Melting Chapter 91: It's Time! (Patreon)

Mary Jane is a student at Midtown High, and a classmate of both Peter and Harry.

She has been Peter Parker’s dream neighbor ever since he was six years old.

She’s very pretty, very sexy.

However, her family situation is quite bad.

She’s lived with her father since she was small, and he’s an alcoholic who scolds her at the slightest thing.

This environment has made Mary Jane long even more for a better life.

From a young age, she set her sights on becoming an actress, gaining everyone’s attention, and reaping wealth and fame.

To pursue that goal, Mary Jane taught herself dance, as well as certain acting-related courses.

She sometimes works part-time at convenience stores or elsewhere to cover her living expenses, all while working hard to present herself as a “successful girl.”

To the outside world, she appears very lively and outgoing.

Yet no one knows her real side.

Mary Jane envies Gwen Stacy for becoming an Osborn Group employee—what a huge honor that is!

Over these past two days,

Anyone who says “I work at Osborn Group’s headquarters” inevitably becomes the center of everyone’s praise.

Especially since Gwen Stacy has won Dr. Connors’ approval;

Nobody doubts her future prospects.

Starting today, Gwen’s starting line could be the finishing line most others can never reach in a lifetime!

That’s just how it is—some people have different opportunities in life. All the rest can do is watch, wishing they could take her place.

Though Mary Jane aspires to be a big star, becoming an Osborn Group employee or serving as Dr. Connors’ assistant would also be wonderful.

In her future high school and college days, everyone at school would look at her and say enviously, “Look, that’s Mary Jane!”

Imagine how marvelous that would be.

She could finally escape her awful home life and break free from the nightmare of her childhood.

Unknowingly, Mary Jane drifts behind the group.

Her mind isn’t on the anecdotes Dr. Connors is sharing. Only when she notices Dr. Connors’s brief pause, as he gazes to the back, does she pick up on it.

Sensing that something’s off with Connors, the perceptive Mary Jane glances over her shoulder on instinct—

And is astonished to find the legendary figure, Aaron, standing at the rear of the crowd, looking their way!

Mary Jane is clever; recalling Connors’s reaction, she quickly covers her mouth to avoid screaming and drawing everyone’s attention.

Sure enough,

Aaron places a finger to his lips, and Mary Jane excitedly nods.

Oh my god, Aaron is greeting me!

Mary Jane feels dizzy, thinking how being looked at—even noticed—by someone of his stature is such a supreme honor!

If the others learned of this, they’d all lose their minds!

Mary Jane instinctively wants to show her very best side.

She purposely stands up straighter, accentuating her bust.

She makes a gesture of zipping her mouth shut, indicating she definitely won’t blurt anything out, then offers Aaron a bright smile.

Aaron nods to her, then continues looking at the crowd.

Mary Jane is overjoyed, until she notices something:

Aaron’s gaze…seems fixed on Dr. Connors’s side? Or possibly on Gwen Stacy next to Connors?

Mary Jane’s mood sours at once.

All right, she admits she’s pretty, with a great figure, yet Gwen is arguably a bit prettier.
But Mary Jane’s own advantages stand out, and she firmly believes she’s shapelier than Gwen!

Mary Jane is very goal-oriented—she knows her strong points and her life’s objective.

To fulfill that, she’s saved her most precious asset for a high-value exchange.

Even though she acts very experienced in front of others—throwing out remarks that make other girls gasp—those are all anecdotes she’s heard from her convenience store boss.

If there’s anywhere she loses to Gwen,

It’s probably academics.

Mary Jane’s high school grades are unimpressive, because she devotes lots of time to her appearance and part-time jobs.

She’s nowhere near top of her class— quite the opposite.

Whereas Gwen is a well-known ESU star student,

Often active in campus events, showing stellar leadership and top grades, always in the spotlight.

Of course,

A massive corporation wants that kind of talent.

Mary Jane bites her lip, glaring jealously at Gwen.

“No, I haven’t lost yet!”

“I know my own advantages better than you do!”

Mary Jane’s competitiveness and drive flare up.

She wants to show herself off, to earn everyone’s approval—

Most of all, Aaron’s!

Mary Jane clenches her fists, deliberately lagging behind further.

Seizing a moment when no one notices, she quietly slips away from the crowd.

Gwen, who is maintaining order, spots Mary Jane’s odd behavior and is about to speak, but she notices someone in front of Mary Jane:

That’s… the ‘Miracle Man’—Aaron!

For a second, Gwen forgets to call Mary Jane back.

She personally sees Mary Jane go over to Aaron and speak ingratiatingly.

“Could it be that Aaron knows that woman?” Gwen wonders.

When she looks up again, she sees Aaron nod and smile at her, so Gwen reflexively smiles back.

Meanwhile,

Mary Jane rummages in her purse, takes out a pen, and whispers excitedly, “Mr. Aaron, I’m a big fan— could you sign an autograph for me?”

Aaron glances at the well-endowed girl, smiling. “Of course.”

He has a vague idea who she is.

Midtown High, red hair, not inferior to Gwen in looks…

Mary Jane!

He’s somewhat surprised. He originally thought his biggest find today would be Gwen, yet unexpectedly there’s an extra ‘bonus’ named Mary Jane.

“So, where would you like me to sign?” he asks.

Seeing no paper, Mary Jane rummages again with a frustrated look. “Darn, I forgot paper…”

Aaron raises an eyebrow, remembering he saw a notebook at the very bottom of her bag. And indeed, right before Mary Jane came up, she seemed to have pressed it down deliberately. He senses what she’s up to.

His smile grows brighter.

“In that case, maybe we can sign somewhere else?”

Mary Jane chews her lip. “If you sign on my shirt, that might be too conspicuous?”

“Everyone would see you…”

“How about…somewhere out of sight?”

She carefully suggests, once again lifting her chest so it gently bounces.

Aaron, noticing, looks downward. “An interesting idea—but here…”

“Follow me.”

He puts away the pen. Seems like it’s time for a second round.

For him, dealing with a naive ‘little chick’ is all too easy.

Leading Mary Jane away to a quieter area, they head into a relatively secluded restroom.

Confirming no one else is around, Aaron steps inside first.

Mary Jane glances back anxiously, hand over her pounding heart— all this feels surreal.

She never imagined she’d have such a chance today.

Heavens…

She breathes in to steady herself and enters. But Aaron is nowhere to be seen.

Just as she’s confused,

Aaron appears upside down in front of her.

“Shh, you wouldn’t want anyone to see us alone in here, would you?”

Actually, that’s exactly what I’d love! Mary Jane nearly blurts out, but Aaron suddenly moves in closer.

Oh my God!

This feeling…

Mary Jane freezes a moment, then wraps her arms around him. Though inexperienced, she tries her best. She uses tips she learned from stories told by older women. Mary Jane’s ability to learn is surprisingly high. She seems to be a natural “RBQ,” seamlessly turning theory into instinct.

A long while later,

Mary Jane stands there, gasping for breath. “That’s…unreal. It’s so crazily wonderful!”

Looking at Aaron, still inverted overhead,

Mary Jane can swear no other girl has had such a feeling!

Perhaps from standing too long, her legs tremble, exhausted.

“M-Maybe we can do the autograph before we get to, um, business?” she ventures.

Aaron floats gently down, stepping forward to press Mary Jane against the wall. One hand props him over her, looking down from above. In his other hand is the pen, waiting for her guidance.

Mary Jane’s eyes glisten with tears, her fair skin flushed. A special allure.

She obediently adjusts her position, and Aaron scrawls his signature across her pale skin. Tossing the pen aside, he lowers his head again.

“Mm~”

The scene shifts from a tame broadcast to a lively “physical experiments” show.

An hour later,

Aaron helps Mary Jane, whose legs have gone weak, back outside.

“I could have someone drive you home,” he says.

Mary Jane automatically shakes her head. “No…I can do it!”

“I’ll at least walk you out, then.”

Since she insists, he doesn’t push. She’s still just a normal human; it was her first time, and even using less than ten percent of his strength, he’d ended the bout quickly. Yet Mary Jane’s talent is evident, for she’s able to walk despite her shaky legs—a truly fertile piece of ground.

She grits her teeth and presses on, wanting to seem independent. If he decides she’s just some gold-digger, that would be terrible. So she insists on walking out by herself, refusing to collapse prematurely.

During this time,

Peter Parker, who’s been immersed in Dr. Connors’s biology talk, occasionally chatting, feels a vague emptiness. “You’re quite gifted in biology, Peter,” says Connors. “You already grasp this at such a level?”

Peter was perplexed, but hearing the praise, he’s delighted. Others glance at him jealously. He’s never felt this sense of admiration. Usually, he’s a loser, invisible—no one realizes how much he reads at home, how deep his knowledge goes. In biology, chemistry, and physics, he might be on par with a top senior-year college student.

Harry also pipes up in support: “Dr. Connors, Peter’s read Mr. Norman’s paper on nanotechnology. He even wrote a mini paper himself!”
Connors looks even more astonished. “You understood it, Peter?”

Peter grins nervously, nodding. “Yes—it was really fascinating, I got addicted to it.”

Connors pats him on the shoulder. “Excellent. I appreciate you more and more. I heard you plan to apply for Empire State University?”

“I could recommend you to be Dr. Otto’s student, since he’s teaching there.”

“Thank you, Dr. Connors!” Peter replies excitedly.

“Professor Connors, looks like you’ve found a real heir to your research,” comes a hearty voice from farther off.

All the students turn, exclaiming,

“Oh my gosh, that’s the Miracle Man, Mr. Aaron!”

“Whoa, are we actually this close to the Miracle God? I must be dreaming!”

“Ahh, I’m about to faint—he’s so handsome!”

Amid gasps, Aaron walks over to Connors, scanning Peter and Harry.

“Uncle Aaron!” Harry greets, bowing respectfully, a bright smile on his face.

“What—Aaron is Harry’s uncle?!”

“That’s unbelievable!”

Harry only recently transferred to Midtown, so few know his true identity. Only Peter and a couple others are aware that Harry’s last name is Osborn, father being Norman!

“Harry, this is your classmate Peter?”

Harry nods. “He’s Peter Parker— a genius!”

“Good.” Like a kindly elder, Aaron claps Peter on the shoulder. Peter can hardly contain his glee.
“Keep it up, Peter. I hope you can work for me someday,” Aaron tells him.

“I—I definitely will, Mr. Aaron!” Peter feels like he’s floating. This is surely his life’s crowning moment. He’s basically the star, recognized by everyone.

“Boss, I value Peter’s talent,” Dr. Connors chimes in. “Maybe we can bring him onto our ‘Spider–Scorpion Serum’ project. He’s already inspired me with some ideas. Young minds can think outside the box, which helps catch details we veterans might miss.”

Aaron glances at him. He hadn’t expected Connors to cling to the “spider-scorpion serum.” After a quick thought—bearing in mind he’s just slept with Mary Jane and will soon take Gwen—he decides to give Peter a shot, letting him walk a new path. Possibly become Spider-Man earlier?

He nods. “That’s all up to you. As I’ve said, the professional stuff is yours to manage; that project is entirely in your hands.”

Connors nods, determined to use Peter as a lead force in the spider-scorpion research, helping secure the final breakthroughs. In his mind, combining the spider-scorpion serum with the limb-regeneration serum might yield a version 3.0 with even greater powers—helping shape a more perfect world.

But spider-scorpion is just a side hobby. The main responsibilities are the tasks Aaron gave him: advanced anti-aging formulas and the universal strength-enhancement serum. There’s so much to do. He’ll train Peter from now on, so the boy can eventually inherit his mantle and continue shining under the Osborn banner.

“Right, boss—this is Gwen Stacy, a very capable assistant. Since you mentioned you still need more secretaries, I believe Ms. Stacy could handle that job brilliantly,” Connors says, steering the conversation back on track.

Gwen, obviously surprised, looks over. Me, Aaron’s assistant?

Aaron regards her and nods. “I’ve seen your file. You remind me of my first secretary.”

“That would be Ms. Felicia?” Gwen asks. She’s heard tales of Aaron’s legendary backstory and knows Felicia is described as his “shadow” and second-in-command at Osborn.

Some claim that if Aaron gave the word, Felicia could run the entire enterprise. Even more intriguingly, Felicia is also an ESU student. A few days ago she tried to graduate early, only to be refused.

The university told her not to worry about grades; for excellent alums, they’d arrange something. Gwen would technically call Felicia her “senior.” Many people idolize Felicia, using her as motivation. Gwen is no exception.

Aaron nods. “When I met her, she left a strong impression from her actions. She was pretty raw at first but extremely hardworking. And you give me that same feeling— oh, don’t worry, that’s a compliment. You’re definitely not inferior to Felicia. If you like, talk to your ‘big sister’ Felicia about work. I think she’d love to collaborate.”

The chance is so sudden, Gwen is unprepared. She bobs her head, repeatedly saying, “Yes, I’m willing! I’d love to!”