Medical Center.
In the hallway.
"...Yeah, that's how it is. Whether you want in or not is up to you."
Adam hung up the phone, a playful smile appearing on his face.
A prodigal son turning over a new leaf is priceless.
But in reality? Rare.
More often than not, a leopard can't change its spots.
But this is a TV drama world.
The more reality lacks something, the more this world overcompensates for it.
Will Joey become a good father when he gets older? Adam had no idea.
But in the original timeline, Barney really did turn his life around. Seeing him cradle that tiny newborn girl with a pacifier in her mouth—laughing, crying, overwhelmed with emotion—it was genuinely powerful.
"You are the love of my life, my everything, and from now on, all of me belongs to you—forever."
This was a line Barney used to pick up women—a total cliché, as fake as could be.
Barney had always believed he'd never love any woman more than he loved his own carefree lifestyle.
But karma's a funny thing.
In the end, he "fell" for a tiny girl.
From that moment on, whenever he saw young women dressed provocatively at bars, he didn't flirt—he lectured.
"You two, go home. Put on some decent clothes and seriously reflect on your life choices. Now, go! Call your parents. They're probably worried sick!"
What goes around, comes around.
As a father, Barney's biggest fear was that his beloved daughter would run into a player like he used to be.
"Daddy's home" was no longer just a flirty catchphrase—it actually meant something now.
Another similar case? Tony Stark, aka Iron Man.
His daughter Morgan saying "I love you 3000" every night melted the heart of a lifelong playboy, transforming him into a devoted dad.
Now that Joey had suddenly gained two children out of nowhere, Adam was really looking forward to seeing how he'd handle it.
Then another thought hit him.
If all the players in this world were destined to go through the same transformation…
Hmm.
No way.
Barney, Iron Man—they were just puppets in the hands of writers and directors. No matter how much they wanted to stay wild forever, they had no choice but to play the role of the good dad when the script demanded it.
Adam was different.
He had a real soul, a mind of his own—he saw through everything!
"I control my own fate, not the heavens."
Adam muttered to himself.
"What are you talking about?"
Cristina walked over, hearing him mumbling. She looked confused. "That sounded like East Asian. You speak East Asian?"
"Is that so surprising?"
Adam snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at Cristina. "I don't just speak East Asian—I also know Islander, South Universal, Russian, French, and even Klingon."
"No way!"
Cristina was stunned. "You know that many languages?!"
She was from South Universal herself but only spoke English.
Yet here was Adam, a born-and-raised American, speaking her native tongue.
It was bizarre.
"Languages are just tools for communication. If you want to learn one, just read the dictionary, listen, and speak more often—it's not that hard."
Adam chuckled.
He never even tried to learn them intentionally.
Ever since his intelligence skyrocketed into super-genius territory—and kept growing—old memories kept resurfacing.
In his past life, as a die-hard geek, he had watched tons of movies in Islander, South Universal, Russian, and French. He'd absorbed tons of context without realizing it.
In this life, whenever he chatted with his friends like Peggy, Bianca, or Heather, those memories would flash in his mind from time to time.
And when he didn't understand something? Well, with his photographic memory, he was curious enough to find out.
While his friends slept, wide-awake Adam would casually flip through entire dictionaries, memorizing every single word and phrase.
Sometimes, when the mood struck, he'd even speak in those languages.
Because honestly, some phrases just hit differently in their original language.
And just like that, Adam naturally picked up multiple languages.
Effortlessly.
"..."
Cristina regretted giving Adam another opportunity to show off. She should've known that, with his photographic memory, anything related to memorization was a piece of cake for him.
But something else caught her attention. "Wait—what's Klingon?"
"Klingon is the language of the Klingon species in the sci-fi series Star Trek."
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Adam explained, "Twenty years ago, Star Trek was a nationwide craze. Hardcore fans expanded Klingon into a real language, creating official textbooks and dictionaries. Some superfans even chat in Klingon."
"You're a Star Trek fan?"
Cristina asked, surprised.
"Not really."
Adam shook his head. "But a few of my good friends are. And since it was easy to pick up, I figured—why not? Can't have my friends chatting in Klingon while I just sit there, right?"
"You guys talk in Klingon? Why?"
Cristina was baffled by the ridiculousness of it.
Language was invented to break barriers, to help people communicate.
So why go out of your way to create a weird, obscure one?
Wasn't English good enough?
"It's fun."
Adam grinned. "In certain situations, a unique language makes things more immersive. Plus, knowing more languages is never a bad thing.
Imagine if you and Meredith both knew Klingon.
Whenever you were around Dr. Burke or Dr. Shepherd and wanted to talk privately, you wouldn't need to sneak off to the restroom—you could just chat in Klingon right in front of them!
They wouldn't understand a word. Wouldn't that be hilarious?"
"..."
Cristina's mouth twitched. After a long pause, she muttered, "Lame."
"Heh."
Adam chuckled. "You just don't get it."
Sheldon and Leonard speaking Klingon vs. Penny and Amy using their own secret language.
Everyone who saw it loved it.
"What are you doing?"
Adam looked at Cristina, puzzled.
"Just checking out what kind of hands these are."
Cristina held his hands, examining them closely.
"You heard about it?"
Adam realized what was going on and let her take a look.
"Of course!"
Cristina exclaimed. "Not only did I hear about it, but I also watched the surgery footage. I knew you were incredible—everyone does—but the way you performed in that OR? Insane!
A fatal injury, and you literally saved the guy with your hands alone. What are these—healing hands? Hands of God?"
"You're not so bad yourself."
Adam teased, "Didn't you pick up the 'Right Leg of God' from attending rounds today?"
"..."
Cristina rolled her eyes so hard they almost got stuck. She looked utterly offended.