*Chapter 234: 13 "No"s*

The next day.

*Morning jog time.*

"Hey, Monica, you're here?"

Adam had originally planned to drag Chandler out for a run, but he didn’t expect to see Monica there as well.

"Where else would I be?" Monica shrugged.

"At Peter’s mansion," Adam said with a smile. "Don’t tell me he just sent you home after the party last night?"

"Of course not," Monica shook her head.

"So… he sent you home after getting intimate?" Adam teased. "Wow, that’s pretty heartless of him!"

"…"

Monica was speechless. "I asked him to bring me home."

"Why?"

This time, not only Adam but also Chandler looked surprised.

Men and women are different. After an intimate moment, women usually prefer to cuddle and prolong the warmth, whereas men just want to sleep—preferably alone.

Otherwise, Ross wouldn’t have come up with his famous "hug and roll" technique.

Monica voluntarily asking Peter to take her home after such a moment was definitely unusual.

Normally, they would have spent the night together and met up again next time.

Just like in The Big Bang Theory, when Howard and Bernadette were dating. Because of Howard’s overbearing mother, Bernadette didn’t want to go to his house, but Howard also had a strict "curfew" and had to go home every night.

As a result, every time they were together at Bernadette’s place, Howard would follow the routine: a brief cuddle session after their "quality time," then he’d leave, which annoyed Bernadette to no end.

It made her feel undervalued, like she didn’t matter.

She often wished Howard would just stay the night—or better yet, move in with her.

But Howard kept making excuses to delay it.

On one hand, he had spent his entire life with his mom and was used to it. They both depended on each other.

For example, even as a grown man, Howard still relied on his mom for all his daily needs. She even took him to the dentist. Shockingly, he didn’t even know that you could take your temperature orally until he went to college…

Meanwhile, Howard’s mom never remarried and used food to fill the emptiness in her heart. She kept gaining weight, making it harder for her to move around, which meant she needed Howard’s help with many things.

On the other hand, there was also the simple reality: after they had already "been together," staying longer with Bernadette just seemed boring. Wouldn’t it be more fun to go home and play video games?

Raj once shared a wild thought with Stuart:

His ideal life would be if Stuart were a woman—so they could read comics, play video games together, and at night… well, Stuart would "take care" of him.

Of course, that was just an absurd idea born out of loneliness, even too much for someone like Stuart.

But it did reveal something about men’s true thoughts:

When intimacy isn’t a factor, guys often prefer hanging out with other guys.

That’s also why, in Adam’s past life, female gaming streamers were so popular—because they combined both aspects: someone to play games with and someone you could fantasize about.

A girl who enjoys gaming and is also physically attractive? That’s the dream.

Especially if, instead of post-intimacy cuddling, the couple spent that time discussing games or playing co-op together. In that case, the guy probably wouldn’t get sleepy so fast.

This fundamental difference between men and women made Monica’s behavior stand out even more.

"It’s nothing. I just didn’t want to stay over," Monica shrugged.

"Come on~"

Adam instinctively put on the classic How I Met Your Mother Barney Stinson expression—the one he used when pressuring someone to tell the truth.

"I'm serious," Monica insisted.

"Monica, come on~"

Adam repeated the same look, full of "I see right through you, just admit it."

"Okay, okay."

Unable to handle Adam’s persistent tone, Monica finally raised her hands in surrender. "I just don’t feel comfortable. I don’t think I love him."

"Is it because of…?"

"No, it has nothing to do with that," Monica cut him off immediately. "It’s an emotional thing. Peter is great—amazing, even—but I just don’t love him. It’s that simple."

"Ohhh."

Adam chuckled. "Congratulations, Monica, you’ve evolved. You’re just like me now—enjoying that without worrying about love."

"No."

Monica instinctively shook her head and then…

"No, no, no, no, no…"

Her tone shifted from denial to hesitation, then to fear.

Just like in How I Met Your Mother, when someone casually suggested that Robin and Barney would make a great couple—prompting Robin to frantically repeat "No" sixteen times to emphasize how impossible that was.

Adam counted carefully. Thirteen "no"s.

Looks like he was still slightly better off than future playboy Barney Stinson.

"OMG!"

After saying her thirteenth "no," Monica finally reacted, covering her mouth in shock. "I am kind of like Adam!"

"Is that really such a big deal?"

Adam rolled his eyes. "Didn’t you ask me to introduce you to guys before, saying you just wanted to balance your hormones?"

"I was just saying that," Monica said in horror. "But intimacy without love? What does that even mean?"

"A playboy," Adam said matter-of-factly. "Though, to be fair, that term is mostly used for men."

"OMG!"

Monica gasped again.

"Relax," Adam said, getting straight to the point. "You just went through a heartbreaking relationship. You need time to recover. Right now, real love isn’t possible with anyone, so this setup actually works out. Peter is a refined, generous millionaire—perfect for a rebound."

As he spoke, he glanced at Chandler out of the corner of his eye. He’s the one you’re truly meant to be with.

Besides, there was something else Adam didn’t say out loud—Peter’s status as a wealthy businessman was also a major obstacle.

Class divisions in America are real and well-established.

The working class sticks with the working class. The middle class stays within the middle class. The wealthy date the wealthy. It’s practically an unspoken rule.

In movies and TV shows, you see Cinderella stories where an ordinary girl marries a rich guy and lives happily ever after—but that’s just Hollywood fantasy.

Sure, it happens in real life too, but those are rare exceptions. Survivorship bias at play.

Monica was likely aware of this on some level.

And given her personality, she was never one to chase wealth or status.

So she was never going to fully commit to Peter.

But love requires full emotional investment to grow.

With her deep feelings for Richard still lingering, and her own reluctance to invest in Peter, it made perfect sense that her emotions were all over the place.

Adam had no intention of persuading her to stick with Peter.

To him, Chandler and Monica were the perfect match.

And this wasn’t just because Adam had seen the ending—there had been signs all along.

For example, when Monica first met Chandler back when she was still overweight, she clearly had a crush on him.

Or the fact that, before their friend group even officially formed, Monica and Chandler had lived across the hall from each other and were already extremely close.

One classic moment?

Monica wanted Chandler’s cookie, so he licked all over it to stop her.

In response, Monica picked up Chandler’s coffee—thinking it was his—and licked all around the rim.

(Though she later realized it wasn’t actually his coffee.)

Still, that kind of playful, casual "exchange of germs" speaks volumes about how uniquely close they were.

---