35: Chapter 35 Spider-Man's First Battle

Felicia awkwardly smoothed her hair. "Hi, Mom, you've returned at such a convenient time."

Peter swallowed, unable to say a word.

He was frantically relieved inside: it was fortunate that he had changed his suit into casual clothes just now.

Otherwise, this scene would only be more socially disastrous.

As for the mess left by The Hand, it would have to be dealt with another day.

Peter sat in the dining room, looking completely calm.

"Are you nervous?" Felicia raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on her lips.

"Not nervous." Peter answered firmly.

"Then if you keep gripping my hand so tightly, my bones are going to break." She glanced at Peter's white knuckles.

"Sorry." Peter immediately let go.

Felicia chuckled. "Actually, you don't need to be nervous, just be yourself. Remember the first time you met Uncle Ben and Aunt May? I told you not to be nervous then too, but it didn't help at all."

"I remember."

"It's the same now." Peter sighed.

Ever since they were caught making out in Felicia's room by her mother last time, Peter had received the first real death threat of his life.

Mrs. Hardy had been furious at the time, accusing Felicia of betraying her trust and complaining that she never brought boys back to her room when she was young.

Felicia let it go in one ear and out the other, but Peter genuinely hoped that this woman would like him.

When Mrs. Hardy refused to approve of him, citing that she "didn't know him," Peter offered to sit down and have a proper talk. Hence, the current scene.

"Relax, Tiger." Felicia leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Being nervous is useless; she's probably already forgotten about today, maybe she's even on her way to Washington right now."

Peter rolled his eyes. "She's your mom after all; even if she's usually careless, she wouldn't forget something this important, would she?"

"Peter, I don't want to bring you down, but you aren't the center of the Universe."

"No, I am the center of your Universe." Peter smiled.

"Spare me those cheesy lines."

"I'm serious. Precisely because this matter is important to you, she definitely won't forget." Peter shrugged.

"Dare to make a bet?" Felicia's eyes twinkled.

"Bet on what?"

"If you win, I'll let you have your wish tonight—the best late-night window-crawling tryst." She smiled like a cat that had stolen some cream. "If you lose, you have to stay in my bed all night and use that amazing eloquence of yours to keep me entertained."

Peter immediately perked up. "Deal."

The two waited for a few more minutes. Just as Peter thought he was about to lose the bet, the door opened, and Mrs. Hardy walked in carrying bags of all shapes and sizes.

"I won." Peter whispered, cheering.

Felicia muttered gloomily, "Of all times, you had to come back now."

Mrs. Hardy walked into the kitchen and froze when she saw the two of them. "What are you doing here?"

Peter blinked. "Didn't you ask us to come over today, saying you wanted to get to know me better?"

"Oh... is today today?" She looked blankly.

"Uh, yes."

"Goodness, I completely forgot!" Mrs. Hardy gave an awkward, dry laugh.

Felicia leaned into Peter's ear and whispered, "I won."

"That's not fair, you said she wouldn't come, you didn't say she would forget about it!"

"So, a draw?"

"What about the reward?"

"We share it." She smiled slyly.

"That's reasonable." Peter smiled too.

Mrs. Hardy turned around and noticed they were still standing there. "You haven't left yet?"

"Mom, you did say you wanted to talk, and Peter is a stubborn guy." Felicia giggled.

"Right, right, sorry, but we'll have to talk another day. I've invited important guests tonight. Sorry, Peder..."

"Peter." Peter corrected her.

"Right, Peter. Felicia, go change your clothes quickly, the guests will be here soon."

"What? You're just going to kick him out?" Felicia was furious.

"Kitten, it's okay." Peter sighed.

Upon hearing this term of endearment, Mrs. Hardy gasped.

"No, Peter, this isn't okay!" Felicia glared at her mother. "He's my boyfriend, you can't just kick him out like this!"

"Suit yourself, but you are not allowed to speak during dinner; you must not ruin my business, do you hear me?" Mrs. Hardy narrowed her eyes.

"Fine." Felicia gritted her teeth.

After Felicia went back to her room to change, only Peter and Mrs. Hardy were left in the kitchen.

"Peter," Mrs. Hardy finally spoke up, "When the guests arrive, find an excuse to leave on your own."

"What? But..."

"No buts." She interrupted him coldly. "This is my house, you have to listen to me. I won't let my daughter waste her life on some street-level thug living on the streets. I know you kids are impulsive at this age, but I will never accept someone like you. Don't embarrass me."

Peter stood frozen, his heart boiling with anger.

Did this woman know who she was talking to? He was Spider-Man, for goodness' sake! He had saved New York and taken down the Green Goblin, yet he was being called a street-level thug?

His heart burned with rage, but his expression remained calm as water. He nodded slowly. "Mrs. Hardy, do you really know me?"

"What do you mean?"

"You don't even know my grade or where I live, yet you dismiss me as worthless based on my appearance." Peter pointed to his clothes. "I may not dress like an elite of high society, but I guarantee I have many qualities you would appreciate."

"For example?"

"For example, your daughter passing physics is entirely thanks to my tutoring." Peter shrugged.

"You're tutoring her?" Mrs. Hardy was somewhat surprised.

"Yes. I'm actually quite smart." Peter chuckled.

Mrs. Hardy's eyes were skeptical, but her attitude softened slightly. She sighed. "Perhaps I spoke too hastily just now. But tonight is too important for me; nothing can go wrong. When this busy period is over, I will give you time. But tonight, you must go."

"Understood." Peter cursed the old hag in his heart.

After Felicia returned, Peter didn't mention her mother's harsh words, only saying he would come another day. Although displeased, Felicia understood.

The doorbell rang. Mrs. Hardy immediately put on an enthusiastic, beaming smile and opened the door.

"Norman! I'm so glad you could come!"

"Thank you for the invitation, Mrs. Hardy." Norman Osborn walked in wearing a tailored suit, then pushed the person behind him forward. "You remember my son, Harry Osborn, right?"

"Hello, Mrs. Hardy." Harry Osborn gave a shy smile.

Peter rolled his eyes internally. Why was Norman Osborn as hard to shake off as psoriasis? It was like this now; what would happen when he turned into the Green Goblin later?

"Welcome, please come in." Mrs. Hardy greeted them warmly. "Is anyone else coming tonight?"

"Just the three of us, and..." Norman's gaze fell on Peter and Felicia in the distance. After seeing Peter's face clearly, he laughed out loud. "I really didn't expect to meet you here!"

Peter also put on a smile. "Dr. Osborn, how have you been?"

"Excellent, Peter." Norman turned to Felicia. "This must be your daughter, right?"

Mrs. Hardy paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Felicia, come here." She hugged her daughter. "My pride and joy. I heard she and Harry Osborn go to the same school?"

Norman nodded. "Indeed."

"What a coincidence! Felicia, take Harry Osborn around for a tour." Harry Osborn immediately gave a slightly sleazy smile.

Peter's eyes turned cold; he really wanted to punch this guy's teeth in.

"Peter," Mrs. Hardy turned to stare at him, "Didn't you have something to do?"

"Do I?" Peter asked back coldly.

"Didn't you just say you were going to leave..."

"I changed my mind." Peter strode over to Felicia, pulled her into his arms, and stared fixedly at Harry Osborn. "I need to stay here."

Mrs. Hardy was so angry her face turned green, Harry Osborn looked nervous, while Felicia smiled sweetly. Seeing this, Norman laughed heartily. "Great! I was just looking to have a chat with Peter; what a coincidence!"

Mrs. Hardy recovered from her shock. "You... know each other?"

"Know each other? This young man single-handedly saved my company!" Norman laughed.

"What?" Harry Osborn and Mrs. Hardy said in unison.

"What's going on?" Felicia leaned into Peter's ear.

"I stopped one of his scientific experiments from exploding and didn't let half the block get blown sky-high." Peter whispered in explanation.

"As Spider-Man?"

"No, as Peter Parker."

"You owe me a detailed explanation."

"No problem."

Norman continued. "At the Christmas party, I invited him over, intending to poach him. But he took one look at Otto's machine and figured out my plan for the night in seconds. Not only that, he pointed out a fatal flaw in the machine that almost bankrupted the entire branch. He is my savior."

Peter paused slightly. He hadn't really thought that much about it at the time; he didn't expect to have inadvertently prevented the birth of Dr. Octopus and the Green Goblin? He hoped so.

"Really?" Mrs. Hardy looked at Peter in disbelief, her expression completely changed.

"Of course it's true." Norman patted Mrs. Hardy's shoulder. "Alright, let's talk business. Harry Osborn, you go upstairs and hang out with Peter and Felicia."

Harry Osborn nodded obediently. Peter raised an eyebrow; this guy was like a wimp in front of Norman.

In Felicia's room, Peter mentally sliced Harry Osborn to pieces with his gaze. The two didn't say much until Norman and Mrs. Hardy finished talking.

The dinner atmosphere was harmonious. Norman Osborn was indeed a conversationalist. Peter could understand his arrogance; it was the capital he had fought his whole life for. At the same time, he also understood why Norman hated Harry Osborn—if he had such a useless son, he would also be so angry he'd want to hit someone.

"Peter, what big project is the Baxter Building working on lately?" Norman asked.

"Nothing groundbreaking at the moment. We just got a patent for a digital folder, something like an advanced e-book reader. The production rights were sold to Amazon, and it's expected to be on the market in five months."

"A very smart move, stable cash flow." Norman nodded.

"Susan Storm is in charge of the money. Without her, the Baxter Foundation would be bankrupt in a week."

"Susan Storm is indeed impressive." A trace of imperceptible admiration flashed in Norman's eyes.

"However, Peter, when I was looking at the Baxter Building's patents, I found something very revolutionary." Norman stared at Peter. "Have you heard of 'Parker Blood'?"

Peter didn't change his expression. Playing dumb in front of Norman was a big taboo.

"Heard of it?" Norman asked.

"Of course," Peter smiled slightly, "because that's what I invented."

"You?" Harry Osborn's eyes widened.

"What, did you think someone else would name an invention 'Parker'?" Peter scoffed. Mrs. Hardy looked shocked, while Harry Osborn turned green with anger.

"I knew it." Norman smiled. "A genius design. How do you plan to market it?"

"That's Susan Storm's department; we're only responsible for providing toys and opinions."

"Looks like I'll have to talk to her. To be honest, Peter, I don't understand why you're still in high school. Your talent should be used in the business world."

Peter shrugged. "I know. But I'm just a kid, Norman. I want to experience life first, not turn into a heartless money-making machine. Too many geniuses in history have gone down that path and ended up forgetting how to be human."

Norman nodded appreciatively. "A very mature thought." He glanced coldly at Harry Osborn. "If only other peers could be as sensible as you."

Peter felt smug inside, but kept his expression impassive.

After dinner, Norman took his leave. Mrs. Hardy looked at Peter, her attitude completely different. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Peter. I hope we see more of each other in the future. Felicia, see Peter out."

After Mrs. Hardy went into the kitchen, Felicia immediately hugged Peter. "The way you stood up to my mom just now was just so cool."

"You're welcome. To be honest, it felt pretty good." Peter grinned.

Felicia stood on her tiptoes and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. She whispered, "In an hour, knock on my window. You owe me a late-night tryst."

Peter nibbled on her earlobe. "As you wish, Kitten."