After lunch, Raj returned to the office, settling into his desk chair before picking up the phone and dialing Penny's number.
"Honey, after my thesis was published, it caused quite a sensation in the industry. I'll pick up a bottle of champagne on my way home tonight—let's celebrate together?" He said with a smile, unable to contain his enthusiasm.
"Oh, this is really a good omen! I just have an audition scheduled for this afternoon, and this bottle of champagne may end up being prepared for both of us," Penny said with genuine surprise and excitement in her voice.
She was a firm believer in psychics, voodoo, astrology, and the mystical power of pyramids. In her mind, the champagne that Raj mentioned was undoubtedly a very good omen for her audition later that afternoon.
"Of course, you're absolutely right," Raj said warmly. "I wish you a smooth audition, and we'll celebrate together tonight—whatever happens."
That afternoon, Raj continued his collaborative work on the paper titled "Using the Density of Celestial Objects in the Kuiper Belt to Constrain Its Elemental Composition and Formation History" with Dr. Gablehauser.
Of course, Raj remained the principal author of this paper, with Gablehauser primarily helping to collect data and reference materials, playing more of a supporting role in the research.
However, when the paper would eventually be published, Gablehauser's name would still be listed as the second author—a mutually beneficial arrangement.
This influential paper would prove quite useful for improving Gablehauser's status in the academic world, enhancing his prestige and reputation among students, and solidifying his position as the head of the physics department.
"Rajesh, given your remarkable contributions in the field of astrophysics, I think you deserve a bigger office—something more befitting your stature," Gablehauser said with an appreciative smile.
"Thank you, that's very generous of you," Raj nodded, maintaining his professional composure despite his inner satisfaction.
"How about von Getur's office? Would that suit you?" Gablehauser asked thoughtfully.
"Well, actually, Fishbin's office is even larger and has better lighting," Raj suggested with a slight laugh.
"Okay, everything is as you wish. Consider it done," Gablehauser readily agreed, making a mental note to arrange it.
That very afternoon, the school's facilities staff helped Raj relocate his workspace from a cramped office tucked away in a dark corner on the first floor to a spacious and bright office on the second floor with windows overlooking the campus.
"Wow, your new office is bigger than my entire laboratory," Howard said with obvious envy when he stopped by to see the new space. He didn't even have his own office—his working area was simply a designated section of the shared laboratory.
"Don't be envious, Howie. Once our quantum navigation system is completed and proven successful, we'll have more than just a nice office. We could practically buy the whole school if we wanted to," Raj laughed, his optimism infectious.
Howard nodded enthusiastically. "Leslie predicts that our verification experiment can be conducted as early as the beginning of next year."
"That's excellent news," Raj smiled with genuine satisfaction.
They were now just over two months away from the new year—fame and fortune seemed tantalizingly close at hand.
"By the way, I may have to leave a bit early tonight. I have a date planned with Penny," he explained, glancing at his watch.
"Oh, buddy, I really envy you," Howard said wistfully when he heard this.
Raj had been dating Penny for a full month now, while Howard's longest relationship hadn't lasted more than a week.
"Howie, you'll find your own happiness sooner or later. I'm sure of it," Raj said encouragingly, patting Howard on the shoulder in a gesture of friendship.
In the show, Howard's life would eventually become the most complete and fulfilling of them all. His future wife would be both beautiful and capable, he would have children, a lovely home, and a stable family life—all of which would be vastly better than the fate of Rajesh, who remained perpetually single for what seemed like a thousand years.
After getting off work, Raj stopped working on the quantum navigation system with Howard and Leslie and drove to the Costco supermarket.
He bought champagne, steaks, desserts, and even specially purchased garlands and party poppers to help Penny celebrate what he believed would be her successful audition.
To be honest, Penny's acting career had not been smooth—even worse than Joey's in "Friends."
Joey could at least perform in small theaters, and if he was lucky, he could also appear in TV series or make guest appearances in movies.
But Penny couldn't seem to catch a break. She rarely even received roles in small theater productions, let alone appearances in television series or films.
So if this audition was successful, Raj would be genuinely happy for her.
After purchasing everything, he rushed home to prepare for the evening celebration.
He fried steaks, iced the champagne, prepared desserts, and hung ribbons—everything was done in an orderly manner.
Around seven-thirty, there was a knock on the door.
Raj hurried over to answer it. After seeing Penny through the peephole, he picked up the party popper he had placed by the door, planning to set it off the moment he opened the door.
There was a bang, and colorful confetti flew through the air, creating a festive shower.
"Congratulations, Honey!" Raj cheered loudly.
But when Penny saw this scene, she burst into tears.
Raj was taken aback for a moment, then immediately realized that she had probably failed the audition. His enthusiastic celebration was clearly a case of misplaced encouragement—congratulating her at her lowest moment.
After realizing this, he immediately set the party popper aside and stepped forward to embrace Penny. "I'm sorry, Honey, don't be sad. I'm still here for you."
Penny hugged him and cried even harder.
Raj gently guided her to the sofa in the living room and sat down beside her.
"Tell me what happened. Talk to me, and you'll feel better," he said softly.
"I skipped work today to go to the audition, but I didn't pass, and I lost my wages for the day," Penny sobbed. "The worst part is, the casting director criticized me, saying that I have no acting skills at all, that I'm not beautiful, not even good enough to be a vase."
"That's nonsense. He's clearly blind and jealous of you. Don't listen to him," Raj quickly reassured her. "If you weren't beautiful, how could all my colleagues be so envious of me for dating you?"
"But can I really become a good actress? I've been in Hollywood for so long, and I'm still broke. I can't even book commercial work," Penny cried. "If it's not that I'm too ugly or that my acting skills are terrible, what else could be the reason?"
"Honey, you don't need to be so hard on yourself. Even if acting doesn't work out, you still have many other paths you could take," Raj said gently.
He knew from the show that Penny never became a major star—she only appeared in two forgettable films and one commercial for hemorrhoid cream. This left her constantly struggling financially, often having to visit Leonard's apartment for free meals, internet access, and cable TV. But after she transitioned into pharmaceutical sales, she thrived like never before. Her career took off, and her income eventually became twice that of Leonard's.
So perhaps acting really was the wrong path for her.
"What do you mean by that? You also think I'm ugly and my acting skills are terrible, so you don't want to support me as a star?" Penny frowned, her voice rising as she stared at Raj.
"Of course not! That's not what I meant at all!" Raj waved his hands defensively. "I just think that with your beauty and intelligence, it might be easier to achieve results in other careers. More stable ones, you know?"
"That's just another way of saying you think my acting career has failed!" Penny's face flushed with anger as she processed his words.
Raj opened his mouth, then closed it again. He had already said so many wrong things that he didn't know how to respond without making matters worse. The silence hung heavy between them.
"Forget it. Just bring the wine!" Penny finally said, her voice tight with frustration.
Raj quickly retrieved the iced champagne from the refrigerator and brought it over along with two glasses, setting them carefully on the table.
"Drink with me!" Penny demanded. But before Raj could pour, she snatched the bottle directly from his hands and tilted it back, drinking straight from it.
The two soon got drunk, the alcohol flowing freely between them. As the champagne worked its magic, the previous quarrel seemed to dissolve into the hazy warmth of intoxication.
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