VIP Hospital Room
"Adam, you're here! Co on, tell them about our legendary bet."
As soon as Barney saw Adam, he waved excitedly, acting as if they were best friends.
"Dr. Duncan."
The young nurse, Olivia, blushed slightly.
Several other nurses also looked at Adam with curious and admiring eyes.
Adam nodded, his gaze sweeping over them and then landing on Barney, who was winking at him repeatedly.
"Can I have a mont alone with Mr. Stinson?"
"Of course."
"I have things to do, so I'll be going."
The nurses quickly took the hint and left.
"Adam, you're sothing else!"
Barney was lying on the hospital bed, his left leg in a cast. He grinned at Adam and held up his hand.
"Co on, give a high five!"
"What, even with a broken leg, you're still hitting on won?"
Adam smirked. "Are you trying to show off your tricks here at the hospital again?"
"Nothing can stop my passion for flirting."
Barney straightened his tie.
That's right!
He wasn't wearing a hospital gown—he was dressed in a suit!
When you have money, you can do whatever you want.
And Barney's motto was: Suit up!
So, he was always in a suit.
"And you're using as a topic of conversation?"
Adam's expression turned dangerously sharp.
Barney shivered inside, his smile turning awkward.
For so reason, he suddenly rembered the soul-crushing mont when he lost their previous bet. After abstaining for a month, he had tried to make a coback in front of a familiar college girl—only to be hit with the devastating words: 'That's it?'
"Adam, it's just that your charm is too much! They're all interested in you—"
"And you're using as a topic of conversation?"
Adam repeated himself, his face completely unreadable.
"…"
Barney started to panic. A bad feeling crept into his heart.
"Do you want to win back the crown?"
Adam suddenly chuckled after staring at him coldly for a while.
"Of course!"
Barney's eyes lit up. "Are you proposing a new challenge?"
Even though he suspected that Adam's challenge was ant to punish him, he still couldn't resist the excitent and thrill of it.
Life should be colorful and full of challenges—what's the point of just existing?
"Smart."
Adam smirked. "Do you dare accept?"
"Bring it on!"
Barney didn't hesitate for a second.
He had never backed down from a challenge!
"You need two months to recover from your leg injury. During this ti, if you can hook up with ten dical staff mbers—ho run required, gender doesn't matter—I'll return the crown to you and acknowledge you as the best."
Adam's tone was full of amusent. "Of course, you cannot use as a pretext or ntion in any way. If you fail, you have to remain completely abstinent for six months—**no exceptions, not even by yourself.**"
"That's brutal!"
Barney's eyes widened.
That one month of abstinence had nearly driven him insane.
Halfway through, when he realized victory was impossible, he had at least relieved himself to make it to the end. That was the only reason he survived—but at the cost of becoming The Flash in the process.
Now, it was six months—and no self-help allowed.
If he lost, it would be pure hell.
"Do you dare?"
Adam smirked.
How else could he vent his frustration after Barney stirred up trouble using his na?
"Challenge accepted!"
Barney tightened his tie, his eyes burning with determination. "This ti, you're going down!"
Two months. Ten ho runs.
That ant one every six days.
For soone who used to change partners every night, it didn't seem too hard.
Sure, his broken leg made it trickier, but in a way, it also worked in his favor.
Won who would normally reject him outright might hesitate when they saw him injured.
And as long as they hesitated—that's when he worked his magic.
With enough attempts, at least a few would give in.
A hospital this big? Ten was definitely doable!
So, he was sure he would win!
"Heh."
Adam chuckled. "I'll be watching."
Like the old saying goes: You think you're winning, but I'm the one who never loses.
If Barney lost, six months of abstinence would be pure torture for him—more than enough to make up for Adam's irritation.
And if Barney won?
All Adam would lose was a aningless crown Barney had previously lost to him—plus a simple 'You're the best' acknowledgnt.
But what did Barney gain?
Not just victory. He also dramatically increased his risk of catching sothing nasty.
Adam had always been wary of hooking up with hospital colleagues, thanks to how dical professionals were depicted in TV dramas.
The hotter they were, the bigger the risk.
No exceptions.
If Barney managed to score ten tis, his risk factor would skyrocket.
Adam knew there was no way Barney would go for unattractive targets.
Of course, even if Barney did get desperate and resort to a "lights-off, eyes-closed, just-get-it-over-with" strategy, Adam wouldn't care.
Either way, Barney would suffer, and Adam would be entertained.
That was Adam's hidden lesson.
Sure, this was a TV-show-like world where main characters wouldn't get anything incurable, but treatable diseases were still disgusting.
And once you got one, even if you were cured, it was still humiliating.
For soone like Barney, who prided himself on being a ladies' man, this would be a brutal wake-up call.
It might even change his entire approach to life.
If that happened, Adam would have done a good deed—maybe even earned himself a few extra karma points.
Hmm… this was going to be fun. Definitely worth trying.
No matter the outco, Adam was 95% sure he would co out on top.
Want to casually ss with people's lives? Go find Ted.
Want to experience harsh, unforgettable punishnts? Co find Adam.
Beep. Beep.
Adam's pager buzzed at his waist.
"Rember the bet."
He pointed at Barney before leaving the VIP room in high spirits.
Ergency Room
"Dr. Lewis is looking for you," a nurse reminded him.
A curly-haired woman saw Adam and imdiately perked up, pointing at him.
"I want him to treat !"
"Dr. Duncan is busy," the nurse replied. "It's just a minor burn. We already called Dr. Carter—he'll be here soon."
"No way!"
The curly-haired woman shook her head. "I want Dr. Duncan. I'm the patient, and I have the right to choose my doctor."
"What's going on?"
Susan walked over after hearing the commotion.
The nurse explained the situation.
"Adam, since the patient specifically requested you, why don't you take a look?"
Susan chuckled.
"Alright."
Adam had no objections.
Examination Room
"How did you burn yourself?"
Adam asked while checking the injury.
"I poured hot water into the sink, and it splashed back."
The woman stretched out her long legs and smiled lazily.
"It's not serious. A first-degree burn. No blisters, no scars."
As he applied burn cream, Adam explained.
"Why is there a nurse here?"
The woman glanced at the silent nurse standing nearby and smirked. "She's not doing anything. She doesn't need to be here."
"Hospital policy," the nurse replied expressionlessly.
The woman: "…"
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