Chapter 239: Peerless Beauties! Chuck's First Encounter with the Oil Painting Beauty!
Central Park Café.
Pen pals meet, and both are stunning beauties. Naturally, there's no disappointment upon first meeting; instead, they chat happily, much to the delight of the onlookers.
Joey and Ross, still harboring some ambitions, listened intently, eager to hear their conversation so they could strike up a conversation later.
However, the two women's conversation was far too sophisticated and elegant, leaving Joey completely bewildered.
Ross, despite his PhD, was only vaguely aware of the general idea.
"Hey, what's their relationship? It doesn't seem quite right to me,"
said Rachel, a gossipy café server, unusually diligent today. She frequently refilled the women's drinks and eagerly inquired if they wanted anything else. Back at the counter, as she continued to gossip with her friends, her extensive experience made her increasingly suspicious.
"Didn't you hear Monica say they're pen pals?"
Ross said casually, his eyes glazed over.
"No way."
Rachel sat on the armrest of the sofa, stroking her chin, denying the claim. "It's definitely not just simple pen pals. Besides, with communication so advanced these days, who would still write letters as pen pals?"
"Then what do you think their relationship is?"
Chandler teased. "Ross, you tell me!"
"..."
Ross, who had been looking like a lovesick fool, instinctively sensed something was wrong after Chandler's comment and finally turned his gaze over.
"Right!"
Rachel also suppressed a laugh. "Ross, you tell me!"
"Really?"
Joey had been thinking in that direction, but as soon as Ross was mentioned, he immediately grasped the concept and stared incredulously.
"What do you mean?"
Ross's face darkened, unwilling to accept this explanation.
"Don't you guys feel that this girl named Eileen is incredibly charismatic?"
Rachel pointed out. "And Professor Alicia Harper—she's radiant. She doesn't look like someone who's just a pen pal."
"No!!!"
Ross shouted.
"Yes!!!"
Joey, unlike Ross, didn't have any psychological trauma and cheered even louder, his expression excited.
He enjoyed watching drama between beautiful women, in every sense.
"I'll take a picture to show Chuck."
Chandler secretly took out his phone and snapped a picture of the scene.
"Don't cause trouble!"
Monica glared at Chandler, snatched the phone away, and deleted the photo. "Aren't you busy lately?"
"How could I not be busy?"
Chandler complained. "I'm going to be president someday, so I'm taking this time to relax. Otherwise, it'll be hard for you to see me. Ever since I said I was going to work hard, Chuck has completely scheduled my time! Now I'm starting to regret it."
"I see you're enjoying yourself,"
Ross said sarcastically.
"That's just my personality!"
Chandler said self-deprecatingly. "No matter how much I'm suffering inside, I always look like I'm enjoying myself. I'm used to it."
"What has Chuck been up to lately?"
Rachel asked curiously. "He hasn't come to Monica for experiments, has he?"
"Don't say that!"
Although Monica was used to Chuck talking about doing experiments, she still felt a little uncomfortable hearing her old friends say it and couldn't help but interrupt.
"He seems to be quite busy lately."
Chandler shook his head. "I don't know what he's been busy with. You should ask Monica. After all, in terms of closeness, I'm just the comedic assistant, and Monica is the research assistant."
"Don't look at me!"
Monica said irritably. "Don't you know what I've been busy with these past two weeks? I'm being driven crazy by Aunt!"
Everyone who had met Mrs. Wolowitz couldn't help but laugh.
"How did your little cousin's situation end up?"
Joey asked gossipingly.
"He succeeded."
Monica said with a conflicted expression.
"Really?"
Chandler was skeptical. "I don't think your aunt is easy to persuade. How could she agree so easily?"
"I haven't finished yet,"
Monica retorted. "He succeeded because my aunt, after all our persuasion, realized that it's one thing for Howard not to have a father—after all, so many people in America don't have fathers—but it's not good to grow up without friends.
Now, thanks to Chuck's help, Howard finally has one or two friends, and he wants to stay here with them, which is a healthy attitude. But he also failed. Because my aunt's decision was to move—for Howard's sake, she moved their Pasadena home to New Jersey."
"Howard must have cried; he'll probably never escape his mother's clutches for the rest of his life,"
Ross said, gloating.
"What are you so happy about?"
Monica reminded him irritably. "Don't forget that your aunt is now closer to us."
Ross froze, then his face immediately fell.
He had really forgotten about that.
"I know what he's thinking!"
Joey winked, giving him a look that said, "I understand Howard."
"Stop making that face!"
Monica said disdainfully. "Before, because of a bad example, look how he's turned a perfectly normal teenager into such a creep. If you lead him astray too, he'll be completely ruined."
"What do you mean?"
Ross's face darkened. "Who was the bad example before?!"
"Should I make him confess?"
Monica retorted directly. "I think he definitely has a lot to say."
"..."
Ross was speechless for a moment.
His little cousin Howard had chosen such a blatantly obvious and unexplainable screen name, and the key was that despite his young age, his hacking skills were quite impressive. He easily cracked Ross's computer password and gained access to his browsing history.
When it came to a real confrontation, Ross didn't dare to say anything harsh.
"They really know how to have fun."
Chandler chimed in. "At such a young age, you're all playing with advanced robots, and even designing and building them yourselves. It's true what they say—those who can hang with Chuck are all talented."
"You're really good at subtle insults!"
Ross retorted, annoyed. What did he mean? Of all his old friends, he was the only one who clashed with Chuck and couldn't see eye to eye with him. Now, seeing Chandler say this, and everyone else nodding happily, looking proud, he felt it was too much.
So, you're all talented, and I'm the only one who isn't?
"Can you build robots?"
Chandler teased. "Especially at such a young age?"
"I only like dinosaurs!"
Ross, of course, wasn't that skilled, but stubbornly insisted. "Dinosaurs are much more interesting than robots!"
As everyone chatted and gossiped enthusiastically, they didn't notice that Eileen, who was chatting with Professor Alicia Harper, glanced over in their direction.
A while later...
Eileen stood up, and Professor Alicia Harper, still somewhat reluctant, followed suit, saying. "Are you leaving already?"
"Yes, I have some things to attend to,"
Eileen smiled. "But I received an invitation from Columbia University's art department to stay for a few days. If you're free tomorrow, you can come over and we can exchange ideas. I'm currently working on a painting and would like to hear your opinion."
"Great! I'll definitely come tomorrow!"
Professor Alicia Harper readily agreed.
After the two women hugged, Eileen walked towards the door. As she passed the sofa in the café often occupied by the old friends, she gave Monica a slight smile before leaving.
"Was she smiling at me?"
The group, who had been pretending to be busy with their own things, were now reunited, and Joey felt a little hopeful.
"Stop daydreaming!"
Monica knew Eileen was smiling at her and muttered a complaint before getting up to approach Professor Alicia Harper, who was still there, to try and get some information out of her.
There was always some inexplicable emotion lingering in her heart, something she couldn't easily express. Otherwise, her old friends would probably tease her, saying she had developed Chuck's "research partner syndrome."
Whenever she saw a beautiful woman, she subconsciously worried that she would steal her research resources—it was concerning, and it needed addressing!
The next day.
Columbia University.
"Professor Alicia Harper."
"Oh, Dr. Wolfe, what are you doing here?"
Professor Alicia Harper arrived as promised, coming to see her pen pal, Eileen, but instead encountered Chuck.
"I have a case that requires consultation with a professional art restoration expert,"
Chuck said calmly. "I heard Columbia University invited a renowned professional art restorer, so I came to take a look."
"What a coincidence!"
Professor Alicia Harper's face lit up. "You must be talking about Eileen! She's my pen pal—her artistic talent is exceptional; you won't regret it!"
"I'm looking forward to it."
Chuck adjusted his decorative glasses.
The two walked side by side.
Along the way, Professor Alicia Harper talked enthusiastically about Eileen, and Chuck didn't interrupt. He arrived at Eileen's address, knocked on the door, and heard a pleasant female voice from inside.
"Please come in,"
Professor Alicia Harper said, opening the door like a hostess and leading Chuck inside. Inside, there were rows of oil paintings, the paint still wet.
"Eileen, what's this?"
Professor Alicia Harper asked, surprised.
"I recently read a novel, and last night I had a sudden inspiration. I really wanted to paint my feelings, so I simply stopped worrying about technique and detail,"
Eileen said without turning around, still holding a palette in one hand and a paintbrush in the other, sitting there painting.
"A novel?"
Professor Alicia Harper was immediately captivated, even forgetting to introduce Chuck, and leaned closer to examine the paintings carefully. Looking at each picture, she seemed lost in thought. "This is a complete story, about two sisters..."
"Yes."
Eileen sat there, painting as she leisurely explained. "These sisters are the most powerful women in the world, and the most powerful people in the world! No man can compare to them! The elder sister is number one, the younger sister number two! They lived together in a castle at the top of the world, watching the world's changes unfold. It should have been a very beautiful life."
"Indeed, very beautiful..."
Professor Alicia Harper's expression shifted as she looked at the two breathtakingly beautiful sisters in the paintings, murmuring to herself.
"But accidents always happen,"
Eileen said as she painted. "Because of some trauma when she was young, the younger sister has a condition which makes her lack certain emotional responses and unable to maintain the same perfect state of mind as her older sister.
One day, a man entered their world, and the still somewhat naive younger sister became infatuated with him. The older sister, however, knew that this man would cause unacceptable harm to her younger sister, so she wanted to drive him out of their world. But the younger sister was blind to it and couldn't see the truth at all.
She even wanted to break with her older sister, who loved and cared for her, for this man."
"Love is always blind,"
Professor Alicia Harper said with a wry smile.
"But this isn't love, is it?"
Eileen sneered. "This man, like other men, becomes infatuated with every woman he sees. He even had an affair with a servant in the sisters' castle. When the younger sister discovered it, just as the older sister predicted,
it completely broke her heart, preventing her from becoming stronger. So, the older sister eliminated the man herself! But the servant became pregnant with his child.
The older sister vowed to make the man pay for hurting her sister, including this child. For her sister, the older sister could become as ruthless as a demon; if anyone tried to stop her, she would make them suffer. But the younger sister softened again, begging her sister to spare this child.
The older sister was such a proud person, always keeping her word. Faced with her sister's pleas, even knowing she was being manipulated, she was still willing to abandon her principles, vows, and pride for her sister. The child survived and, with the younger sister's secret help, continued to grow.
The older sister saw everything, yet repeatedly tolerated her sister. The result was that the child continuously undermined the sisters' authority, and finally, it even joined forces with one of their greatest enemies to completely overthrow everything the sisters had."
"And then?"
Professor Alicia Harper couldn't help but ask when she saw Eileen pause here, engrossed in her painting, completely absorbed in the story.
"And then?"
Eileen smiled. "In the final battle, the older sister, weakened by her younger sister's betrayal, could no longer dominate everything. Facing an uncertain fate, the younger sister still chose to stand against her, speaking for the child. The older sister gave her a final choice: which side to stand on? The younger sister's choice utterly broke the older sister's heart."
Professor Alicia Harper's breath caught in her throat, her voice trembling. "And what was the result?"
She already knew the result, as Eileen was painting the final outcome, but she was unwilling to accept it, wanting Eileen to deny her guess.
"The result?"
Eileen said calmly. "The result was that the heartbroken older sister killed her younger sister with her own hands, then fought a desperate battle with the enemy, finally destroying them all.
Holding her sister's body, she returned to her castle, forever keeping her sister by her side. From then on, there was no more conflict, and the two sisters returned to their former close bond. This story is called 'The Peerless Sisters'!"
"The Peerless Sisters..."
Professor Alicia Harper watched Eileen finish the last stroke, looking at the painting of the older sister holding her younger sister, a mixture of emotions on her face, completely immersed in the story.
Eileen turned to Chuck, who had remained silent, with a knowing smile. "Sir, what do you think of this story of the Peerless Sisters?"
(End of Chapter)
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