butlers were waiting, as were Max and Andrew; they had already planned to head to Noah Hart's studio with Finn immediately after the press conference.
Since it was a birthday, Noah had naturally prepared a very grand OOTD for Finn, which clearly required some preparation time; Peter thought it would be fine if he just waited until the party started to go. Peter was a little worried about Harry's health, since it was a rare turning point where Harry and Finn's relationship had eased, Spider-Man had to seize the momentum and provide a bit more support.
Time is indeed a bit tight," Finn Osborn said, glancing at the time. Seeing that Harry Osborn still maintained that composed and impeccable demeanor, Finn Osborn said no more. He naturally believed that Harry Osborn's ability could resolve everything, including easily dealing with Marcus and his group. "If you don't need anything else, then I'll be going.
For some reason, after the press conference ended, Finn found that his Misery Value had inexplicably increased by 2%.
—Could it be that he successfully inflicted misery on Marcus and his little buddies?
—But the Misery Value didn't increase when he punched Marcus before.
Finn had always been somewhat unclear about the rules regarding the fluctuations of his Misery Value, but regardless, any gain was an unexpected bonus.
The young man turned to step away, but he heard Harry suddenly call out to stop him:
Finn.
The young man paused in his steps and looked back.
“Happy Birthday.”
Even though it was Finn Osborn's birthday, Harry Osborn felt as if Finn Osborn had prepared a massive birthday gift for him.
After receiving Harry's seemingly sincere birthday wishes at this moment, Finn could even clearly feel.. that Harry's attitude toward him had undergone a very soft transformation. Finn was momentarily stunned; it was as if he had been happily playing with people at a party, only to realize belatedly as he was leaving that the party had been hosted by a rival company.
—Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
He is not a system from the face-slapping channel; he is a Host from the Misery Value channel!
He can temporarily stop striving for progress, but he cannot let all the previously established plotlines collapse!
—Are you ever going to complete the mission or not!?
You know I'm not doing this for you." Finn's internal alarms began to blare as he urgently started pulling his plotline back into place. The young man deliberately lifted his chin, his tone becoming cold, harsh, arrogant, forcing out a sense of detached cruelty. "I simply don't want Marcus and his lot to damage the interests of the Osborn Group.
As the young man's attitude suddenly shifted, Harry's expression froze as well.
If you really want to wish me a happy birthday—
Finn's green eyes also lost their previous warmth, he spoke with a sharp, prickly tone.
Then give it to me, the gift I want.
You know what I want.
Hearing this, Harry's lips instantly tightened, pressing into a cold, hard arc.
He only felt an extremely intense sense of fragmentation.
It was as if the Finn standing on the stage, even the one from just a minute ago, was not this current version of himself.