The air in the classroom was thick with unspoken tension. Su Yi's casual, affectionate confirmation of his relationship with Gwen Stacy had thrown his complicated history with Mary Jane Watson into stark relief.
Peter Parker, his face a mixture of concern and simmering anger, approached Su Yi's desk immediately.
"Su," Peter started, his voice tight. "You and Mary Jane... I thought you were dating. Did you break up with her?"
"It's a bit complicated, Peter," Su Yi replied calmly, leaning back. He knew he needed to handle this with care, but he also needed to protect the situation he was about to orchestrate. "I'm going to talk to Mary Jane and Gwen about this properly after school."
Peter's eyes narrowed. "Complicated? What does 'complicated' mean? Are you telling me you haven't broken up yet?" The implication of two-timing enraged the morally upright Peter. "Su, how could you do this? How can you treat Mary Jane like that?"
Su Yi maintained his composure. "I will handle this with Mary Jane. And, Peter, I don't think Mary Jane is angry about it, is she?"
Peter was thrown off balance. He had seen Mary Jane's dejected expression, but her sadness didn't translate into the public outrage he expected. Could she really be okay with this? The thought infuriated him, yet left him feeling helpless. He was just a timid classmate and neighbor, with no standing to intervene.
"I won't stand by and watch you hurt her," Peter vowed, his voice trembling with frustrated determination.
"Don't worry, Peter," Su Yi said, offering a genuinely sincere look. "I have no intention of hurting Mary Jane. I only intend to cherish her."
After successfully fending off Peter, Su Yi decided it was time to deploy a crucial tool. He needed certainty before he laid out his controversial proposal to both girls. He had accumulated 12,000 Destiny Points through his heroic actions—saving Pepper, Tony, and Gwen.
"System, buy a Choice Hint Card from the Discount Store."
[System Prompt]: Purchase successful. 8000 Fate Points consumed. Balance: 4000 FP.
"System, use the Hint Card. The query is regarding the optimal handling of my relationships with Gwen and Mary Jane."
[Hint Card Activated]:
Option 1 (Concealment): If the host chooses to conceal the relationship with Mary Jane from Gwen, and Gwen subsequently discovers it, Gwen is very likely to choose to leave the host.
Option 2 (Honesty): If the host chooses to be completely honest with both Gwen and Mary Jane about wanting both, it is highly probable that the host's wishes will be granted.
Su Yi was genuinely stunned. "Highly probable?" he muttered. "Gwen is that agreeable? Mary Jane needed time to process and still hasn't given a definitive 'yes,' even after I put in continuous effort. How is it this smooth with Gwen?"
Regardless, the Hint Card provided the necessary mandate: Honesty was the only path to success.
Sorry, Little Spider, Su Yi thought, suppressing a victorious smile. This time, I'm taking both. If Peter finds out I have both as my girlfriends... he might just break. I wonder if he'll turn into the Lizard Monster, like that alternate universe where Gwen became the Spider-Woman.
During the break, Su Yi approached the two women, extending an invitation that would resolve their complicated situation.
"Gwen, Mary Jane," he said. "I'd like to invite both of you for coffee after school. We need to sort things out properly."
Neither girl refused. Gwen, newly infatuated, couldn't say no to him. Mary Jane, hurt and curious, needed closure. As a necessary buffer, Betty Brant tagged along.
After school, Su Yi led the trio to a quiet coffee shop near campus. Peter Parker, fueled by righteous indignation, shadowed them, taking a seat in a distant, shadowed corner—the designated spectator for the emotional fallout.
Once seated, Su Yi took a deep breath. He looked directly at Gwen.
"Gwen, you already know that Mary Jane and I initially pretended to be dating, right?"
"Of course," Gwen nodded. "I don't mind that part."
"What if I told you that, during that time, Mary Jane and I went on a real date?"
Gwen stiffened slightly. She felt a twinge of irrational regret for encouraging their pretense. Even if it was fake, the idea of a real date made her feel like the "other woman." "I... I can accept that, too."
Su Yi decided it was time for the absolute truth. "Mary Jane and I went on exactly one date. It was dinner and a show—nothing more. But during that date, she asked me a crucial question."
Gwen's anxiety spiked. "What was it?"
"She asked me which of you two I would choose," Su Yi revealed, pausing dramatically. "My answer was, both of you."
Su Yi looked from Gwen, whose eyes were wide with shock, to Mary Jane, who remained unnervingly still. Betty simply dropped her jaw, covering her mouth with her hand.
"I like you, Gwen," Su Yi stated with unwavering sincerity. "And I like Mary Jane, too. I want both of you in my life."
Gwen, utterly bewildered, found her voice. "So... you're a playboy? Like Tony Stark?"
"No," Su Yi countered immediately, using his rival as a necessary foil. "Tony is a philanderer. He enjoys the chase and moves on once the relationship cools. I am not like him. I want a sustained, loving relationship with both of you. I will cherish both of you equally."
Su Yi mentally pleaded with the System.
The Hint Card better not be misleading.
Gwen took a long, steady sip of her coffee, trying to process the concept of polyamory. She looked at Mary Jane, the logical course of action suddenly unclear. "Mary Jane, what are your thoughts on this?"
Mary Jane finally spoke, her voice low but steady. "When he first told me this, I was fiercely resistant," she confessed, her eyes meeting Gwen's.
"But I realized... I love Su very much. When I saw you two together this morning, I was intensely envious and jealous. I don't want to lose him." She took a breath. "I... I might agree to this."
Su Yi's heart swelled with elation. The Hint Card was gold!
Gwen still hesitated. She looked at Su Yi, then at Mary Jane, then back at Su Yi. She loved him; that was clear. The idea of sharing him was unconventional, but the idea of losing him now was unbearable. "I don't want to leave you, Su."
"It's settled then!" Su Yi declared internally, mentally calculating how soon he could acquire a new apartment big enough for three.
"Wait," Gwen said, holding up a hand. "I have one condition."
Su Yi leaned forward, intrigued. "What condition? I will agree to anything."
Gwen leaned close to Su Yi's ear and whispered a few sentences, her breath warm against his skin. Su Yi's heart rate immediately soared to 120 bpm. He nodded, a slow, wide grin spreading across his face. Gwen then leaned back and quietly relayed the condition to Mary Jane and Betty.
"You must prove your ability before I can fully agree to this arrangement," Gwen finished, looking Su Yi in the eye.
"No problem," Su Yi agreed instantly. "Anytime. How about Saturday afternoon? We have the Osborn Industries field trip in the morning, and afterward, you can both come to my place as guests—we can go swimming and sunbathe."
Gwen considered the timing. She had already arranged for Su Yi to meet her parents on Sunday. A fun, casual Saturday afternoon seemed like the perfect prelude. "I think that works," she confirmed.
Mary Jane, having already been made aware of the condition, also nodded. "I haven't sunbathed in ages. I have no objections."
Su Yi suddenly turned to Betty, who was still trying to process the multi-girlfriend concept. "Betty, what about you? Want to join us Saturday?"
Betty jumped. "Me? This is... this is your business!"
"I'm just inviting you to my house as a guest," Su Yi clarified with a wink. "Swimming and sunbathing. No conditions attached, unless you want one."
Betty, unable to resist the promise of a lavish pool party and the potential for a world-exclusive story on the city's newest power couple (or power trio), quickly agreed. "Okay, fine! Count me in."
The terms have been set for the unprecedented shared relationship, hinging on Su Yi passing a very private test on Saturday. The Osborn Industries field trip looms the next morning, the intended setting for Gwen's transformation.