**Apartment 520.**
On the way back, Monica threatened Adam and Phoebe not to tell anyone about this embarrassing incident.
But of course—
Everyone found out anyway.
And so, another round of laughter and teasing ensued.
The guys and the girls had completely different reactions.
Chandler and Joey mercilessly mocked Monica for not realizing something so obvious.
Phoebe and Rachel, on the other hand, comforted Monica and harshly criticized the scumbag's shameless tactics.
**"Adam, can you take a look at this? Does it read well?"**
After running away from her wedding, Rachel first tried explaining things to her father and then to her ex-fiancé. Both conversations ended in failure. Finally, under Monica and the others' persuasion, she decided to stay and embrace the idea of becoming an independent woman—a concept that everyone loved.
That's when she realized that, unlike her, everyone else had jobs. They had to work to afford food and shopping. This was a new concept for her, and she found it fascinating. Inspired, she decided to get a job and support herself.
Because of Adam's influence, her first thought was to follow in his footsteps and write novels.
To be fair, she was a loyal fan of Liu Bei and had read all of Nora Bing's books. When she first read Nora's *Midnight Delight*, she became obsessed with the idea of becoming a writer.
However, growing up pampered by her doctor father, that idea had always been fleeting.
Now, forced by circumstances and with Adam—a successful writer—right by her side, working as a barista or anything like that was simply out of the question.
Being a writer meant fame, fortune, and status. It was just as glamorous as being a fashion icon and perfectly suited her.
She, Rachel Green, was going to become a world-famous author, just like her idol, Nora Bing. She would write her own *Grimm Fairy Tale*. The mere thought of it excited her.
But starting out was tough.
She turned to Adam for advice.
Adam asked what kind of novel she wanted to write.
After some thought, it was no surprise—she wanted to write the genre she loved most: the kind of *colorful* novels that had helped Adam get his start, just like Nora Bing.
And no, she wasn't joking. She truly loved that genre. In the future, Joey would even find one of her books hidden under her pillow.
Think about it—someone as beautiful as her, if she wanted real-life experience, she could easily get it.
Yet, despite not lacking in *real-world experience*, she still clung to these books. If that wasn't true love, what was?
So, Adam shared the key takeaways from Nora Bing's insights on writing *colorful* novels with Rachel.
Rachel was thrilled and immediately holed up in the apartment to start writing.
**"That fast?"**
Adam took the manuscript from her and flipped through the pages—over ten densely packed sheets. He couldn't help but be surprised.
It hadn't even been 24 hours since Rachel first had the idea!
Passion really was the best teacher!
**"Rachel wrote a novel?"**
Hearing this, Monica and the others immediately forgot about Monica's earlier embarrassment and eagerly gathered around Adam to read.
**"OMG!"**
Monica gasped. "Rachel, I thought you said you were going to write your own *Grimm Fairy Tale*! Are you sure this is a fairy tale?"
**"You're not wrong."**
Adam chuckled as he read Rachel's work. "If you've read the original *Grimm's Fairy Tales*, you wouldn't be surprised."
**"No way!"**
**"How could this be the same?"**
Monica and Phoebe were in complete disbelief.
Joey looked confused.
Meanwhile, Chandler and Ross—both college-educated and well-read—shared knowing smiles.
*Grimm's Fairy Tales* had been revised over time to become the "fairy tales" we know today. But in reality, fairy tales are full of deception. The original versions were much darker—violent and *very* suggestive, just like Rachel's novel. Definitely adults-only content.
**"So? What do you think?"**
Rachel anxiously stared at Adam.
All those *spicy* thoughts she once had about Adam had completely vanished after learning about his views on relationships. Normally, men like Adam and Joey—charming but commitment-phobic—would make most women keep their distance.
**"Hmm, for a beginner, it's actually not bad."**
Adam thought for a moment and offered some encouragement.
New writers needed positive reinforcement.
And he wasn't lying—Rachel, who wasn't a top student and had never done any writing before, had managed to produce this much content in less than a day. That was impressive.
**"OMG! Did you all hear that? Adam said my writing is good!"**
Rachel covered her mouth in excitement and looked around at everyone.
**"We heard it."**
**"Rachel, you're amazing!"**
**"The future bestselling author, Miss Rachel Green!"**
The whole group hyped her up—except Chandler, who looked slightly uncomfortable. Clearly, this reminded him of his love-hate relationship with his famous novelist mother.
**"But…?"**
Phoebe suddenly cut through the excitement, turning to Adam.
**"But what?"**
Rachel blinked.
**"Usually, in these situations, there's a compliment first… then a *but*."**
Phoebe said matter-of-factly, "It's like when we break up with a guy—we always start with *'You're a great person, but… we're just not right for each other.'*"
**"…"**
Rachel was speechless because, well… Phoebe had a point.
She looked at Adam pitifully.
**"Phoebe just perfectly summed up the 'nice guy' speech."**
Adam joked before finally turning to Rachel and explaining, "For a beginner, you did well. But there are definitely some issues.
For example, the plot moves too quickly and feels a bit forced. Your descriptions of *certain* scenes are too stiff and rely too much on wordplay. Sometimes you even sacrifice meaning for the sake of a pun, which takes away from the story."
**"Ah!"**
Rachel suddenly understood and gasped. "What do I do, then? I can only think of puns!"
**"Try using more metaphors."**
Adam smirked. "I remember when you explained things to your dad, you used *plenty* of metaphors."
**"But my dad didn't understand any of them…"**
Rachel muttered. Then, noticing everyone holding back laughter, she realized she had walked right into that one. She lunged at Adam playfully, her voice high-pitched and dramatic, making him instinctively back away with his hands up in surrender.
This was another thing he still wasn't used to in his *Friends* sitcom-style social circle.
The physical interactions were *too* close. They were all young, attractive people—one wrong look, and things could *easily* escalate.
**"I'm being serious."**
Adam clarified, "Using metaphors, references, and wordplay is much more sophisticated than just relying on puns. They're more versatile and give you more creative freedom. Forced wordplay often loses its meaning."
**"But I don't know how to come up with those!"**
Rachel complained, frustrated.
**"Then you need to read more, experience life, think deeply, and practice writing."**
Adam shrugged. "Writing isn't easy."
**"Oh…"**
Rachel's face fell in confusion.
She was the kind of person who once changed her major just because the original department's parking situation was inconvenient. She had always avoided difficulties.
Now, she had already cut up her credit cards thanks to Ross and Monica. And it turned out writing a novel wouldn't magically make her rich overnight, either.
Life was *so* hard.
*(End of Chapter.)*