Chapter 197: Young Sheldon: Now I'm Not the Only One!
A modern family dinner ended in a rather awkward atmosphere.
Hillside villa.
"What are we doing tomorrow?"
Jane asked somewhat nervously.
"I have class tomorrow,"
Chuck said. "You can use this time to recover. Next time something similar happens, consult me first, so you won't get hurt."
"..."
Jane's lips twitched.
This kind of thing was difficult to do and difficult to discuss. Getting some acknowledgment afterward would be fine, but not only did she not get any, she also had Chuck dealing with the aftermath. This feeling was terrible.
However, she then thought of Chuck's approach. Although she had little experience, she had felt the precision of his methods. She muttered to herself, "I guess I should consult him."
Then she saw a figure and looked at Chuck somewhat awkwardly. "You're having your classmate come and clean your house?"
"Is there a problem?"
Chuck said calmly.
"No..."
Jane didn't know what to say.
It wasn't that she had a problem with the part-time job, but when she opened her eyes, her body aching all over, heard the noise, and struggled to get out, she turned around to see a young woman standing there smiling at her with a stack of linens. Although Chuck had introduced her as Justine, his classmate who helped clean the villa, it still felt very strange.
"It's okay if you're not used to it,"
Chuck said. Just when Jane thought he meant she'd get used to it, Chuck added, "I've already asked Phil Dunphy to find you an apartment. It'll be ready soon."
"I hope Phil Dunphy can find me an apartment right now!"
Jane was a woman after all, and hearing Chuck say this, even though she had developed some immunity, she still couldn't help but feel a little irritated.
"Okay!"
Chuck nodded, then took out his phone and called Phil Dunphy to inquire about the progress of the apartment search and demanded that it be found immediately. After hanging up, he said to the silent Jane, "Do you have any other requests?"
"No."
Jane gritted her teeth. What could she say to this truly oblivious man?
"Justine, let's go,"
Chuck called out.
"Okay."
Justine, who had already finished cleaning the villa on schedule, agreed, smiled politely at the new face Jane, and then followed Chuck to the garage, got into the car, and headed to Princeton University.
On the way,
Justine glanced at Chuck.
"Something wrong?"
Chuck asked.
"It's nothing major,"
Justine said after considering her words carefully, "I just heard from Cheryl that the husband of one of Tracy's classmates in the art department seems to have feelings not only for his wife but also for Professor Alicia Harper. He's a fairly well-known sculptor."
"Is it that pen pal?"
Chuck asked.
"No."
Justine knew Chuck was referring to Professor Alicia Harper's pen pal. She shook her head, but inwardly nodded in approval of Chuck's awareness.
Chuck fell silent, and she turned to look out the window, leaving it at that.
Firstly, this matter involved Professor Alicia Harper, and having spent considerable time with Chuck, she vaguely sensed a slight difference in his attitude toward her.
Secondly, this famous sculptor's wife, despite being warned by her classmate, remained oblivious, instead indulging in excessive speculation, blaming Tracy for ruining their marriage and trying to take her place.
Thirdly, artists cannot be judged by common sense; they often engage in performance art, and even if they don't physically harm anyone, they might still create uncomfortable situations. She had met this couple before; they had a flair for drama, and she had a strong premonition about it.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have brought it up at all.
Princeton University.
"Dr. Wolfe!"
As soon as they entered the campus, to Justine's astonishment, she saw young Sheldon, who always tried to avoid Chuck, carrying a small suitcase, come forward to greet them. He walked up to Chuck, straightened his bowtie, and looked up at him with his chin raised.
"Mr. Cooper,"
Chuck also stopped and looked down at him.
"Do you know where Leonard and I went yesterday?"
Young Sheldon was in high spirits today, a smile on his face. Without waiting for Chuck's reply, he launched into his story. "Yesterday, Leonard heard that your rumored girlfriend, Amazing Amy, was having a book signing, and he insisted on dragging me along. I didn't really want to go, but my mom said Amazing Amy was a great research subject, and I thought that made sense, so I went along.
When we got there, I was surprised to find that there were even more people than at a comic book release, and the lines were incredibly long.
Leonard was so excited, constantly telling everyone about Amazing Amy and your story. As your biggest fan, Leonard admires you the same way my mother feels about her faith."
Justine, hearing this, couldn't help but smile, remembering the undisguised admiration in young Leonard's eyes when he met Chuck, and deeply agreed with what young Sheldon had said.
"Equally devoted,"
Sheldon added, then continued to tilt his chin up, straining to look Chuck in the eye. "We waited in line for ages, then we saw a holdup ahead. I thought someone was cutting in line and was about to correct the situation when I found out it was Amazing Amy chatting with an overly confident little girl. I'm not complaining; as long as it's not cutting in line, she has the right to chat for as long as she wants. If it were me, after waiting in line for so long, I would expect my questions to be answered properly before moving on.
Just as Leonard was about to step forward to ask the confident little girl to move aside, other parents couldn't wait any longer and spoke up. The girl's father turned around and glared at them."
At this point, Sheldon's smile could no longer be suppressed. He raised his chin again, trying to look Chuck directly in the eyes. "And then your devoted follower Leonard actually had an accident right there in front of everyone just because of a single look!"
His eyes were filled with the excitement of 'Your follower Leonard is embarrassed, which reflects on you!' and the relief of 'Finally, I'm not the only one with this problem!'
"You've had three accidents,"
Chuck said calmly.
"...Leonard did it in front of everyone! So many, many people witnessed it!"
Sheldon paused, then raised his voice defensively.
"You've had three accidents,"
Chuck repeated.
"Leonard had an accident because of a single look!"
Sheldon cried out frantically.
Chuck stopped repeating himself and gave Sheldon a look that instantly froze the boy, who had been desperately trying to maintain eye contact with Chuck even in his frantic state. Sheldon, trembling, turned and strode away stiffly into the school building.
"Poor kid,"
Justine couldn't help but sigh, watching Sheldon leave, especially compared to his confident demeanor just moments before.
Why did he have to do this?
Wouldn't it have been better to just avoid Chuck like before?
Why did he have to confront him like this, only to end up walking away in tears...
(End of Chapter)
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