Chapter 474 Love and Crisis: The Father Behind the Scenes

Peter Parker's heart was beating much faster than usual. He followed Liz through the living room, trying to keep himself calm, but his palms were still slightly sweaty. Liz gently pulled him by the hand, guiding him through the crowded crowd until she brought him to a wooden door.

"I want to take you to meet my father." Liz said with a smile, with a bit of anticipation and tenderness in her eyes.

Peter was slightly stunned. Although he was nervous about such a formal meeting with the parents, he still forced a smile: "Uh, of course, no problem."

Liz pushed open the door and walked in with Peter. The room was spacious and bright, and the decoration was quite exquisite. It was a typical style of a wealthy family. Before Peter had time to look more, he heard a low and slightly majestic voice: "Oh, Liz, you brought friends here?"

Peter looked up and saw a tall, determined middle-aged man standing by the window, leisurely adjusting a coat. The natural aura he exuded made Peter instantly nervous, and his heartbeat accelerated. This was Adrian Toomes, Liz's father.

"Dad, this is Peter Parker, my classmate." Liz introduced with a smile, then turned to look at Peter with some encouragement in her eyes.

Peter felt his throat go dry, but he tried his best to be polite: "Uh, Mr. Toomes, nice to meet you."

Adrian Toomes slowly turned around and looked Peter up and down, with a polite smile on his face, but his sharp eyes carried a sense of oppression that was hard to ignore. His expression was calm, but there seemed to be some unknown secret hidden deep in his eyes.

"Peter Parker, is that so?" Toomes said slowly, his tone calm but with a hint of tentativeness. "Liz often mentioned you. I heard that you were a very smart kid."

Peter smiled awkwardly, pinching the corner of his clothes unconsciously: "Uh, I'm just... trying my best to learn, nothing special."

Adrian narrowed his eyes, as if he was a little curious about Peter's nervousness, and then nodded, still with a faint smile on his face: "Being a good student is a good quality. Keep it up, and there will always be rewards."

Liz stood aside and broke the awkward atmosphere with a smile: "Dad, Peter is not only good at studying, he also helps organize the school's academic competitions, which is really great."

Adrian's eyes flickered slightly, and then he smiled: "It seems that you are not only a nerd, but also a leader, Peter."

Peter's heart tightened and he waved his hands quickly: "Uh, no, no, I just... we all worked together, I just... uh, contributed a little bit." He was a little embarrassed by his awkwardness when he spoke, but he always felt an inexplicable pressure standing in front of Toomes.

Maybe that's the pressure from my father-in-law.

Adrian Toomes smiled faintly, and there was a flash of emotion in his eyes that Peter couldn't understand. He walked forward and patted Peter's shoulder gently. The action seemed very friendly, but Peter could feel the strength in his palm.

"Don't worry, Peter," Toomes said slowly, his voice still low, "I admire young people like you who have brains."

Peter nodded, trying not to appear too nervous, but his mind was in a mess. He had no idea that the man in front of him was the enemy who almost killed him and Ned - the vulture.

Liz watched the conversation with a smile, and seemed satisfied with her father's attitude. Peter breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, at least for now, he didn't make any bad situation.

"Okay, Peter, don't be nervous, relax." Adrian chuckled and turned to signal them to go out. "The party is still going on. Don't keep others waiting too long."

Peter nodded politely again, and as Liz left the room, he felt an indescribable strangeness in his heart. He had never thought that Liz's father would be such a person. At this moment, Adrian Toomes stood in the middle of the room, staring at their backs with deep eyes as they left, as if thinking about some more complicated plan.

The soft light in the corridor shone on Liz, highlighting her princess-like beauty. She held Peter's arm, with a gentle smile on her face, and her exquisite high-heeled sandals made a slight sound. Every step she took seemed elegant and calm, as if it was in perfect harmony with everything in front of her. Peter turned his head to look at Liz, feeling a little nervous. After all, he had just met her father, Adrian Toomes, and that conversation still felt a little strange to him.

Liz seemed to notice Peter's silence and smiled gently, breaking the silence: "I know Dad looks a little scary, right? But he's not that serious. He just hopes I can find the right person." Her voice was soft, with a hint of mischief, trying to make Peter relax.

Peter smiled awkwardly, trying to compose himself. "Oh, no, uh, he's fine, just... maybe a little stressed. I don't meet parents very often, so this is a new experience for me."

Liz shook her head gently, with a look of pampering and understanding in her eyes: "It's okay, I know you are nervous. I rarely bring friends home, especially people like you." As she spoke, she held his arms tighter, and a faint blush appeared on her face.

Peter's heartbeat began to speed up, and he knew very well what Liz meant by her words. He swallowed, and countless scenes flashed through his mind in an instant, but at this moment, he could only nod stupidly, too nervous to know what to say.

Liz couldn't help laughing when she saw this. "You're so cute, Peter." There was a hint of teasing in her voice, but there was no malice. "You don't have to be so nervous. I'm really glad you came today."

Peter was made even more embarrassed by her smile. He lowered his head, looked at the ground, and whispered, "Me too. It's really special to be here... uh, to meet your family and be with you."

Liz stopped and turned to face Peter, her eyes becoming serious. She gently held Peter's hand, as if conveying some important message: "Peter, I know that things have been a little tricky between us recently, but... I really like you. You are more than just a friend to me."

Peter felt Liz's gaze, and his mind went blank. He didn't expect her to be so direct, and the excitement in his heart almost burst out of his chest. He was a little flustered, but he also made up his mind. He took a deep breath, plucked up the courage to look at her: "Liz, I like you too, and I have always liked you."

A happy smile appeared on Liz's face. She stepped lightly on her high-heeled sandals, stood on tiptoe, and gently kissed Peter on the cheek. Peter's face turned red instantly. He could hardly control his expression, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously.

Liz laughed quietly, "So we're... official now?"

Peter was a little overwhelmed, but the smile on his face became brighter and brighter, and finally nodded: "Well, I guess so."

Liz took Peter's hand again and continued to walk forward. The atmosphere between them seemed more intimate and natural. Their pace was neither fast nor slow, as if the whole world belonged to them, as if the end of the corridor was the beautiful future they opened together.

......

The party was over, night was falling, and the lights of the villa were gradually dimming in the distance. Ned leaned against an unmanned car, his arms crossed, with an expression of watching a good show on his face. He saw Peter slowly walking out, looking unsatisfied, and couldn't help shaking his head.

"Hey, Peter Parker, you are really the 'last one'?" Ned raised his lips and said jokingly, "You look so reluctant to leave. Have you already thought about your wedding vows in your mind?"

Peter's face flushed, and he glared at Ned, muttering, "No way! I was just having a good chat with Liz." He scratched his head, then raised his eyebrows and retorted, "But, listening to your sour tone... Could it be that you have eaten too many grapes and turned into a sour grape?"

Ned smiled and waved his hands, not showing any weakness: "Hey, don't say that, I'm not that boring 'sour grapes', what you said is more like I ate a lemon, sour and a little bitter!" He squinted his eyes as he spoke, and the expression on his face was so exaggerated that Peter couldn't help laughing.

Peter shook his head and said, "It's sour and bitter. Wow, it seems like you didn't get a good harvest today!"

Ned immediately responded with a serious look, "Of course not. Liz has quite a few girlfriends today, and I like a few of them. Next time I'll have to ask Liz to introduce them to me. I don't want to go on the road alone!"

Peter couldn't help but roll his eyes and chuckled back, "I think you are just greedy for their bodies. Don't think too much, Ned. You should practice your pick-up skills, otherwise you will be rejected."

Peter and Ned got into the driverless car, which started smoothly and drove away from Liz Toomes' villa. Along the way, the atmosphere in the car was still relaxed and happy, and Peter and Ned joked about the funny things that happened at the party just now. The scenery outside the car window gradually changed from a quiet suburb to a busier city scene, and the lights of New York were faintly visible in the distance.

"Peter, I'm serious," Ned leaned back in his seat, smiling as he watched the scenery passing by outside the window. "Liz's girlfriends are not ordinary people. They are smart and interesting. You'll have to help me when the time comes."

Peter smiled and said, "Don't think too much, Ned. The key is not to let them think you are a stalker. You have to behave better next time."

Ned was about to fight back when the car suddenly braked. Before the two could react, a burst of sharp bullets broke through the air and hit the roof of the car, splashing sparks. The car's bulletproof system was quickly activated and the windows automatically rose to protect the passengers.

"What the hell?" Ned's eyes widened, the smile on his face disappeared instantly, replaced by a trace of panic.

Peter sensed the danger and quickly unbuckled his seat belt, pulling Ned under the seat. The attack outside became more and more intense, bullets rained down like raindrops, and the entire unmanned vehicle trembled in the vibration. The roof began to deform and sparks flew.

"It's him! Vulture!" Peter cursed under his breath, his heart beating faster and his mind working quickly. He knew he had to react immediately.

"Get out of the car!" Peter whispered as he quickly opened the car door. Ned was already a little dazed, but he still followed Peter's instructions and quickly followed him out of the car.

The two rolled to the side of the iron railing, just in time to avoid the vulture armor's dive attack again. Peter cursed in his heart, this attack came unexpectedly, the vulture was obviously prepared.

"I knew something was going to happen!" Peter scanned the sky around him vigilantly, feeling the danger approaching.