Peter had no idea he had stepped into a chaotic situation, nor did he even realize it was one.
He hadn't even held a girl's hand before, so how could he think he had established any romantic relationship with anyone? As a poor kid who lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his uncle and aunt, Peter had never received so much attention. He wasn't unattractive, but in a prestigious high school filled with the children of the rich and powerful, it was unthinkable for a poor kid like him to be surrounded by beautiful girls.
Yet he succeeded. In the domain of men, he had defeated Eugene "Flash" Thompson, the muscle-bound bully who terrorized his classmates.
In this moment, he was the ordinary hero who had taken down the evil villain.
His classmates' enthusiasm was palpable.
Peter, perhaps unconsciously, embraced every girl who came forward to kiss him... Well, besides Liz, there were also girls like Michelle who hugged him. It wasn't exactly a kiss on the lips, but they at least kissed him on the cheek.
In the blink of an eye, his face and neck were covered in lipstick marks from different girls.
Every American high schooler is a walking bundle of hormones. Peter hadn't lost his composure entirely, but his heart was certainly soaring.
"Oh! Oh! Oh!" Under the dazzling lights around the boxing ring and the adoration of the girls, Peter waved his fist in the air from time to time.
However, this show of cockiness looked a bit odd in Gwen's eyes.
Atreus propped his chin up, watching Gwen's dazed expression.
Suddenly, Atreus sighed internally: Girl, you've already lost!
If it hadn't been for this unexpected boxing match, Peter's newfound female attention might not have come so early. When Peter was still penniless, Gwen might have had a chance if she wanted to be with him.
But that moment has passed.
It's not that childhood friends always lose to new romantic interests.
The key is that Peter had lived such a repressed life.
As a poor kid who could barely afford tuition, he had to hitch rides from the neighbors just to get to school and reluctantly accept all kinds of favors. Sure, George Stacy did it out of kindness, and Peter knew it too, but the weight of the class and wealth differences was something he couldn't shake.
Imagine a world where Peter, a regular guy and not Spider-Man, marries Gwen—or rather, joins the Stacy family as a son-in-law. In everyday life, Peter wouldn't necessarily be happy. The weight of his circumstances would follow him until he made a successful career and earned a lot of money, at which point it might gradually fade.
On one hand, there was Gwen, the beautiful childhood friend whose face he had grown used to but who represented that oppressive feeling; on the other, there was Liz, who had no prior ties to him, and other beautiful girls full of new possibilities... It's obvious what Peter would choose.
And in the free-spirited culture of America, girls don't have the concept of being reserved.
A good man must be won!
Seeing Peter's sudden popularity, and with the noisy atmosphere boosting her confidence, Liz boldly invited Peter: "Hey, Peter, I'm throwing a huge party at my place this weekend. Want to come with me?"
"A party? Uh, sure."
What American high schooler doesn't dream of being the star at a party?
Peter barely hesitated before agreeing.
At that moment, poor Peter had no idea Liz's dad would soon become the villain terrorizing New York—*the Vulture.*
No one knew if Peter could handle this stroke of luck.
Since the VIP seats at the boxing ring were the closest, Peter's conversation reached Gwen's ears, and her reaction was priceless—Atreus noticed her pursing her lips and clenching her fists.
Atreus could only laugh to herself. In the comics and movies, Spider-Man Peter has had over twenty girlfriends. If this blows up, it's his own doing.
Atreus was just here to enjoy the drama.
At that moment, Atreus suddenly spotted a mature-looking, slicked-back blond guy in the crowd—Harry Osborn!
The only son of the Osborn family and Peter's childhood friend.
But wasn't he sent off to boarding school by his father, Norman Osborn?
His presence here must mean Norman isn't doing well.
The *wheel of fate* has turned again.
What's interesting is that Harry was glaring at Liz, who was still clinging to Peter like a koala.
"Pfft!" Atreus couldn't help but laugh out loud again.
In the comics, Liz married Harry Osborn, while in the movies, Peter was the one crushing on her.
Atreus had no idea which storyline this chaotic world was following.
Either way…
There's always new drama to watch!
Every day is full of juicy gossip!
Harry strode over and hugged Peter: "Hey, man."
Peter's eyes widened as he joyfully greeted his childhood friend: "Harry? What are you doing here?"
"I had some stuff going on at home, and I thought I'd swing by to see if I could run into you. Didn't expect to walk in on such a show. Great fight, man!"
Peter looked a little embarrassed.
Just then, Liz recognized the Osborn heir: "You should come to my party this weekend too, Harry."
Harry winked mischievously: "Of course!"
The best part? At that moment, Black Canary chimed in for some reason, and, in a voice loud enough for Gwen to hear, she said: "Boss, Liz's father, Mr. Toomes, sent you an invitation to attend his party this weekend."
This wasn't surprising. Everyone in New York's upper class knew that a certain wealthy Gotham investor was planning to pour money into the city.
You know what's the worst thing about parties?
It's when a bunch of people gather to pitch projects, only to find out everyone's on the selling side and there's no one to buy.
Toomes might not *need* Atreus's money, but having a big investor show up at his party would boost his status.
But that wasn't Atreus's focus. What she cared about was the identity of these people: Spider-Man and his many girlfriends, the second Green Goblin, the Vulture, and the Vulture's daughter. If you linked everyone to their historical roles, you couldn't help but call this a complicated mess.
Since that's the case, why not throw in the *Godslayer Atreus,* *Spider Gwen,* and *Black Canary* too?
Atreus smiled: "What a coincidence! I might as well go take a look. Too bad I'm short a beautiful date!"
Someone was fishing without bait.
This kind of baitless strategy was something most people couldn't pull off.
Gwen was clearly irritated.
It wasn't that she didn't have feelings for her childhood friend Peter, but she had always been the strong one between them.
Now, the balance had shifted.
Peter was rising.
If Peter had risen on his own effort or luck, Gwen wouldn't have minded. The tricky part was that Peter's rise in this lifetime was thanks to the mutant spider she had hidden, which turned him into Spider-Man, allowing him to become the hero who took down the villain.
How could Gwen possibly feel good about that?
Sure, she could easily ask Liz for an invite to the party. But that would mean coming in a step behind. After all, she was just a police chief's daughter, and at the end of the day, a police chief is still just an employee with some authority. Her family, like Peter's, wasn't exactly well-off.
Liz's family, on the other hand, lived in a huge mansion in Manhattan's Upper East Side!
Going there, Gwen couldn't help but feel like she'd be beneath Liz.
Even though Gwen and Peter weren't romantically involved in this timeline, that "ex-girlfriend" vibe was still there, complicating things.
From ancient times to now, when an ex-girlfriend attends her ex-boyfriend's wedding, she doesn't just go for an average haircut—she gets the top stylist.
Losing in terms of presence is simply not an option!
Despite knowing that Atreus might have ulterior motives, Gwen, confident in her identity as Spider-Woman, wasn't afraid at all.
She smiled and said, "What a coincidence! I'm free this weekend. If Mr. Atreus doesn't mind, how about I be your date?"
"It would be my honor." Atreus gracefully took Gwen's delicate hand and gave her a gentlemanly kiss on the hand.
(End of Chapter)