Peter and Andrew were also in the ward. Finn wasn't particularly surprised, but—why was Harry here?
A low voice suddenly rang out, breaking the subtle silence in the ward.
"I need to have a private word with him." Harry finally stood up and walked toward the hospital bed step by step.
—He had been waiting for Finn Osborn to wake up for a long, long time.
—It had been so long that he could no longer endure it.
Young Master Finn has only just woken up; now is not a good time for conversation." Catherine showed an unprecedentedly firm attitude, standing firmly in front of the hospital bed. Her tone was full of protectiveness, as if she were guarding a fragile treasure. "Mr. Osborn, your brother is very weak right now.
Finn blinked; he could certainly tell that Harry Osborn was acting very strangely right now.
It's fine," Finn said. "You two go prepare some food first; Harry and I will chat for a while.
“Let them talk privately.” Catherine wanted to say more, but was gently stopped by Butler Joseph. Butler Joseph shook his head at her. He could certainly see that there were many misunderstandings between Finn and Harry, it would be good to use this opportunity to clear them up. Moreover, seeing Harry's disheveled and pained expression earlier, it was obvious to Butler Joseph that Harry cared about Finn.
Andrew's gaze was deep and filled with hostility as he stared at Harry. After the massive shock of Finn's self-harm, the gloomy young man was like a creature covered in thorns, his entire being radiating alertness, as if he believed Harry would hurt Young Master Finn once again.
What happened to your head?
Finn's sudden, out-of-the-blue comment left Andrew stunned for a moment.
Then, seeing Finn looking at him, Andrew realized that Finn was actually asking him.
A bruise darkened his temple, its edges slightly swollen and red, making him look truly disheveled.
“I accidentally.. bumped into a wall.” Andrew's voice instantly dropped. The sharp hostility from just a moment ago dissipated like a popped balloon, he returned to his usual timid self, speaking with his head bowed.
Then be careful," Finn said with a laugh, not doubting him for a moment. "I thought you'd been beaten up by someone.
Andrew's body trembled.
Seeing that Finn could still manage his usual smile, Andrew's eyes grew incredibly sore.
It was clearly his fault; he knew that the video he had posted on his own initiative had brought a storm of trouble upon Finn, pushing Finn into the eye of the storm and leaving him to be attacked with the most vicious language by those who did not know the truth. Andrew knew that Finn had seen the video; he was even certain that his video was definitely one of the triggers for Finn's condition to flare up.
He had already prepared himself to be questioned by Finn, to be loathed by Finn, to be discarded by Finn like trash, but the only thing he never expected was—
After waking up from the hospital following his self-harm, Finn was actually able to smile and show concern for him.
Andrew lowered his head deeply and bit his lower lip, barely managing to hold back his tears.
His heart felt as if it were being pricked by countless tiny needles, the pain so intense that he could barely breathe.
After enduring immense pain, despair, frustration that he could hardly bear, seeing such a smile again was, for Andrew, like being suddenly pulled back by a beam of light from the depths of a bottomless abyss.
Andrew only knew—
He was willing to do anything, everything, all things for this smile.
[Misery Value detected rising, Misery Value +1%]
Finn: "??" Where did this Misery Value come from again!?
"Andrew, let's head out first." In order to give the Osborn brothers some space to talk privately, Peter naturally pulled Andrew out as well. Andrew originally wanted to argue, as he was worried about leaving Harry and Finn alone in the same room, but he also really didn't want Finn to see him in such a pathetic state, crying with his face covered in tears. Being pushed from behind by Peter, he had no choice but to go out.
As Peter passed by Harry, he stopped and reached out to pat Harry's stiff back.
Finn also didn't know what Harry wanted to talk about.
But as the ward door was gently closed, Finn only felt the sense of oppression in the air grow even heavier.
[The pressure is immense.]
Harry stood by the hospital bed with a cold expression, his eyes cast down as he gazed at the pale young man in the bed, his thin lips pressed tightly together. Those surging waves of worry, fear, anger, heartache, mixed with extreme suppression, nearly burst through his chest.
He clearly had so much he wanted to say, but at this moment, facing Finn's vacant gaze, he lacked that sharpness and composure he possessed at a negotiating table. Even a single word felt extremely difficult to utter.
He wanted to show concern for Finn.
But the concern shown by everyone in the ward who had truly cared for Finn from beginning to end was so straightforward and overt that he didn't need to say a single word of pale, redundant, belated concern.
It was just that deep sense of suppression and rage, held tightly within his chest, that threatened to burn him to ashes.
This anger was not directed at Finn.
But rather against himself.
It was directed at his self-righteous self, at the self that always used the "Osborn Group" as an excuse to be indifferent toward his brother, at the self that repeatedly pushed Finn away with cold words, never realizing that he had long since been overwhelmed.
Especially when thinking of the image of Finn lying in a pool of blood, guilt and anger surged like a violent tide, nearly drowning him. There might have been more than one trigger for Finn's self-harm, but Harry knew that he was the original culprit, the one who had directly pushed Finn's mental state into a dead end.
"How long have you been seeing a psychiatrist?" Harry finally asked in a cold, hoarse voice.
Finn froze, clearly not expecting Harry to ask that.
Since the Legal Department of the Osborn Group was already there during his stay in the ward, Harry directly issued orders to them. Those who slandered Finn on the internet, or those who used Finn's popularity for hype by posting false information, would all have to pay the price they deserved. At the same time, he ordered the Legal Department to work with the Brand Promotion Department to clear all defamatory false content about Finn across the entire internet as quickly as possible, leaving no trace behind; he did not want Finn to see it again once he regained consciousness.
At the same time, the Osborn Group and his own platform also reposted Finn Osborn's video. Harry didn't want to care about, nor did he have the heart to think about, how people in the outside world would speculate; undoubtedly, this action simply represented his own stance.
While waiting for Finn Osborn to wake up, Harry also summoned all the surveillance footage from the time Finn Osborn had started working.
In the video, Finn was indeed quietly painting for most of the time.
But he would often suddenly stop what he was doing, his eyes going blank, stare into thin air for a long time.
Sometimes, he would curl the corners of his mouth without warning and smile exceptionally happily, as if he were sharing something interesting with someone.
Harry's heart sank bit by bit. His brother was right under his nose, right there in the Osborn Group, right in the place closest to him, yet.. despite such obvious abnormalities, he had only just realized it now. Especially that workstation—it was something he had only "bestowed" after his brother had fought for it time and time again.
Was it because Finn was too lonely that he hallucinated another existence?
An "illusory existence" that could respond to him at any moment, understand all his thoughts, ensure he would never have to face the emptiness alone again?
Even though Finn had so many friends, even though he could be surrounded by people who loved him as he pleased..
Just the thought of Finn potentially pouring his heart out to the empty air during countless late nights, seeking comfort from non-existent hallucinations, made Harry's chest ache so much he could barely breathe; he felt even more self-loathing for only realizing these irregularities so late.
[Misery Value rising, Misery Value +1%]
Lost and Bewildered · Finn: ".."
Although the Misery Value had been stuck and hadn't been increasing before, Finn found it a bit frustrating.
But now that the Misery Value was suddenly and continuously rising, Finn felt a strange sense of panic.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Seeing that Finn was just staring blankly without answering, Harry asked again.
"Do I need to tell you that?" Finn asked, looking bewildered and somewhat cautious; he didn't take Mental Illness seriously to begin with.
Harry's body shuddered violently.
Finn's expression of confusion at this moment was as if he were asking—
Why should I tell you?
Even if I told you, would you care again?
Harry suddenly recalled that late-night phone call he had received from Finn, saying that he had been in a car accident. Was he very scared at that time? Was his subconscious reaction to call his last remaining family member? Was it because of the panic that, in that moment, he desperately hoped to receive his care?
Even if it was just a single sentence.
[You are an adult. I won't indulge you blindly like my father did, I will also help you resolve the accidental mistakes you've made.]
Can you handle it?
Then Finn received a cold, harsh, severe response from him. He had clearly told Finn that he was an adult and told him to solve his own problems. Yet now, he had turned around to question Finn, asking why he hadn't told him about any of these things.
This belated concern felt so ridiculously superfluous that even Harry felt a sense of profound embarrassment.
[Detected rise in Misery Value, Misery Value +1%]
The Misery Value was still rising, Finn was like a cat that could hear a bell ringing but had no idea where the bell was.
He felt incredibly uncomfortable all over.
Are you worried that.. if my mental illness becomes known to the outside world, it will have a negative impact on the Osborn Group?" Finn calmed down and, from Harry Osborn's perspective, thought about it seriously, coming up with a more reasonable explanation. "Noah made the appointment with the psychiatrist for me, they all maintain patient confidentiality. I have only told a few people about this matter, so it shouldn't reach the outside world.
Hearing this, Harry's pupils constricted and his hands trembled; he began to uncontrollably pick at the wounds on the back of his hand that had not even healed.
—How could he be so cold-blooded?
—At this point, could he still be calculating the gains and losses of the Osborn Group in his mind?
But when Harry met Finn's clear eyes, he realized the young man truly felt that way.
Because so far, every confrontation between them, even every communication, has only ever been tied to "corporate interests."
Because in Finn's eyes, he had given all his shares to him, only to be ruthlessly kicked aside.
Because in Finn's heart, his older brother always put the Osborn Group first.
Because—Finn felt that he was not important to Harry at all.
Yeah..
Everything he has done so far, for Finn Osborn, wasn't it simply that the Osborn Group is what matters most?
[Misery Value rising, Misery Value +1%]
Finn felt even more uneasy. He was unclear about what had happened after he fainted, only feeling that perhaps some greater storm unknown to him had occurred in the outside world, plunging Harry Osborn and the Osborn Group into a crisis.
The pale young man, who had only recently regained consciousness while sitting on the hospital bed, frowned in thought, his voice very soft and carrying a hint of cautious guilt: "Is it because.. my self-harming affected the Osborn Group?"
Harry was stiff and cold, like a frozen statue, his gaze falling blankly upon Finn, who had a look of guilt on his face.
His innocent and pitiful younger brother was staring with a pair of bewildered eyes.
Word by word, giving him the sharpest knife, carving the deepest and most painful wound into his heart.
Just as he once was.
It was as if this was the retribution he deserved for all the mistakes he had made.
Harry Osborn, who had never been able to understand the concept of family, finally understood that one sentence he once couldn't comprehend—
[Family is supposed to be our safe harbor.]
[But many times, it is the place where we encounter our deepest heartache.]
Chapter 46 Reflection: Heartache
Finn had been in a coma the entire time, he had no idea what had actually happened after he had self-harmed.