"Raj, when was your selective mutism cured? Why don't I know about this?" Howard asked curiously while handing the takeaway to Raj.
"Actually, I've been quietly seeing a psychiatrist my brother recommended for about a year now. I kept it hidden because I had no faith in being cured and didn't want to be laughed at again," Raj lied smoothly. "But over the past few months, I've felt changes, real signs of healing. And today, it feels completely cured. I can't really explain it," Raj smiled warmly. "Maybe it's the medicine, maybe it's a miracle. Perhaps it's both."
He knew that too many words would lead to mistakes, and he didn't want to discuss this matter anymore, so he attributed everything to metaphysics and left it at that.
Hearing his explanation, Sheldon rolled his eyes dramatically.
Howard didn't press the issue further and nodded with a genuine smile. "Congratulations to you, buddy."
A moment later, he said excitedly, "It's great that your condition is cured. This way, we can work together to pick up girls. In fact, you could be my wingman!"
Raj smiled knowingly.
In the show, although Howard was incredibly horny and always hit on girls whenever he saw them, employing countless tricks—doing magic tricks, speaking foreign languages, pretending to be Gothic—his success rate was remarkably low. Throughout the entire series, he only successfully pursued Bernadette, and his track record was far worse than both Raj's and Leonard's, so how could Raj possibly be his wingman?
At that moment, Leonard came out of the bathroom excitedly. "Sheldon, come with me."
"What are we going to do?" Sheldon asked, puzzled.
"You'll find out when you come with me," Leonard said mysteriously.
Seeing this secretive behavior, Sheldon immediately became interested and stood up eagerly. "Are we going to the comic shop to buy comics, or to the supermarket to buy batteries? Wait, don't tell me, let me guess."
Raj smiled to himself, knowing that Leonard had been asked by Penny to retrieve a TV from her ex-boyfriend. But because they had no intimidating presence whatsoever, not only would they fail to get the TV back, but their pants would be stripped off in the process.
Raj didn't feel particularly sorry about Sheldon's pants being ripped off—who told him to speak so viciously all the time? But he couldn't bear to see Leonard suffer such humiliation, so he stood up immediately.
"Wait, Leonard, where exactly are you going?" Raj asked with concern.
Leonard hesitated, clearly uncomfortable. "..."
He had hoped this could be his and Penny's little secret.
"What's going on?" Howard suddenly became suspicious when he noticed their secretive behavior and asked pointedly.
Leonard was not good at lying, especially under direct questioning, so he reluctantly told the truth when pressed by both of them.
As soon as Howard heard about the plan, he immediately recognized it as a perfect opportunity to impress Penny, so he eagerly volunteered to participate.
Sheldon looked visibly disappointed. He had genuinely thought Leonard was inviting him out for an enjoyable activity, but instead he was apparently being recruited as nothing more than a porter. He pursed his lips in displeasure.
Leonard flatly rejected Howard's application without hesitation.
He already regarded Penny as his future girlfriend, practically a done deal, and he would never allow anyone to interfere with his chances or compete for her attention.
Howard was rejected. Although he was clearly disappointed and very reluctant to back down, he ultimately chose to give in because he and Leonard were good friends, and their friendship mattered more than this particular opportunity.
"Sheldon, if you're willing to accompany me, I'll give you the first edition of the 'Green Lantern' comic," Leonard offered as an incentive, trying a different approach.
Although Sheldon was very reluctant and still annoyed about being reduced to manual labor, under the tempting inspiration of acquiring such a rare comic, he quickly agreed to help.
Leonard prepared to set off with Sheldon in tow.
"Leonard, wait. I need to remind you that you can't go like this," Raj interjected, observing them carefully.
"Why not?" Leonard stopped in his tracks and looked at Raj with confusion.
"It's very simple. Just from looking at you two, anyone can immediately tell that you're nerds. Do you honestly think those guys will be intimidated enough to obediently return the TV to you?" Raj explained matter-of-factly.
Hearing his blunt assessment and glancing down at their typical casual clothes, Leonard immediately couldn't refute the point.
"In my opinion, you'd better change into proper suits and pretend to be Penny's attorneys," Raj suggested thoughtfully.
In the United States, lawyers are an impressive and formidable profession, and most people don't want to provoke them or risk legal trouble.
Leonard appeared thoughtful when he heard this suggestion, clearly considering its merits.
"But we're not actually Penny's attorneys. Isn't that essentially making us lie?" Sheldon flatly refused, crossing his arms.
Although he had plenty of quirks and annoying habits, lying was something he simply would not do. He always said exactly what was on his mind, speaking the truth no matter the circumstances. This unwavering honesty was one of his rare genuine strengths.
"You don't have to think of it as lying. Instead, consider it a real-life role-playing game. In this game, you're simply playing the role of a lawyer," Raj suggested with a knowing smile. He understood that Sheldon was passionate about gaming and often approached life with a childlike enthusiasm for such activities.
Upon hearing this clever reframing, Sheldon immediately became interested, his expression brightening.
Immediately, Leonard and Sheldon changed into formal clothes and went to claim the TV set.
After Leonard and Sheldon left, Raj and Howard returned to their seats and continued eating.
They ate Indian food. To be honest, the food was a little too spicy for his taste but because Rajesh's body is used to Indian food he did'nt feel too uncomfortable.
While they were eating, Penny had already taken a shower. After returning to her own apartment and changing into fresh clothes, she came back to apartment 4A again.
"Are you working at the same university as Leonard and Sheldon?" She sat down beside Raj and asked him with a friendly smile.
"Yes, we're all colleagues," Howard hurriedly replied, eager to engage with her. He offered to hand over a juice box, "Penny, where are you from originally?"
"Well, I'm from Omaha," Penny answered with a smile, and then turned to Raj, waiting for him to share where he was from.
Before Raj could answer, Howard rushed to speak again, "Omaha?! I thought you came from Mars, because only the gravity of Mars could shape those amazing hips of yours."
Hearing him praise her so inappropriately, Penny couldn't help frowning, visibly uncomfortable.
"Let me tell you a secret—I'm actually one of the developers of the Mars Rover. If you're interested, I could let you take a drive on Mars," Howard leaned closer to Penny, speaking proudly and completely missing her discomfort.
Penny rolled her eyes when she heard what he said, her annoyance barely concealed.
Raj couldn't help frowning when he saw Howard being so impatient and speaking so inappropriately to her.
Although he wasn't a relationship expert, he knew enough to understand that pursuing someone required subtlety and respect, not aggressive advances.
Crude come-ons wouldn't impress anyone; they would only disgust them.
"Penny, I noticed that you just moved in today, and you must have a lot of unpacking and organizing to do. It just so happens that Howard and I are free right now. Would you like us to help you?" Raj suggested with a genuine smile.
Penny was visibly moved when she heard this thoughtful offer.
She had just moved in, her apartment was a complete mess, her belongings were still in boxes, and it really needed attention.
"Oh, that's so sweet, but I couldn't ask you to do that," she said, hesitating politely.
"Don't worry about it. We're not doing anything anyway," Raj reassured her warmly. "Howie, right?"
"Of course, I'd be happy to help," Howard immediately agreed, seeing an opportunity to spend more time with her and hopefully make a better impression.
"Well, thank you so much!" Penny beamed gratefully, and immediately led Raj and Howard across the hall to her apartment.
The three of them got started right away on organizing her new place.
In reality, Howard wasn't good at housework at all. He still lived with his mother, who did all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry for him. Therefore, as he tried to help now, he wasn't very effective, often standing around awkwardly, not knowing what to do or how to be useful.
In contrast, Raj had been living independently since graduating from university at age twenty-two. He had handled all his own housework for years, so tasks like sweeping, mopping the floor, and cleaning the windows came naturally to him, and he worked efficiently and methodically.
Penny had grown up on a farm in Nebraska, and she'd been doing chores and farm work since childhood. Taking care of household tasks was second nature to her.
Watching Raj and Howard work now, she couldn't help but make a mental comparison between the two men.
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