Life Through the Ame Chapter 74: Circle of Friends

**Apartnt 520.**

"Ted, Marshall, co join the fun."

"Can Lily co too? Of course!"

"Caroline, are you free tonight? No plans? Then co out and have fun with us!"

Adam just made half a million dollars, and in high spirits, he decided to gather his friends for a big celebration. His first thought was to take everyone out for a lavish al.

This was a deeply ingrained habit from his past life.

If it were Ross and the others, they'd probably throw a party instead—it's cheaper!

Even if they went out for a al, it would be a "split-the-bill" situation. If Adam picked a high-end restaurant, so of them, especially those with financial struggles, might even make excuses to order only lemon water—classic awkwardness.

When Adam called to invite everyone and ntioned that it was a fancy restaurant, Monica and the others imdiately started getting ready—even Ross, Chandler, and Joey weren't exceptions.

A high-end dinner required dressing up, and they didn't mind the effort one bit.

This preparation ended up taking over an hour.

By the ti Adam and his group, split into two taxis, arrived at the upscale restaurant, Ted, Marshall, and Lily were already there.

Ted and his friends were still in college, so they weren't as particular about things. The mont they heard about a free feast, they rushed over.

"Let

introduce everyone..."

Adam introduced both groups. Though everyone greeted each other with polite smiles, there was an obvious divide. The age gap was real—one group was still in college, while the other had already entered the workforce.

Even the fact that Ted, Ross, and Chandler were alumni didn't help much. Not everyone was like Adam, whose physical age was closer to Ted's group but whose soul was more in sync with Ross and the others.

Fortunately, everyone was friendly, and with Adam's jokes helping to break the ice, the atmosphere wasn't too stiff. The group chatted and laughed while waiting for Caroline.

"Marshall, didn't soone say you weren't serious about the feisty little brunette? That it was just for fun?"

Adam teased in a low voice.

"Shh!"

Marshall imdiately glanced nervously at Lily beside him. He leaned in and raised a finger to his lips. "Keep your voice down! Who's spreading rumors? Lily and I are true love!"

"Heh."

Adam almost burst out laughing.

But he didn't push the joke further. He genuinely supported Marshall and Lily's relationship and had no intention of stirring up trouble.

"Adam, what's up with you and that Lily?"

Monica leaned in, eyeing Lily suspiciously. "Why does she keep looking at you like that?"

"It's nothing."

Adam glanced at Lily and saw her staring at him dreamily, almost entranced. He couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle. "That's just how Lily is—she loves to daydream. Just wait, once you get to know her, she'll probably look at you the sa way."

"What?"

Monica was stunned. She instinctively turned to Ross and whispered, "She's like Carol?"

"No."

Adam thought for a mont before explaining, "Lily just has a vivid imagination. She's not like Carol."

"Yeah, sure."

Monica scoffed and muttered, "Carol swore she'd love Ross forever too. I think Lily's even more over-the-top!"

Honestly, it wasn't surprising—Lily's gaze was intense... almost hypnotic.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Just as the group was chatting, Caroline finally arrived.

Everyone's attention imdiately shifted to her.

Monica and Phoebe even subtly straightened their posture, standing taller.

"This is Caroline, my colleague at the hospital," Adam introduced. "Caroline, these are my friends..."

"Hey, everyone!"

Caroline greeted them warmly.

The waiter, seeing that the group was complete, ca over to take their orders.

After ordering, they continued chatting while waiting for their food.

However, the divide between the two friend groups remained clear, making Adam regret inviting everyone together.

Lu Xun once said: "At most, you'll have one true best friend, and no more than four good friends."

People have limited ti and energy. Friendships, like all relationships, require investnt to grow. Only when personalities align and enough ti is spent together can soone beco a good friend. Best friends? That also depends on fate.

*"Friends"* had a six-person group.

*"How I t Your Mother"* had five.

Even the biggest group, *"The Big Bang Theory,"* had seven. But at its core, it was really just Sheldon, Leonard, Howard, and Raj—maybe with Penny included.

Sheldon was particularly sensitive to this. When everyone started dating and Bernadette and Amy joined, he even complained that the friend group was getting too crowded and wanted to kick soone out.

Well, according to Sheldon, they weren't really "friends"—just acquaintances.

Of course, Sheldon was just talking. Even when Leonard and Penny jokingly begged to be kicked out, the only one who actually minded was Howard—the very person Sheldon was planning to kick. In the end, nothing changed.

*"I guess I should stick to attending different group gatherings separately and never organize another mixed-group event like this again."*

Adam made a ntal note.

"…You have no idea how cold people are at the hospital," Caroline was saying. "The mont a patient dies, they can't wait to get rid of them. Everything is just business. We're supposed to care for our patients, but they don't even pretend to care."

Most of the group listened quietly, but Phoebe imdiately leaned in, nodding in agreent.

"That's terrible!"

Phoebe waved her hands dramatically. "Not just hospitals—most people are like that! They eat at, wear fur coats—how can they be so heartless? Ugh!"

By the end of her rant, she was nearly shouting.

"Ahem, Phoebe, calm down," Monica reminded her.

Adam sighed. Phoebe was a vegetarian, an animal rights activist, and an environntalist—all to an extre degree. She even kept pet rats. Not just in her own apartnt but in other people's apartnts too.

The funniest part? Her convictions weren't exactly steadfast. Later, when she saw a fur coat that looked gorgeous, she subtly tried to justify wearing it.

A classic case of: *"Bunnies are too cute! How could anyone eat them?"* … *Mmm, delicious!*

"Sorry."

Phoebe quickly shook her head and smiled.

"That's just the way things are. Even entire countries struggle with these issues," Adam said. "There are so many patients, and dical resources are limited. Doctors and nurses don't have the ti or energy to personally care for every single one."

"But if everyone thought like you, things would only get worse," Caroline argued. "If I ever have the ans, I will build a hospice—a real one, where we truly care for elderly patients who have no family to look after them."

Her eyes shone with determination as she spoke, as if she were radiating light.

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