Finn hesitated for a moment, then walked over again, seemingly still cautiously observing his expression.
"How are you doing in the department?" Harry asked casually, pressing his throbbing temples.
"It's fine." They expected nothing from him; they simply treated him as a mere mascot.
A stiff, heavy silence fell over the office once again.
Harry wanted to bypass the topic of the inheritance dispute, but he also didn't know what else to say.
"Drinking?" Harry asked again, looking at the wine bottle on the table.
“I don't drink.” Finn shook his head; those under twenty-one aren't allowed to drink.
"If you don't drink, how did you get a stomachache?" Harry sneered, clearly not believing his excuse.
Harry didn't believe for a second that he wouldn't be drinking at those back-to-back parties hosted by Finn. What else would he drink? Milk?
Finn: ".." I already told you, it's a choice of debuffs.
A knock came from outside the office, Felicia said at the door that "Mr. Parker has arrived."
Peter was truly afraid that these two brothers would start arguing sharply again, so, right at the end of class, he rushed to the Osborn Group in a frantic hurry.
“Peter!” Seeing Peter, Finn's originally tense little face instantly brightened, his emerald eyes lighting up as he immediately trotted over with light footsteps.
Harry remained deeply sunk into the wide leather seat, his dark green eyes covered with an unshakeable gloom as he watched this scene with cold indifference.
Yes.
His younger brother was always so vibrant and full of life.
He could smile brightly at anyone without any hesitation, effortlessly earning the goodwill and intimacy of those around him.
Harry is also human, he also experiences jealousy—jealousy that Finn never has to bear the burden of the Osborns, jealousy that he can always live a carefree and easygoing life, jealousy that he is surrounded and catered to by everyone.
He even envied..
Harry's gaze slowly fell upon Peter.
Anyone who is jealous can easily receive Finn's warm treatment.
Yet, toward his own brother, who shared his own blood, he treated him as nothing more than a thorn in his side who had stolen their father's inheritance.
A very faint, mocking chuckle escaped from Harry's throat—
Is this not the truest side of human nature?
Without the entanglement of interests, everything can be beautiful.
That's true, after all.
How could one possibly untie the knot of [Inheritance]?
Chapter 29: The Living Dead · Near Death
“How is Max doing?”
Finn was also naturally curious about Max's situation.
"Max is at S. H. I. E. L. D." Peter had asked S. H. I. E. L. D. to pick up Max early in the morning.
Anyway, the current situation was that Finn knew his true identity was Spider-Man, Peter could clearly hear Finn's thoughts as well, so Peter didn't bother making up any more excuses and simply confessed that he had friends in S. H. I. E. L. D.
"His situation is quite complicated. I'm afraid he'll have to stay in S. H. I. E. L. D. for a while," Peter explained.
That's for the best," Finn said, actually feeling relieved, "Otherwise, I would have had to find a way to hide him.
"But Max doesn't seem to want to change back," Peter said hesitantly.
"Why? Does he just like blue?" Finn found it strange. Could it be that his transformation just happened to turn into his lucky color?
Max said he wants to dance in that Electro-man costume at the Halloween party you mentioned," Peter said helplessly. "He said this is the first time anyone has invited him to a party, since it was an invitation from you, Finn, he values this precious opportunity immensely and absolutely won't let you down.
Finn froze: ".. You should be able to tell that I was just mentioning it in passing, right?"
"I can only say that Max really took it to heart." Peter also knew that Max had a stubborn personality. Moreover, in the morgue, it was Finn's appearance that gave him a chance at a new life. To Max, who had experienced such dark times, Finn was like a light that brought miracles, leaving him filled with heartfelt gratitude and reverence.
You should find a chance later to tell Max that my party is also welcoming to ordinary people," Finn said to Peter with a deep breath, "I'm actually afraid his electricity will literally blow up my party.
When it came to parties, Finn thought of Andrew again.
He had also given Andrew plenty of time to prepare for the Halloween party, but Andrew was a quiet person and truly didn't share any news with him. Finn didn't know what stage of preparation Andrew was actually in, he had even less idea whether Andrew would simply drop the ball and stop altogether.
Finn couldn't expect the Misery Value to be carried entirely by Harry Osborn alone, so he decided to launch a surprise inspection, having Andrew report on the progress of the Halloween party preparations during the free time he had this afternoon after seeing his psychiatrist.
Andrew replied with "OK" as usual, this time he also brought Montgomery and Matt along.
Finn marveled that they truly were a great trio.
After finally waiting for the key figure of [VS Andrew's Dignity Confrontation Track: Rich Second Generation Total Defeat Plan], the result—
The one who spoke was Steve Montgomery. This young man started talking immediately, speaking at length about various creative ideas for Halloween, even went so far as to prepare an exquisite PPT, reporting his work to Finn point by point with great seriousness.
As for Andrew, whom Finn had originally intended to make things difficult for, he remained tucked away to the side like a silent gourd, holding a camera to record everything, yet he did not dare to meet his gaze, appearing just as uneasy as before.
".." Finn Osborn realized that his deliberate attempt to make things difficult had failed to cause Andrew Damon any misery at all.
On the contrary, it happened to be a perfect match for Montgomery's expertise.
Submit him a beautiful answer.
Obviously, the video that Finn had them specifically film last time, which covered all of his needs, must have been studied repeatedly by the three of them after they returned. Not only did Steve Montgomery and Matt Garrett seamlessly integrated all the requirements he had listed into the proposal, but they also added many extra novel and interesting Halloween party ideas that they thought he might like.
Moreover, the quote was quite low, many parts were even free.
"They don't want any money?" Finn was somewhat surprised.
"Getting an invitation to Finn Osborn's party is enough for them," Steve Montgomery said with extraordinary confidence. Young Master Osborn's parties were already famous within their social circles, a Halloween party was even more enticing. Moreover, New York was already full of dance troupes, but having one's own exclusive stage time at Finn Osborn's Halloween party was a prime opportunity for exposure that many dance troupes would desperately crave.
Montgomery, who was already highly skilled at socializing, had been busy preparing for this matter lately.
With his identity as Finn Osborn's event planner, everything was going quite smoothly. Almost everyone was happy to sit down and chat with him, discussing their ideas for Halloween. Moreover, the budget Finn provided was quite high, which gave Steve Montgomery a great deal of confidence to secure the best terms while keeping costs as low as possible.
If this Halloween party could be organized brilliantly, Montgomery would feel like he was absolutely incredible!
Even before starting university, he already possessed such an impressive resume.
In fact, everyone is looking forward to it; they all feel that this will be a fantastic party." Steve Montgomery's eyes were filled with genuine excitement. "I also think it will be an unforgettable night!
What Montgomery felt too embarrassed to say was that when Finn had approached that event company before, they had intentionally quoted exorbitant prices, taking full advantage of Young Master Osborn's wealth to make him waste a lot of money.
Finn looked at Steve Montgomery before him, sighing at the fact that he was simply a high schooler who had just entered society—full of passion, pure, reliable. He didn't care at all about how much energy, time, or communication cost he would expend; he was full of drive and sought no reward, simply wanting to get the job done with all his heart.
"PP, look at how motivated others are when they first enter society, then look at your own motivation." Finn couldn't help but start lecturing his rookie System PP in his mind.
System PP began to feel a bit indignant: [I can do things like party planning too; I'm just not good at accumulating Misery Value.]
But you're the specialized system for this channel!" Finn said seriously. "Whatever you do, you have to love what you do.
System PP: [..] Do I have to seek out misery just because I've been produced?
As a rookie system that had just entered the market, System PP had already begun to contemplate the meaning and value of his own existence far too early.
Overall, I am quite satisfied. You have done very well, far exceeding my expectations." Regarding such a clear-headed, hardworking high schooler who doesn't even think about reporting, Finn really couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh, especially since the person he had originally intended to make things difficult for was Andrew. "But I think you can organize the party's flow more clearly; it's still too chaotic right now, which will make it difficult to control the situation when the time comes.
Regarding this, you can communicate and coordinate with the event company again; they have a bit more experience in this area than you do." Finn casually pointed out a few issues regarding the coordination and added, "Furthermore, according to your current plan, I believe the rehearsal is very important, but the rehearsal also involves many different aspects. You don't need to feel that you have to take full responsibility for this entire matter; I've said I will still be using the event company, so you can let them fill in the gaps where you are lacking.
Immediately after, Finn's gaze landed indifferently on Andrew.
Andrew's heart skipped a beat.
He keenly caught that gaze and realized instantly that Finn was dissatisfied with him.
Andrew naturally knew by now that being tasked with planning the Halloween party was a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for him, yet he simply tossed this difficult task directly to Steve Montgomery.
But Andrew couldn't exactly avoid handing it over to Steve Montgomery. On one hand, Steve Montgomery was simply too enthusiastic and had proactively taken on most of the work; on the other hand, Andrew certainly didn't want to mess this up.
It wasn't that Andrew hadn't contributed, it was just that compared to Steve Montgomery, his contribution seemed insignificant.
Finn was also thinking about his Misery Value plan at this moment. Since Andrew had successfully passed the specially designed Halloween party obstacle, he might as well pick up his previously shelved hamster plan.
I have a very important idea regarding the Halloween party," Finn said. "My friend Anthony and I are going to launch a new challenge show called 'Rat Rise: The Great Human Challenge.' The show is currently in preparation, with the first episode's recording scheduled for mid-November. Before that, we need to record a music video specifically for the show's theme song, which will serve as a teaser for the program.
The theme song is already finished. It's 'The Advancing Hamsters,' custom-made for this show by the OVERSTEP Band. It's a rock song," Finn said, his voice tinged with anticipation. "This MV needs a highly infectious and lively atmosphere; it doesn't necessarily need a formal recording venue. I think this Halloween party would be the perfect filming location.
“Our mascots are Peanut and Pippin; they'll be wearing mascot suits and dancing in the center position when the time comes.” At this, Finn pulled out his phone and opened a dance video that had been prepared long ago. The footage showed the final, finalized choreography. “The dancers I need must be able to perform this dance well to match the MV. Of course, since this is a music video that will be on screen, all dancers must pass a video audition first to ensure the overall quality of the group choreography.”
Young Master Finn, I think your idea is brilliant!" Steve Montgomery didn't think this new task involved a bunch of trouble at all; instead, he thought the idea was wonderful. Furthermore, being able to participate in the filming of a music video for a famous band like the OVERSTEP Band was something that had completely exceeded Steve Montgomery's imagination. "I will also do my best regarding the recruitment of dancers and the video auditions.
Finn looked at Steve Montgomery's enthusiastic expression: ".." He really was a fresh and useful [high schooler].
"In addition, Andrew—" Finn's tone then began to turn noble and aloof.
Andrew Damon, who had long expected this: ".." Go ahead, do you have some thoughts regarding me?
"Andrew, dance with me," Finn Osborn said lightly, though his tone was not one of inquiry.
Andrew froze completely.
"You want Andrew to dance?" Steve Montgomery and Matt were both stunned, their faces filled with disbelief.
Yes." Finn stopped pretending and brought his covert difficulties into the open, his green eyes carrying a sense of arrogance and overwhelming pressure. "There are two hamsters in total, Peanut and Pippin; I'll play one, so I'm still short one. It's not that difficult, is it? Andrew, your friends are all so motivated; surely you wouldn't refuse to do even such a small thing?
Steve Montgomery and Matt Garrett both fell silent. They had previously been privately wondering whether Finn Osborn was intentionally targeting Andrew Damon, now it seemed it was indeed true.
Andrew Damon also had his own thoughts.
When he last visited this villa, he happened to witness a fierce argument erupting between the Osborn brothers, Finn Osborn and Harry Osborn, with every word laced with sharp mockery. Harry had made it very clear, telling Finn to think long and hard before attempting to negotiate with him again; it sounded as if he intended to sever their brotherhood with money once and for all.
Andrew couldn't help but wonder if Finn and Harry had already negotiated today. Moreover, the negotiations had likely ended in failure, which was why Finn was seething with rage and had specifically messaged him to come over and serve as a target for his vent.
Although Andrew had long been prepared to be a punching bag, he never imagined.. that a punching bag would also have to dance?
"Does it—does it have to be me?" Just imagining himself dancing made Andrew Damon's scalp tingle with dread.
Finn thought very clearly in his heart; since the Misery Value plan was already well-laid, he should proceed step by step according to the plan—spending money, humiliating dignity, bullying through influence, continuous suppression, restricting freedom and time, forcing the other party to do things against their will.
A precision strike against the INFP personality.
As for why he kept picking on Andrew instead of anyone else, Finn Osborn himself couldn't quite figure it out.
Anyway, his persona was already that of a [arrogant, contemptuous, rich second-generation bastard]. Bullying someone who was powerless to resist and could only endure in silence must provide him with a greater sense of control and satisfy his twisted desires, right?
Right." Finn said, then skillfully and decisively pulled out a stack of cash and slapped it onto the table, his intention to use the power of money to exert pressure laid out quite openly. "Don't worry, you will receive the compensation you deserve.