Chapter 100: Brooklyn Nine-Nine
"Are you all players of this game?"
Daphne surveyed the group, her gaze pausing on Paige and young Sheldon, her smile instantly becoming forced.
She knew nothing about geniuses, and she and her fiancé, Noah, had little in common. But she did know one thing: in Noah's world, the younger they were, the more talented they tended to be.
And 11-year-old Paige and young Sheldon were clearly super-geniuses.
This was definitely not good news.
"Yes,"
Harlan Upland, the naked professor, clearly possessed normal human emotions, unlike Chuck and the others who chose to ignore social cues, and immediately responded.
"These are the East Coast's most brilliant math geniuses. This is Dr. Chuck Wolfe..."
As he introduced them one by one, Daphne's smile completely faded.
She considered Paige and young Sheldon incredibly impressive, and the facts proved them to be true, but there were still those two young prodigies who were even more formidable.
Could her Noah still win the championship and claim the legendary $1 million prize?
The naked professor Harlan Appland was only as socially aware as the future Leonard. After the introduction, seeing Daphne's reaction, he didn't know what to say. He could only smile awkwardly and continue to look back at the problem on the wall.
"Hi, I'm Monica, Paige's guardian."
Monica was very interested in Daphne, and when everyone stopped paying attention to Daphne, she walked over and whispered, "So, how did you and Noah meet?"
"It must be fate."
Daphne looked at her fiancé who walked over and stood in a corner far away to study the problems. She suppressed her worries and forced a smile: "Noah is a math genius. He graduated from high school at 15 and from Harvard's Mathematics Department at 17. Then he came to New York, completed his PhD at Columbia University, and stayed on as a research associate. It's a shame that he's not good at communicating with people, so he can't become a professor or get tenure.
He often ate at the diner where I work, and I'm different from others. I've always had a thing for geniuses like him. My girlfriends think I'm nuts, but I still took the initiative to approach Noah."
"True love can't be stopped by logic."
Monica couldn't help but shift her gaze to Chuck and said with understanding.
"It seems you get this feeling."
Daphne picked up on something, and her smile grew more genuine. "With my persistence, Noah opened up to me. After all, even an autistic genius has emotional needs. He has a beautiful soul and can connect with what I feel.
I'm also adapting to him and helping him adjust to the outside world. We complement each other and are meant to be a perfect match."
"You're so lucky,"
Monica said with genuine envy.
"I think so too,"
Daphne smiled, glancing down at her watch.
"So, can I ask how you did it?"
Monica glanced at the group in the distance, lowering her voice. "You know, making Noah's beautiful soul feel what you feel, and then accept you?"
"It's certainly not easy. It takes patience,"
Daphne sighed. Seeing Monica's face darken, she smiled knowingly, "But it's not that difficult. No matter how genius or eccentric he is, he's still a guy."
"You mean..."
Monica understood immediately, but couldn't smile. She shook her head and said, "It's useless. In their eyes, that's just an experiment to solve biological urges. It can't compare to other scientific experiments."
"..."
Daphne's smile completely vanished.
She had thought Monica hadn't reached that level of understanding with her own genius, but who knew she had already surpassed that level, truly comprehending the situation.
And in front of such a Monica, wouldn't it be foolish for her to pretend to understand and be happy?
The beautiful things she described were, after all, like journal entries, embellished. The reality was far from being so beautiful.
Her fiancé, Noah, couldn't fulfill his duties as a boyfriend when he was deep in thought, but his genius brain was constantly thinking. She hadn't shared this pain with anyone. After all, she had chosen to be with Noah despite the crazy looks from her friends. Her choice was to persevere, even with tears behind her fake smile.
Monica had no idea what Daphne thought she understood, or she'd be stunned again.
After everyone finished studying the problems, they left.
"Chuck, where are you going?"
Paige called to Chuck.
"I'm busy."
Chuck glanced at her.
"Come to New York often to visit Monica when you have time."
Paige said with a smile. "She misses you so much."
Chuck looked at Monica.
"I don't!"
Monica denied instinctively.
"Did you hear that?"
Paige didn't even look at her, continuing to smile at Chuck. "From now on, my schedule will be more focused on Monica."
"What did you hear?"
Monica said anxiously.
This was completely opposite to what she had said.
"Relax, Monica,"
Paige said with a grin. "Chuck's a famous detective. He knows truth from lies, sarcasm from sincerity. He doesn't need anyone to translate."
"You have my number."
Chuck nodded to Monica, then walked out, got in his car, and drove to New York City.
New York Police Department, NYPD 99th Precinct.
"Welcome, our great consultant."
A handsome young detective leaned back dramatically in his swivel office chair, tossing a paper ball up and catching it. He looked at Chuck with a cocky expression as he entered. "You absolutely must teach me how to solve this case this time. I have a crucial question that only you can answer."
As he spoke, he stood up and grinned at his beautiful Latina partner, who rolled her eyes. "Detective Santiago, pay attention and learn!"
Spreading the relevant documents on his desk, the handsome young detective said with a smirk, "This is our victim. He had no ID when he was found, but after an investigation by this brilliant detective, I've confirmed his identity. Isaac Wolczak, 36 years old, male, uh, biologically speaking, data analyst for the Heritage Foundation, really good with numbers."
At this point, he closed the documents and asked with mock seriousness, "Now, I need your wisdom to help me solve the most crucial problem. Who do you math nerds usually pick on? Please think carefully. We need to identify our suspect ASAP!"
Snort!
The other burly detectives nearby burst out laughing when they heard this.
Mathematicians are generally top-tier nerds and are usually the ones getting bullied. How could a mathematician bully someone and then get murdered in retaliation?
Apparently, Detective Jake Peralta, the class clown of the Nine-Nine, was up to his usual antics again.
(End of this chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)