520 Apartment.
"Why do you know so much about this?"
"Jerk!"
"You've ruined my beautiful memories!"
"I'm going to fight you!"
Adam casually commented on something, not expecting that his words would provoke Monica to the point of fury. She immediately chased after him, determined to make him pay.
Even though Adam explained that what he said didn't necessarily reflect Peter's thoughts, it didn't calm Monica down in the slightest.
Some things just shouldn't be overanalyzed.
Like those childhood cartoons—once reinterpreted from a new perspective, they instantly become part of the "childhood-ruined" series.
And then, those once-familiar and cherished memories could never be the same again...
There are countless examples of this.
Certain passages, poems, idioms, or even just a single word—many times, the author didn't intend any hidden meaning. But that doesn't stop others from reading into it.
After all, we live in an era where people say, "It's not about what you think, it's about what I think."
Adam could understand this all too well.
Because in his past life, he had experienced it firsthand.
One incident left the deepest impression on him: he once read a forum post that asked—
"What exactly is the relationship between Akira and Sakura?"
Curious, he clicked on it.
And then—his worldview was shattered. He even began to question whether the author really had those intentions…
Because, surprisingly, the arguments weren't baseless. Every point was backed by direct quotes from the original text, making seemingly logical inferences.
For instance:
Why did Sakura, upon first meeting Akira, react so strangely to his scent—her heart fluttering and her mind instantly conjuring up an image of a wedding night?
Why, on Peach Blossom Island, did Sakura choose to teach Akira literature instead of martial arts?
And how did Akira end up becoming a well-read and effortlessly charming rogue who had an uncanny ability to captivate female warriors—leading to the infamous saying, "Meeting Akira once ruins a lifetime."
When Akira flirted with women, he recited extraordinarily refined love poems.
But here's the real question—this was ancient times. There were no phones, no internet. Without a teacher, he wouldn't have had access to such things. So who taught him these poems?
And why?
Why was Sakura so aggressively against Akirarelationship?
On the surface, she claimed she was worried that Akira would be shunned by the martial arts world.
But her father was Kuroku—the notorious "Eastern Heretic"—who had always defied conventions. Young Sakura herself had been called a "little demon girl" and had never cared about right or wrong, good or evil. She only became a righteous heroine.
Would someone like her really care about upholding tradition?
If not, then why did she become the leading force in breaking up a teacher-disciple romance?
But in the end, when she searched for him across the world, growing old alone, he refused to see her even once...
Okay, most of these points were classic examples of taking things out of context. There were other explanations.
But still, thinking about it too deeply could be terrifying and utterly mind-blowing.
Similarly, Adam's casual remark didn't necessarily reflect Peter's thoughts.
But in Monica's ears, it was impossible not to think in that direction.
In the end, to make amends, Adam had no choice but to stand still and let Monica punch him as much as she wanted.
Of course, Monica wasn't Hu Yifei, and Adam wasn't some martial arts master. Her punches felt more like a massage than actual pain.
But this time, Adam was smart enough to pretend he was in unbearable agony, dramatically shouting in pain.
Only then did Monica finally calm down.
A Few Days Later
On the Night of the Channing Family Heiress's Coming-of-Age Party
"Ahhh!!!"
Rachel groaned in frustration.
"Max can go, Monica can go, but why can't I?!"
Monica and Peter had officially started dating after their Italian pizza trip. And with Peter being a billionaire a hundred times over, it was no surprise that he was on the guest list.
Wealth, like power, follows a pyramid structure—the higher you go, the fewer people there are.
In a supercity like New York, millionaires are everywhere. But those worth over a hundred million? Those are the big shots.
Even for a prestigious event like the Channing heiress's coming-of-age party, having Peter willing to attend was a huge honor.
"I can't go either," Phoebe raised her hand.
"Yeah, yeah," Rachel muttered, not even pretending to care.
Ross buried his head in the newspaper, avoiding eye contact with Rachel.
The reason was obvious—her boyfriend just wasn't high-status enough.
If he spoke up now, Rachel would definitely use him as a punching bag to vent her frustration.
And as a dignified PhD holder, Ross was way too smart for that.
"How about I ask Peter to bring you along?" Monica teased.
"Really?!" Rachel's eyes lit up.
"Of course not."
Monica smirked. "This is a Channing family event. You only get one chance in a lifetime to attend something like this."
"Ugh!!"
Rachel groaned even louder, now more upset.
Just then, Adam and Max walked in.
"Wow!"
"You look stunning!"
Chandler and Joey couldn't help but compliment them.
"Wait, Max, isn't this the dress I picked for you? The color looks different."
Rachel frowned.
"This color looks better," Adam said quickly.
"No way," Rachel shot back. "The one I picked suited Max perfectly."
"I know," Max nodded eagerly. "Don't listen to him—he loved your choice so much that the same night, he, uh… ripped it apart."
"OMG!"
Everyone's jaws dropped—half in shock at Adam's wild behavior, half at Max's blunt honesty.
"Ahem."
Adam laughed awkwardly. "Not my fault. The dress was poor quality."
And it was true.
Evening gowns like these were often designed to be worn just once—hardly built to last.
They were extremely form-fitting, nearly impossible to put on or take off easily.
And let's be honest—events that required such dresses usually led to certain activities afterward.
No one wanted a dress that killed the mood by being too hard to remove.
So brilliant designers had long accounted for that, ensuring these gowns looked elegant but could be easily disposed of when necessary.
What's more convenient—or more fun—than a dress that rips off in one go?
So really, it wasn't that Adam was too strong...
"Then what about my jeans?!" Max added, twisting the knife.
"..."
Adam fell silent.
Alright, that was definitely going too far.
At that moment, Peter finally arrived, saving Adam from further embarrassment.
As Rachel watched with envy, Adam and Max, along with Peter and Monica, elegantly made their way downstairs.
Below, Peter's stretch Lincoln was already waiting.
The moment they stepped in, the driver smoothly pulled away—heading straight for the Channing estate.