1998
August 23rd
Sunday
Auspicious for renovations, business openings, construction, bed placement, transactions, and groundbreaking ceremonies.
Adam drove to Princeton University.
As a renowned young mathematical prodigy, Peggy was provided with an independent apartment on the Princeton University campus to facilitate her studies and daily life.
Outside the Apartment
"Adam! What are you doing here? Did you come to see me?"
As soon as Adam stepped out of the car, an excited figure rushed toward him.
"Leonard?"
Adam was momentarily stunned. "What are you doing here?"
"I..."
Leonard's face flushed red. Trying to change the subject, he asked, "You're not here to see me?"
"No."
Adam apologized, "You know how busy I am with work. I finally got a day off, and a friend asked me to come over for some help. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have had the time to come."
"Apart from me, you have other friends at Princeton?"
Leonard's eyes lit up in surprise. "Who? Why haven't you introduced them to me before?"
"A high school friend," Adam said with a smile. "She was younger back then, and her mother always accompanied her while she studied here. So, I rarely kept in touch, and I never mentioned her."
"She was young and had her mother accompany her?"
Hearing this, Leonard quickly grabbed his asthma inhaler, took a few puffs, and finally managed to suppress his rapid heartbeat and breathlessness. He asked in shock, "Your friend isn't Dr. Peggy Adler, is she?"
"You know Peggy?"
Adam nodded with a smile. "Of course. A prodigy like her would be famous even at Princeton. It's no surprise you've heard of her."
"You mean the genius beauty!"
Leonard took a deep breath and excitedly added, "There's never been a scientist in history with her level of brilliance and looks! The only one who might barely compare is Dr. Elizabeth Prington from the Physics Department.
But Dr. Prington is six years older than Dr. Adler, got her doctorate eight years later, and isn't nearly as attractive. Dr. Adler is widely recognized as the most beautiful woman in the scientific community..."
Once he started talking about this, Leonard's eyes sparkled as he spoke endlessly, not even his asthma stopping him.
Adam looked at him with a strange expression.
"What?"
Leonard finally realized he had been rambling and gave an embarrassed chuckle.
"This is Peggy's apartment building," Adam said playfully. "Don't tell me you live here too or just happened to be passing by?"
"Uh..."
Leonard's face turned red, and he was at a loss for words.
"Heh."
Adam couldn't help but laugh.
You never know how small the world can be.
In this life, the indirect connection between Sheldon and Leonard wasn't just through Adam—now Peggy was also involved.
Even more interesting, Peggy liked Sheldon, and Leonard had a crush on Peggy.
Oh, and there was also Dr. Elizabeth Prington. If Adam remembered correctly, she was that wild scientist.
Leonard had a one-night stand with her... well, actually, a night and a morning. And let's not forget the delivery guy, Howard, and the landlord, Rajesh...
"I'll catch up with you later. I'm heading up now."
Adam patted Leonard's shoulder and was about to enter the building.
"Can I come with you?"
Leonard asked eagerly, "I've always wanted to meet Dr. Adler."
"Well..."
Adam hesitated, then shook his head. "I'm not sure if it's appropriate."
Seeing Leonard's puppy-dog eyes, Adam sighed and smiled helplessly. "I'll check with Peggy first. If it's fine, then sure—we're all friends, after all."
"Awesome!"
Leonard nearly jumped in excitement, but his poor athleticism kept him grounded.
"I'll wait here for your good news."
"Alright."
Adam nodded and walked toward the apartment entrance.
"I'll be waiting!"
Leonard called out again.
"Got it."
Without turning around, Adam waved a hand behind him.
"I'll be here!"
Just as Adam stepped into the elevator, Leonard's excited voice echoed once more.
Adam couldn't even be bothered to respond this time.
Without looking back, he could already picture Leonard standing there, fidgeting with his hands while grinning like an idiot.
Ding!
Apartment 3A
Adam pressed the doorbell.
Inside, he heard light footsteps approaching.
As they got closer, Adam's heartbeat suddenly sped up for no apparent reason.
Peggy had been both beautiful and adorable as a child, with a unique aura about her.
It had been seven years since they last met. What did she look like now?
Please don't look like Captain Marvel.
Please don't look like Captain Marvel.
Please don't look like Captain Marvel.
Some things are worth saying three times.
But judging from Leonard's fanboy behavior and the title "most beautiful genius scientist in history," it seemed unlikely that Peggy had aged poorly.
Maybe she had become even more stunning?
And why had she suddenly asked him to come over?
If he had known, he would've called Sheldon first to ask.
After all, his connection to Peggy was entirely through Sheldon.
In seven years, they had only spoken on the phone a few times—all because of Sheldon.
Adam knew that Peggy only truly considered Sheldon a friend.
His system stats never lied.
Although Peggy had provided him with intelligence points over the years, she had never given him strength points—an undeniable sign that their friendship wasn't that deep.
If anything, he barely qualified as her friend. At most, he was half a friend.
He still vividly remembered the soul-deep coldness Peggy once showed him.
Thinking about it, he subconsciously checked his system panel, focusing on his intelligence stat.
Intelligence: 177.75(Normal: 100, Excellent: 120, Genius: 140, Super Genius: 180)
Just under three points away from being a super genius.
At this moment, Adam couldn't help but blame Christina a little.
For someone who earned dual PhDs at such a young age, she was undoubtedly just as much a genius as Leonard.
If she had seen him as a true friend and given him over three intelligence points, he would have already reached the super genius level—on par with Sheldon and Peggy.
Creak.
As Adam's mind raced, the door opened, revealing a face that made his heart skip a beat.
"Not Captain Marvel!"
Adam cheered inwardly. "She didn't age badly at all!"
"You made it~"
Peggy's lips curled into a smirk, her smile wickedly charming.