Chapter 77: I Want to Challenge My Weak Spot
"Go ahead, go ahead,"
Chandler teased, seeing the three women looking at him. "There's nothing to hide, nothing that could shock us. It's just that."
"You know about the erogenous zone map, right?"
Monica glared at Chandler, but she didn't try to hide it. In their circle of friends, they were all New York twenty-somethings who shared everything regardless of gender, so she spoke directly.
"Oh yeah!"
her best friends Rachel and Phoebe immediately smiled knowingly.
"Erogenous zone map?"
Chandler was completely stunned. "What's that?"
"You don't even know that, dude?"
Monica scoffed.
"Please enlighten us."
Joey, who had been eavesdropping, rarely expressed his desire to learn, despite being a high school dropout.
If this was what they taught in school, he might have gotten his PhD.
"Tell them. It's also a way to help all womankind."
Rachel, seeing Monica looking at her, smiled and nodded.
Phoebe also smiled and nodded.
"Okay."
Monica took a pen and paper and began drawing a small female figure, labeling the corresponding areas with numbers 1 through 7.
Rachel and Phoebe sat on either side of her.
Chandler sat on the armchair next to her.
Joey and Ross, who had been sitting at the dining table, suddenly appeared behind the sofa, watching Monica's anatomy lesson.
Monica's impromptu class had begun.
Rachel, with her fashion merchandising background, was relaxed at first, occasionally glancing up at the three guys, feeling a sense of superiority. But as Monica continued her explanation, the poor fashionista began to panic.
Oh no!
Something felt wrong. Why did Monica understand it differently from her? Not only was the positioning of numbers 1 through 7 different, but even the optimal sequence was completely different.
Rachel wanted to speak up, but a glance at Phoebe, who smiled and nodded knowingly, then at the three guys made her swallow the words that were about to come out of her mouth.
She couldn't say anything. If she contradicted Monica and was wrong, the guys would laugh at her and it would be embarrassing.
And now that she thought about it, Monica's explanation seemed more accurate, and her own understanding seemed a bit... naive.
"So he didn't follow your ideal sequence?"
Rachel didn't dare to dwell on it any further and quickly changed the subject.
"Don't tell me he used some weird technique from the Kama Sutra on you!"
her brother Ross complained.
Monica ignored her brother, who was always criticizing Chuck, put down her pen and paper, and said with a troubled look, "I want to connect with him more. You know, talk... even eye contact would be nice."
"His favorite painting is probably dogs playing poker. I knew it!"
Chandler waved his finger vigorously, excited at his accurate guess.
"You said it yourself, that's just how he is,"
Phoebe laughed. "You should have known better."
"I know,"
Monica said with a self-deprecating laugh. "People just get greedy easily, don't they?"
"I told you he wasn't right for you!"
Ross said with an 'I told you so' expression.
"It's not what you think."
Monica rolled her eyes at her brother. "I'm just a little unsatisfied. I want to connect with him more emotionally."
"So, let me get this straight. Even without your ideal sequence of numbers, it still worked, right?"
Chandler asked.
"Of course,"
the three women said in unison.
Starting with a 7, and then maintaining 7s throughout, wasn't impossible. Excellence comes from dedication and natural ability.
"So what's the problem then?"
Rachel was puzzled.
If the issue wasn't about that, then what was Monica so hung up on?
"He wanted to leave right afterward,"
Monica explained.
"Jerk!"
Rachel and Phoebe exclaimed in unison.
Chandler and Joey exchanged knowing smiles.
Ross, as a guy, should have smiled knowingly too, but since it was his own sister talking about someone he disliked, Chuck, he could only keep a straight face and remain silent.
"He's not a jerk, he just has his reasons..."
Monica defended Chuck using Chuck's own words.
"Hold up, hold up."
Joey grabbed Monica's notepad, flipped to the back, and began writing frantically. "You said he has reasons? What kind of condition causes that?"
Seeing everyone staring at him, he smiled sheepishly. "I'm just taking notes..."
"Guys who act like that are jerks!"
Monica snatched back her notepad. Not wanting to enable Joey's player behavior, she said distressfully, "After hearing his explanation, I told him he could leave. I'm wondering if that's why he hasn't called me yet."
"Why would you say that?"
Rachel and Phoebe exclaimed in unison.
"Even if you were okay with him leaving, you should have said it gently."
Rachel added, "Men can be sensitive about these things sometimes."
"He said he couldn't stay because he was in 'gentle mode' before,"
Monica said slowly, her expression conflicted.
"Wow,"
Phoebe exclaimed in surprise and amusement, looking at Monica with an expression that said, 'You've struck gold!'
Rachel froze for a moment, then made a small sound, shifting slightly, unconsciously adjusting her sitting position.
"Damn! Respect!"
Joey, stunned, gave a thumbs-up.
He'd originally thought he was smooth enough and experienced enough to offer some post-game analysis, but now he realized that someone could not only speak with such confidence after the fact, but do so to this degree. Sure enough, the mindset of a genius was beyond ordinary comprehension.
He'd never imagined this angle could be used as an explanation.
"Bullshit!"
Ross didn't believe it at all, sneering dismissively, "Monica, you've been played by him. He's a smooth-talking liar!"
"You don't understand."
Monica ignored her brother and confided in her friends, whose expressions ranged from shock to admiration to daydreaming. "So I panicked and blurted out, 'You can go!' I regret it now. Why did I say that?"
"Why else?"
Chandler teased. "It's like how people would be afraid of the Terminator. Terminators don't have emotions."
This time, Monica didn't argue back, but instead looked thoughtful.
"When robots really develop to that level, I'm going to have a dozen robot boyfriends,"
Phoebe said with a mischievous laugh.
Everyone: "..."
"Call him!"
Rachel adjusted her sitting position several more times before clearing her throat softly. "How can you let yourself lose at something like this?"
"What should I say?"
Monica also wanted to call Chuck, but she didn't know how to start.
"That's easy,"
Rachel whispered into Monica's ear.
Meanwhile, Chuck was playing chess with Gideon and chatting with both Gideon and Reid when he suddenly received a call from Monica. After some small talk, Monica gathered her courage and said, "Chuck, I want to challenge my weak spot..."
(End of Chapter)
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