Chapter 220: Can't Be Without Women  

The next day. 

A restaurant near Brooklyn. 

"This should be the place, right?" 

Adam and his friends arrived together to cheer on Monica at her new job. 

Yesterday, she had been proudly declaring that being a stock market genius would be her lifelong career. The next second, she was completely wiped out. 

After experiencing such highs and lows, Monica completely gave up on the idea of making money through stock trading. 

Then, to make matters worse, she lost the last of her money. 

With no other choice, she took a job she found in a newspaper listing. 

"Wow." 

As soon as they saw Monica behind the bar, everyone's expressions changed. 

She was wearing a silver, fluffy wig. Overnight, her chest seemed to have transformed, appearing even more exaggerated than Heather's. On top of that, she had a pair of glasses hanging around her neck. 

This was her work outfit. 

The original cosplay queen. 

"Stop staring. It's all fake. There's nothing inside." 

Seeing Adam and Joey staring at her, Monica couldn't help but grab at herself to demonstrate. She smirked and teased, "Adam, you really can't be without women, huh?" 

"Ahem." 

Adam looked a bit embarrassed. 

Before, he never would have reacted like this. 

But Heather had been gone for over a month. 

And now, with his growing dry spell, he found himself drawn to women's curves more often than he'd like—completely beyond his control. 

"I was just lost in thought." 

"Yeah, sure!" 

The others all scoffed. 

"You and Heather really broke up?" 

Chandler asked with concern, "Do you want me to have Susie introduce you to someone? With your qualifications, you could be dating actresses." 

"Hey!" 

Joey immediately got jealous. His eyes widened. "Why are you only introducing girls to him? Have you ever thought about setting me up? I'm single too! And I'm an actor—doesn't that make me even more suited to date actresses?" 

"I was going to!" 

Chandler quickly tried to backpedal. "I just said 'a few people,' didn't I? Adam doesn't need that many." 

"That's more like it." 

Joey pouted, then nodded with satisfaction. 

"Hey!" 

Ross suddenly interjected. "What about me?" 

Everyone turned to look at him, then their eyes shifted to Rachel. 

"What?" 

Rachel looked confused. 

"Aren't you upset?" 

Monica asked, puzzled. 

"Oh, come on." 

Rachel shrugged. "You guys seriously think Ross has a shot? He just makes lists and dreams about it. Dating a celebrity? Him?" 

"Hey!" 

Ross protested. "It's not just a list! If I really met one of them, I would actually make a move." 

"Okay." 

Rachel laughed dismissively. 

"You really think I wouldn't?" 

Ross got more agitated. 

"What list?" 

Adam interrupted. 

"It's an 'exemption list.' We can each pick five celebrities, and if we ever meet them, we're allowed to sleep with them—no consequences, no jealousy." 

Rachel grinned. 

"You guys really… know how to have fun." 

Adam gave them a double thumbs-up. 

"Please, it's just fantasy. It's never actually going to happen." 

Rachel waved it off. 

"This is New York." 

Adam reminded them, "There's a good chance you'll actually run into the people on your list." 

"Who's on your list?" 

Chandler asked. 

"Chris O'Donnell, John F. Kennedy Jr., Daniel Day-Lewis, Louis St. Louis, and Parker Stevenson." 

Rachel rattled them off without hesitation, clearly having fantasized about this more than once. 

Adam didn't recognize a single name, but judging from Monica and Phoebe's expressions, Rachel's list was full of heartthrobs. 

"What about you, Ross?" 

Chandler turned to him next. 

"Go on, show them." 

Rachel rolled her eyes. 

"What? Show what?" 

Ross smiled awkwardly, then pretended to be confused. 

"Your exemption list." 

Rachel smirked. "Don't think I don't know—you not only made a list, you printed it out and even laminated it." 

"Pfft!" 

The group burst into laughter. 

"Are you serious?" 

Ross chuckled nervously. "I just wanted to make it official. The lamination was for… durability." 

Seeing everyone staring at him like he was crazy, he gave up trying to explain and pulled out a small laminated card from his pocket. 

"He carries it with him!" 

Rachel mocked. "He's scared that if he ever actually runs into one of them, he won't be able to use his 'perfectly valid excuse' to talk to them." 

"Uma Thurman, Winona Ryder, Elizabeth Hurley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dorothy Hamill." 

Joey snatched the card and read the names out loud. 

"Dorothy Hamill?" 

Everyone turned to look at Ross. She was a famous figure skater, but… not exactly known for her looks. 

"Hey! It's my list—I make the rules!" 

Ross huffed. 

"Uma's gorgeous." 

"I like Winona." 

Everyone started chiming in. 

"You all like Winona?" 

Rachel raised an eyebrow, surprised to see Adam nodding too. "One of my college best friends looked exactly like her." 

"Seriously?" 

Joey gasped. 

"Totally." 

Rachel nodded confidently. "We were really close. Ross met her too—wait…" 

She suddenly paused, then narrowed her eyes at Ross suspiciously. 

"Pure coincidence! Just a coincidence!" 

Ross' face changed, and he quickly denied everything. "Your college friend? I don't even remember meeting her!" 

The group gave him a collective look of judgment, but they didn't press the issue. 

Having a crush on your girlfriend's best friend—or vice versa—wasn't exactly unheard of. As long as it didn't cross any lines, it wasn't a big deal. 

The conversation eventually shifted back to Adam. 

"Seriously, Adam, what happened between you and Heather?" 

Rachel asked curiously. 

"My guess? Same thing as with Caroline." 

Monica scoffed. "She went back to inherit her family estate. Why wouldn't she dump Adam?" 

"That's so sad." 

Rachel gave Adam a sympathetic look. "Dumped by two women in a row—Adam, are you okay?" 

"I'll survive." 

Adam forced a smile. 

It had been a natural split, but the way they talked about it made it sound way worse. 

Still, he had to admit—he needed a woman. 

With his endless energy, it was getting hard to keep it in check, especially with Ilyat and Bianca always hanging around him. 

It reminded him of an old ad slogan: "Wangzai Milk—keep looking, and I'll drink you up." 

Three layers of meaning. Perfect. 

The group continued chatting as they ate. 

Before leaving, Adam went to the restroom. 

As he turned a corner, he suddenly bumped into someone. 

The familiar sensation made his heart skip a beat. 

"Heather?" 

He blurted out instinctively. 

But when he looked up, he realized it wasn't her. 

Still… he knew this face. 

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