Early the next morning, Ethan was still in a wonderful dream when a roar from the living room jolted him awake.
...Are you all crazy?
At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: read good Taiwanese books on Chaoxin.
There was no doubt that such a powerful voice could only belong to Penny.
Ethan curiously got up. For his own safety, he didn't walk directly into the living room but secretly observed from the hallway. Leonard and Sheldon were also there.
Penny stood fuming in the center of the living room, clearly having just woken up.
Her attire added a certain 'visual impact' to this 'bachelor pad'—
A light purple bathrobe was loosely draped over her, with slightly ruffled sleeves.
Underneath was a fitted white tank top that perfectly accentuated her figure.
She wore pink plaid shorts, with a colorful striped tie at the waist forming a crooked bow, looking both casual and playful.
For a moment, Ethan forgot to breathe.
His rational mind told him that now was not the time for admiration, as she was seething with anger.
Penny's face was flushed with anger: "You guys snuck into my apartment while I was sleeping last night?"
Leonard stammered: "Yes, just to clean."
"To be precise, 'organize,'" Sheldon added. "It wasn't actually very dirty."
"Give me back my key!"
"I'm very sorry." Leonard immediately handed over the key.
Penny stuffed the key into her pocket, her anger still simmering: "Do you even realize how terrifying that is?!"
"Yes," Leonard said cautiously, "we... discussed it for a long time last night."
"In my apartment! While I was sleeping!" Penny's fury could almost ignite the air.
Sheldon remained calm: "Friendly reminder, you snore when you sleep. Based on my auditory samples from last night, you might have mild sinusitis or sleep apnea syndrome. I suggest you see Ethan—"
"Sheldon!" Ethan quickly walked out to interrupt, truly fearing that if he was a second late, Penny would unleash a full set of 'Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms' on him.
"Good heavens, I knew something would happen." Ethan rubbed his temples as he entered the living room.
Penny's hands were trembling with rage: "Ethan, they secretly snuck into my room! Tell them—isn't this an invasion of privacy!"
Ethan spread his hands: "Yes, from a legal standpoint, you have every right to call the police, and in Texas, you could even shoot them on the spot."
"Thank you, Ethan." Penny nodded.
"Sheldon, Leonard, you really crossed the line. You need to apologize sincerely, from the bottom of your hearts."
Leonard honestly lowered his head: "Penny, I'm truly sorry. This was an absolute mistake." Then Leonard began to vigorously signal Sheldon.
Sheldon sighed, stepped forward, and adopted a formal apologetic posture:
"I am very sorry for what happened last night. The responsibility is entirely mine. I sincerely hope this will not affect your opinion of Leonard. He is not only a good person but also—to my knowledge—a very perfect lover."
Leonard's face instantly turned redder than a television screen: "Sheldon!!"
"I've done all I can do," Sheldon announced with a hint of innocence.
The air was silent for a full three seconds.
Then Penny, infuriated, burst into laughter, stormed back to her apartment, and slammed the door shut.
Ethan looked at the two in the living room and sighed: "You should be glad she doesn't keep a revolver under her pillow."
Leonard looked at Penny's closed door, his expression complex.
Sheldon looked a bit confused: "She laughed just now, didn't she? That—gritting-her-teeth kind of laugh, does that mean she accepted our apology?"
"That wasn't laughter, that was plotting murder." Ethan sighed and leaned back on the sofa.
Leonard was a bit anxious: "No, I can't let her stay this angry. I think she might never want to talk to us again!"
Sheldon analyzed seriously: "If Ethan is telling the truth—then from a behavioral perspective, her anger has clearly not subsided, and she needs an emotional outlet right now. And you and I are both triggers, so—"
"So what?" Leonard looked up.
"So we should send a neutral party." Sheldon's gaze turned to Ethan. "Like—him."
Ethan: "Me?"
Leonard immediately agreed: "Yes, yes, yes! Ethan, you have a good relationship with her, and she trusts you. Please, help us explain. Just tell her... we just wanted to help too much, there was no ill intent."
Sheldon added: "And you have a Ph.D., even if it's just an M.D., you still have high credibility."
"Thank you for your trust." Ethan smiled helplessly, and finally walked towards Penny's apartment across the hall.
—
Penny's apartment door was ajar. Ethan gently knocked twice: "May I come in?"
"Come in." Penny's voice came from inside, still sounding annoyed.
She was sitting on the sofa, legs curled under a blanket, her hair still messy, and a steaming cup of coffee in front of her.
Ethan carefully sat opposite her, remaining silent.
Penny took a deep breath: "I'm very angry."
She glanced at him, confirming Ethan was listening.
"They walked into my room uninvited, and then—they cleaned it! Can you believe it? Cleaned! Who runs into someone else's house in the middle of the night to clean? It's too weird!"
"Where I'm from," Penny continued, "if someone breaks into your house at night, you can shoot them. Seriously, not a warning, but shoot directly. Do you know my sister? She once shot her husband."
Ethan's expression immediately became very surprised.
"Of course, that was an accident. They were both drunk." She shrugged. "What was I saying? Oh right, even though they meant well, I..."
Penny's voice slowed, tinged with weariness, "I'm not doing well right now. I told you I broke up with my boyfriend, right? Everything's a mess. I just want some quiet time alone."
Ethan remained silent, just listening quietly.
"Although most men I know are jerks," Penny gave a wry smile, "that doesn't mean Leonard and Sheldon are too. At least... they're not as bad as those guys, just too clumsy."
She took a sip of coffee and then looked up at Ethan: "Right?"
Ethan smiled faintly and said softly: "They are quite clumsy."
There was a slight easing in the air. Penny's shoulders dropped, and she began to relax.
"Thanks for listening, I feel much better now." She let out a soft breath, her smile a little gentler. "You're so sweet."
Ethan paused, didn't reply, just smiled politely.
He understood—sometimes, what a woman truly needs isn't answers or solutions, but just someone who can sit quietly and listen to her complain.
Penny let out a long sigh. The next second, she picked up a key from the coffee table and held it up, shaking it in front of him.
"You know what? I've decided to give you the spare key."
Ethan: "To me?"
"Yes. I was going to give it to you anyway, but you weren't here that night. Now I'm even more certain—at least you won't sneak into my room in the middle of the night to mop the floor." A smile played on her lips.
"I promise to only use it in emergencies." Ethan took the key and smiled: "I'm guessing Leonard already gave you our keys, so I don't need to bother?"
"Uh, yes." Penny nodded, then looked at him again. "Speaking of which, you weren't here that day, how's your ex-girlfriend doing?"
"Ex-girlfriend?" Ethan was a bit lost in Penny's train of thought. Weren't they just talking about mopping the floor? The topic changed so quickly.
"Mm." Penny narrowed her eyes, with that natural 'gossip expression' women have.
"She was probably still angry about why we broke up back then, but today I made up with her after giving her and her roommate an air conditioner."
Ethan thought for a moment and answered seriously: "I don't mean she's materialistic; she felt my care for her, so she's no longer angry with me. As for now, we're just ordinary friends. We'll occasionally keep in touch in the future, nothing more."
Penny tilted her head: "Really? Are you sure it's not the kind of 'occasionally keep in touch and sleep together' kind of ordinary friends?"
Ethan smiled and shook his head: "No, that part is over."
"That's good." Penny leaned back on the sofa, resting her chin on her hand. "Because my ex-boyfriend isn't the type to 'move on.' He still texts, and he'll suddenly show up at my apartment door. Can you imagine that? A guy in a denim jacket, holding a beer, yelling, 'Can we try again?'"
Ethan couldn't help but chuckle: "Sounds quite romantic."
"Romantic? That's horrifying." Penny rolled her eyes. "I was wearing pajamas and had a face mask on at the time."
She paused, then suddenly added in a slightly provocative tone: "But men, you're all the same—even after breaking up, you're still thinking: 'Will she still sleep with me?'"
Ethan cleared his throat, a hint of awkwardness in his smile: "I have to admit, you're right."
"Right? Looks like you think so too."
Ethan gathered his thoughts: "In my opinion, if a man doesn't have such thoughts after a breakup, that's the woman's sorrow.
Having desire for an ex, I'd rather believe that's a compliment, indicating the ex is indeed excellent!"
"Whoa!" Penny raised an eyebrow. "So, you mean your ex-girlfriend is excellent?"
"No! I mean, you are excellent!"
"Ah!? Oh! Hahaha!"
Penny was stunned for a moment, then reacted, her laughter erupting like an opened soda. She laughed so hard she was bent over, even her eyes sparkling.
"Ethan, if one day I become your ex-girlfriend—you're single, and I'm single—" She pointed at him, a mischievous glint in her smile, "If you come looking for me, I won't refuse!"
Ethan raised an eyebrow, half surprised, half amused: "Is that a promise?"
"No! It's an agreement, currently limited to you, and—you have to be the same!" Penny held up her palm, her eyes fixed on Ethan.
Ethan hesitated, looking at Penny's serious expression, he finally raised his hand and gently 'clapped' hers.
"Deal!"
They exchanged glances and smiled in unison.
"Thank you, Ethan." Penny leaned back on the sofa, her tone sincere. "Thank you for listening to my craziness."
"Anytime." Ethan stood up and said with a smile, "So, can I tell them the storm has passed?"
Penny considered for a moment: "Yes, but add—for now."
"Understood." Ethan nodded and turned to leave.
The moment he walked out the door, he heard a soft voice behind him: "Ethan—"
He turned around.
Penny smiled and raised the coffee cup in her hand: "You really are quite sweet."
Ethan paused, then smiled and waved his hand.