Midtown High School

This is my way of recruiting talent for our alma mater.

Lake thought to himself.

George immediately looked unhappy. He exchanged a glance with his wife, Helen, then pretended to be angry. "Lake, Gwen isn’t going to Yale. She’s going to New York University, which is our alma mater."

Lake sat down and glanced at George. "New York University? Are you serious?"

George’s brow twitched.

Was this the start of the university hierarchy snub?

Seeing this, Gwen quickly tried to smooth things over, looking at the gift in her hands. "Uncle Lake, can I open it?"

Lake said, "Of course."

When receiving gifts from the Federal government, it was customary to open them on the spot, express how much you liked the gift, and thank the giver. This was a local custom.

However, it was fine if you forgot; you could always make up for it later.

Gwen opened the gift. Inside was a women’s Hamilton watch.

"Wow."

Gwen exclaimed as she looked at the watch. She took it out and put it on her wrist. She looked up at Lake. "Thank you, Uncle Lake. I really like it."

Lake shrugged. "So, you can consider Yale."

Gwen glanced at her father, George, then looked back at Lake. "I promise I’ll seriously consider it, provided I can get a scholarship from Yale."

Lake burst out laughing.

Beckett must have arrived earlier than Lake, so the gifts were given earlier.

They ordered food and the dishes were served.

They chatted, drank, and enjoyed the warm atmosphere.

"Sir, here are your cream-fried ham and peas," a young waitress, who looked about twelve or thirteen, with mixed East Asian and European heritage, said as she served the food and turned to leave.

Lake’s peripheral vision caught sight of the young waitress. He felt like he had seen her somewhere before and took a few more glances.

George, sitting opposite him, noticed. "Lake."

Lake looked back at George.

George teased, "While I hate to see you single, I hate even more to see you

However…

Every relationship Lake thought could work out always ended for various reasons. His ex-girlfriend from Europe was probably the closest; they even had a child together, but they still couldn’t make it work for one reason or another.

"Oh, right, Uncle Lake."

As they were getting ready to head home from the parking lot, Gwen invited Lake, asking him to accompany her and George to Midtown High School tomorrow for a signing and photo session.

Lake, of course, agreed.

The next day.

Lake was woken up by his alarm.

"Ding ding!"

"Hello."

"Sir, the BATF files have been delivered."

"Okay, I’ll be over shortly."

Lake informed his assistant, Tiffany, before hanging up. He had to go to Midtown High School first today, as he had promised Gwen when they parted ways last night.

Thirty minutes later.

Midtown High School.

In New York…

No, that’s not right.

In Marvel’s New York, Midtown High School was a very famous high school, even the most famous in the Marvel Federation, bar none.

In the Marvel Universe, Midtown High School was renowned. It was the alma mater of superheroes and supervillains alike. In the post-hero era, if you threw a brick, at least four out of ten people would be graduates of Midtown High School.

Even though the hero era hadn’t arrived yet, Midtown High School’s reputation was still in the top three in New York. To be precise, it was second. Trinity High School, the exclusive school for New York’s rich kids, was currently the most famous.

Midtown High School operated on a four-quarter academic system.

Therefore…

There were no holidays.

Lake got out of the car and hugged George, who had been waiting for him. He then smiled at Gwen, who appeared to have put on a little makeup, and said, "I can’t wait to see tomorrow’s New York Times."

Let me put it this way.

Midtown High School only awarded its A-grade scholarship to one person each year. Furthermore, a press conference was held specifically for the annual A-grade scholarship recipient, attended by several major media outlets in New York that had partnerships with Midtown High School.

Gwen said, "Thank you. With the A-grade scholarship, I can apply for the biology scholarships from Stark Industries or the Osborn Group."

Lake replied, "I believe you’ll definitely get them."

After saying that.

Lake couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy.

Don’t get me wrong, it was just the natural jealousy a student felt when seeing a top student. Fortunately, Lake wasn’t a slacker; he was only average in academics, the kind who could graduate just by paying tuition.

A slacker was someone who couldn’t graduate no matter how much money they spent.

Ten o’clock in the morning.

Gwen stood on the stage in Midtown High School’s auditorium, smiling as she shook hands with the principal. The flashbulbs below captured this moment, documenting the recipient of Midtown High School’s A-grade scholarship for the year.

Exiting the building.

Lake and George walked towards the school gate, preparing to return to their respective workplaces. Gwen was beside them, saying she would escort them to the gate.

Just then.

A female student, dressed in a style that clashed with her surroundings, walked through the main gate.

Unconventional style?

Not exactly.

It was a bit like a combination of the last century and the present. The moment this girl appeared, she immediately captured everyone’s attention. Even Lake and George, who were chatting, were drawn to her.