Leaving Max's apartment, Ethan Rayne's mood was somewhat complicated.
The moment the door closed behind him, he almost couldn't tell if everything he had just experienced was merely a dream.
Ethan Rayne stood at the apartment door, pausing for a few seconds.
The sweet scent of cupcakes still lingered in the air, mixed with a hint of Max's personal smell.
He had almost wanted to stay.
This impulse made him feel a little bewildered.
He wasn't the type to dwell on the past, nor was he the kind of man whose rationality would be swayed by a one-night stand.
He chuckled softly to himself: "That's strange... Could it be that I haven't been intimate with a woman for too long, and my hormones have overcome my reason, gaining the upper hand?"
The smile quickly faded.
A moment later, that warmth also receded like a tide.
Rationality once again took the high ground—calm, peaceful, yet also a little empty.
Max was clearly more clear-headed than him.
"Perhaps this is the best arrangement," he thought.
The city awoke under the sunlight, and the streets already had breakfast stalls, joggers, and dog walkers.
He looked up at the sky; today was Saturday.
He wasn't on duty and didn't plan to go to the Clinic—
He only ran an ordinary Clinic, usually open only on weekdays: opening at eight or nine in the morning and closing at five or six in the afternoon;
Weekends were usually off, occasionally open for half a day on Saturday mornings;
Holidays were also closed.
Every quiet weekend was a dream vacation for him.
However, Mary Mason sometimes went to the Clinic, and weekends when she didn't have classes became the longest time she spent there.
Ethan Rayne didn't mind, because there were many people on weekends, and he even considered giving Mary Mason double pay for holidays, but Mary Mason refused.
Sure enough, just as he was walking towards the street corner to hail a taxi, his phone rang.
The name "Mary Mason" popped up on the screen.
He answered: "Morning, Mary."
Her crisp voice came from the other end of the line: "Doctor, I'm already at the Clinic. I just wanted to confirm, will you be coming in today?"
"Today? No, Mary Mason. You can mess around to your heart's content today, I'm not planning to go over."
"What do you mean by 'mess around'?" Mary Mason's tone was peculiar.
"Exactly what it means—just don't blow up the Clinic."
"I won't."
"I know, I'm just kidding."
The other end of the phone was silent for two seconds, then Mary Mason said in a low voice: "Are you alright? You sound a bit... off."
"Me?" Ethan Rayne chuckled, "I'm fine. It's just—I slept too 'deeply' last night."
Mary Mason was confused: "You sound like you didn't sleep at all."
He changed the subject, "Oh, right, I just transferred this past few weeks' salary to your account. Check it."
"Finally!" Although her tone was still calm, her undisguised happiness was evident.
"Don't work too hard," Ethan Rayne's voice softened, "You don't have classes on weekends, so just hang out at the Clinic. If you need anything, call me anytime."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Ethan Rayne looked at the screen for a moment, and as the light dimmed, his own face was reflected.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First floor of the apartment.
Leonard and Sheldon were receiving a package from a delivery worker.
Leonard signed while instructing: "Her apartment is on the fourth floor, but the elevator is broken, so you'll have to—"
He looked up, and the worker had already walked away with the cart.
"You're just leaving? Alright, thanks."
Leonard looked at the large package, which was a bit taller than Sheldon, and said to Sheldon: "Then we'll carry it up ourselves."
"I strongly disagree." Sheldon frowned: "First, we don't have a handcart, nor lifting straps, nor pectorals."
"We don't need strength," Leonard said confidently, intending to lift the package, "We are physicists, we are the descendants of Archimedes!"
"Give me a fulcrum, and I can move the Earth." As soon as he finished speaking, the box tilted and directly pressed down on his shoulder.
Leonard was crushed to the ground: "I can't move it! I can't move it!!!"
Sheldon quickly stepped forward to help him up, and the two pushed the furniture back up: "Archimedes would surely be proud."
The furniture was back in its original position, and the two looked at each other.
Leonard asked in a low voice: "Do you have any ideas?"
"Yes, but they all require Green Lantern or the One Ring."
With their combined efforts, the two laid the furniture flat on the stairs.
Leonard: "Okay, now we have an inclined plane, and the pulling force is reduced due to the sine angle of the stairs. The angle is about 30 degrees, so it's reduced by almost half!"
Sheldon: "30 degrees, that's exactly half!"
Leonard: "Alright, exactly half. Push."
The furniture was pushed to the first turn, and Leonard said from the front: "Come up, help me pull it up and turn."
Just as Sheldon was about to go up, he let go, and the furniture slid down, directly to the bottom.
Sheldon: "Gravity, how heartless."
They finally managed to push the furniture up one flight of stairs.
"You know what," Sheldon complained as he pushed, "all this effort won't increase your chances of having sex with this woman."
Leonard retorted: "Men don't do things for women just for sex."
"To quote Ethan Rayne—'Only a man who has just had sex will move things for a woman not for sex.' And you clearly haven't."
"I'm doing this to be a good neighbor!" Leonard argued, "Besides, it won't decrease the chances."
"Hmm." Sheldon looked up at the fourth floor, "So a typical characteristic of a good neighbor is a herniated disc."
Finally, the furniture was pushed into Penny's apartment, and the two gently set it down.
Leonard: "Watch your fingers."
"Oh my god! My fingers!"
"Are you alright?" Leonard quickly asked.
"No, my hand..." Sheldon had just raised his head to speak when he saw Penny's living room: "Damn it! Look at this place!"
"Penny—is a little bit messy." Leonard tried to smile.
"A little bit?" Sheldon looked around, "The Mandelbrot set is a little bit messy. This is the pinnacle of entropy in the entire universe."
"Sheldon, everyone has different living habits."
"Living habits?" Sheldon picked up a sock, "This is more like a biochemical crisis."
Leonard urged: "Hurry up, it's time to go!"
Sheldon squatted down: "Wait!"
Leonard asked: "What are you doing?"
Sheldon said while tidying up: "I'm organizing."
"Sheldon, this isn't your home!"
"This isn't anyone's home—this is a caveman's den!"
Just as he was about to launch into his lecture on "the collapse of human order," Penny returned.
"Hi—you two!" She smiled as she entered the door.
"Your furniture arrived," Leonard wiped his sweat, "We just carried it up."
"Great! Was it difficult?"
"Not at all difficult!" Leonard answered before Sheldon could.
"That's right, not difficult at all." Sheldon added sarcastically, "I just need a new spine now."
Leonard pulled Sheldon along: "Then we won't bother you!"
"OK," Penny said, "Thanks again!"
"Penny," Sheldon walked to the door, his face serious, "You don't need to live like this. I am willing to help you establish order."
Penny was stunned: "...What is he talking about?"
"He's joking," Leonard said hastily.
Penny shook her head: "I don't understand."
"He's not saying it well."
Just then, a key sound was heard outside the door.
Ethan Rayne, carrying coffee, inserted his key into the lock, and hearing the voices from Penny's apartment, he couldn't help but walk over.
"Morning," he said, looking at the three people inside.
"Hey, Ethan Rayne!" Leonard immediately stepped forward, excited as if he had discovered a new topic, "You'll never guess—Penny gave me a key yesterday!"
"For emergencies," Penny quickly explained, "You weren't around yesterday, so... I just gave it to you just in case."
"Hmm," Leonard scratched his head, smiling casually, "Ethan Rayne, you didn't spend the night at home yesterday."
Sheldon immediately added: "Yes—based on the creases in his collar, the slight curl of his hair, the typical muscle relaxation in his brows, and his body's fatigue, I deduce he had a 'mammalian mating night'."
"Sheldon!" Ethan Rayne glared at him.
Penny's hand slipped, and the key almost fell to the ground.
She chuckled, her tone light: "Wow, that was... a pleasant Friday. The doctor's nightlife certainly emphasizes 'physical and mental health'."
"So," she asked casually, "Did you meet a new girl last night?"
"Uh, an ex-girlfriend." Ethan Rayne scratched his head.
"Catching up, of course." Penny nodded, "Sometimes I also catch up with ex-boyfriends..."
She turned to the kitchen, picking up the coffee pot: "Want some coffee? Hydration helps... restore energy."
Sheldon's expression suddenly changed, becoming tense: "Wait, was it Paige? Please tell me Paige didn't come to New York!"
Ethan Rayne replied irritably: "It wasn't Paige!"
"Oh, then it's fine." Sheldon visibly breathed a sigh of relief, "Anyone else doesn't matter."
"No thanks, Penny." Ethan Rayne shook the paper bag in his hand: "I'm going back to catch up on sleep. Goodbye, everyone."