Andrew forced himself to pull his thoughts back and replayed his edited video, the frames flashing before his eyes one by one.
At the beginning of the video was Finn's clear and candid voice—
Hello everyone, welcome to the Osborn Group press conference. I am Finn Osborn.
The camera cuts to Finn's morning, where everything in the young man's life was as orderly as always.
Except for the fact that today he wasn't going to the Osborn Group, but was heading straight to the press conference.
At the press conference venue, everyone was busy, but Finn, who was equally dressed in a suit, seemed to have nothing to do. This young man didn't take "important occasions" to heart; the only thing he cared about was the buffet and the snack area, where he went to grab food from time to time.
Until the press conference, Finn was still casually sketching in the lounge, occasionally looking up to strike up a conversation with him.
The atmosphere at the press conference site finally grew tense, as Harry Osborn, who should have arrived long ago, failed to appear.
This abnormal atmosphere finally affected Finn, who was just there as a bystander.
The young man took the initiative to communicate with the anxious-looking manager from the Brand Promotion Department, suggesting that the manager who had been planning the press conference could step in for Harry Osborn on stage. However, the manager kept shaking his head, the conversation subsequently revealed the intention to [cancel the press conference].
Countless tense faces flashed across the screen, even the camera was trembling.
And in that deathly, stagnant silence, Finn seemed to have made a decision.
The young man took off his suit jacket, casually draped it over a nearby chair, tidied his clothing with a casual gesture, then, with his shimmering green eyes looking calmly at the trembling camera, he chuckled and spoke in a voice that sounded almost soothing—
[What's there to be nervous about?]
[Small scene.]
Then, he was composed like that.
Without a moment's hesitation, from the cramped and oppressive backstage.
He walked step by step toward that stage where the spotlights converged and the entire world was watching.
At the end of the video, the footage cut to those five shocking seconds that had gone viral on the internet—
Under the spotlight, the young man stood straight, the light in his green eyes shining brilliantly as he saluted the world.
[I am Finn Osborn.]
See you in the new era.
At five in the morning, Andrew watched the video over and over again, the emotions churning in his chest nearly bursting out of his ribs.
—Why couldn't he help Finn?
Andrew certainly knew how much of a storm the release of this video would cause at this time.
The Osborn Group, of course Harry Osborn, would never want anyone to know that behind that seemingly perfect press conference, there had been such tense chaos, that Harry Osborn failed to arrive in time and almost had it canceled; nor would they want anyone to know that they would rather let the press conference fall through than ever consider that Finn could hold his own.
No one had ever expected him.
Not even his own brother.
Andrew thought that Finn might have already gotten used to it.
—But why?
Andrew clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles turning white; he felt a sense of resentment.
The oppressive darkness caused an even more oppressive sense of resentment to grow within him.
He could endure all the misery, humiliation, contempt.
But he could not bear the people covered in light who dragged him out of the darkness, for they had to endure the same darkness of being misunderstood.
Even if a thousand people were given such an opportunity, none of them could have seized it, yet Finn did.
Why is it that everyone only sees Harry Osborn, the person in power at Osborn Group, yet fails to see that Finn actually possesses talent that is in no way inferior to Harry's? Why does everyone assume he is the keynote speaker in the plan, unaware that he is prepared for everything, anytime and anywhere? Why is it that everything Finn does is to ensure Harry receives praise and honor, while he himself deliberately buries his own brilliance?
What's even more ridiculous is, why does everyone attribute this brilliance to the "guidance" of Harry Osborn?
Andrew wanted everyone to see that Finn Osborn possessed talent and brilliance no less than Harry's.
Seeing that no one was looking forward to his moment, he could withstand the immense pressure and hold everything together for the Osborn Group.
There was no carefully prepared press conference to push his younger brother into the spotlight; all the brilliance belonged to Finn Osborn himself. He had simply never been given any care or opportunity by that stingy and indifferent brother.
At this moment, Andrew even had the absurd thought that if he looked like Harry Osborn, even if he were younger than Finn, he could.. be Finn's brother. He would be there whenever called to accompany Finn through many things, just as Mr. Wilson said; he would use the camera to record every brilliant moment of his, he could even use his powers to protect him.
At least when it came to being a family member—he could definitely outdo Harry Osborn.
Andrew Damon watched this video for a long time, hesitating for a long time.
It felt as if he had never done anything so significant in his entire life.
He was afraid he would mess up, he was afraid Finn would be angry, he was afraid of getting Finn into trouble, but—
This will be the first time Finn Osborn truly makes his voice heard to the world.
Just as Peter said, he should become the protagonist of the stage.
Outside the window, the sky was already beginning to brighten.
Urgent and impulsive feelings finally overcame everything, Andrew's hands trembled uncontrollably as the mouse moved toward the "Send" button.
A sliver of light leaked through the cracks in the curtains as the dawn broke.
He took a deep breath and clicked the mouse.
The caption contained only one sentence—
Happy Birthday, Young Master Finn.
Chapter 39: K-Drama · Camping
When Peter put on the Spider-Man suit to look for Finn, Finn was already waiting for him by the window quite obediently.
This even gave Peter an illusion—
He seemed to have traveled across mountains and rivers specifically to meet the "Little Prince" living in the high tower..
Peter could clearly hear Finn humming an original little tune in a cheerful tone within his heart—
Today is today's brain~
[Tomorrow is tomorrow's brain~]
Use today's brain for today, tomorrow's brain for tomorrow~
What kind of cute nonsense song is this? Peter really couldn't help but laugh under his mask.
In the next second, he appeared hanging from a web, curling his fingers to tap lightly on the glass window.
The moment Spider-Man appeared at the window, the long-awaited Finn simply cupped his face and said with a smile—
You're here.
Peter had certainly been at Finn's birthday party as well; he saw Anthony and Blake coaxing Finn to drink, Noah saw it too, merely smiling without intervening. Finn was clearly drinking for the first time and was somewhat tipsy, a flush of crimson on his cheeks, yet he looked as if.. he had become even more well-behaved.
Under the cover of night, that pure white long-haired kitten lay lazily on the bed, its green eyes staring just as intently at him, the uninvited guest.
"I have a gift for you!" Finn said, immediately bursting with joy and excitement.
Spider-Man: "??" Isn't it your birthday?
"There are two contracts here, please sign them." Finn took out two Portrait Rights Licensing Contracts he had prepared long ago. The general idea was to authorize Finn to publicly release memes created based on the personas of Peter Parker and Spider-Man on his personal platforms. Not only that, but any profits generated from subsequent derivative works, such as illustrations and merchandise based on these two personas, would belong one hundred percent to Peter and Spider-Man.
Finn thought very well.
If Peter were to be split into two, if he were to receive two birthday gifts—
Then Peter and Spider-Man should also receive two equivalent return gifts.
One was the little boy from Flying Pillow, the other was the Amazing Spider-Man.
"Look, I've finished them all." Finn showed off on his tablet. Two complete sets of sticker packs, each containing 24 stickers, clearly showing that he had spent a significant amount of time drawing them.
Ever since the "Mr. Suit" series of emojis unexpectedly went viral, the "Sleepless Summer" series he drew had also gained significant popularity. Although the response to other characters was relatively lukewarm, Finn's art account had garnered a considerable amount of attention because of it.
What was originally just a small account used to casually record his preferences had unexpectedly become a steady way to make money, which gave Finn even more confidence to push out the memes of Peter and Spider-Man. After all, Finn had always wanted to draw memes of Spider-Man, but he had never found a way to bring up the topic of Spider-Man with Peter.. He just hadn't expected Spider-Man to deliver himself right to his doorstep.
Since Finn had already prepared everything, there was no reason for Spider-Man to refuse or to dampen Finn's spirits, it was just—
"You want me to.. sign two copies?" Peter looked at the two contracts on the table, his voice tinged with hesitation.
"Oh, right, he also has to pretend he is Peter Parker's friend." Finn only then realized.
Then you sign yours first." Finn handed over the Spider-Man Portrait Rights Licensing Contract. "As for the contract for your good friend Peter, wait until he comes tomorrow to sign it. Will he.. come tomorrow?
Looking at the way the young man was staring at him so intently while asking the question, Spider-Man found himself at a loss for words, caught between laughter and tears.
".. He should come, right?" Peter himself was somewhat unsure whether it was even necessary to continue keeping this secret, given that both sides already knew Spider-Man was not a secret.
"Where is my gift?" After Spider-Man finished signing, Finn immediately leaned in with a beaming smile, asking with eyes full of anticipation.
Peter subconsciously glanced into Finn's bedroom; it was, one could say.. already piled high with birthday gifts. Finn hadn't even had time to open them one by one; it was quite a massive undertaking. As Peter had long suspected this would be the case, the gifts he had prepared were, of course, special.
"Come on, I'll take you out to have some fun," Spider-Man said with a smile.
"The kind where you fly around between skyscrapers?" Finn's eyes instantly lit up.
Yes." Peter nodded, then asked again with a hint of concern, "Are you afraid?
"I'm not afraid," Finn blurted out without a second thought, his tone incredibly certain.
"I'll carry you." Spider-Man crouched down, gesturing for the young man to get on.
Finn climbed up with practiced ease, his hands firmly encircling Peter's neck. This wasn't the first time he had been carried like this by Peter; with the familiar strength and warmth, Finn actually quite enjoyed the feeling of being pressed against a "warm human."
[Cuddling Spider-Man!] Finn cheered in his heart once again. [Such a familiar feeling on my back.]
Don't let go.
Peter smiled and gave instructions, his arms steadily supporting Finn's thigh, ensuring he was positioned securely.
Wait, wait!" Finn suddenly thought of something and reached out to suddenly choke the neck of the Spider-Man who was about to set off. "If Joseph and Catherine find out I'm not in my room tonight, they'll definitely be very worried.
Deadly Chokehold · Spider-Man: ".." Good grief, your grip is really something else.
Peter also didn't have the heart to say it, pretending nothing was wrong as he slightly loosened his grip on Finn's hand.
"So—" Peter asked hesitantly; it was indeed very late now.