Chapter 69: Another Party
What Sheldon had said was incredibly insulting—but the truly terrifying part was that no one present, not even Leonard, could honestly say he was wrong.
Still, driven by the pride that comes with any argument, Leonard scrambled to claim some credit for himself.
"Hold on! I designed the experiment that proved it!"
"They didn't need proof," Sheldon replied flatly.
Leonard seized on the flaw. "Oh really? So now the entire scientific community is just supposed to take your word for it, without question?"
"Not will, should," Sheldon said firmly, his voice absolute and unwavering.
Leonard sighed. "Whatever. I don't care what you say. I'm going to that conference, and I'm going to present our findings."
By now, Ron had grown tired of watching them bicker. Especially since he also had to endure Howard and Raj pestering him for dating advice.
"Enough already," Ron said. "Dating women isn't nearly as hard as you two make it sound—provided you stop doing ridiculous stuff like getting fake tattoo sleeves. Trust me, Howard, I've mastered the mystic divination arts of the East."
He switched to a mock-serious tone:
"One day, you'll find a wife who's as flexible as a gymnastics champion. Beautiful. Sweet… uh… warmhearted."
Sweet? Even Ron had to admit he'd crossed a line there.
Considering the woman who could match Howard's mother pound for pound, calling her "sweet" was just plain false advertising. He quickly substituted the word.
Invoking his "Great Prophecy Mode," Ron couldn't help but think of Bernadette—Howard's future wife.
Back in his past life, Ron had once seen a rather... ahem, gymnastics-themed film Bernadette starred in. He couldn't help but worry for Howard's small, fragile frame.
Looking at that body type, Ron thought: No way is this guy surviving Bernadette.
The age-old question surged back into his mind—How the hell did he manage it?!
Ron made a vow: next time he had the chance, he'd pay close attention and figure it out.
"Really?" Howard's eyes lit up with hope. Clearly, he was buying every word of it.
"What about me?" Raj asked eagerly, putting down his design sketches. "What kind of woman will I spend my life with?"
Ron's head hurt. Seriously, bro? That's not in the manual.
"Big eyes. Petite. Uh... very hairy," Ron answered vaguely.
"I knew it!" Raj suddenly shouted. "She must be like Kareena Kapoor!"
(Yes, the lead actress from 3 Idiots.)
Overcome with excitement, he jumped up and started dancing an impromptu Bollywood routine.
He even whacked Ron in the head with his pen mid-dance, without noticing.
Ron calmly pulled the pen from his hair and returned it to Raj's hand. "Sit. Down."
Idiot… I meant a monkey. Whatever, if it makes you happy.
Ron was just trying to keep the two scientists focused on finishing his "toy."
But the peace didn't last long.
Howard finally snapped out of his romantic daydream and looked around at the all-male crowd around him.
Suddenly, life felt painfully dull.
"Ron, the future's too far away. Can't you help us meet some girls now?" Howard pleaded. "We'll even work for free! Especially if they're celebrities!"
"Yeah! Big stars, if possible!" Raj chimed in, all fired up again. "I've seen the movies—guys like you, secret agents, always date gorgeous actresses!"
"You said it yourself," Ron replied with a smirk, pulling out his phone as it buzzed with a new message.
"That's the movies."
Ron glanced down at his phone, then looked back up at the two nerdy scientists.
No way... Did these guys just jinx reality into bending their way?
Because sure enough—they were right.
"Hey, you two," Ron said with a grin. "Were you serious about working for free?"
The two heads bobbed enthusiastically in front of him like dashboard toys.
Ron shot a glance toward Sheldon's room and lowered his voice.
"How would you like to come with me to a party later tonight? Think of it as an advance payment."
Howard noticed Ron's deliberate hush and immediately sensed something was up. He glanced warily toward Sheldon's room, which remained silent—thankfully.
"What kind of party?"
"I can't tell you what it is," Ron said, gesturing subtly to his ear—implying Sheldon's freakish hearing might pick it up. "But I can tell you it's being held at the Marriott near Hollywood."
Ron knew Sheldon too well. That guy had zero interest in social events—but if this party came up, he'd insist on tagging along. And once he showed up…
Well, the Cooper family name would never recover.
So Ron had made up his mind: Sheldon was not invited. In fact, he wasn't even going to know about it.
Hollywood!
Howard and Raj exchanged a look. Excitement lit up both their faces—and then they started nodding furiously.
Ron glanced at his watch.
"Alright, you've got one hour to suit up in your finest formal wear. Meet me on Hollywood Boulevard."
"No problem, my dude!"
---
One hour later, a car pulled up a short distance from the Marriott Hotel.
Ron stepped out, dressed sharp as always, followed by Howard and Raj—now in their most impressive party attire.
The two scientists gawked like kids from a rural village visiting the big city for the first time.
They were immediately stunned by the scene outside the hotel.
Security had cordoned off the entrance. Cameras and reporters were everywhere, lights flashing non-stop every time a car pulled up and someone stepped onto the red carpet.
Each new arrival looked oddly familiar—faces that regularly appeared on TV and movie posters.
They were all celebrities.
"Oh my God, I swear I just saw Avril Lavigne!" Howard practically squealed.
"Ron, you have to help me get her autograph!"
"I can ask a friend," Ron replied with a frown. "But I'm not really close to her."
Avril was huge right now. After the massive success of "Girlfriend," her global fame was skyrocketing.
Ron genuinely liked her music…
But as for the person? He had no love for heavy eyeliner and stubby legs.
"Dude…" Raj said, narrowing his eyes. "You're not actually one of those movie-type secret agents, are you?"
"What kind?"
"You know—the kind who kills people on the job and dates beautiful actresses in his downtime."
Ron rolled his eyes. "Where do you even get this stuff? No, man. I just happen to know someone throwing a party here tonight. That's it. I don't even have an invitation."
"A she someone?" Raj perked up instantly, his expression gleaming with curiosity and innuendo.
"Ron, just how many women do you know? Wait—don't tell me she's a celebrity too? Which one?! Have I seen her in anything?"
"I'm pretty sure both of you have seen her movies," Ron said, smiling cryptically. "And that's exactly why I didn't bring Sheldon. Now, I trust you gentlemen won't do anything that'll embarrass me... right?"
He gave them a sharp look. The two self-proclaimed scientists—who, let's be honest, were really just geeks—nodded solemnly.
Ron was about to reveal the star's name when he saw a graceful figure waving to him from a short distance away.
"There she is," he said. "I hope you'll both be on your best behavior when you greet her."