Sure enough, when Sheldon heard that Raj was on the Geneva inspection team, he immediately complained.
"He's only an astrophysicist, not a theoretical physicist. Even if he gets to see the Hadron Collider, what could he possibly understand?" He complained bitterly, his voice dripping with disdain.
He had dreamed of visiting the Large Hadron Collider since he was nine years old, and he still hadn't realized this wish even now at the age of twenty-six.
The thought that Raj was going to Switzerland to visit the Hadron Collider one step ahead of him was intolerable. Simply unbearable!
"The Hadron Collider can simulate the state of the Big Bang, which is also of tremendous benefit to the study of particles and celestial bodies," Leonard retorted, his tone measured but firm. "Raj is a particle astrophysicist. Visiting the Hadron Collider would be extremely useful for his research."
The last time he had dated Penny, Raj hadn't blamed him or made things awkward, and Leonard was grateful for that. Seeing that Sheldon was being unreasonable now, he couldn't help but want to defend Raj.
"Oh, so you're taking his side now," Sheldon said petulantly, crossing his arms. "If I couldn't afford the full rent, I'd kick you out right now."
"Yes, I really should thank you for your generosity in taking me in all these years," Leonard said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.
"As long as you acknowledge it," Sheldon replied, completely missing the sarcasm. He genuinely thought Leonard was thanking him.
Over the next few days, Sheldon embarked on what could only be described as a campaign of terror.
He exhausted every conceivable means to protest to the school, demanding that he replace Raj and join the Geneva study tour.
His measures included, but were not limited to: making repeated suggestions to the department head, Dr. Gablehauser; sending countless emails; stuffing letters in the suggestion box; making phone calls at all hours to lodge complaints; and even showing up at the man's house in the middle of the night, ringing the doorbell insistently.
But the more he acted out, the more he disgusted Dr. Gablehauser and the other university research department heads, making it even less likely they would agree to his request.
Although Sheldon was a recognized leader in the field of string theory research, the development of string theory had stagnated for more than twenty years. So far, despite numerous theoretical frameworks, none had been experimentally verified.
In other words, string theory remained, for now, largely theoretical speculation.
Before it could be proven, it was similar to works of fantasy like "Lord of the Rings," "Dungeons and Dragons," and "Diablo"—all products of imagination and conjecture rather than verified science.
Therefore, Sheldon's string theory research, because it remained unverified, had essentially zero practical value in the eyes of the administration.
In stark contrast, Raj had published a substantial number of papers in recent months and had also discovered a potentially habitable planet and three asteroids.
These numerous scientific research achievements had made him the rising star of the Physics Department.
Moreover, he wasn't a hollow academic celebrity like Dr. Gablehauser, who was famous but had produced no significant original scientific research results in years.
Raj was a genuine academic star who had made outstanding, tangible achievements in his own field.
His scientific research value was demonstrably higher than Sheldon's at this moment, so he was naturally qualified to join the Geneva delegation.
Despite all his efforts, Sheldon's campaign failed to prevent Raj from joining the inspection team.
On the contrary, when Raj heard about everything Sheldon had done, his opinion of him deteriorated considerably.
He knew that Sheldon was competitive and conceited, that he wanted to claim all honors and awards for himself, and that he couldn't tolerate others being better than him.
But to elevate himself by belittling others, to play dirty tricks and resort to underhanded tactics—that was truly inappropriate and beneath a scientist.
To think that in order to join the investigation team in his place, Sheldon had actually written complaint letters and made reports to the department head—such behavior was absolutely childish and despicable!
Even Paige complained about Sheldon when she heard about his antics.
She had been able to join the delegation specifically because of Raj's recommendation. If Raj couldn't go, then she couldn't go either.
It was incredibly selfish for Sheldon to interfere with her interests purely for his own benefit.
"I really didn't expect Sheldon to be like this," Paige said, her disappointment evident in her voice.
Although she had always known that Sheldon was conceited, aggressively competitive, had low emotional intelligence, and possessed numerous quirks, she had thought these were just minor personality flaws that didn't actually harm others.
But she hadn't expected him to be so fundamentally selfish. It seemed that if he couldn't have something, he wanted to destroy it, regardless of whether it would cause harm to others.
Such an approach was really no different from that of a spoiled, petulant child.
"I'm not surprised at all. This is exactly who he is," Raj said with a dismissive wave of his hand and a knowing smile. "If you don't believe me, look at the 'Roommate Agreement' he wrote. It's essentially a slavery treaty."
"That's right," Howard chimed in eagerly. "Everything about what roommates can eat, drink, what TV shows and movies they can watch, when to wash up, even when it's appropriate to use the toilet—it's all regulated in excruciating detail.
Moreover, the roommate is also responsible for helping him with driving, ordering food, shopping, and taking care of various aspects of his daily life. He even expects Leonard to help him record the number of daily bowel movements to ensure that his body is functioning normally."
"Ugh..." Hearing this, Paige couldn't suppress a grimace of disgust, feeling that this version of Sheldon was far worse than the boy she had known in childhood.
Although Sheldon had possessed various shortcomings when he was young, he had still been somewhat endearing and innocent. He had been bullied by others, certainly, but he had never bullied anyone himself.
She couldn't believe he had transformed into something resembling a villain now, and she was shocked to learn that he exploited his roommate so shamelessly.
Seeing that Paige had developed genuine disgust toward Sheldon, Raj couldn't help but laugh secretly to himself.
To be honest, he had been somewhat worried that Sheldon and Paige might end up together.
After all, Sheldon was a prodigy, a childhood friend, the aloof intellectual type with a sharp wit—essentially the perfect male lead archetype from any television show.
A warm, agreeable guy like Raj was typically relegated to the role of the second male lead, the devoted friend who gets nothing in the end.
Therefore, having the two of them develop a rift was actually the best possible outcome for him.
"Okay, it's dinner time. Let's not talk about such unpleasant things," Raj said, steering the conversation away. "In any case, our trip to Geneva is confirmed. We leave the day after tomorrow, so just make sure you're prepared."
"I will. I'll check the weather forecast for Geneva again and see if I need to pack a few extra layers," Paige said with a nod, getting up from the table and leaving the restaurant.
"You're really taking Paige to Geneva? How are you going to explain that to Lalita?" Howard asked curiously, leaning forward with interest.
"That's not difficult at all," Raj replied with a casual wave and a confident smile. "I simply told her that the school is sending a research team to visit the Hadron Collider to observe simulations of the universe's initial state at the time of the Big Bang, which will be tremendously beneficial to my astrophysics research. Before I could even finish explaining, she didn't want to hear any more."
Although Lalita held a master's degree and could certainly be considered highly intelligent, she had absolutely no interest in the tedious and complex details of physics.
As soon as Raj began rattling off physics terminology and concepts, she immediately felt overwhelmed and practically surrendered, waving her hands in defeat. She didn't even think to ask whether the delegation was going to Geneva, Switzerland, or inquire about any other details.
She also had no idea that participants in this expedition were allowed to bring a companion along, so she raised no objections to the trip whatsoever. She simply hoped that Raj would return home soon.
Seeing how easily Raj had handled the situation with Lalita, Howard couldn't help but look at him with genuine admiration.
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