Inside the Toomes' luxurious house, the graduation party was still vibrant, the music thumping and conversations loud enough to mask minor seismic events. Mary Jane moved through the crowded living room, a vague sense of unease settling over her. She realized that while Gwen was chatting near the kitchen, Su Yi was nowhere to be found.
"Gwen, have you seen Su?" Mary Jane asked, approaching her friend. "He's usually glued to one of us, but I haven't seen him since he went to the back."
Gwen, who had been laughing at a joke, paused. She remembered Su Yi leaving for the backyard to check on Hanna, and then, using her subtle but incredibly sharp hearing, the faint, unmistakable sounds she'd registered moments later. A soft gasp, a low murmur, the rustle of clothing.
Ah. The professor is teaching a new class, Gwen thought wryly. She maintained a placid expression.
"I... I'll go check the backyard," Gwen offered. "He probably needed some fresh air after that drinking challenge. Go ahead and find Betty; I'll track him down."
"Alright then, I'll go look elsewhere," Mary Jane agreed, satisfied that the matter was in hand.
Gwen pushed open the heavy glass patio door and stepped into the cool, dark yard. The music immediately dimmed, and the low roar of the party became a distant hum. She followed the faint path around the perimeter to the gazebo, pausing just out of sight.
She heard the final, muffled exchange.
"You're absolutely crazy, Su Yi." Hanna's voice, now breathy, was definitely recognizable.
After a quiet, resigned sigh—a silent acknowledgment of Su Yi's successful conquest—Gwen returned inside.
Facing Mary Jane near the makeshift dance floor, Gwen kept her expression neutral. "I don't think I saw Su. Don't worry, he'll be fine. Maybe he found someone to talk business with. Or are you planning to secretly do something with Su if you find him first?"
Mary Jane immediately denied it, her face flushing. "I wouldn't be crazy enough to do that at a party, Gwen! That's just… crude."
Gwen didn't answer, but her unspoken thought hung in the air: You wouldn't, but that doesn't mean Su Yi wouldn't. And it certainly doesn't mean the party is quiet anymore.
"Let's continue. Don't mind him; maybe he'll show up in a bit. He knows better than to stray for long," Gwen finished, pulling Mary Jane toward the dance floor.
Indeed, it was only a short while later—just as Gwen and Mary Jane took a short break—that Su Yi pushed open the back door and sauntered into their line of sight, Hanna following him nervously, her cheeks still deeply flushed, her glasses slightly askew, and her demeanor betraying the intense encounter she had just shared. She looked like a student caught outside the principal's office.
Su Yi, however, was completely at ease, his movements fluid and unhurried. He spotted Gwen and moved directly toward her.
Gwen met him midway, immediately lowering her voice to a serious, chastising whisper. "You're too bold, Su. This is someone else's house, and there's still a party going on inside. You have no self-control over your location choices."
"It's not that I'm bold; it's that Hanna misunderstood the concept of a quiet conversation," Su Yi replied with a light, easy tone, giving her a quick, proprietary squeeze of the hand. "You go in first. Mary Jane and Betty are still looking for you. I'll chat with Hanna. She's a little overwhelmed right now."
Su Yi trusted Gwen implicitly. He knew she wouldn't resort to petty jealousy or bullying, especially toward a reserved girl like Hanna. Their relationship was built on a foundation of honesty and a surprising, pragmatic acceptance of his nature.
"Okay, I'll say goodbye to Hanna first," Su Yi said, turning back toward the petite girl, who was frozen in place, nervously watching the exchange.
Hanna was incredibly anxious; after all, Su Yi was publicly known as Gwen's boyfriend.
Su Yi could sense her fear. He returned to Hanna's side, gently taking her small hand in his.
"Don't worry, Hanna. Gwen is very nice, and she won't bully you," he reassured her, his thumb stroking her palm.
Seeing that Hanna was still trembling, Su Yi decided to confirm her new status with a definitive action. He gently rubbed Hanna's cheek, then gave her a deep, reassuring, and ownership-claiming kiss.
"You are also one of my Hong Yan, you know?" he murmured against her ear, confirming her status in the complex structure of his life.
This series of actions—the physical reassurance and the verbal declaration—caused Hanna to relax considerably, her fear replaced by a dizzying, warm certainty.
"I'm going back inside. You two chat slowly," Su Yi instructed Gwen, who had patiently waited.
Su Yi turned and left. Gwen then sat on the bench, pulling Hanna gently beside her. The two girls, one a graceful alpha and the other a petite academic, began their crucial, quiet chat, a necessary induction into the structure of their shared affection for Su Yi.
The Priorities and The Performance
Returning inside, Su Yi easily found Mary Jane and Betty, who were dancing together on the edge of the crowd. Su Yi watched the two, enjoying the sight of his elegant girlfriends.
"Two beauties, are you dancing? Can I join you?"
Mary Jane saw Su Yi and pouted playfully. "Su, where did you wander off to just now? We were looking all over for you."
"Just wandering around, Mary Jane. Thinking about business," he lied smoothly, omitting the details of his two major back-to-back interventions: securing the Vulture's legal contract and securing Hanna's affection.
Su Yi pulled Mary Jane close and began to dance, while Betty, needing a breather, stepped away.
"Su, in a few days, the opera I'm performing in will premiere. Will you come to see it?" Mary Jane asked, her voice full of soft hope.
Su Yi instantly knew this was the MCU's version of Peter Parker's great mistake—failing to prioritize Mary Jane's career. He would not make that basic, movie-level error.
"Of course. This is an important day; we definitely won't miss it," Su Yi committed instantly. "Not just me, but Gwen and Betty will also try to make time. We will be there, front row, cheering the loudest."
Mary Jane leaned her head against his shoulder, touched by his seriousness. "You know, the person I care about most is you."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely be there. I'll clear my schedule, postpone any meetings, and move mountains if necessary. No one can stop me from coming to see your performance. Not even the entire Avengers initiative could stop me, I promise it."
I have secured Adrian Toomes, and Tony and Peter are my emergency cleanup crew. There is literally nothing that could interfere with a simple theater date, Su Yi thought, his confidence solid.
"I'm really looking forward to your performance, and I also believe that you will definitely win the audience's approval with your own strength, Mary Jane. You're a star."
Mary Jane was completely moved by Su Yi's unwavering support. "Thank you, Su. That means everything."
The Triple Interception Mystery
Su Yi and Mary Jane continued dancing for a while. During a lull, Su Yi's eyes scanned the room, and he realized he hadn't seen Peter since earlier in the evening. His good brother was noticeably absent.
"Mary Jane, have you seen Peter?"
"Oh, he's probably sad," she replied dismissively.
"Sad about what? What happened?"
"He finally mustered the courage and invited Liz to dance, but Liz refused him. And he just disappeared after that."
Su Yi's internal clock stopped. "???"
What went wrong? Su Yi wondered. Peter had been coached, he had been bold, and it was just a simple dance invitation, not a confession. Why would Liz refuse him outright, especially given that Peter was now confident and objectively more attractive than ever?
"Did Liz accept another boy's invitation right after?" Su Yi pressed.
Mary Jane pondered for a moment. "I don't think so. I didn't see Liz dancing. She seemed to be busy entertaining classmates all the time, or standing with her dad."
"Maybe Liz was just busy. Peter shouldn't be that disheartened over a simple dance rejection."
"I don't know either, but anyway, I haven't seen Peter since then. He looked utterly crushed, like he'd been hit by a bus."
Su Yi's sympathy for his friend was genuine, but his curiosity was immediately piqued. Peter had now been intercepted four times—first Mary Jane, then Gwen, then Betty, and now even Liz, the last major prospect in their social circle. This time, however, Su Yi hadn't even tried.
"Alright, I'll go check on him later. I hope he isn't too disheartened," Su Yi sighed, leaving Mary Jane to chat with Betty.
He moved to Betty, the reporter.
"Betty, Liz just rejected Peter, do you know about that?"
Betty and Liz had a very good relationship, practically best friends, and Betty had been right there.
"I saw it. I was right there."
"What exactly happened? If Liz only refused Peter's invitation to dance, he shouldn't have disappeared and gone into hiding."
Betty leaned in, confirming the critical information Peter hadn't shared. "No, Su, it was more definitive than that. Liz rejected Peter and told him that she already had someone she liked, so Peter was very disappointed."
So that was it. Peter's first act of boldness had been met with a fatal blow: pre-emption. Someone had gotten there first.
Su Yi's competitive nature—and his deep curiosity—kicked in. Who could it be? Flash was a possibility, but Liz would never admit to liking him. Ned? Impossible. Peter was already quite handsome, very kind, and exceptionally brilliant. After gaining superpowers, he was even more confident and optimistic. He was exactly the type of boy popular with girls.
How could he be intercepted by some minor character again?
"Liz has someone she likes. Betty, you're Liz's best friend and a great reporter. You have to believe in your abilities. You can definitely get bits and pieces of information and guess the answer."
"For example, has she ever said what type of boy she likes? Or, who is the boy she talks about most often?"
Betty thought carefully, tapping her chin with a fingernail, the professional journalist processing data. She recalled countless late-night calls and whispered conversations with Liz.
Liz often talked about a certain kind of person—a genius, someone secure, someone who wasn't arrogant like Tony Stark but carried that same immense influence. Someone who seemed to move through the world with effortless certainty, solving problems nobody else could see.
She turned to look at Su Yi, her eyes wide with sudden, terrifying realization.
Su Yi looked at Betty's gaze, and a cold, sinking premonition arose in his heart.
It can't be. I have literally done nothing to pursue her. The only interaction was checking on her father's illegal salvage operation.
Just as Su Yi was silently wondering if he had inadvertently seduced the Vulture's daughter through sheer proximity to his other girlfriends, Liz herself approached him, having finished her host duties.
She was radiant, her smile wide and slightly nervous, her eyes focused only on him.
"Su," Liz said, her voice clear over the music. "May I invite you to dance?"