Chapter 382: Ron's Trouble
The sound of Bruno Mars' famous proposal song forced Ron to turn around, only then realizing the strange situation in the apartment. While he was still bewildered and at a loss, Rajesh emerged from the bedroom with a large group of relatives and friends.
"Ron, are you proposing to me?" Collins asked in surprise.
"Well..." Ron hesitated, "You know, we've built up the atmosphere to this point, but you also... well, not exactly."
Ron's voice unconsciously lowered as he spoke the last part, and Collins didn't even hear what he was saying.
"I really didn't know you were planning this today..." Collins sobbed, overwhelmed by the music.
"I understand, I understand, it was too rushed this time, so if you don't say yes, it's okay, next time, next time I promise I'll do it even better..."
"I say yes!" Collins suddenly released her arms and threw herself into Ron's embrace.
"Pop! Pop! Pop!" Rajesh and his friends unleashed the confetti cannons they had prepared, the colorful streamers decorating the apartment with a romantic atmosphere, and all their friends applauded.
Ron, taking advantage of a moment when no one was looking, whispered in Rajesh's ear, "Damn it! Rajesh, where did that ring come from?"
"My god, who proposes with just a necklace? It's for you, a wedding gift. You know I'm not short on cash~" Rajesh said generously.
He really wasn't short on money. When Howard got married, Rajesh practically covered all the wedding expenses, plus Howard's favorite complete Batman comic collection.
Don't underestimate the value of comic books; for geeks who love them, they're real treasures, especially since Rajesh gave him first edition collector's items—even Sheldon was jealous.
However, this was also the beginning of Ron's troubles. News of his proposal to Collins quickly spread throughout the Tuohy and Cooper families. He'd received over a dozen congratulatory calls in the past few days, especially from Mrs. Cooper, who couldn't wait for Ron to get married and settle down.
"I know, Mom... Don't worry, I'll treat Collins well... I think marriage is a bit premature. No need to rush, at least until Collins finishes college... Goodbye, Mom, love you."
Ron hung up on Mrs. Cooper, feeling completely exhausted. Luckily, he lived across the hall from Sheldon, and a trip to Sheldon's apartment meant a daily dose of entertainment.
Ron still hadn't figured out how to tell his other women the news, but perhaps he could find some amusement in others' misfortune when he was feeling down.
"Ron, you're here just in time! Can you drive me to the arcade to redeem my prize?" Sheldon said happily. "I finally know what prize I want to redeem."
"Congratulations! After three years, you've finally made your decision. Guess what? If you had thought about it for another two years, that arcade might have gone out of business."
Ron mocked. Meanwhile, Leonard was still rummaging through old belongings next to a large cardboard box, finally pulling out an old prize ticket from three years ago. "Found it. Here."
"What's this?" Ron leaned closer to the box and saw a red garment inside.
"It's a sweater my aunt gave me when I got into college."
"Did she hate you?"
"How could she? Just because I got this ugly, itchy sweater, while my brother got a car?" Leonard said self-deprecatingly. "She definitely spoiled me way more."
"Wait," Sheldon turned back after taking two steps, "It seems a few points are missing. Are there any more in the box?"
"They should all be accounted for by now..." Leonard had just dug around a bit when he suddenly seemed to have discovered something terrible and nervously closed the box. "Nope, there's nothing else."
Little did he know, it was precisely his nervousness that aroused Sheldon's suspicion. "Really? Let me see."
Ron, however, had already seen what it was the moment Leonard discovered it. What was that saying again? When drama presents itself, you don't turn it down, right?
Ron grinned mischievously. "If there's nothing wrong with letting Sheldon see it, it wouldn't hurt, would it? Or is there something sketchy in the box?"
"No, no, no," Leonard clutched the box to his chest, then tossed it onto the sofa in a surrendering manner. "Fine, Sheldon, I'll let you see the box, but you have to promise you won't freak out."
"Why would I freak out?"
Leonard carefully took a DVD from the box. "Sheldon, I know this DVD should have been returned a long time ago, and I know it was rented using your card, but it's been three years and nothing bad has happened.
So, instead of constantly nagging me like usual, could you try to stay calm this once?"
"That sounds reasonable, Sheldon, what do you say?" Ron crossed his arms, looking on with anticipation.
"Okay, since Ron puts it that way," Sheldon exchanged a glance with Ron, "Could I ask you to return the DVD for me?"
"No problem, I'll go return it right away," Leonard replied in surprise.
He had been prepared for Sheldon to have a complete meltdown, but to his surprise, Sheldon was surprisingly calm this time. What was different from previous incidents?
Leonard cast a grateful glance at Ron.
Compared to Sheldon's previous tantrums, the only variable this time was Ron. It seemed there was a natural counter to every force; with Ron around, Sheldon had become much more reasonable.
"Thank you, Ron. With you here, Sheldon has become much more rational. You must teach me how to get Sheldon to be reasonable sometime."
"It's actually not that complicated, Leonard," Ron said, adopting a predatory expression like a wolf coaxing a rabbit home. "The key is to learn empathy. Only when you understand why Sheldon is always so anxious can you persuade him to calm down, right?"
Ron secretly gave Sheldon a little kick.
"Yes, that's right, exactly. You'll never know how frustrating it is for me to have something unresolved. It's like having an itch inside my skull that I can't scratch." Sheldon immediately joined Ron in setting a trap for Leonard.
"An itch in your skull? How can I understand that?"
"Sheldon might be being a bit abstract, but I have a way for you to experience it. Want to try it, Leonard?" Ron pulled Leonard's old sweater out of the box.
"Didn't you just say this sweater was ugly and itchy? Would you be willing to wear this sweater until you return the DVD? Maybe then you'll understand that itch in your head that you can't scratch."
(End of Chapter)
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