The videotape had been playing for a solid hour.
Hawking's voice finally stopped, and the living room fell into a sacred silence.
Three PhDs + one master's student wore solemn expressions, as if they'd just received scientific communion.
Sheldon: "That was the pinnacle of wisdom. Leonard, could you feel that... tremor coursing through your entire body?"
Leonard rubbed his stiff neck. "The only thing I felt was my back killing me."
When he turned his head, his attention was immediately drawn to one side of the couch—
Ethan and Penny were sitting side by side.
They were sitting close together, the atmosphere relaxed and natural.
Penny was laughing about something, her laughter light and bubbly, like champagne fizzing in the night.
Ethan was tapping his knee in response, his tone warm.
Leonard's smile instantly froze. For some reason, he felt a subtle "danger" in the air.
He coughed and casually walked over, draping his hand on Ethan's shoulder, pretending to listen in on their conversation.
Ethan looked oddly at the hand on his shoulder. "Leonard, don't you think you're being a little too touchy?"
"Oh! Oh! Sorry!" Leonard snapped out of it and yanked his hand back at light speed. "I sat on the floor watching TV for too long. Need to stretch."
With that, Leonard raised his arms and did a few stretches, but never having exercised, his body trembled and his movements looked completely awkward.
Ethan glanced helplessly at Penny, only to find her looking at him with a proud expression.
She and Ethan exchanged a look—that unspoken understanding instantly established.
[See? That's a normal guy's reaction to me.]
[Yep, Penny. Your charm is dangerous.]
Neither said it out loud, but the message was conveyed perfectly through a single glance.
Leonard stood there, completely oblivious to what had just happened.
"Hey, you guys seem to be having a great time. What'd I miss?" He asked with a smile, his voice slightly strained.
Ethan turned his head and couldn't resist teasing. "You missed Penny's chest."
"...What?"
Howard immediately shot up like he'd been struck by lightning. "Who just said—'chest'?!"
After Howard, Rajesh also came over, looking like he was dying to know the gossip.
Ethan surveyed the circle of guys that had instantly formed around him. "Yeah, she said her chest felt a little uncomfortable, so I gave her an exam."
Howard: "She took her shirt off?!"
"Of course. Have you ever seen a doctor do an exam through someone's clothes?"
The three guys looked like they'd missed out on a million bucks. Penny couldn't help but laugh. "You were all so absorbed in the video that when I said I was taking my shirt off, you didn't even turn around."
Hearing Penny not deny it, the three looked even more dejected.
Howard couldn't help but ask, "This needs to be done regularly, right? When's the next one? Can we be there to help?"
Ethan: "Sure... absolutely not!"
Howard looked crushed. "Ugh, I should've gone to med school."
It was getting late. Howard and Rajesh left the apartment. Sheldon had already gone back to his room, but Leonard kept hovering around them, refusing to leave. Ethan stood up, planning to head to his room and give Leonard and Penny some space.
Leonard suddenly called out to Ethan, forcing a laugh as he tried to regain some presence. "I was just thinking—where's Penny sleeping tonight? It's so cold out. She could—uh, take my room. Ethan and I can bunk together."
The moment those words left his mouth, the air went silent.
Penny looked surprised and said politely, "Thanks, Leonard, but wouldn't that be too much trouble?"
"Not at all! No trouble at all!" Leonard looked at Ethan with almost pleading eyes. "Right? Ethan?"
Ethan shrugged. Penny could only smile awkwardly but politely.
The next morning, before the alarm went off, Ethan was woken by his internal clock.
The moment he opened his eyes, he sensed something wasn't right—
There was a... fuzzy leg draped over his waist?
He instinctively turned his head—and the next second, he completely froze.
"—Leonard!"
Leonard, who'd never woken up this early in his life, jerked awake. After a dazed moment, he instinctively threw off the blanket.
Ethan laughed in exasperation. "If you're not wearing underwear, I swear I'll give you a sex change operation! From now on, you'll be called—Leona!"
Leonard felt a chill below and quickly covered himself with his hands, staring at Ethan in horror.
Ignoring Leonard's trembling terror, Ethan changed into workout clothes, put on his headphones, and headed out for a morning run.
The neighborhood was still shrouded in a thin mist. The wind by the river blew against his face, slightly salty.
As Ethan jogged, he thought about his conversation with Penny yesterday.
He smiled—as expected from the female lead of The Big Bang Theory. High emotional intelligence, charisma off the charts.
Penny's appeal to straight guys wasn't just her looks and figure—it was also her easygoing personality that made people want to get closer.
"Definitely a social genius."
As for Leonard pursuing Penny, it would probably take time and what Sheldon described as "relentless, never-ending persistence" to succeed.
And with his own appearance, he wondered if he'd be like a butterfly flapping its wings, affecting their eventual outcome.
"Whatever. I won't overthink it. Let things happen naturally."
There weren't many early runners on the street. They passed each other without greetings.
New York's pace was too fast—even breathing had a cost.
"At least people in LA will smile," Ethan thought as he ran. "Over there, you can make seven or eight new friends on a run, chat about Kobe, chat about the sunshine. But in New York—if you try to say hi to someone, they'll think you're selling gym memberships."
After running for over an hour, he was drenched in sweat, his body fully awake.
Back at the apartment, Ethan took a hot shower, changed into a dress shirt and slacks, and prepared to start a new day.
Leonard, who'd gone back to sleep, was woken up again. He rubbed his sleepy face, put on his glasses, and watched Ethan adjust his tie in the mirror.
"You get up way too early." Leonard yawned. "Doctors work this hard too?"
"The early bird gets the worm," Ethan replied. "And the worm that sleeps in—doesn't get eaten."
Leonard chuckled, but soon his expression turned hesitant.
He pushed up his glasses and asked tentatively, "Ethan, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Do you—uh—like Penny?"
Ethan stopped what he was doing and looked at those slightly anxious eyes in the mirror.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because... I can tell." Leonard said quietly. "She likes you—you guys hit it off so well last night, I don't even know how you did it. Girls have never smiled at me that much."
Ethan smiled faintly but didn't answer right away.
While adjusting his tie, he said, "Penny's very likable. I'm interested in her."
"So you do like her?" Leonard's tone grew tense.
"I do like her." Ethan shrugged. "But I'm not going to go out of my way to do anything. I'll just let things happen naturally."
Leonard stared at him for two seconds, his mouth twitching.
"Your answer... I don't understand it."
"That's because feelings are never black and white." Ethan smiled. "I'll treat her like a friend. But if she asks me out and the mood's right, I'll go."
"That sounds like—you won't make a move, but if she throws herself at you, you won't say no."
"BINGO~"
Ethan snapped his fingers, his expression slightly punchable.
"You!" Leonard pointed at him. "That's not fair!"
"Life isn't fair." Ethan laughed. "Besides, don't you think what Penny wants is the real point? Her happiness is what matters most."
"Fine." Leonard looked dejected.
Ethan finished adjusting his clothes, then bent down to tidy his hair a bit.
"Good luck, lovelorn little boy—Uncle Ethan's off to work to make that money!"
"Get out of here!"