But you also can't deny—
Sending his own biological brother in—how could that not be considered a vital investment project for the Osborn Group?
Noah fell silent.
His mood was somewhat subtle and complex.
He suddenly felt a bit afraid that if he kept fighting and grabbing, the final result would still be—
Sent to Eden Mental Hospital by Finn.
At that time, there would be no need for his biological brother and his wild brother to be at odds anymore, since the outcome would be the same regardless.
Regardless, everything was progressing steadily according to Finn's plan, but Finn hadn't expected at first that both he and Andrew would actually have the chance to be resurrected in the second themed match.
However, this was certainly a good thing.
Just as the vast majority of netizens expected, the trio of Finn, Andrew, Peter was able to reunite once again for the live recording of the first stage of the second themed match of Rat Rise. However, the plot followed the same old pattern—the aggressive Finn and the slacking Andrew failed the first stage once again, while Peter passed it steadily.
The familiar script played out once again.
A wave of enthusiastic words of comfort immediately flooded the internet—
It's okay! We'll give it our all and still secure a spot for you in the third stage!
[Humans never give up!]
Andrew, who was forced to suffer through a near-death experience: ".." There's really no need for this, just let Young Master Finn be fast-tracked, let me go!!
Just at this moment, when the entire internet was hyping up Finn, a sudden exposé unexpectedly dropped: someone claimed that Finn Osborn was hosting a drug party, they even attached several blurry black-and-white photos where Finn could be seen in the same frame as what appeared to be a white powder.
The angle was tricky, making it very easy for people to let their imaginations run wild.
The internet exploded instantly, public opinion was in an uproar; Andrew was the first to lose it.
He had always been by Finn's side and had never seen Finn touch such things; it was clearly a malicious slander by someone.
Andrew looked at those photos seriously; they weren't photos that had been intentionally photoshopped or forged.
But the truth behind the images was worlds apart from what the rumor-mongers claimed. He was present at that party, it was clear that Finn was simply playing the Color Powder Relay with his friends. Someone had deliberately chosen a tricky angle to take the photos, then turned them black and white and added a heavy blur filter, twisting a lighthearted game into something utterly scandalous.
——How could anyone tolerate this??
Andrew and Max rushed straight to the Osborn Group Legal Department, determined to catch the source of these rumors.
On the other side, Malton and Noah also clarified this matter as quickly as possible.
Of course, there were also Finn's friends, who were all active participants in the party. This wasn't just a smear against Finn; it was practically dragging everyone down with him. Who would have thought that an activity like the Color Powder Relay could be so maliciously distorted?
The most terrifying thing on the internet is not the rumors themselves, but the fact that there are always people who refuse to use their brains, using only a few out-of-context photos to be certain that high-society parties for the wealthy are this eyesore. Immediately following that is the indiscriminate, mindless following of trends to make malicious speculations, even going as far as to imagine that more filthy schemes are hidden behind Finn's party.
Finn's friends were absolutely furious, one after another jumping out to speak up in his support:
【Finn is the kind of person who would openly post a "No Drinking at Twenty-One" rule at a party and arrange for specialists to strictly enforce it. Even Finn himself has never consumed alcohol at a party; that is the standard of the Osborn family. He would never do such a thing, he would find it beneath him.】
Who hasn't played the Color Powder Relay? I'm truly speechless. Do they really think everyone online is brainless? They think they can just make things up based on those few photos? I can understand riding the hype to get traffic, but this kind of fabrication is pure slander and a malicious crime.
Who on earth is looking down on the Osborn Group CEO? @Osborn Legal Department, we have work to do! Your CEO is being slandered! We must sue the rumor-monger until they are bankrupt; they must learn the price of malicious defamation!
[Don't think that Finn's parties are just about pure indulgence. While we have gained so much joy here, we have also met many excellent friends and gained many opportunities for cooperation. I believe many people participate in Finn's parties specifically for the chance to access such high-quality social settings; it's not only high-end business dinners that hold such value.]
As a girl, I feel truly lucky to know Young Master Finn—he lets me have fun at a party without any worries. This kind of peace of mind can only be felt at Young Master Finn's parties. The invitations state it very clearly: the entire venue is equipped with surveillance and security; he has always put everyone's safety first.
Seeing such ridiculous rumors makes me absolutely furious! Do people have no bottom line these days, just trying to ride the hype? Trash! Do you really think Young Master Finn would care about your petty tricks?
[You have to take responsibility for spreading rumors; don't think that just because someone else is leading the charge, you can follow suit and speak ill of others. Although Finn is the CEO of the Osborn Group, this only means he carries even heavier pressure than others. A person who works harder than others, lives with passion, expresses vitality and value through various means is absolutely not worthy of being so maliciously slandered.]
..
The rumors were baseless to begin with, nothing more than a few deliberately edited photos.
Combined with the collective testimony of those who witnessed the party, there was no solid evidence to support the rumors, this inexplicable incident quickly died down.
Andrew went even further, impulsively posting the original, full-length video of the Color Powder Relay on Finn's social media platform—
The lights in the video were bright, everyone was laughing and playing. Joining Finn in the relay were Elias, Noah, Peter, all of whom were very familiar faces.
Colored powder indeed flew everywhere at the scene, everyone was very happy. The so-called "drugs" were nothing more than colored powder used for the game, all the slanders were instantly debunked.
Almost the entire internet sided with Finn, the Osborn Group Legal Department also identified the people spreading rumors behind the scenes at top speed, issuing a new official announcement.
However, no one expected that while the storm seemed to have subsided, a new trend would inexplicably arise once the original color powder video was released.
It even intensified, becoming a new topic of frenzied discussion across the entire internet.
And this sudden viral sensation was titled—"Every Eighteen-Year-Old's Secret Crush is Like a Grand Summer."
It all started with a comment in the comments section that was inexplicably pushed to the top, where someone cautiously asked a single question—
[Wait.. doesn't anyone think Peter seems to have an open crush on Young Master Finn?]
Chapter 68: Open Crush Exposed
When the online rumors shifted from the nonsense of #Osborn Group Young Master Gathering to Use Drugs# to the unexpected twist of #Osborn Group Young Master Having an Open Crush from an Eighteen-Year-Old Friend#, this sudden turn of events left Andrew completely stunned.
What on earth—what is even happening?
Almost all the netizens who had been following those baseless rumors had shifted to a new camp. No one was clinging to those groundless slanders anymore; the matter had passed so simply that no one even mentioned it. Instead, they had all transformed into Sherlock Holmeses, beginning to dig for hard evidence regarding #Peter Parker has a crush on Young Master Osborn#.
Andrew was stunned.
He watched the video of his [Color Powder Relay] that he had posted on the platform over and over again several times:
In the video, Finn was the third runner, following Noah.
The waves of cheering and jeering at the party rose higher and higher. As the center of attention, Finn had a low threshold for humor and was easily amused; the breath from the young man's nose escaped uncontrollably onto the playing cards, causing the colorful powder to scatter everywhere.
His face was covered in colorful powder.
Peter was the next runner after Finn, the young man kept smiling as he watched Finn and the little kitten.
According to the rules of the game, Finn hopped on one leg all the way to Peter's front. Distracted by laughter, Finn was being quite slow, the colored powder on the card held in his mouth was taking a long time to reach Peter.
Until the countdown at the side of the field began to roar, Peter finally lost his composure.
Peter reached out one hand to firmly grasp Finn's wrist to steady him, while his other hand decisively wrapped around Finn's waist. It looked as if he wasn't using much strength, as he easily and steadily lifted him up with just one hand.
Finn was caught off guard, instinctively using both hands to brace against Peter's shoulders to steady his balance. The young man lowered his head, the colored powder on his face fluttering down, landing entirely on the card being held in Peter's mouth.
The colored powder drifted lightly, creating a hazy, multicolored halo between the two of them.
The video froze here, Andrew abruptly pressed pause.
It's right here, it's right here..
Andrew looked at the comments and realized that the public thought the point of Peter's open crush on Finn was during the relay, because during the relay, Peter had directly picked Finn up. Such an action was bound to make people think there was something more to it.
The two were standing so close that their noses were almost touching. With the colorful powder flying in the background and the dazzling lights, the scene somehow managed to create an indescribable sense of ambiguity, looking much like the prelude to a kiss in an idol drama.
Andrew took out his phone; a photo was being shared frantically online.
It was a screenshot of this very scene, which had been painstakingly color-graded and light-edited by enthusiastic netizens looking for trouble.
The flying color powder mixed with the brilliant lights, making everything seem immersed in a kaleidoscope of colorful halos, encircling the two youths in the prime of their lives right in the center of the flowing light, making them the sole focus amidst the clamor.
Peter lifted Finn up effortlessly and securely with one hand, his arms strong and steady.
Their faces were inches apart.
Finn closed his eyes, the corners of his lips, which were holding a card, still curved in a lingering smile. The young man's handsome face was so covered in colored powder that his original fair complexion was obscured, fine particles of powder clung to his long eyelashes, like fragments of starlight fallen from a brilliant galaxy.
But Peter tilted his head back, his gaze staring intensely at Finn.
Even Peter Parker's ear tips, stained by the colored powder, were bright red, making them exceptionally prominent in the frozen photograph.
This photo, without a doubt.. the atmosphere is just too incredible.
Anyone who saw it would feel a tremor in their heart, moved by the passionate and pure beauty of the emotions blooming between young people.
It was like the most vivid and burning form of love during one's most brilliant years.
Because the atmosphere at the party was already so intense, everyone present at the time, including Andrew himself, felt it was nothing more than interaction between friends. Andrew didn't notice anything unusual while filming the video, he didn't think there was anything wrong with it when he posted it. But as soon as this video was released and exposed to the public eye, everything suddenly changed.
[I can't tell if Young Master Finn actually likes Peter, but Peter has definitely fallen for him!]
As expected of the winner of the Rat Rise challenge, what arm strength! He picked up Young Master Finn with just one hand! He lifted him up so smoothly!
【Who carries someone high up during a Color Powder Relay? I bet a hundred hamsters that Peter has an open crush on Young Master Finn.】
【Does anyone know if they are actually a couple or not?? This is very important to me!】
【A love story between a domineering CEO who owns a business empire and an ordinary eighteen-year-old high school student? Is a novel becoming reality?】
【Who stares at their partner like that while playing a game? Everyone else is like a background prop; Peter's eyes are only on Young Master Finn.】
The point is his earlobes! Peter's earlobes have turned completely red!
..
The eyes of the entire internet swarmed in to ship the Young Master Osborn's romantic storyline, this explosive public opinion left Andrew at a loss for what to do. Andrew himself felt there was nothing between Peter and Finn; they were just simple good friends.
But now, as one of the most "genuine" victims of Rat Rise, Andrew was well aware of the power of the internet—even if he had no desire at all to be a Human Resister, the vast netizen community could push him back into that position through sheer collective willpower, even if Peter truly had no such feelings for Finn, he would likely still be branded with the label of having a "secret crush" due to everyone's wild imaginations.
In the midst of the chaos, Andrew came across another viral video related to this topic—
How to Treat a Friend vs. How to Treat Someone You Like
He was actually in the video.
It was when Andrew was participating in the first episode of the Rat Rise competition; when he was the first to fall from the giant disc into the water, looking utterly despondent as he choked on a few mouthfuls of water, Peter and Finn were both on the shore, laughing uncontrollably.
By the time Andrew finally managed to swim to the shore, Peter took the initiative to reach out his hand and pull him up from the water.
Then, when Finn fell into the water—
Peter jumped straight in and fished Finn out of the water.
Moreover, the young man with incredible arm strength used both hands to support the young man's waist and lift him onto the shore, before finally pulling himself up by bracing against the edge of the pool. Soaked to the bone, Peter didn't bother wiping the water off himself; instead, his first priority was to wrap Finn tightly in a large towel and use another small towel to dry Finn's hair and face.
Finn just lay there with his head tilted back, looking as natural as if he were already used to it. The young man still complained to Peter with a hint of resentment, asking why he didn't have a chance to [resurrect on the spot]. Peter looked down at him, smiling as he patiently helped him dry off.
At the time, he didn't notice, but now, watching this video from a bystander's perspective, Andrew realized it belatedly—
This is truly blatant double standards.