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Chapter 272: A Real Man’s Choice
🕑 Added 2025-05-13 17:30:14 +0000 UTCMacLaren’s Pub.
“Nonsense!”
Facing Barney’s relentless arguments, Adam said calmly, “If two people truly love each other and get married, but they need something like this on their wedding night to spice things up, then their relationship already has problems. Why even get married? Just call it off.”
“Uh…”
Lily, who had been lost in her fantasies with a somewhat dazed look, suddenly felt like she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. She snapped out of it, looking both embarrassed and annoyed. Then she glared at Barney.
“Barney!”
“What?”
Barney looked completely innocent. “What does this have to do with the strength of their relationship? It’s just something to add a little fun. Don’t tell me you guys have never used anything like this before?”
“No.”
Ted and Marshall shook their heads.
“No!”
Lily quickly denied it, but the flicker in her eyes betrayed her.
Back when she got married, her best friend Robin had given her a rather scandalous wedding gift. To make things worse, it happened in front of everyone—her mother, grandmother, aunts, sisters, and even her niece were all there. It was beyond embarrassing.
However, later on, when Robin tried to take back the awkward gift, at first, both of them made up excuses to keep it. Eventually, Lily just grabbed it outright.
So, saying she had never used something like that? Highly unlikely.
“Not necessary.”
Adam spoke with confidence.
Though, to be fair, the thought of Heather wearing a Wonder Woman outfit briefly crossed his mind. But that was something entirely different from what Barney was talking about.
Did he, the ever-impressive Adam, need these gimmicks?
“Heh!”
Barney sneered, his face full of disbelief. “Come on~”
Adam ignored him, smoothly steering the conversation in another direction. Internally, though, he became even more wary of Barney’s ability to twist logic.
In such a short time, Barney had already come up with an entire argument full of nonsense, yet it almost sounded reasonable.
Otherwise, Lily wouldn’t have been so drawn into it, her expression turning so… mesmerized.
This kind of talent—if you weren’t careful, you might just start believing him.
Marshall, Ted, and Lily were all smart people. Seeing this, they naturally played along with Adam, refusing to engage Barney in his absurd discussion. Instead, they chatted about funny past experiences.
Barney, after several failed attempts to steer the conversation back, eventually gave up with a sulky face and went off to flirt with women.
For someone who aspired to be the greatest player in the dating scene—unparalleled in history—going a day without hitting on someone was unbearable. A week without a new pick-up strategy? That was downright unacceptable.
One thing was for sure: the atmosphere at a bar was far better than at a coffee shop.
After all, one place wakes you up; the other gets you hyped.
Alcohol is the ultimate wingman.
In fact, Barney, Ted, and Marshall had tried hanging out at a coffee shop once. But with three grown men just sitting there, staring at each other, they all felt incredibly bored and left almost immediately.
Even Chandler and his friends had originally preferred the downstairs bar. When it was converted into a coffee shop, they swore they would never go there again. But in the end, they kept going—not because they loved it, but simply out of convenience.
*The Next Day.*
Adam sought out Rachel, the maid of honor, to secretly inquire about Monica’s bachelorette party plans.
“Why are you asking?”
Rachel looked at Adam with suspicion. “Is this something you should even be asking about?”
“…?”
Adam twitched his mouth in frustration. “Why wouldn’t I ask? As the best man and maid of honor, shouldn’t we coordinate to make sure everything goes smoothly?”
“Is that really necessary?”
Rachel was puzzled.
She had been a bridesmaid before, but when she did it for Mindy’s wedding, she was practically forced into it. She wasn’t the maid of honor and wasn’t even liked by the bride. So, in reality, she had little experience.
“Of course, it’s necessary.”
Seeing her reaction, Adam smiled knowingly. “Rachel, do you know what ‘mutually assured destruction’ is?”
“Huh?”
Rachel was even more confused.
She wasn’t exactly known for her academic skills—after all, she once changed her major just because parking at the department’s building was inconvenient. Expecting her to be interested in history was laughable.
Most Americans weren’t that into history, especially when it came to foreign conflicts.
Rachel barely knew the difference between World War I and World War II.
“…It means both sides are capable of destroying each other, so neither dares to make the first move.”
Adam simplified his explanation. “Just like us. As the best man and maid of honor, our job is to ensure the wedding goes smoothly, not to stir up trouble for the sake of fun. I’m not hiring a stripper for Chandler, so I hope you won’t hire one for Monica either.”
“Why not?”
Rachel frowned. “It’s just a little harmless dancing to help them relax. What’s the big deal?”
“What’s there to ‘relax’ about?”
Adam scoffed. “Aren’t they happy to be getting married? Would you want your future husband sitting there with someone grinding on his lap? And trust me, Chandler definitely doesn’t want Monica using her teeth to take off some guy’s pants.”
“Okay, okay.”
Rachel surrendered, raising her hands. She then gave Adam a surprised look.
“What?”
Adam was confused.
“If Ross had said this, I wouldn’t be surprised. But hearing it from you?”
Rachel looked at him in shock. “A playboy like you actually has such a conservative mindset?”
“Is being a little conservative a bad thing?”
Adam chuckled. “This is Chandler and Monica’s wedding. Why should it be wild?”
“Tch!”
Rachel suddenly realized something and scoffed. “I see what this is—you’re just a hypocrite. You think it’s fine for you to have fun outside, but your girlfriend or wife isn’t allowed to. Am I right?”
“We’re talking about Chandler and Monica’s wedding. Why are you bringing this up?”
Adam dodged the accusation with a smirk. “So, we agree—no strippers, right?”
“Fine, I got it.”
Rachel rolled her eyes at him but didn’t press the issue further.
In her mind, rich guys were all the same. And with Adam being young and ridiculously good-looking, of course, he had the luxury of playing around. Holding others to stricter standards than himself? That was just standard procedure.
*At that moment, Joey walked in, grinning from ear to ear, waving at everyone.*
“What’s up with you? Something good happen?”
Adam laughed.
“Check this out!”
Joey sat down, leaned back, and pulled up his shirt slightly—revealing a pair of red underwear. The problem? They were clearly women’s.
Adam and Rachel were both stunned.
“Phoebe was right—only a real man dares to wear these!”
Joey grinned smugly. “Silk underwear feels amazing! So much more comfortable than regular men’s boxers. And there are so many styles—bikinis, French cuts, thongs. Materials like cotton, silk, lace…”
“You sure know a lot.”
Adam held back a laugh. “Looks like someone’s been doing thorough research.”
“Of course—”
Joey was about to continue when Rachel suddenly let out a furious scream.
“JOEY TRIBBIANI!”
“What?”
Joey looked at her, puzzled.
Rachel clenched her teeth in rage. “YOU’RE WEARING MY UNDERWEAR!”
Adam: “……”
*(End of Chapter)*
