The subject sits in the chair, the sensors on their body capture subtle changes in emotion and heart rate," Malton explained in the room. "If they don't tell the truth, the bell will remain silent; conversely, the more honest and heartfelt the words, the more likely they are to trigger the silver bell. The deeper the sincerity, the louder the chime.
Really?" Finn was a bit skeptical. "Is it truly that magical?
Why don't you just try it?" Steve Montgomery said with a smile, the surrounding classmates joined in the teasing, "Young Master Finn, if you just ask Peter a question, won't you know?
Andrew had already immediately entered the zone, finding the perfect angle to start filming.
Everyone in the room fell silent instantly, their gazes focusing squarely on the two of them. Two groups from different high schools, both aggressively shipping the couple, had gathered here for this very moment. Everyone's breathing grew lighter, the air was filled with an atmosphere of both tension and anticipation.
Finn lowered his head, quietly gazing at Peter sitting in the chair.
The silver bell fell silent, leaving only silence spreading through the room.
“Do you.. like me?”
Finn ultimately could not suppress the surging doubt, curiosity, excitement in his heart, spoke softly to seek confirmation.
Peter sat in the chair, his fingertips trembling violently.
The sensor pressed against his skin, at this moment, the answer he dared not voice in his heart could no longer be suppressed.
The young man did not dodge, nor did he evade.
He nodded heavily, meeting Finn's gaze.
Yes." Peter took a deep breath and then said firmly, "I like you.
Ding—
Ding-ding, ding-ding-ding—
It wasn't the wind.
It was the Weight of Truth, finally settling down.
It was that unmistakable, unshakeable affection, lying plainly and utterly before his eyes.
The silver bells on the three walls began to ring from the space between the two, rippling outward layer by layer. The delicate, fine tinkling was light and lingering, continuous and unending, like a downpour of starlight that enveloped the entire room in a gentle yet breathtaking sound.
At the same time, a violent thumping erupted within Finn's chest.
The young man's emerald eyes, like gemstones, trembled slightly. At this moment, they seemed to ripple with countless tiny waves, as if ten thousand stars had suddenly lit up in the dark night, or like the moment the sun leaps above the horizon in the dimness of a long wait for dawn, instantly illuminating the entire sky.
He could actually hear it so clearly—
The sound of a racing heart.
It was unexpectedly deafening.
Chapter 71: Night · Selfishness
Everyone present showed expressions of excitement and relief.
Especially Ned and Andrew—
One is the leader of Peter Parker's number one support group,
One is a die-hard solo fan of Finn Osborn.
At this moment, the two were in perfect sync, the same thought flashed through both of their minds simultaneously:
[Witnessing this scene with one's own eyes, this is the fulfillment Steve deserves within their Iron Triangle.]
The other young people thought the same.
—They're shipping them! And it's actually happening!
These high schoolers are also volunteers for Rat Rise, as volunteers, they naturally belong to the camp of Rat Admirers. Although both Peter and Finn are challengers of Human Resisters, on another level, what you cannot ignore is—Peter plays Peanut, while Finn plays Pippin.
In other words, you two are truly the Hamster Royalty!
The competitive show "Rat Rise" was originally derived from Anthony's [Peanut&Pippin] channel.
In other words—
You two are a perfect match!
As followers of the Hamster, is there anything more important than helping the two of you royalty be together?
Peter couldn't sit in the chair calmly anymore either.
He hurriedly and nervously peeled off all the patches on his body, then stood in front of Finn.
The gazes of the people around them were far too intense. Peter felt this was not a good place for talking, so he reached out, took Finn's hand, walked straight out of the room.
Peter could even hear the explosive, excited cheers and screams erupting from that glass room after he and Finn left the Bell of Truth's room; those sounds were so intense they made Peter's cheeks flush red, his heart raced along with them.
At the same time, Finn's inner thoughts were violently crashing into Peter's head, one sentence after another.
【He likes me.】
【Peter likes me.】
[He really likes me.]
[He actually likes me.]
..
But Finn's inner thoughts seemed to be stuck, repeating the phrase "he likes me" over and over again.
Peter finally managed to find a quiet corner and turned his head to look toward Finn.
The voice in Finn's heart stopped abruptly in an instant.
He just blinked those beautiful, clear green eyes, staring blankly at Peter, his pupils filled with confusion and helplessness.
"Have you.. decided?" Peter asked cautiously, testing the waters.
Finn shook his head hesitantly.
"Then, can I come to see you tonight?" Peter also guessed from the thoughts frozen in Finn's mind, then asked again.
Finn hesitated for a moment longer before slowly nodding.
Peter was silent for a few seconds. Relying on his golden finger that allowed him to hear Finn's inner thoughts, he wanted to eavesdrop on Finn's thoughts at this moment, but he found that Finn's inner voice had gone completely silent.
This feeling was like—
After encountering this bug of his, Finn was truly broken down into a machine that could only nod and shake its head.
But even that.. Peter thought was quite cute.
He's truly beyond saving.
"Do you have anything else you want to ask me?" Peter asked softly again.
Finn's slow-loading brain should have been brimming with many questions, but at this moment, he couldn't think of any.
So the young man slowly shook his head again.
Peter looked at Finn helplessly: It's over, he is truly stuck.
"Why are you here?" Peter could only ask questions that Finn would be able to answer.
“It's Malton,” Finn explained. “The expansion plan for the New Energy Base has been finalized, which includes building a new Osborn Science Museum. This project happens to align perfectly with Malton's study program. He brought me here to visit this Wings of the Future technology exhibition, saying it would be very valuable for reference, he's also going to help introduce the project team to me.”
Peter only felt that.. there was truly a massive game being played behind the scenes, involving coordinated efforts from multiple parties.
Clearly, even Mr. Malton was an important part of the scheme laid out by Ned and Andrew.
"Max didn't come?" Peter asked, feeling a bit puzzled again.
After dropping us off here, Max went to the Osborn Building; I happen to have some documents I need him to pick up," Finn explained. "And he also said he was going to the Legal Department.. he has a little Grudge Notebook.
Peter almost immediately pictured the scene in his mind: Max, as Finn's die-hard fan, would record every single one of those malicious comments attacking Finn in his very own Grudge Notebook, no one would be able to move past them easily.
Spider-Man didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He felt more and more that Andrew and Max had a lot in common. When the two of them were together, they would probably be able to bond over their respective grudge notebooks, united against a common enemy.
Then go ahead and get back to work." Peter nodded, knowing that since Finn had become the CEO of the Osborn Group, he was busy beyond belief every single day. The young man asked hesitantly once more, "Will you be coming home tonight?
Finn suddenly felt quite embarrassed. After all, he had intentionally had Malton answer the phone earlier, clearly to avoid Peter. At this moment, although Finn hadn't thought it through, he was also afraid that Peter might reject him to his face again—
Peter would have to contribute more fresh Misery Value to him.
"I'll come home." Finn nodded; he could only use the next few hours to think efficiently.
After parting ways with Peter, Finn directly dumped the matters regarding the science museum onto Malton. He then once again used remote communication to hand over his current tasks to his brother, who was still at Eden Mental Hospital, believing that balancing work and rest would lead to a healthier mind and body.
For the next period of time, he had to make every second count to think carefully about Peter's confession.
Finn began searching for answers and guides on his phone again—
[When a good friend confesses their feelings to you in front of all your friends, but you do not want to accept them, what methods should you use to ensure the other person is not hurt while still maintaining the previous friendship? And most importantly, you must not let him lose face in front of everyone.]
System PP: [..] The difficulty level of your questions is getting higher and higher.
Finn continued to ponder—
[If you had a perfect boyfriend who was impeccable and also your idol, you got along wonderfully, your entire social circle knew about it and even helped facilitate the relationship. However, how could you break up peacefully without hurting him? And how could you make everyone believe that you were the one who wasn't good enough for him?]
System PP: [Host, are you sure you can find the answer you're looking for online?]
Anyway, I'm very clear on this," Finn analyzed to himself. "If I reject him directly, Peter will definitely feel it's too much misery. But if I agree, trying to break up peacefully later will only be even harder.
Unless.. after dating me, Peter slowly discovers the flaws in me that he never noticed before, realizes I'm not the kind of person he imagined. Once he is disappointed and exhausted by me, we can part ways naturally.
It would be best if, during this time, Peter could meet his true soulmate, filling all the disappointments, leading him to slap my face and then reach the pinnacle of his life.
System PP wanted to advise the Host: stop writing your own random scripts.
While scrolling, Finn suddenly saw a trending topic—
[If I gave you five million US dollars to break up with your current partner, would you let go?]
[The answer is: 99% of people would choose to break up.]
【Five million already? Who would still want to be in a relationship? I could date ten male models.】
[Don't ask, if you must know, it's a breakup. It's not that I don't love him, it's just that five million is really hard to refuse.]
It's not about being materialistic; it's just that five million can solve 99% of my problems, whereas my partner cannot.
[I can always find another partner, but if I miss out on five million, it's gone forever. I'd choose the money with my eyes closed.]