Pushing through the crowd and moving past the clamor, they stood steadily by Finn's side, becoming his Iron Triangle.
The playback ended with that explosive color powder group photo that had gone viral across the internet.
Two lines of text lay quietly on the screen:
【An eighteen-year-old crush is like a grand summer.】
【Passionate and sincere, hidden within every gaze that looks at you.】
And in the comment section of this video, the pinned comment was—
The whole world is going to know that Peter Parker likes you before Finn Osborn does.
Meanwhile, at Eden Mental Hospital.
Harry sat on the hospital bed, his fingers swiping across the tablet screen as he watched the video in its entirety.
The young man's brow went from a slight furrow to a tight knot, his expression shifted from calm to stunned.
Finally, even Harry, who was usually unflappable, completely broke down, leaving nothing but disbelief in his eyes.
Harry: ".."
Harry: "??"
Harry: "??"
—The whole world must have known before me that my best friend actually likes my brother??
Chapter 69: Peace ° Breakup
Spider-Man was dazed.
Even though he is Spider-Man, once he strips off that suit, he is just an eighteen-year-old high school student.
He just wanted to have an open crush on someone during his youth.
But who could have imagined that his little secret, which he hadn't dared to voice, would ultimately become known to the entire internet.
After getting to know Finn Osborn, Peter, as Spider-Man, also began to pay more attention to his own identity as Peter Parker. Because of his friendship with Finn and the fact that he could move through Finn's Party without any issues, as well as the explosive popularity of the game show Rat Rise, Peter could be said to have instantly become a prominent figure at Midtown High School.
This itself wasn't a bad thing; in fact, Peter even made many new friends because of it.
When you're in the spotlight, you have many friends.
Of course, when a person becomes famous, these friends will also swarm him with questions—
Is it true that you have an open crush on Young Master Osborn??
Peter hadn't felt this level of social death in a long time.
What made it even more terrifying for him was that even Aunt May, who was far away at home, had caught wind of the latest gossip from across the internet. She specifically cornered him at home for a serious "family meeting," her eyes full of an interrogative gaze that demanded he tell her everything.
Peter found so many GIFs about him online.
What "[Trending Hamster], [Finn's Obsession System], [Young Master Osborn Stalker].."
It is truly too exaggerated.
Even more absurd was that the bombshell news of the New York battle ending and Spider-Man officially joining the Avengers didn't even match the trending heat of the hashtag #Peter Parker's crush on Finn Osborn#. Entertainment truly is everything.
Peter even had the illusion that he had accidentally wandered into the entertainment industry and risen to become a top star—passersby followed the trend and joined the fandom, fans who shipped the couple were even using high-powered binoculars, scouring every video and every photo for details. Even a subconscious glance or an unintentional approach from him could be analyzed into an eight-hundred-word essay on his secret crush.
Peter held his phone and replayed the footage repeatedly, feeling more and more lost the more he thought about it.
—Did I really act.. that obviously?
—My gaze was really stuck on Finn the whole time? It couldn't be that exaggerated, right?
—Can't people who are just friends do these things?
What surprised him even more was that he and Finn's CP actually had an exclusive name.
——【Pinfinity】。
Even the number of netizens following the [Pinfinity] topic is growing.
[High-IQ Social Butterfly and Wealthy Heir] X [Sunny, Athletic, Pure-hearted High School Student].
It's a brand-new type, but the more people ship them, the more enthusiastic they get.
The follower count is still skyrocketing at an astonishing rate, with fan art, short stories, edited videos appearing one after another.
The more Peter watched that video—the most viral one on the internet right now, the one that confirmed his crush beyond a doubt—the more he felt something was wrong.
This video.. is just too well-made.
Rather than saying Sherlock Holmes was looking for clues about a crush, it was more like—
Someone specially made this video to push the narrative that he is chasing Finn Osborn.
It even secretly contained hidden agendas, adding several character traits to him to specifically highlight his strengths.
So, Peter immediately tracked down the video's publishing account, he actually succeeded in finding it.
"Ned!" Peter rushed straight to Ned's house.
Pushing open the bedroom door, the sight before him froze him in his tracks.
It wasn't just Ned; his classmates from school who were on good terms with him were also crowded around the desk and on the floor, each with a laptop. The screens were densely packed with clips of him and Finn together, CP discussions, video comment sections, drafts of new videos being edited.
It was practically—a crime scene!!
After their secret activities were discovered, all the young people present were somewhat panicked.
"What are you.. doing?" Seeing this scene, Peter's pupils dilated in shock.
"What are you doing here?" Ned was also quite surprised, a hint of unexpected panic visible on his face.
"That video.. you guys made it?" Peter took a deep breath, suppressing the shock in his heart.
The classmates looked at each other, their expressions replaced by a look of being [exposed but proud]; they nodded at Peter with considerable confidence, even carrying a hint of expectation that said [praise us].
“Why!?” Peter didn't expect that the ones pushing him into such a social death scenario were actually his own good friends.
“That's because we're your best friends, of course!" Ned immediately straightened his back, looking as if he were charging into battle for you. "I didn't proactively expose your crush on Young Master Finn; you were just being too obvious, netizens dug it up themselves. I saw all sorts of clues being unearthed. Instead of letting others speculate and make things up, we might as well strike first!"
Finn was already a trending topic, now that he was the Osborn Group CEO, his status had been elevated far too high. Ned was naturally worried as well; Peter was just an ordinary high school student, having a crush on Young Master Finn would inevitably make the public think he was overreaching.
Ned couldn't let his best friend suffer such an injustice.
Coincidentally, it was precisely because Peter had gained so much fame through the "Rat Rise" project, creating a purely positive impression. Ned felt this was a perfect opportunity to use this momentum to edit all of Peter's highlights into the video. Now, everyone felt that Peter and Finn were a powerful duo, since they had an open crush on each other for so long, it was seen as incredibly pure.
But Ned naturally also knew that this kind of public opinion required management.
It was also all because of Peter. As Peter's friends, these classmates had the opportunity to attend various parties hosted by Finn, later, they even successfully joined the volunteer ranks for Rat Rise. Not only did they have a great time, but they also truly learned a lot about marketing and operations, they just happened to encounter this incident where they could put that knowledge into practice.
Peter's friends formed teams together without even needing to discuss it.
Moreover, several girls joined in with high spirits, wearing expressions that clearly said they "totally understood" and were "shipping it for real."
They kept it a secret from Peter, secretly forming an entire invisible support group for him behind his back.
It could be said that they were racing against time on the front lines of gossip, leading the masses to ship couples effectively and efficiently.
"Don't think you're the only one without an all-powerful social circle, you have one too," Ned bumped Peter, his tone full of pride.
And the organizer of this fan club was, without a doubt, Ned.
He was very proud—
His best friend is Spider-Man, the hero who saves New York!
Even if it's just a crush, it should still have this kind of scale!
Look, isn't the wind blowing in your favor now? Everyone is shipping you and Finn," Ned said with a laugh. "And those lines, you know, the ones about how 'an eighteen-year-old crush is like a grand summer'—those were specially thought up by Mia and Elwin. Girls are just different; they're so thoughtful.
Mia and Elwin gave Peter a brilliant smile—don't worry, they knew exactly what they were doing!
“……” Peter still hadn't recovered from this maneuver.
Although it was a "backstab," it was indeed from an "ally."
By the way, I also came up with your CP name, 'Pinfinity'!" Ned added with a look of pride once again. "What do you think? Isn't it both catchy and meaningful?
Pupil Tremor · Peter: ".." So it was you!!
“Don't thank me too much, bro,” Ned said, patting Peter's shoulder with a look of loyalty. “I only hope you remember, it's not just you, Finn, Andrew who make up the Iron Triangle—I'm part of the Iron Triangle with you and Finn too!”
“You're the one who should be thanked, Peter!” the other classmates joined in, their eyes full of excitement. "You have to seize this opportunity! Once you're actually with Young Master Finn, make sure you invite all of us when he throws his next party!"
Someone even added in a low voice, "It doesn't matter if you can't become a billionaire yourself; being able to help your best friend become a billionaire's boyfriend—think of how high the value is! Take a chance, you'll be classmates with the boyfriend of the Osborn Group CEO in the future."
Peter felt as if his worldview was shattering. He fell silent for a long while before leaning his head in his hands and sighing, "I need a moment to process this."
Then he pulled Ned into another room and spoke.
He pulled Ned, who was still in high spirits, into the adjacent room, closed the door, then spoke helplessly:
Ned, I admit, I do like Finn. But I never intended to confess right now.
But now that things had developed to this point, the Little Spider-Man was also very confused.
So when do you plan to confess your feelings again? You've had an open crush for so long, why haven't you confessed yet?" As Peter's best friend, Ned knew Peter's two biggest secrets: one was his identity as Spider-Man, the other was his feelings for Finn Osborn. "I know, Finn Osborn's status is extraordinary, you feel pressured because of it. But right now, I feel like everything is moving in a smooth direction, isn't it? Everyone also thinks you two are a perfect match.
Ned didn't want to expose Peter's secret crush on Finn, but this time, netizens dug it up themselves. The tide turned quickly, everyone was paying attention, which made Ned feel that, as Peter's best friend, he had to step up and help.
That really doesn't sound like you," Ned didn't know what exactly Peter was worried about. "When it comes to aliens invading Earth, you charge to the front lines without a second thought. Why are you so indecisive about something like liking someone?
“It's complicated.” Peter didn't know how to explain it.
What's so complicated about it? Because of the class difference?" Ned said dismissively. "He is indeed amazing as the Osborn Group CEO, but you are Spider-Man too! And you're even a member of the Avengers now! Besides, the story of Cinderella and the Prince has been around forever; it's not like it just became popular now!
Cinderella Spider-Man: ".."
Are you still afraid the wealthy families won't agree?" Ned started speculating on his own again. "Although it might not be quite right to say this, Finn only has one brother, there aren't any difficult wealthy parents standing in the way. Besides, you are Harry Osborn's friend; isn't that relationship a ready-made advantage?
—No, no, no!
—You'll have to put a big question mark there.
Peter still didn't know. Harry, who was still in Eden Mental Hospital, had always thought he was acting as a selfless peace ambassador, but after he had secretly and selfishly been undermining him behind his back, then suddenly discovered that the entire internet was shipping him and Finn, would he just break off their friendship?
I don't know what you're hesitating about," Ned continued to persuade, "this itself is the best opportunity!