Chapter 281: Proud Little Sheldon - I'm Zero! Chuck - Join Paige's Legion!
Little Sheldon's crying slightly improved Paige's mood.
That's right!
Paige actually enjoyed making little Sheldon cry.
At first, she simply enjoyed being better than little Sheldon.
However, with her intelligence, she had long since picked up on Chuck's attitude toward little Sheldon.
Birds of a feather flock together, and now she was genuinely committed to making little Sheldon cry.
She knew little Sheldon's reaction to this, and she didn't mind the nicknames "Little Terror" and "Big Terror."
However, the improvement brought about by the daily pleasure of making little Sheldon cry only lifted her spirits a little.
She absolutely had to beat that girl Chuck mentioned who was playing against her!
So she ignored little Sheldon, hung up the phone, thought for a moment, and then called Monica over.
"What did you say?"
Monica looked at Paige in surprise. "Did I hear that right? You want me to contact Beth Harmon for you?"
"Yes."
Paige nodded.
"That chess prodigy, Beth Harmon?"
Monica confirmed. "The Beth Harmon who's just started making waves, who just won the U.S. Junior Chess Championship?"
"Chuck should have made you sharper and more decisive."
Paige said with a knowing smile.
"..."
Monica's eye twitched. She really disliked Paige's tone and manner when talking about her and Chuck.
But she was finally certain she'd heard correctly.
Good Lord!
Paige was actually looking for Beth Harmon!
"Why?"
Monica was completely baffled.
First of all, Beth Harmon was a few years younger than Paige. It was always the younger kids who wanted to hang out with the older ones—never the other way around when the older kid already had friends.
Besides, was Paige even really a kid?
No!
In Monica's eyes, aside from the inherent traits of a super genius, Paige's mind was that of an adult, not a child.
Although Beth Harmon had risen to fame and become a highly sought-after young chess prodigy, Monica had never associated her with Paige.
Why?
Because she knew Paige too well.
Aside from Chuck, Sheldon, and a handful of others, Paige didn't care about anyone else.
Beth Harmon was just some little girl who played chess, nothing more.
Now Paige was actually asking her to contact Beth Harmon directly—wasn't that really strange?
However, she wasn't waiting for Paige's explanation anymore; she neither expected nor wanted one. Under Paige's peculiar gaze, Monica turned and walked away to help Paige make the connection.
Meanwhile, Sheldon, having been thoroughly destroyed by the little terror Paige, had burst into tears. Knowing this was most likely Chuck's fault, he cried even harder.
He was having such a rough time!
If parallel universes truly existed, he really wanted to switch places with himself in another timeline—one without Chuck.
Tears still streaming down his face, Sheldon only remembered it was time for his nightly video chat with his family after Leonard reminded him.
This nearly caused another breakdown.
He, who had always strictly adhered to his own bathroom schedule since he was old enough to remember, had actually missed it!
"Come on, Missy... I mean, Mrs. Cooper and the others are getting impatient!"
Leonard urged with a smile.
Since video chatting with Sheldon's family and meeting the highly intelligent (and gorgeous) Missy, he'd become increasingly friendly toward Sheldon.
Yes.
He'd decided on this friendship!
Sheldon finally got up, walked to the computer that had just caused him such anguish, sat down in front of the screen, and saw his mother and sister, who had already been connected by Leonard.
"Sheldon, what's wrong?"
Sheldon's mother was startled to see her son's tear-stained face.
"Waaah."
Sheldon, naturally, didn't hide it and burst into tears again.
"Leonard!"
Sheldon's mother immediately looked at Leonard, who was standing behind her son. "What's going on?"
"Don't tell me! Let me guess first!"
Sheldon's twin sister, Missy, immediately laughed. "It's because of Chuck, right?"
"Don't talk nonsense."
Sheldon's mother rolled her eyes at her daughter, then looked at Sheldon uncertainly. "Shelly, is it?"
"Yes!"
Sheldon nodded, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Yes!"
Missy cheered, pumping her fist.
"Missy!"
Sheldon's mother scolded her gloating daughter.
"I'm just saying."
Missy shrugged and smiled. "Although lots of people can make Sheldon cry, only Detective Chuck can make him cry like this! He's truly my hero!"
"Mine too!"
Leonard immediately leaned closer, his face beaming with an eager smile.
Sheldon's mother rolled her eyes at both of them.
"And Paige!"
Sheldon completely ignored the sarcasm in Missy's words and immediately started tattling to his beloved mother, not leaving anyone out.
However, in his account, Chuck, who hadn't even spoken to him, was listed as the main culprit, while Paige, who actually made him cry, became merely an accomplice.
"What does this have to do with Paige?"
Sheldon's mother said helplessly.
She didn't dare bring up Chuck at all.
Whether it was the deep impression Chuck had left on her during that tax audit, or Leonard, her son's actual friend, who practically worshipped Chuck, she felt it best to ignore the fact that Chuck often made her son cry.
After Sheldon explained what had happened, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "This has nothing to do with Chuck—it's Paige's fault! She went too far!"
"Is that really going too far?"
Missy interjected sarcastically. "I don't think so. Paige was just telling the truth, just like Sheldon's brutal honesty toward everyone else~"
"Missy Cooper!"
Sheldon's mother raised her voice, threatening her daughter to stop stirring the pot.
"What did I do?"
Missy shrugged and smiled. "I wasn't telling the truth? Does that mean only Sheldon is allowed to say whatever he wants, but I'm not?"
Sheldon's mother glared at her daughter and complained, "If she thinks Shelly isn't good enough, why did she ask him to play chess?"
"It's simple."
Missy replied without hesitation. "Just like Sheldon tutoring Billy in math."
"What did you say?!"
The crying Sheldon couldn't help but stop, glaring at his twin sister indignantly.
"You forgot? A few days ago, under Dad's prodding, you agreed to tutor Billy in math online to help him prepare for his final exams next month and avoid repeating a grade."
Missy said with a grin. "Then he asked you a question that you thought was pretty dumb at the time, but it really blew your mind, remember?"
"Zero doesn't exist..."
Young Sheldon's anger faltered, and he seemed to grasp something.
He thought he understood what Missy meant. Billy might be a bit slow, but the way he asked questions gave him different perspectives.
Paige might be the same.
Hmm.
But something still felt off...
"Don't talk about this anymore!"
Sheldon's mother couldn't stand it anymore and cut them off.
Missy wanted to speak, but her mother's stern look made her swallow her words.
She wasn't like Sheldon, who lacked social awareness, nor did she have the privilege of saying whatever she wanted to her mother. She knew her mother was on the verge of losing it, so she wisely kept quiet.
However, when her mother wasn't looking, she mouthed to Sheldon, "X-Men."
"He's Chuck, X-Men won't work."
Sheldon said sullenly.
He knew his father was using reverse psychology when he said Sheldon couldn't teach Billy, referencing his failed attempt to teach his older brother George, but he still couldn't resist trying.
Then, when he explained that positive one plus negative one equals zero, the dim-witted Billy kept asking why zero was zero, what zero was, and other such questions.
For an ordinary person, a simple explanation would suffice—asking any more would be unreasonable.
For a genius like Sheldon, Billy's persistent questioning was tantamount to asking, "Why does 1+1 equal 2? Prove it to me!"
He immediately fell into deep contemplation.
Unable to reach a conclusion through deduction and calculation, he sought help from professor after professor, until they too fell silent, still without an answer.
Finally, just as he was about to ask Chuck, Billy's words resolved his confusion.
He reasoned that before the Big Bang, there was nothing, so theoretically, zero could be considered God.
He found this fascinating—rather than worshipping God, he believed in the mathematical concept of zero, Amen (Amen), which in his case became X-Men (following the same letter pattern).
When he immediately shared this revelation, he faced strong opposition from his devout mother, even though her faith had recently wavered due to being ostracized by other believers.
She couldn't accept her son's blasphemous notion.
Sheldon then shared this with those he considered understanding: Chuck and Paige.
What he remembered most vividly was that although Chuck's expression remained neutral, he sensed something off beneath that calm exterior.
Hmm.
How to put it?
It seemed strange, but he wasn't sure why, because he didn't understand what was strange about it, especially coming from Chuck, who usually remained unflappable even in crisis.
He finally asked Chuck what he thought, and Chuck replied, "You're a zero! You can join Paige's Zero Legion!"
He was thrilled!
Because those who believe in God wouldn't dare say 'I am God,' but believers in the scientific concept of Zero could proudly declare, "I am zero!"
Unfortunately, this joy was crushed by the Big Terror's words.
Because Chuck added, "You can try joining Paige's Zero Legion!"
"Why should it be Paige's Zero Legion?! If there's a Zero Legion, it's my Zero Legion!!! I'm the zero!!!"
Little Sheldon protested indignantly, but unfortunately, he received no response from the Big Terror.
"Shelly, don't be upset. I'll come visit you in a few days!"
Seeing her son utter that incredibly blasphemous statement again, Sheldon's mother's face darkened. Then, as if remembering something, she softened her expression and made up her mind.
"Really?"
"Why?"
"Great! Will Missy come too?"
The same announcement elicited completely different reactions.
Sheldon was confused, Missy was displeased, while Leonard was overjoyed and eagerly hoped that his 'good buddy' Sheldon's sister, Missy, could come so he could show her around.
"You don't want me to come see you?"
Sheldon's mother looked at her confused son with displeasure.
"Of course I do."
Sheldon shook his head. "But you know you and Dr. Hofstadter don't get along very well."
"Mom, he's just afraid you'll embarrass him."
Missy said sarcastically. "And you still want to travel all the way across the country just to see him?"
"Shelly didn't mean it that way!"
Sheldon's mother retorted to her daughter, but she didn't dare let her son explain, because she knew that was exactly what he meant.
The main reason she didn't want her son boarding at Dr. Hofstadter's house was the serious ideological conflict with the atheist Beverly Hofstadter.
And her son, instead of supporting her, sided with Beverly, making him a nightmare for her!
"I want to go too!"
Missy exclaimed.
"You're not allowed to go!"
Sheldon's mother objected immediately.
"Why?"
Missy protested. "I've never been to New Jersey!"
"No means no!"
Sheldon's mother's eyes flickered, her tone firm.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Sheldon was happy to hear his mother was coming, especially after being reduced to tears by Chuck and Paige. Compared to his mother embarrassing him at Dr. Hofstadter's, he was willing to accept it.
"The family's facing a financial crisis and can't afford to bring you too!"
"Right!"
Sheldon's mother's eyes lit up, immediately seizing this as a legitimate reason.
"I can cover it!"
Leonard immediately chimed in. "I have allowance money—it should be enough."
"Mom!"
Missy looked at her mother.
"No means no!"
Sheldon's mother was adamant. "How can you, as a young lady, take money from other people? What have I always taught you? It's settled!"
A few days later, Sheldon's mother arrived in New Jersey. Upon seeing her son, she immediately took him to find Paige.
"Paige!"
Sheldon's mother wanted to have a serious talk with Paige, but instead found Paige playing chess with a young girl.
"Oh, are you Beth Harmon?"
She immediately recognized the girl sitting across from Paige.
Because her son was a super genius and exceptionally difficult to manage, she paid close attention to news about gifted children, and naturally knew about the newly minted prodigy, Beth Harmon.
Beth Harmon looked at Sheldon and his mother with indifferent eyes.
"Mrs. Cooper, you've arrived."
Paige picked up a chess piece, placed it, pressed the timer, and then turned to look at her.
"Yes."
Seeing Beth Harmon's coldness, Sheldon's mother snapped out of her initial surprise and remembered the important reason for meeting Paige.
"Paige, want to talk privately?"
"Go ahead."
Paige smiled. "She doesn't care about these things."
"Alright."
Sheldon's mother glanced at Beth Harmon, put her arm around her son's shoulder, and carefully chose her words.
"Paige, you've always been Sheldon's good friend. Why did you treat him like that when you were playing chess?"
"You misunderstood."
Paige laughed. "I wasn't targeting him specifically."
"That's good. I knew you weren't that kind of person."
Young Sheldon's mother breathed a sigh of relief, a smile returning to her face.
Beth Harmon, who had remained aloof, frowned and looked over. Although she was the youngest and had only just met Paige, she sensed the unspoken meaning in Paige's words.
(End of Chapter)
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