Family Banquet

"Do you like lemon sea bass? That's what my mom is making today."

In the evening, Bumblebee gradually pulled away from Midtown School of Science and Technology.

"Of course, I can't think of a reason not to!"

Lee Stein chatted with Gwen while focusing on driving.

Gwen's home was also in Queens, not too far from the school, so it took the two of them less than ten minutes to arrive at an apartment building.

"2016? That sounds like a year!"

Looking at the door number, Lee Stein couldn't help but make a snide remark; after all, 2016 was the year he had transmigrated from in his previous life.

"20 is the floor, 16 is the unit number. It has nothing to do with the year!"

Gwen explained earnestly while pressing the doorbell.

"I have to say, don't you even have your own house key..."

Lee Stein couldn't help but quip again.

Just then, the door opened. It was Gwen's mother, a beautiful blonde Caucasian woman.

Behind her followed Gwen's two teenage brothers, who were currently looking at Lee Stein with faces full of curiosity.

"This is my classmate Lee Stein, and this is my mom!"

Gwen gestured with both hands, first toward Lee Stein, then toward the blonde woman.

"Uh... should I call you Mrs. Stacy now?"

Lee Stein wasn't sure how one was supposed to address someone in this situation in America, so he eventually bit the bullet and said, "Good evening, ma'am, I'm Lee Stein!"

"Hello, Lee!"

Gwen's mother nodded with a beaming smile, then led Lee Stein to the sofa in the living room. After warmly inviting him to sit, she poured him a glass of water. "Have a seat for a moment, dinner will be ready soon."

"Okay!"

Lee Stein awkwardly held the glass and took small sips. At this moment, he finally understood the feeling of restlessness Max must have felt when he visited.

"Hahaha, I never thought you'd have a nervous side."

Seeing Lee Stein like this, Gwen couldn't help but giggle.

"I told you I wasn't prepared. This is all too sudden. I even forgot to bring a gift; how rude of me!"

Lee Stein set down his glass and clutched his forehead in distress. With the parents out of sight, he finally felt a little more relaxed.

"It's just a simple family dinner, not some formal party."

Gwen smiled, pulling Lee Stein over to introduce him to her two younger brothers.

The two brothers were nine and fourteen. It was clear that Gwen's father was quite strict with his children; despite being at the age where kids are usually terrors, both of them were very well-behaved.

Lee Stein had a knack for dealing with children. He casually chatted with them about superheroes and the like, causing the two boys to gasp in amazement. This made Gwen quite jealous, as she had never been that close with her own brothers.

Before long, the sound of a lock turning came from the door, and a middle-aged Caucasian man with a resolute, stern face pushed it open and walked in.

This must be Gwen's father, Captain George Stacy!

Lee Stein took a quick look and recognized his future father-in-law. Although it wasn't the same actor, he had always thought the actor from the movies looked like Governor Schwarzenegger, so the impression was very deep.

"You must be Lee, right?"

After walking through the door, George Stacy tossed his keys onto the coffee table and sat down casually on the sofa next to Lee Stein, extending his hand. "I'm Gwen's father, George Stacy!"

"Hello, Mr. Stacy, I'm Lee Stein."

Lee Stein hurriedly shook his hand.

George Stacy could be considered quite amiable, but his long-standing habits as a police captain combined with his stern expression certainly carried a fair amount of pressure.

Of course, for Lee Stein, that pressure came mostly from the identity of being Gwen's father.

What followed was a harrowing interrogation.

Captain George Stacy, with his heavy police demeanor, went straight to grilling Lee Stein about his studies and his work. If he hadn't asked whether Lee owned a car or a house, Lee would have almost thought he was at a blind date in China.

Gwen, who held a faint fear of this strict father, couldn't get a word in. She could only shoot Lee Stein looks that were a mix of helplessness and encouragement from the sidelines. Lee Stein, already feeling guilty about "kidnapping" the man's daughter, could only bite the bullet and engage in awkward small talk until Gwen's mother called everyone to eat, at which point he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

However, he hadn't expected that the meal itself would be a tragedy.

Lee Stein, who considered himself well-versed in the self-cultivation of a gentleman, performed decently at first, using the knife and fork quite skillfully. But when it came time to actually eat, he was at a loss.

They said it was lemon sea bass, and it really was just lemon sea bass. Everyone had a plate with a piece of fish, some green beans, and a portion of rice that wasn't nearly enough to satisfy anyone.

Using a knife and fork to eat this stuff was practically anti-human. He would have been fine with steak, but could someone please tell him how to spear round green beans with a fork? How were you supposed to pick up loose fish meat?

By the end of the meal, he was on the verge of a breakdown, having only managed to eat a few shreds of fish while putting on a show.

Fortunately, Gwen's mother seemed to sense the stifling atmosphere at the table, breaking the silence and letting Lee Stein off the hook.

"George, tell us how your day went!" Gwen's mother said.

"Yeah, Daddy, did you catch that Spider-Man guy?"

Gwen's younger brother chimed in with great interest.

"Not yet, but we will catch him. He isn't a professional criminal; he left behind plenty of clues when he attacked the citizens."

George Stacy put down his knife and fork, stating this simply.

"Actually, I ran into him last night. It seemed like he was catching a car thief."

Li Si followed the topic, feeling relieved inside that he finally didn't have to wave his cutlery around at thin air anymore.

"You ran into him? Li, you should stay away from him. He is a dangerous vigilante."

As an active police captain, George Stacy clearly held no affection for a street vigilante like Spider-Man, even going so far as to label him a thug.

Li Si nodded to show he understood, then added, "In fact, he doesn't attack civilians; he only captures criminals. However, I have to say, his way of thinking is quite naive."

"Naive?"

Everyone looked at Li Si in unison.

"Yes. Although he is fighting crime, this method is clearly ill-advised. While he may capture a small number of criminals, he is severely damaging the credibility of the police department and other judicial branches."

To win the favor of his future father-in-law, Li Si showed no mercy in blackening Spider-Man's name: "The negative consequence of this is that criminals will become even more unscrupulous, and the public will only pin their hopes on vigilantes, creating a vicious cycle where the birth of vigilantes continues to erode the credibility of the judicial system."

He wasn't just spouting nonsense; the sin city of Gotham was the best example of this. Otherwise, Batman wouldn't have gone to such painstaking lengths to try and foster a White Knight.