Gwen Stacy.
There were many versions of her, so Lorien Su wasn't sure which one she was.
But one thing was certain — this Gwen Stacy was even more beautiful than any animated version. Her face, figure, and skin looked as if she had stepped right out of a 3D animation. Perfectly modeled.
At the moment, Gwen was following the crowd's gaze toward Lorien and Stephen. When she realized Lorien was actually looking back at her, her eyes widened slightly, a hint of panic and uncertainty flashing across her expression.
Lorien gave her a small smile from across the room, then turned away to help Stephen deal with the people around them before the two of them stepped into the banquet hall.
The hall was magnificent — lavishly decorated, with gold and crystal everywhere. Many guests in tailored suits were engaged in lively conversations.
Here, it didn't matter what kind of doctor you were — as long as you had the skill and the reputation, you were respected.
Take Lorien, for example. He was "just" a psychologist, yet his standing here was among the very top. If you were good enough, you could even be a livestock vet and still hold your own.
The moment he and Stephen entered, people began greeting them warmly. They returned the smiles and nodded in response.
Stephen leaned close and muttered in Lorien's ear, "Alright, I'm starting to hate this kind of environment too. Let's have a drink and then make the rounds."
Lorien nodded. That was exactly his plan. What was there to gain from chatting with a bunch of old men? The real entertainment was keeping an eye out for younger women and striking up conversations.
They picked up champagne glasses from the banquet table and exchanged a few polite drinks with several notable figures.
"Hey, Lorien! How've you been?"
"Great. Every day's been good," Lorien replied.
"Lorien, I've got a few clients who need psychological counseling. I'll send them your way."
"Uh… sure. Here's my card. You can give it to them, but let them know my schedule's already booked solid until the end of the year."
"Lorien, the moment you walk in, every beautiful woman in here is looking at you."
"That's not my fault, is it?" he said with a casual shrug.
After some light conversation, Stephen and Lorien regrouped.
"What's the call?" Stephen asked, setting down his champagne.
"I think…" Lorien glanced around at the women present and, since only one caught his interest, said, "Solo?"
Stephen nodded. "Same as always."
They split up immediately.
"Same as always" meant they'd meet back up later. "Solo" meant they'd each spotted someone they liked. If they stayed together, it meant no one here had caught their eye, and they'd simply wander around before leaving.
...
After parting ways with Stephen, Lorien Su picked up another glass of champagne and swept the room with his mental sense.
He instantly located Gwen — and noticed that even in the middle of the crowd, she kept sneaking glances at him.
Once he had her position, he strolled to a spot about ten meters away from her and stopped. Picking up a few pieces of fruit, he ate casually, looking for all the world like someone simply enjoying himself.
The two were still separated by the crowd, but with Gwen's frequent glances, she was bound to notice him. When she saw that Lorien was standing alone and that no one else seemed to be approaching him, she glanced around, then made her way over with her wine glass in hand.
"Hi~ I'm Gwen Stacy," she said, a little nervous, a little unsure.
Seeing her finally come over, Lorien raised his glass to clink gently against hers and smiled.
"You can call me Lorien — or just call me 'psychologist.'"
The first step to getting to know someone was contact. Once you've exchanged greetings and started talking, everything else gets easier.
They chatted for a while. Lorien remarked that she seemed very young, and Gwen explained that she was still in high school, working as a lab assistant.
And — get this — she was also the drummer for a band called "The Mary Janes."
The moment Lorien heard that, he instantly connected the dots. Two facts became clear:
1. This was Spider-Gwen — the Ghost-Spider in the black, white, and pink hooded suit.
2. This world might already be feeling the effects of the Multiverse. Otherwise, in the "normal" universe, there shouldn't be a female Spider-Man — it should be Peter Parker.
Did that mean this universe had two Spider-Heroes? Or just the female one?
Lorien thought about it for maybe 0.1 seconds before coming to a conclusion:
Didn't matter in the slightest.
Who cared how many Spider-Men there were? Spider-Gwen was right here in front of him, and that was all that mattered. The rest wasn't his concern — especially if they weren't beautiful women.
Looking back, it all made sense now. No wonder he'd thought this Gwen was stunning from the very first glance. She wasn't just any Gwen — she was the legendary golden Gwen.
And by his estimate, she was probably close to the moment she'd get bitten by the spider. That should happen right around the end of the Avengers 2 timeline — within the month.
...
From there, their conversation grew livelier.
Gwen was a straight-up academic overachiever, but also genuinely curious about Lorien's psychological counseling methods. Naturally, that became the focus of their talk.
"Lorien," Gwen said, "so many people who've gone through your counseling speak of you with such high praise. How do they feel afterward?"
"That's hard to put into words," Lorien replied. "You might have to try it yourself. For you, I can make time to squeeze you in ahead of schedule."
"Really? That's amazing! Then… how exactly do you counsel people? What's it like?"
"Well… empathy, putting myself in their shoes, careful observation… and just a little bit of love."
"Haha~ Lorien, you're too much," Gwen laughed, eyes bright.
And so, in the warmth of cheerful banter, Lorien was more than happy to keep talking to a beautiful woman for as long as possible.
Gwen, in turn, was impressed by his knowledge and promised that she would definitely visit him when she had the chance.