Chapter 279: New Roommate Appears
Having performed a classic federal agent negotiation in front of two beautiful women, Ron felt he deserved some recognition for his creative problem-solving.
However, due to the complex dynamics between the three of them, Ron decided to take a late-night walk to clear his head after the cronut incident.
Originally, Ron had simply planned to help Max close up the bakery, seeing how exhausted she was from the long shift. However, they ended up taking a scenic route back through Griffith Park, enjoying the cool Los Angeles evening air.
It was a pleasant walk, and they talked about business plans for the bakery. The only interruption was a stray dog that followed them for several blocks, apparently hoping for some leftover pastries.
Ron's only thought was, "So this is what they mean by 'taking the scenic route' in LA!"
"Scenic route? What are you talking about?" Leonard asked curiously, interrupting Ron's thoughts as he enjoyed breakfast in Sheldon's apartment.
"It's like taking the long way home," Ron said, making a winding gesture with his hand. This conveyed both his evening stroll with Max and hinted at Leonard's reconciliation process with Penny.
A double meaning, truly worthy of someone with advanced education.
"I think I understand," Leonard said with a knowing smile, looking more confident than usual.
"You seem different today, buddy. Usually you're more anxious about relationship stuff. This is the first time I've seen you this relaxed about things with Penny."
"Well, we had a good talk last night."
Leonard smiled, looking genuinely happy. Communication was clearly working better than avoiding the issues.
"Don't be modest, my friend. Honest conversation is the foundation of any good relationship. You should keep that up," Ron said, patting Leonard's shoulder encouragingly.
"Do you really think direct communication works better than trying to guess what the other person wants?"
Leonard's eyes lit up with hope. Apparently, he'd been getting relationship advice from various sources lately.
Given their friendship, Ron wasn't surprised. "Absolutely. Clear, honest communication beats playing guessing games every time. Speaking of which, where's Sheldon today?"
"He's working on calculations for your exoskeleton project. There are some complex equations he needs to solve before the engineering team can proceed. Until he finishes, the rest of us have a relatively light day. Howard and Raj should be here soon."
Ron nodded, not wanting to rush the process. He didn't understand the intricacies of advanced physics, so the best approach was to trust the experts. No one was better qualified for this work than these four brilliant scientists.
However, Los Angeles can be unpredictable sometimes. Leonard had barely finished mentioning their names when the apartment door suddenly burst open. Raj and Howard rushed in carrying laptops, both looking extremely excited.
"Oh my God! Ron, you won't believe what just happened!" Raj shouted in amazement.
"If your laptop finally stopped crashing every time you run complex calculations, that would actually be pretty surprising. I've told you before that if the processor is overheating, you can install better cooling. It'll not only improve performance but also extend the hardware's lifespan. Howard next to you is a perfect example of good computer maintenance."
Ron spread cream cheese on his bagel while offering technical advice.
"No, no, no, that's not what I'm talking about. Can you believe it? We've finally confirmed that there are other intelligent beings among us!"
"What did you say?!" Ron instinctively tensed up.
Ron had developed heightened awareness since arriving in a world where multiple franchises seemed to coexist. You never knew what or whom you might encounter.
Even encountering actual extraterrestrial life wasn't impossible, but based on his knowledge of various sci-fi properties, he had no reason to believe such visitors would have friendly intentions.
"Look, we found a woman on that dating site who's a perfect match for Sheldon!" Raj turned his laptop screen toward Ron.
"Oh, that's what you meant." Ron visibly relaxed.
But as soon as he felt relieved, he realized something was seriously wrong, his expression becoming even more shocked than before. "A woman who's a perfect match for Sheldon? How is that possible? Are you sure she's a real person and not some AI chatbot created by the website?"
Ron's worldview was genuinely shaken.
Howard pointed at the woman in the profile photo. "Of course she's real—look, she has a PhD in neurobiology and works at UCLA. She has all the credentials you'd expect from someone in Sheldon's league."
"Trust me, guys, having impressive credentials doesn't guarantee compatibility. You should meet my colleague Janet. Not only does she have a doctorate in theoretical physics, she also speaks six languages and runs marathons in her spare time."
"She sounds amazing," Howard said with interest. "Who is she?"
"She's a senior researcher at Caltech who transferred from MIT. Even though she's brilliant and accomplished, she has the social skills of a hermit crab."
Ron sighed. He'd worked with Janet on a consulting project once, and the memory of her complete inability to engage in normal conversation still haunted him.
"So what should we do now? How do we arrange for this woman to meet Sheldon?"
"Obviously, we should help Sheldon connect with his potential soulmate. Based on their matching profiles, you guys set this up perfectly, right?"
Ron took the laptop and composed a message in Sheldon's characteristic verbose style. At the same time, he thanked the two scientists: "Thank you for your service to the Cooper family. If Sheldon can successfully connect with this woman named Amy Farrah Fowler, you'll be heroes to our entire extended family.
This news is incredible. Honestly, our whole family had resigned ourselves to Sheldon remaining single forever."
"Why would he stay single forever?"
"Do you really need to ask?" Ron raised an eyebrow. "Think about it—if either of you were dating material, would you choose to be in a relationship with someone exactly like Sheldon?"
Both heads shook vigorously.
(End of chapter)