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Watching Mike disappear from sight, Gwen pulled a long face and rushed into the room, her expression gloomy. As Clark sighed in the background, she looked at the snacks that had been uncovered. Her little face instantly fell, looking as bitter as a bitter melon.
Mike turned to look at Gwen, smiling. "Well done, sweetheart!"
He pulled back the bedsheet, revealing the thick mattress. Around the edges of the mattress, small bags were taped down one by one.
Each small bag contained a different kind of snack, all neatly sorted and clearly labeled.
Gwen's eyes went blank as she stared at the little bags. Forcing a smile, she asked, "What are all these? When did they get here?"
"Yeah, what are they? Maybe a little hamster hid them here!" Mike imitated Gwen's tone and added, "Let's take a look, shall we?"
As Gwen stood there, devastated beyond words, Mike began taking inventory.
"Three lollipops, six milk candies, two chocolate bars, three fruit hard candies, one small box of strawberry cream biscuits, one chocolate wafer…"
Seeing all the goodies she had painstakingly saved over time being dug out by her merciless dad, Gwen looked heartbroken, almost on the verge of tears.
Finally, when Mike pulled out a box of fruit-filled corn sticks…
"No, not that one! That one's off-limits!"
Gwen ran over and hugged Mike tightly. "Daddy, please, just let me keep one!"
Mike blinked in mock confusion. "What are all these things?"
"They're my hidden snacks," she confessed.
"I thought they were hidden by a little hamster?"
"I am the little hamster!"
Holding back his laughter, Mike took out the final snack. As tears welled up in Gwen's eyes, he casually said, "You can choose three kinds of snacks."
"Huh?"
Gwen looked at Mike in surprise, as if she had floated straight from hell to heaven.
"Really?"
Mike nodded and said, "Yes, but the rest I'm confiscating. If you want any later, just ask me."
These snacks were all very sweet, and since Gwen was still losing her baby teeth, eating too many wasn't good for her.
"Okay, okay!"
Gwen nodded eagerly.
"Go ahead and choose."
Gwen looked left and right, carefully selecting three kinds of snacks. As she watched Mike take the rest away, a little imaginary figure appeared in her mind. It waved a tiny handkerchief, tears in its eyes…
Farewell, my snacks. I'll never forget the taste of you melting in my mouth.
Elsewhere, after storing Gwen's snacks, Mike spent half an hour preparing dinner. The three of them then sat down at the table to eat.
"I have something I want to ask you two."
Hearing the serious tone in Mike's voice, Clark put down his bowl and chopsticks. Gwen took the opportunity to sneak a piece of meat into her mouth before looking up at Mike.
Mike paused for a moment and said, "I'm thinking of finding something to do."
"Huh?"
Clark looked surprised. "Dad, what do you want to do?"
He figured Mike must be feeling bored.
Gwen chimed in, "Daddy, are we bankrupt?"
Mike laughed. "No, I'm just feeling a little bored."
"Oh!"
Gwen let out a relieved sigh.
"Well then, this is your time to shine—what kind of job do you think I should do?"
Mike looked at them both expectantly.
"Chef!" they both blurted out without even thinking.
Mike responded, "Do I have any other options? I do have a lot of skills, like…"
He paused.
Assassin? Talking to parents about their kids?
Yeah, maybe don't say that out loud.
Alright, realistically, cooking was the most normal skill he had.
"Fair enough."
Mike nodded. "I'll think about it. Now eat!"
…
The next day, Saturday, the weather was clear.
Clark left early for the airport. Mike took Gwen to her martial arts tutoring session and brought Luke along since he was attending too.
As soon as the three got out of the car, a kid named Harry Osborn came running over.
He greeted Mike politely first, then pulled Gwen aside and whispered, "My dad's coming today. When we spar later… could you maybe go easy on me?"
He struggled to get the words out and then turned his head away in embarrassment.
Gwen thought for a moment, then nodded. "No problem!"
"Really?"
"Mm-hmm."
"Alright, I'll treat you to something nice later."
Harry Osborn said happily before running into the classroom.
His father was very strict, but Harry desperately wanted to prove himself in front of him—to see that look of approval in his father's eyes.
Gwen sighed. Poor guy.
She was lucky to have a dad like hers.
Luke turned to Gwen and said, "Here we go again. He does this every time."
"Well, can you blame him? I'm just too strong!"
Gwen sniffled smugly, a proud expression on her face.
"Come on, let's head in."
Mike led the two kids into the classroom.
A moment later, a luxury car pulled up by the roadside. The driver quickly got out and opened the rear door for the man in the back seat—a man with sharp, chiseled features and an air of icy sternness, dressed in a long trench coat.
Norman Osborn, head of Oscorp Industries and father of Harry Osborn.
"Wait here. I'll be back shortly."
With that, he adjusted his coat and walked inside.
As he entered the classroom, he gave a brief glance at the warming-up Harry before taking a seat beside the training area—right next to Mike. He then glanced at his watch.
Harry's plea yesterday had only earned him five minutes of his father's time.
After a short warm-up, the kids began pairing up for sparring practice.
Gwen was matched with Harry. They fought well, and Mike nodded slightly in approval. But with his keen eye, he immediately noticed that Gwen was holding back. A quick glance at the man beside him was all it took to understand Harry Osborn's little scheme.
In the end, Harry Osborn emerged victorious.
Gwen and Harry ran over to where their parents were seated.
Mike smiled at Gwen and said, "Not bad."
Gwen returned the smile.
Harry, eyes filled with hope, looked toward his father.
"You beat a little girl. What's there to be happy about? You made me waste five minutes of my time just to watch this?"
Norman Osborn spoke flatly.
The light in Harry's eyes vanished instantly. His eyes reddened as disappointment washed over him.
"I've told you—stop wasting your time on this nonsense. It's useless for your future."
At that moment, Gwen puffed up in anger and stared at Norman Osborn. "Hey! How can you say that about Harry? He worked really hard! Do you even know what happened to him at school—that's why he's learning this! And this isn't some useless thing!"
Norman glanced at Gwen and let out a quiet chuckle.
Bold little girl. Still… just a little girl.
He turned back to his son and said coolly, "How many times have I told you? Stop associating with useless people like them."
With that, he turned and began walking out.
Just then, Mike stood up and stepped in front of him. His tone was calm but firm. "How you raise your son is none of my business. But what you said about my daughter… Apologize."
(End of Chapter)