Suits: A Lawyer Surviving TV Chaos

Finally wrapping up Amanda's case, Martin was in high spirits. Even climbing the stairs back to his apartment felt like a joyful bounce.

In his past life, he was just an assistant aspiring to be a lawyer, always envious of those who could pull strings behind major events. This life, he had finally achieved his dream.

After just one month at the law firm, he had successfully handled a civil case and a criminal case, not to mention having so many promising big clients. He had firmly established himself in the legal profession, earning the right to sit alongside the world's elite.

A good start is half the battle!

Whistling as he opened the door, he found his four friends gathered on the couch staring at a laptop.

"Let me guess... The new *Star Trek* movie tickets are on presale?"

Curious, Martin walked over but saw two distinct middle-aged Indians on the screen.

"Dad, Mom, this is Martin Scott, the lawyer you've always wanted to meet."

Rajesh quickly stood up and pushed Martin to sit directly in front of the computer, then leaned in to whisper in his ear: "Martin, I need your help. My parents want me to go on a blind date!"

"A blind date? Isn't that a good thing?"

Before Martin could ask for details, the two Indians on the screen were already enthusiastically greeting him.

"Mr. Scott, I'm very glad my son has such an excellent friend as you… and Priya, thank you for everything you've done for them."

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Koothrappali, nice to meet you!" Martin put on his client-facing smile. "You have two outstanding children. I'm curious about your successful parenting strategies. Of course, I don't have kids yet, but it doesn't hurt to prepare in advance."

As Martin chatted comfortably with Rajesh's parents, the others exchanged glances.

"Rajesh, are you sure this is Martin's first time meeting your parents?" Howard exclaimed from the side. "He's acting like the most accomplished child in your family!"

"Martin has always been able to win over elders, like my mom and grandma," Sheldon testified. "It's been like that since we were kids!"

"Damn it, if only I could have half of his social skills…" Leonard trailed off, guiltily glancing at the dejected Rajesh.

A string of flattery and subtle praise made the Koothrappalis on the other end of the video call extremely happy. They immediately invited Martin to visit India, even promising to pass down their family-secret oil formula so he could have smart and beautiful children in the future.

After reluctantly ending the video call, Martin turned to Rajesh. "So, what's this about the blind date?"

"It's exactly what you saw." Rajesh looked angry. "They gave my number to the daughter of a family friend, and they want me to meet her this weekend. I had my own plans!"

Sheldon chimed in with some trivia: "From an Indian cultural perspective, parents play a significant role in deciding their children's marriages."

Martin shrugged. "Why not go see her? She might be a pretty girl!"

"But I can't even talk to girls!"

Rajesh appeared normal most of the time, but whenever he encountered a beautiful woman, he would get so nervous he couldn't speak—a long-standing issue. Even Penny, whom he'd grown familiar enough with to play games together, wasn't an exception.

"Well, let's think about it. There must be a solution," Martin said as he loosened his tie and stood up.

At that moment, Penny came over from across the hall. "Hey! Friends, Martin, I'm glad you're here too. I managed to convince the manager to transfer me from waitressing to bartending. I need to practice making cocktails. Can you come over and give me some advice?"

"A gentleman never refuses any request from a beautiful woman!"

Howard, feeling quite confident, stood up. Since meeting Martin, Howard had been trying to emulate his communication style and fashion sense, but he always ended up looking mismatched.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When Martin arrived at Penny's apartment after changing clothes, he found Leonard and Rajesh already drinking. Sheldon, who only drank sugar-free Coke, was being ignored by Penny, while Howard had annoyed her with his clumsy attempts at flirting.

"Alright, let's skip you, Martin. What do you want to drink?"

"A pure Martini!" Martin sat down at the bar. "If I weren't a lawyer, I might try applying to MI6."

"Thank God! Finally, someone ordered a proper cocktail!"

Penny, dressed casually, threw her hands up in relief and began picking out ingredients. "Let's see… dry gin… vermouth… Sorry, Martin, we might not have olives."

"Don't worry about it. Your beauty is sweeter than any olive."

Martin said with a raised eyebrow.

Penny beamed at the compliment. "Martin, your mouth is always so sweet."

"Wanna taste? I just had a mint before coming over."

The two shared a light, friendly peck on the lips.

It was just a normal, platonic gesture, but it left the others wide-eyed.

"This isn't fair!" Howard complained. "What did Martin say that was different from what I said earlier?"

"Hey, Howard, no girl will be flattered by your admiration of their chest, okay?"

Penny mocked as she continued mixing drinks.

Martin tilted his head and shrugged helplessly.

"What should I do?" Rajesh interjected, holding a green cocktail. "The blind date is this weekend, and I don't even know what she looks like."

Penny handed Martin his perfectly mixed Martini. "Rajesh, why don't you set the date at the restaurant where I work? I can help you out."

"That sounds like a good idea." Rajesh, who seemed a bit tipsy, sighed. "You know, I can't even talk to girls normally. She'll probably think I'm an idiot and blame my parents."

The others exchanged glances, finding the situation hard to believe.

Penny cautiously probed, "But aren't you talking to me right now?"

"Yeah, I'm talking to you," Rajesh said gloomily. "I can already foresee how tough this weekend will be."

Everyone stared at Rajesh.

Rajesh finally realized what was happening. "Wait… I'm actually chatting with you? Oh, Lord Shiva!"

After some discussion, everyone credited the green cocktail for Rajesh's newfound ability to talk to women.

"This is magic potion!" Rajesh held the cocktail as if it were a precious gem. "I can finally date normally!"

Martin frowned and leaned toward Penny. "Honestly, I don't think this is a good idea."

"There's no other option, is there?" Penny shrugged carelessly. "Don't worry, I'll take care of him."

"Or… maybe I should tag along?" Martin didn't want to disrupt the plot too much but also didn't want to miss out on the fun of watching.

"Do you really think Rajesh will have a chance to meet girls if you're standing next to him?"

Penny looked Martin up and down, who still looked handsome even in casual clothes.

"I'll take that as a compliment!"

Martin raised an eyebrow, slightly regretful.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the weekend, while Martin stayed in the apartment soaking up the sun and reading a novel, the others went out to support Rajesh's blind date.

But by evening, they returned, heads hanging low.

Martin didn't expect much from the date, but he certainly didn't anticipate that Sheldon would be the one to ruin it.

"He said her eyes were like stars in the sky, her delicate skin like the flowing Ganges… leading monkeys to successfully rebel against human oppression."

"Wait!" Martin interrupted Rajesh's rant, confused. "Monkeys? What's going on?"

"Princess Pandara!" An ecstatic Sheldon jumped in. "Can you believe it? Rajesh's blind date was like Princess Pandara from the Indian myths we watched as kids, remember?"

"The point isn't the princess—it's why you were flirting with Rajesh's blind date!"

Leonard sighed hopelessly. "You ruined the whole date!"

Sheldon looked puzzled, but Martin seemed thoughtful. "Guys, don't you think Sheldon's method might actually suit you?"

"Huh?"

Everyone looked at Martin, confused.

Martin shook his head. "Don't you always complain that you can't approach girls normally? Why not follow Sheldon's lead and imagine the person you're talking to as a character you like, then express your admiration for that character?"

"I get it!" Howard was the first to react, running out while practicing in advance.

"Your curves are as graceful as the Hulk's…"

Martin slapped his forehead. "I think we need to call an ambulance for him in advance."

(End of Chapter)