**New Jersey.**
Near the Hofstadter family home, at a comic book store.
"So?"
Adam looked at Leonard with an amused smile. "How do you want me to help you? Your first kiss, or do you want more?"
"No."
Leonard lowered his head shyly but then looked up at Adam expectantly. "I don't want more..."
"So, just the first kiss, then."
Adam understood instantly.
Leonard chuckled sheepishly.
"A first kiss is a very special thing," Adam advised. "But from what you've told me about Becky, it doesn't seem like she cares about you at all. Are you sure you want to waste your first kiss on her instead of waiting for someone better?"
"Waiting for someone better?"
Leonard panicked. "That would take a lifetime! Becky has some issues, sure, but I don't mind wasting it on her. Yeah! I don't mind at all!"
"Alright then."
Adam shrugged with a smile. "It's your choice."
"It's our choice," Leonard corrected with an awkward grin. "Adam, you *have* to help me."
"I'll do my best," Adam replied with a chuckle. He didn't think it would be difficult at all.
It was just a kiss—how hard could it be in the world of American sitcoms?
Any random excuse would do.
Besides, Becky was clearly a gold digger.
That made things even easier.
The book signing event was still ongoing.
"Becky!"
Leonard stood near the entrance, eagerly watching the crowd outside. As soon as he spotted Becky, he rushed out, waving excitedly. "Over here!"
"Cool car!"
Becky was a typical American blonde bombshell, very much like Penny. When she heard Leonard call out, she strode toward the comic book store with her long legs. But when she saw Adam's rugged off-road vehicle parked outside, her eyes lit up.
Not all girls liked small, flashy sports cars. Some preferred muscular, rugged vehicles. Bigger cars meant more space, which was often more convenient and comfortable for those who enjoyed... *adventuring* outdoors.
"That's Adam's car," Leonard said, trying to sound cool. "If you like it, we can take you for a ride later."
His voice and expression perfectly embodied one word: *simp.*
"Sure!"
Becky flashed Leonard a bright smile, but her eyes barely acknowledged him. Instead, she was curious about meeting Adam—the guy Leonard constantly raved about.
If Adam was really as impressive as Leonard claimed, she wouldn't mind using Leonard as a stepping stone to get closer to him.
In the original timeline, Becky managed to get into Cornell University, one of the Ivy League schools in New York. Sure, her family had money, but an equally important factor was having Leonard do her assignments and write her papers, effortlessly boosting her academic record.
For girls like Becky, climbing the social ladder by meeting more successful men—while keeping plenty of backup options as stepping stones—was practically second nature.
"Adam, this is Becky," Leonard introduced proudly.
"Becky, this is Adam."
As Leonard led Becky over, he noticed the nerds in the store staring at them in shock, jealousy, and disbelief. He couldn't help but puff out his chest in pride.
That's right!
*I'm just that awesome!*
Most comic book fans were single nerds, and whenever a woman walked into a comic book store, she was usually met with an overwhelming *stare of amazement*—often enough to scare her away.
In the original timeline, Leonard loved bringing Penny to events like this. His wallet was filled with photos of him and Penny, ready to be shown off whenever anyone doubted him.
He even took it a step further—having Penny pose with a newspaper on the day's date, like a hostage proof-of-life photo, just to prove that he *really* had such a beautiful girlfriend and later, wife.
And that was *after* more than a decade of dating and marriage.
Now, he hadn't even held a girl's hand, yet he was already enjoying the status of a "legendary player" that he would have worked years to achieve in the future. It was no wonder his happiness was through the roof.
And he knew it was all thanks to Adam.
Without Adam, Becky would have rejected his invitations for the *ten-thousandth and first* time.
"Hi."
"Hi."
Adam stood up and shook Becky's hand.
In Leonard's eyes, Becky was a goddess.
In Adam's eyes, she was a *solid six*.
But as the saying goes, at eighteen, no girl is ugly. Youth and energy were always a bonus.
Adam let go of her hand almost immediately, growing even more certain that Becky was a manipulative player.
Because right in front of everyone, she subtly scratched Adam's palm with her finger.
"Adam, let's take Becky for a ride!" Leonard said excitedly.
"Let's wait a bit," Adam replied with an indifferent smile. "I still have some books to sign."
Leonard wanted to say, *Forget the signing! We've got Becky!*
But Becky, playing her part perfectly, said, "No rush, I'll wait for you~"
"You're amazing," Leonard said, touched by her *kindness*. He then led Becky around the store, eagerly introducing her to his favorite comics.
Meanwhile, Adam continued signing autographs, pondering how to handle this situation.
The most important thing was to protect Leonard.
But with the way Becky was acting, even if he kept Leonard safe today, she would inevitably hurt him in the future.
Would it be better to rip the band-aid off now rather than later?
In Eastern culture, friends and brothers usually wouldn't interfere in matters like this.
One wrong move, and friendships could break, brothers could turn against each other—it happened all the time.
But here? Without Adam's help, Becky wouldn't even give Leonard the time of day.
*Screw it.* His job was simply to fulfill Leonard's *current* greatest wish. What happened afterward wasn't his problem.
It wasn't like he could manage Leonard's entire love life.
And as for getting hurt?
Leonard was actually pretty resilient.
In the original timeline, even when he thought Penny was his *one true love* and she broke up with him, he bounced back quickly—so much so that he fell in love with Raj's sister and even considered moving to India with her.
Raj was a *super-rich* guy who didn't even want to go back to his homeland, yet Leonard was willing to move there for a woman. That had to be *true love*.
So, love wasn't a rare thing for Leonard. As long as a girl was pretty, he could *fall in love* at any time.
In other words, Leonard's idea of *true love* was pretty diluted, meaning the heartbreak that followed would also be minimal.
Not to mention, no woman could ever hurt Leonard more than his mother, Beverly.
If Leonard could survive *her* and still be this cheerful, he didn't need Adam's protection.
If given a choice between Adam shielding him from heartbreak or helping him get closer to a girl like Becky, Leonard—from age 8 to 80—would always have the same answer:
*"Let the gold diggers come!"*
Realizing this, Adam couldn't help but smile.
"Alright, that's it for today."
Signing the last book, Adam got up before any more fans could approach.
"Leonard, let's go for a ride!"
*(End of Chapter)*