Adam's Revenge

New York.

MacLaren's Pub.

Adam and Marshall were drinking and chatting.

"Well, well, isn't this Adam Duncan, the best man?"

Barney, dressed in a suit, walked in, his eyes lit up when he saw Adam, and he greeted him in an exaggerated tone.

"Well, well, isn't this the same Barney Stinson who has no principles?"

Adam retorted in an even more exaggerated tone.

"We're all friends."

Ted, as always, smoothed things over.

"But some people don't consider me a friend."

Adam interrupted, "After all my warnings, you still tried to ruin my best friend's bachelor party. Can you just erase that with a simple 'we're all friends'?"

"Barney, you've gone too far!"

Upon hearing this, Lily immediately became angry.

"Come on."

Barney said nonchalantly, "I just wanted to give him an unforgettable bachelor party."

"This is my friend's bachelor party, why should you care?"

Adam sneered, "Oh, right, you're the kind of selfish, self-centered person who thinks, 'I don't want you to think, I want me to think!'"

"Barney, you've gone too far this time. Apologize to Adam right now."

Marshall advised.

"Adam, aren't you overreacting a bit?"

Ted spoke up for Barney.

"Too extreme?"

Adam scoffed, "Oh, you think this is going too far? Ted, Ted, Ted, this is nothing! I've been saying it over and over before, but it had no effect on someone as extremely self-centered as Barney. So do you think I'm just talking now?"

What do you want?

Barney laughed.

His self-esteem, inferiority complex, and self-respect were long since vanished after his first love. The man he has grown up to be is entirely modeled after the elite scumbag who destroyed his innocent love back then.

His attitude is to live life as a game, regardless of whether others want to play or not, whether others will be hurt, or even whether he himself will be hurt.

When a person is shameless enough, he becomes invincible!

At this moment, Barney Stinson truly seemed invincible.

Although Marshall and his friends were his chosen friends, they have only known each other for less than a year. In truth, their friendship is not deep enough for him to abandon his attitude towards life.

In fact, even nine years later, he still hadn't changed for Marshall and the others.

The only one who can truly change him is that woman...

"I heard you really enjoy challenges."

Adam noticed Barney's nonchalance, which he was prepared for, and promptly offered his solution. "Aren't you afraid of any challenge?"

"That's right."

Upon hearing this, Barney's eyes lit up, he tightened his tie, and proudly declared, "Barney Stinson loves a challenge the most."

"Then I'll issue you a challenge."

Adam laughed and said, "Do you have the guts to take it?"

"Bring it on!"

Barney said confidently.

"Very good."

Adam said, "My challenge is your best skill: picking up girls! For the next month, you will randomly choose a beautiful woman each night, and we will go up to her together. Whoever successfully gets to base the most times wins!"

"Interesting!"

Barney's eyes lit up as he looked at Adam with admiration. "I knew it, Adam, you and I are the same kind of people!"

Are there any stakes involved in winning or losing?

Ted asked.

"If you lose, make a crown for the winner and have them say 'I was wrong, I admit defeat!' a hundred times in public!"

Adam laughed and said, "We have both material and spiritual stakes, how about it?"

"I accept the challenge!"

Barney accepted without hesitation.

He loves all kinds of challenges.

"This bet is interesting."

Lily continued, "But I'd like to add a wager."

"What?"

Barney asked.

"Now that we've made both material and emotional stakes, I hope that after this bet, we can forget about the unpleasantness from before."

Lily smiled and said, "After all, we're all good friends."

"No problem."

Adam laughed.

His feelings for Barney were complicated.

Deep down, he didn't dislike Barney at all; in fact, he quite liked him.

However, he was furious about Barney's lawless behavior on Chandler's bachelor party night, so he had to teach Barney a lesson to calm him down.

After this great lesson befell Barney, Adam believed that Barney would be more restrained in his actions in the future.

"I'm fine with it too."

Barney, of course, saw Lily's good intentions.

"There is one additional condition."

Adam warned, "During this month, you can only randomly choose one beautiful woman each night. The losing party is not allowed to choose any other woman, not even a dancer! Otherwise, it will be considered an automatic loss!"

"Hehe!"

Barney couldn't help but laugh and said, "You're really confident!"

He was a seasoned veteran; he saw through the problem implied in Adam's condition at a glance.

Adam was clearly confident that he could completely crush him, preventing him from touching a woman for a month as an additional punishment on top of the wager.

For men like him and Ji Xiaolan, they simply couldn't sleep without something indescribable every night; let alone a month, even a week would be an immense ordeal.

This punishment is worse than saying "I was wrong, I admit it" a hundred times in public.

Because this is not only physical torment, but also immense mental torture; it's a blatant mockery. "In your proudest area, you're actually no good!"

As for building the crown, it would cost a lot, but for Adam and Barney, it was a piece of cake.

Are you willing to bet?

Adam raised an eyebrow and said, "Or is it like before, where you agree to something but then secretly sabotage it afterwards?"

"..."

Barney paused, and faced with Adam's blatant mockery, he suddenly regretted his previous breach of promise.

Adam's ability to propose such a bet greatly increased his standing in his eyes; he was a fun friend worth playing with.

At least he was with Ted, whom he admired the most. Ted had only passively accepted his bets and had never initiated such an interesting one himself.

It would be a real shame if your previous carelessness led to the other person looking down on you because of this.

"Of course I'd bet!"

Barney said earnestly, "And I absolutely will not cheat. Lily and the others will be the witnesses. I'm betting my reputation!"

"Very good."

Adam laughed and said, "Then the bet is officially in effect! Tomorrow night is the first night!"

"Very good."

Barney was excited, rubbing his hands together and saying, "I have a feeling this will be a legend, wait for it, dary, legendary bet!"

I believe it.

Adam said playfully, "But it's hard to say who's the legend and who's the villain."

"I'm getting a little excited just talking about it."

Lily's eyes were starting to look demonic.

"Me too."

Marshall got excited too.

"Hehe."

Ted's smile seemed somewhat forced.

He used to look down on Barney's games and only half-heartedly participated each time, but now that he sees Barney and Adam having so much fun, he's starting to feel a little jealous.