363-365

Chapter 363: I’m Not the Old Me Anymore 

The next day unfolded like any other—or so it seemed. 

The hospital was steeped in an odd atmosphere, a strange vibe hanging over everyone. 

By 6 p.m., things took a turn. Unlike the usual dawdling, everyone clocked out right on time. They all scattered to shake off the day’s tension—no need to dwell on that. 

Bianca, for once, didn’t wait for Adam to invite her. She just tagged along to his apartment without a word. 

“No, don’t,” Adam said gently, picking up on her good intentions. She wanted to comfort him, but he turned her down with a soft refusal. 

For one, he wasn’t rattled. Two, when it came to Alex’s ordeal, he barely felt any empathy—certainly not enough to need consoling. And three, even though he’d scrubbed himself clean over and over afterward, he still wasn’t in the mood for anything “indescribable” these days. Call it a mix of his germaphobe tendencies and OCD flaring up. 

In his past life, Adam already had a hint of this quirk. Every time he locked the door before leaving, he’d twist the knob repeatedly to triple-check it was secure. Even then, after heading downstairs, he’d still feel uneasy—half-tempted to march back up and twist it a few more times, just to be sure. 

In this life, spending so much time with little Sheldon and Monica had rubbed off on him. Their influence dialed up his cleanliness obsession and kicked his OCD into overdrive. Back in his old life, if he was sure everything was fine, he’d never have said no to Bianca’s eager affection. No chance. 

The reason he didn’t stop her from getting in the car earlier was simple—he didn’t want her to misunderstand. Bringing her into the apartment, holding her close while he explained, felt way more convincing than a thousand words out in the open. 

And judging by the glee on Bianca’s face? She was happier than Adam had ever been in his past life during New Year’s break. This was probably the moment she’d been dreaming of—a night of just cuddling, no strings attached, none of that love-hate chaos she usually got from him. 

If Adam had been willing to do this sooner, she’d never have moved out on her own accord. 

They lingered in that cozy moment for a bit. 

Ring ring. 

The phone cut through the silence. 

Adam glanced at it, got up from the bed, flashed Bianca a quick smile, and headed to the study. “Juno? Yeah, you heard about it too, huh?” 

News spreads faster than a virus—no exaggeration there. No bug could zip from New York to Boston in record time, but gossip? Oh, it absolutely could. 

The medical world’s a big place, sure, but it’s also a tight-knit circle compared to society at large. In that little bubble, a doctor getting shot? That’s the kind of bombshell that sets everyone off. Juno knowing about it didn’t surprise Adam one bit. 

“I was right there…” Adam recounted the whole thing from his perspective. 

“You’ve really gotta be careful from now on,” Juno said with a light laugh over the line. “This time it was fentanyl. Next time it could be AIDS. We’ve got a case here—patient hid their HIV status, coughed, and splattered blood right in the doctor’s face.” 

“Did they get infected?” Adam asked, stunned. 

AIDS wasn’t in the same league as fentanyl. Right now, it was still a death sentence, plain and simple. Sure, future medical breakthroughs might stretch out a patient’s lifespan, but the quality of life? Don’t even get him started. 

“You know the drill—tests first, then post-exposure prophylaxis right away,” Juno explained. “The odds of infection are low, but they’ve still gotta do three rounds of antiviral meds: Nelfinavir, Zidovudine, and Lamivudine.” 

“Those all come with side effects,” Adam pointed out. “Headaches, nausea, vivid dreams—you name it.” 

“Yup,” Juno agreed. “Plus HIV tests at six weeks, three months, and six months. If any come back positive, Dr. Cameron’s screwed. The hospital won’t just quietly cover endless medical bills. They’ll probably drag it to court, claim Dr. Cameron’s a junkie, and say she got HIV from shooting up.” 

“Ugh,” Adam sighed. 

It sounded brutal beyond belief, but that was standard procedure. In the U.S., it’s a well-oiled machine—especially with the insane number of addicts propping up the global drug trade. High-purity stuff aside, custom “sandwiches” were even legal in plenty of states. 

Back when Adam was at Columbia, he ran into Ted and Matthew—those two clowns got blitzed off sandwiches more than once. Among young people, less than 40% could say they’d never tried one. That’s a terrifying stat when you realize it means almost everyone around you has. 

The herd mentality it breeds? That’s the real killer. 

The higher the work stress, the more likely someone’s hooked. Take the wolves of Wall Street—work hard, party hard, drink hard. Without drugs, they couldn’t function or schmooze. Doctors aren’t much different. The pressure’s insane, and addictive meds—like painkillers—are way too easy to come by. 

Take Dr. House next door. Guy’s got a limp and pops pills like candy—can’t go a minute without them. 

In a society like that, when the suits want to pin blame, they don’t miss. Guilty or not, bled for the hospital or not, if your worth doesn’t outweigh the cost, they’ll show their ruthless side without blinking. 

Capital doesn’t have a shred of humanity. 

“You stay safe out there,” Adam couldn’t help but warn. 

He had his “bullet time” edge, so threats like that didn’t faze him much. Blood splatter wasn’t a speeding bullet—it moved slow enough to dodge or block. He just had to shield his eyes, mouth, and ears, the vulnerable spots. Easy enough. 

“Don’t worry about me,” Juno chuckled. “I can spot a sketchy patient a mile away, and I’m always on guard. You, though? You’d better watch yourself.” 

“Watch myself for what?” Adam knew she was teasing and rolled his eyes. “Let me tell you, I’ve got a gorgeous woman lying in my bed right now, and I told her to wait a few days. You have no idea how many hints and offers I’ve turned down lately. I’m not the old me anymore.” 

“Tsk tsk, so you’re serious about Peggy, huh?” Juno said, clearly amused. 

Yup, she knew all about Adam and Peggy. Last Sunday night, an excited Adam couldn’t resist calling her up to spill the beans. He had to tell someone, right? Juno was his best friend—never judged him, never lectured him about his love life. He always shared everything with her, no hesitation. 

“Has she reached out lately?” 

“Nope,” Adam said, his lips twitching. “And I’m not getting serious with her either. I’m just past that phase where I see a hot girl and instantly want to make a move.” 

“Heh,” Juno laughed, her tone loaded. “Looks like your first time really meant something special to you. Not surprising, though—you’ve always been more like an Eastern guy than an American one.” 

“…” 

Adam didn’t know what to say to that. 

Juno was sharp as hell. If she didn’t have zero clue about stuff like system transmigration, he’d bet she’d have sniffed out his hidden soul ages ago. 

Chapter 364: The Overbearing CEO Leonard 

The two of them chatted for quite a while. 

After hanging up the phone, Adam couldn’t help but smile to himself. Talking with Juno was always so "pleasant"—it felt a bit like that old saying about reflecting on yourself three times a day. 

Back in the bedroom, Bianca was already fast asleep. This was the norm for a medical intern. Most of the time, the indescribable allure of romance couldn’t compete with the overwhelming need to just crash and sleep like a log. 

It reminded him of Howard and Bernadette from The Big Bang Theory—parents of two kids, daydreaming about a child-free getaway. They’d book a fancy suite with a massive bed, only to do nothing but sleep soundly. Before they could even finish the thought, they’d end up passed out at the table like a couple of grade-schoolers during nap time. 

Thinking of Howard and Bernadette, Adam—now lying in bed—couldn’t help but think of Leonard, and tomorrow’s leading lady, Dr. Elizabeth Plimpton. Ten years from now, she’d be a full-on cosplay fanatic, the kind who’d crank the heat up to fifty degrees Celsius. He wondered if she already had that little quirk now. Adam kind of hoped she did. Otherwise, Leonard probably didn’t stand a chance. 

A genius physicist even Sheldon respected? In terms of intellect and academic chops, she’d probably never notice "half-man" Leonard. As Leonard’s friend, Adam didn’t want to see him constantly let down, staring at him with those sad, pouty puppy-dog eyes. 

The next day. 

“Adam, isn’t this a bit much?” Leonard fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat as a flamboyant designer fussed over him, trying out all sorts of looks. 

“Doesn’t Dr. Plimpton deserve you putting in some effort?” Adam replied casually, flipping through a fashion magazine with a grin. 

“Of course she does,” Leonard said confidently at first, then hesitated. “But this…” 

“Do you know why you came to me for help?” Adam closed the magazine and smiled. “It’s because you lack confidence. Whenever you’re around a beautiful woman, you shouldn’t hold back or shrink away. You need to show your confident side. And to do that, first, we’ve got to revamp your image—bring out all your best qualities.” 

“Don’t worry, darling. I, Tony, am the best in the business. I’ll make you absolutely irresistible,” said the famous fashion designer standing behind Leonard. He struck a dramatic pose with an orchid-finger gesture and winked at Leonard in the mirror. 

Leonard shivered involuntarily. 

“Confidence, huh?” he muttered. Still, Adam and Tony’s encouragement made him sit up a little straighter. 

Two hours later, Leonard stood in front of a full-length mirror, his nerdy vibe completely gone. He looked at the transformed version of himself, and a smug little smirk crept onto his face. 

“I think I know what to do now.” 

“Perfect! Show me!” Tony pointed at him with a flourish. 

“Hey, I’m Leonard” He took off his glasses, shook out his hair, leaned in with a brooding tilt, and gave Tony a sultry look, lifting his chin slightly. His voice dropped low and smooth: “You’re a vision—smart, youthful, wild, and radiant. I’ll pick you up at 8 tonight and give you a night you’ll never forget” 

“Where are we going tonight?” Tony asked, genuinely captivated, staring at Leonard with a dazed expression. 

Leonard cleaned up nice—standard "fresh meat" material. With a little polish, he was actually pretty charming. No wonder a billionaire widow would later take a shine to him, even footing the bill for a shiny new centrifuge for Caltech’s physics department. 

“See that?” Leonard coolly slid his glasses back on and turned to Adam, beaming. “I nailed it.” 

Adam’s mouth twitched. 

“What, not good enough?” Leonard asked, deflating a little. 

“No, it’s great!” Adam flashed two thumbs up. “A confident man’s the hottest kind. Keep that energy—you’ve got this.” 

He’d almost told Leonard to tone it down; that act was way too over-the-top. But then he reconsidered. An over-the-top Leonard was still miles better than a stammering one. Who knows? Maybe Dr. Elizabeth Plimpton was into the whole "overbearing CEO" vibe. 

Worst case, Adam could duck out if things got weird. He wasn’t about to stick around turning Leonard into some Casanova. Even if he had the time and skills, he wouldn’t bother. Nerdy Leonard was way more likable than slick players like Barney or Joey. 

New Jersey. Princeton University. 

“Llsa, when you see me run my hand through my hair, give me a call, got it?” Adam instructed. 

The emergency phone call—a classic, old-school move, but super effective. Plus, it was a step up from pretending you had to pee to escape. 

Adam wasn’t planning to linger. Once he set the stage for Leonard, he’d bounce. Then he’d go check on Paige. He was a guy, after all—no way he’d just sit around waiting for her to call him. 

“No worries, boss,” Lisa said, patting her chest confidently. “I’ve got this.” 

“Maybe we won’t even need it,” Leonard chimed in, his confidence practically bursting at the seams. 

“Oh yeah?” Adam gave him an amused look. “Then how about I skip it, and you ‘run into’ her solo? That might actually work better.” 

“Uh…” Leonard froze. He wanted to say he could handle it, but his ballooning confidence shrank back to a pinpoint. He gave an awkward laugh. “Nah, let’s go together. If things go well with Dr. Plimpton, you can take the call and dip.” 

Adam chuckled softly. Still not quite there on the confidence front. 

He was suddenly really looking forward to this meet-up. 

“Lisa, here’s what I need you to do…” Adam leaned in and whispered something to her. 

“Got it.” She nodded and took off. 

“What’s she up to?” Leonard asked, curious. 

“Nothing much,” Adam said with a cryptic smile. 

A historic moment like this deserved to be captured on camera—it’d be hilarious. But a photographer might make Leonard nervous, so Adam kept it on the down-low. 

When Lisa flashed an “OK” sign from a distance, Adam patted Leonard’s shoulder. “Let’s go. Don’t keep Dr. Plimpton waiting.” 

With that, he led Leonard toward the campus cafeteria. 

Leonard knew her routine like the back of his hand. Right now, she’d be sitting by the glass window, eating while reading a book—a picturesque scene everyone at Princeton recognized. 

As they approached, there she was: long hair cascading over her chest, an air of quiet intellect about her. She sat by the window, head bowed over her book, while no one dared sit nearby to interrupt. Farther off, though, the place was packed with people stealing glances at her, their eyes practically glowing with admiration. When they spotted Adam and Leonard walking over, those gazes turned hostile. 

The glares didn’t faze Adam one bit. Leonard, though? His legs started wobbling. 

“Hey, Dr. Plimpton! I’m Adam Duncan, and this is my good friend Leonard Hofstadter. Great to meet you,” Adam said, stepping up with a friendly smile. 

Elizabeth Plimpton looked up from her book, her long hair slipping to the sides, revealing a youthful, striking face. She met Adam’s smile with a dazzling one of her own. “Hi~” 

“Y-you—hi~” Leonard stammered as Adam pulled him forward. Facing this version of Elizabeth, his "CEO confidence" vanished. The “hello” on his lips got swallowed by a nervous “hi,” and he was a mess all over again. 

Chapter 365: How Am I This Smart? 

New Jersey. 

Princeton University. 

The moment Leonard, the overbearing CEO type, laid eyes on his goddess, he instantly turned back into the wobbly-kneed, timid Leonard we all know.  

“No surprise there!” Adam thought to himself with an internal eye-roll. Still, he had to smooth things over for his buddy. “Leonard’s not just your junior here, he’s also a huge fan. He’s super impressed by your academic work.” 

“Oh, really?” Elizabeth Plimpton said, finally tearing her gaze away from Adam for a second to glance at Leonard. “You’re a Princeton student too?” 

“Y-Yes, I…” Leonard stammered, completely falling apart. 

“He’s just too excited to meet his idol,” Adam chimed in, barely able to watch. But he had to keep propping Leonard up. Otherwise, this version of Leonard might go home, blast some heartbreak ballads, and—God forbid—buy a cat.  

This wasn’t ten years from now, when that geneticist in San Diego would breed those adorable, hypoallergenic transgenic kittens. With Leonard’s asthma, getting a cat now would basically be suicide.  

In American TV shows, normal people like dogs. Weirdos go for cats. Dogs suck up to you; cats don’t—and they trigger allergies with those creepy, shadowy stares. A young, single guy like Leonard—already a “lone dog”—getting a cat? That’s a clear sign he’s been crushed by life, given up all hope, and is basically socially self-destructing.  

Adam couldn’t just stand by and let Leonard off himself like that.  

“Leonard, you’re a physics guy too, right? Weren’t you always going on about how amazing Dr. Plimpton is?” Adam said, forcibly dragging him into the conversation.  

“Y-Yeah, yeah,” Leonard managed. After a moment to catch his breath, he was doing a little better. His words were still shaky, but at least they made sense now. “D-Dr. Plimpton, I’ve read all your papers. So many times.” 

“You understood them?” Elizabeth asked, genuinely curious. “Any thoughts?”  

“Uh, uh…” Leonard’s face turned bright red, and he was back to babbling nonsense.  

He was just a physics student, driven by his crush to read her papers over and over. Sure, he could kinda grasp the basics, but deep insights? No way. IQ’s just the hardware—without serious training, it’s like a computer with no operating system. Useless. Plus, theory wasn’t his strong suit anyway; it’s why he’d later become an experimental physicist. And Elizabeth Plimpton? She was deep into the mind-bending world of quantum cosmology.  

Adam rubbed his forehead. This guy was impossible to carry.  

“You’re in the physics department too? My junior?” Elizabeth asked with a light laugh, turning to Adam.  

Leonard was the type she saw every day—nothing new there. But Adam? He was different. She’d never met anyone quite like him.  

“Nope,” Adam said, shaking his head with a grin. “I’m just Leonard’s good friend. I’ve heard so much about you, Dr. Plimpton, from him—my ears are practically calloused over. Didn’t expect him to clam up like this when he finally met you, though.”  

Elizabeth was in her prime, radiant and stunning, but Adam kept the conversation orbiting around Leonard, showing zero interest in diving deeper with her.  

The future version of her? Way too wild. She’d left too strong an impression on him.  

“Just call me Elizabeth,” she said, her eyes lingering on Adam.  

Leonard, standing awkwardly between them, suddenly felt like he’d turned invisible. A bad vibe hit him hard.  

“No!” he blurted out in a panic.  

“What’s wrong?” Adam asked, startled.  

“Dr. Plimpton, I’m Leonard! I’ve read all your papers—you’re incredible!” Fear of fading away somehow kicked him into gear. He shoved down his nerves, stuck out his hand, and rambled, “I’m Leonard, a physics student here at Princeton. Sorry about earlier—I just wanted to seem smart.”  

Adam: “…” 

You didn’t need to say ‘I’m Leonard’ twice for me to believe you’re still a mess.  

“No worries,” Elizabeth said with a smile, shaking his hand. Then she glanced at Adam. “Why don’t we all sit and chat?”  

“Thank you, thank you! You’re so down-to-earth,” Leonard gushed, finally slipping into full fanboy mode.  

Adam felt a wave of relief.  

Once they sat down, with a little nudge from Adam’s眼神 (eye signal), Leonard finally got it together. He started asking Elizabeth some academic questions—mostly begging for advice.  

At first, she wasn’t that into it. But when she noticed Adam looking interested too, she warmed up, happily tossing out some basic physics tidbits.  

Back-and-forth like that, Leonard’s confidence grew. He even landed a few nerdy jokes that had Elizabeth giggling.  

Adam watched, amazed.  

“You can go now—I’ve got this,” Leonard whispered, poking Adam under the table. When Elizabeth wasn’t looking, he shot Adam a “fierce” glare with those big eyes, signaling him to get lost.  

“Seriously?” Adam’s mouth twitched.  

This guy was ditching him now?  

Adam’s first instinct was to smack some sense into him. But then he remembered last Sunday—Leonard waiting all day downstairs for Peggy, looking pathetic—and that flustered mess from earlier.  

“Fine, guess I’m just too good a friend,” Adam sighed to himself, running a hand through his hair.  

Ding-a-ling.  

Lisa, who’d been secretly snapping pics nearby, caught Adam’s signal and dialed his phone right on cue.  

“Sorry, gotta take this. You two keep chatting,” Adam said with an apologetic smile, grabbing his phone and stepping away.  

Leonard’s grin was practically bursting. In his head, he was screaming, “Adam, you’re the best bro ever! I almost misjudged you!”  

“He’s always so busy,” Leonard said quickly, noticing Elizabeth watching Adam walk off.  

“Oh? What does he do that keeps him so tied up?” she asked, turning back to Leonard with a warm smile.  

That smile stopped Leonard’s heart for a second. He stared at her, lovestruck, yelling internally, “It’s just us now! I’m done for! I’m done for!”  

“Leonard? Leonard?” Elizabeth called, snapping him out of it.  

“Uh, what’d you say?” He blinked back to reality, already forgetting her question, his face flushing.  

“I asked what Adam does. He’s so busy,” she repeated, still smiling.  

“Oh! Adam’s a doctor. Just graduated from Columbia Medical School this year. He’s doing his residency at New York Medical Center…” Leonard rattled off, eager to make up for spacing out on his goddess.  

Seeing her smile and look so interested, he was over the moon. He spilled everything he knew—and some stuff he didn’t—about Adam.  

“Praise Adam!” he cheered in his head. Without Adam, he’d have nothing to talk about with her!  

“So that’s who he is,” Elizabeth murmured after a while.  

“Yep!” Leonard nodded hard, smirking to himself.  

With an IQ of 173, he wasn’t clueless about romance like Sheldon. Sure, chatting with his goddess using Adam’s stories was a blast. But he wasn’t about to let his guard down.  

So, in his version, Adam became this flirty, kinda sleazy guy.  

That should kill her interest, right?  

Heh heh heh, how am I this smart?  

(End of Chapter)