After Raj finished talking about breaking up, he stopped dwelling on it and went downstairs directly.
"Wow!" Leonard was dumbfounded after witnessing this scene unfold before his eyes.
Penny seemed like a goddess to him. With her pretty face, hot figure, and straightforward personality, he had fallen in love at first sight the moment she moved in across the hall.
Such a perfect girl, and Raj broke up with her the instant she mentioned wanting to take a break—it was really cool! So effortlessly confident.
In comparison, Leonard had never dumped a girl since he was a child. Being the one who got dumped was a common occurrence in his romantic history.
Penny stood frozen for a while, genuinely stunned. She hadn't expected Raj to actually break up with her, just like that.
She was so beautiful, so sexy, so funny—every boy she'd ever dated couldn't bear to let her go. She had always been the one who ended relationships, maintaining that power and control. But she didn't want to be dumped this time, which made her feel very uncomfortable and somehow diminished.
"Penny, what's the matter?" The handsome man put his arms around her shoulders and asked with concern, oblivious to what had just transpired.
"Oh, get out, Doug!" Penny pushed him away in disgust, then fumbled for her key to open the door. She entered the room and closed the door with a resounding bang, almost hitting Doug's nose.
After the aggressive door slam, Doug covered his nose defensively, looked unhappy, and turned to leave while muttering curses under his breath.
Seeing this scene play out, Leonard couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him. Doug clearly wasn't going to be in the picture much longer either.
But thinking of Raj and Penny breaking up, he couldn't help but feel guilty again—guilty for the flutter of hope rising in his chest. Yet at the same time, an idea he knew was somewhat inappropriate slowly sprouted in his heart.
"If Penny and Raj have broken up, wouldn't I have another chance?"
Although he knew this thought was inappropriate—his friend had just ended things moments ago—Leonard just couldn't help entertaining it. Because he had fallen in love with Penny the moment he saw her. He had even thought about baby names on the day she moved in, playfully flipping through a book of names and planning an imaginary future together.
After breaking up with Penny, Raj went downstairs and drove home, his mind already moving forward.
On the way home, he called his parents.
"Rajesh, what outrageous idea have you come up with now to anger your parents?" Dr. Koothrappali said sharply when he answered the phone, his wife visible beside him on the screen.
The last time they'd spoken, Raj had declared he would rather forfeit his inheritance than stop dating a poor, money-worshiping white girl—which had really angered the couple beyond measure.
"Sorry, Papa. The reason I called is actually to tell you some good news," Raj explained, his tone more conciliatory. "Two months ago, a planet I discovered was officially recognized as a potentially habitable planet, and now media outlets all over the world are reporting on this matter. The school has arranged a magazine interview for me and even approved funding for a research assistant."
"Oh?!" Hearing this unexpected news, the Koothrappali couple exchanged surprised glances. They hadn't expected their son to be so accomplished that media all over the world were reporting about his discovery.
"That's wonderful! Well done, beta. You have won great honor for the Koothrappali family," Dr. Koothrappali said with genuine satisfaction warming his voice. "Now, if you would only break up with that poor girlfriend of yours, then you would be the unblemished pride of the family."
"Papa, Penny and I have broken up," Raj said with a resigned sigh.
"Really?! Son, did you truly break up with her?" Dr. Koothrappali asked in barely contained surprise, leaning closer to the screen.
Raj briefly explained how the breakup had unfolded—Penny's casual mention of it, his agreement, the clean end.
"Son, what you did was absolutely right," Dr. Koothrappali said approvingly, nodding with satisfaction. "You two have different cultures, different educational backgrounds, and vastly different levels of wealth and social standing. You are completely people from two different worlds, so how could you possibly integrate well long-term? This is why you should marry an Indian woman, find a girl from an appropriate family background. Don't worry—we will help you find an excellent match."
"Okay, Papa. I can agree to meet with Indian girls you suggest, but you also have to promise me something," Raj said after thinking carefully for a moment. "You and Mama cannot rush me into anything. We still need time to get along with each other, to fall in love slowly and naturally, and then get married—just like you and Mama did. We can't just meet once and immediately start planning the wedding and discussing children."
There was nothing wrong with arranged introductions themselves, Raj reasoned. It was simply another way to meet potential partners. There was no essential difference between making friends online, striking up conversations in bars, speed dating, or meeting through social circles.
The key was not to discuss marriage the moment they met. In his experience, his parents were often far too hasty with these arrangements. The couple would meet for the first time here in America, and his parents would already be considering holding the wedding ceremony before the rainy season back home.
Such haste left no time for two people to truly understand each other, no opportunity to reconcile their differences and build a genuine connection. Even if they were reluctantly forced to stay together, sooner or later problems would inevitably surface.
"Very well. As long as you agree to eventually marry a suitable Indian girl, then I will respect your wishes on the timeline," Dr. Koothrappali conceded, his tone softening.
His son had grown up, developed a mind of his own, and achieved remarkable success in his field. Dr. Koothrappali recognized he could no longer treat Rajesh like a child and force him to do things according to an arbitrary schedule—that approach would only push him further and further away from the family.
After another day, Raj returned to school to work and began the process of selecting research assistants for himself.
He opened his email and saw that his inbox was already overflowing with resumes from eager applicants.
Opening one at random, he found himself reading through a passionate and emotionally charged cover letter. The overly effusive language and intimate tone made Raj feel slightly uncomfortable, giving him a slight sense of unease.
However, the applicant was a recent graduate from Brown University's Physics Department, which was certainly impressive. Raj clicked on the email attachment and downloaded the accompanying resume.
Opening the document, he saw the photo of an attractive young woman. Her academic grades were excellent, her interests were remarkably diverse, and her curriculum vitae was impressively comprehensive. As he scrolled further down, he noticed she had included various photographs from her personal life—images from work functions, social gatherings, and leisure activities.
"Woah!" Raj couldn't help exclaiming in surprise when he discovered several more provocative photographs mixed in among the professional ones. He found himself thinking that this ambitious candidate had really gone to extraordinary lengths in her job application.
That being said, he reflected, everyone appreciates beauty. When candidates have comparable educational backgrounds and similar academic achievements, it's only natural that physical attractiveness might provide an additional advantage.
At that moment, there was a sharp knock on the office door, followed by someone poking their head inside. It was Howard.
"Am I interrupting anything?" he asked with a mischievous, knowing smile.
"No, not at all. Come in," Raj replied with a welcoming smile. "What can I do for you?"
"Oh, nothing in particular," Howard said casually as he entered, his eyes darting around the office with barely concealed curiosity.
"Well, if there's nothing specific, I should get back to work. I'm quite busy here," Raj said, politely attempting to dismiss his visitor.
"So, uh... I heard you and Penny broke up?" Howard finally blurted out, unable to contain his real reason for visiting any longer.
"Did the news spread that quickly already? Did Leonard tell you?" Raj asked, genuinely surprised by how fast word had traveled.
"No, actually—Sheldon told me," Howard replied, shaking his head.
Raj nodded slowly, finding this revelation unsurprising in retrospect.
The underlying reason for his breakup with Penny had been Sheldon's behind-the-scenes manipulation and interference. Now that the two of them had finally ended their relationship, it made perfect sense that Sheldon would ensure everyone knew about it, even though Raj himself hadn't made any public announcements.
"What happened between you two? You seemed perfectly fine just a couple of days ago," Howard asked with genuine concern in his voice.
Raj managed a tired smile and proceeded to give Howard a brief but thorough account of what had transpired.
"No way! Sheldon actually did something like that?!" Howard exclaimed in disbelief after hearing the full story.
"Actually, he can't be blamed entirely for what happened," Raj said with a philosophical wave of his hand. "As they say, flies don't bite seamless eggs. If Penny and I hadn't given him any ammunition to work with, his meddling would have been useless no matter how many times he tried to interfere."
"You're being incredibly generous to even understand his perspective. If it were me in your position, I would've had to physically fight him," Howard declared indignantly.
He then walked closer to Raj's desk and placed a consoling hand on his friend's shoulder. "But listen, try not to be too devastated about this. With your current level of fame and success, if you want to find a new girlfriend, you really shouldn't have any—"
"Hey, wait—who is this?!" Howard's attention suddenly shifted as he spotted the attractive applicant's photo displayed prominently on Raj's laptop screen.
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