Chapter 184: Mini-Demon Little Sheldon, the Dark Seed Emerges, and the Genius Paige
"Any more questions?"
Chuck stared at the frustrated little Sheldon, but his mind was focused on the double harvest of positive and negative energy points on the system panel.
It had to be said that Little Sheldon was truly special to him, incredibly useful.
He hoped that when adult Sheldon matured, he would have the same effect.
If not, he hoped Little Sheldon would never grow up.
"Yes!"
Little Sheldon opened his mouth, hesitating several times. Finally, as Chuck turned to leave, he called out to Chuck's back and said, "Batman isn't like that..."
He had previously been extremely disgusted by Chuck's claims of 'I'm Batman,' always refusing to acknowledge the notion of Chuck being Batman, as Paige and little Leonard had suggested.
But after so long, frustrated by his constant failures, when he faced Chuck again, though he didn't want to admit it, he preferred Batman Chuck to Demon Chuck.
"You think you know, but you really don't."
Chuck paused in silence, then switched to Batman's voice. "This is the real Batman."
"...No!"
Although little Sheldon no longer resented philosophy, he still resented the philosophy professor's statement. He felt he knew everything, and given enough time to understand, no one would know better.
"Batman isn't the villain!"
"Batman is the villain! The biggest villain! The ultimate villain!"
Chuck turned and looked at little Sheldon. "When you truly understand that, you'll burst out laughing and turn into the Joker."
"Is he that childish?"
Trish watched the two, seemingly absorbed in the exchange, her depressed mood suddenly lifted, and she couldn't help but whisper to her sister.
"It's entertaining, isn't it?"
Cheryl stared at Chuck, whispering back in a somewhat infatuated way.
Justine watched her two best friends whispering, her lips twitching as she muttered, "Am I the only one who thinks Chuck isn't being childish, but telling the truth?"
Chuck led the way into the classroom building.
Cheryl and Trish followed closely behind. Justine glanced at little Sheldon, who stood motionless, and followed suit.
"Sheldon, are you okay?"
Professor Alicia Harper asked, looking at the dejected little Sheldon with a touch of guilt.
If she hadn't been at her wit's end, she wouldn't have had the heart to ask Chuck to deal with such a young child.
"Tam said that once I turn evil, I'll be the boss!"
Sheldon cried out in frustration after Chuck was out of sight.
In high school, Tam, a Vietnamese-American classmate, was Sheldon's only friend. During one science class, Sheldon's teacher invited a NASA scientist to give a guest lecture.
When Sheldon challenged his assertions, the NASA scientist simply dismissed him as just another kid, giving him a NASA badge and brushing him off.
This infuriated Sheldon, who immediately decided to teach the NASA scientist a lesson and used his spare time to complete the mathematical calculations for a reusable rocket.
Seeing how devoted Sheldon was to completing the calculations even while skipping other classes, his classmate Tam asked why and exclaimed, "You look like a real villain, seeking revenge."
Just like Chuck, Sheldon used the same voice as the villains on TV to utter the classic line, "Silence!"
After hearing Sheldon's explanation, Tam said, "Once you turn evil, you'll be the real boss!"
After hearing the whole story, Professor Alicia Harper opened her mouth, wanting to say, "Is it possible that the reason you're so at odds with Chuck is because you're actually similar to him, and Chuck's so much better than you that you've experienced how others feel about you?"
However, faced with little Sheldon's pitiful expression, Professor Alicia Harper, with her high IQ and EQ, didn't say it outright. Instead, she soothed, "If you can't be the big demon, then be a little demon. After all, you're younger than Chuck, so being a little demon isn't bad either."
"The little demon is Paige!"
little Sheldon said, almost tearful.
"How about the middle demon?"
Professor Alicia Harper was at a loss for words.
"Paige wouldn't agree,"
little Sheldon said, a little afraid, with a catch in his voice.
Geniuses are always competitive. Even before Chuck showed up, Paige had been competing with him, vying for supremacy, competing for the title of the youngest genius, for who was smarter.
Now with Chuck around, Paige seemed to be influenced by him. Not only was she still competitive, but her style had taken on a darker edge. The slightest smirk on the left corner of her mouth made him uneasy.
He felt that if he dared to challenge this hierarchy today, caught between Big Demon Chuck and Little Demon Paige, he would be in for a rough time!
"What about the Mini Demon?"
Professor Alicia Harper nearly burst out laughing, but she forced herself to hold it in, maintaining a serious expression.
"MINI... okay,"
little Sheldon muttered, then thought for a moment and reluctantly agreed.
Just like the MINI Cooper was still a Cooper, the Mini Demon was also a Demon.
Although he was wary of Chuck and afraid of Paige, he deeply recognized that they were all on the same level as him.
They were all Demons, and that was enough!
"Okay, Mini Demon Cooper, it's time to go to class. You don't want the Big Demon to get mad at you for not showing up on time, do you?"
Professor Alicia Harper couldn't hold back her laughter any longer.
The Mini Demon Sheldon was startled and immediately shuffled quickly inside with hurried steps. He definitely didn't want to face the Big Demon's wrath.
After class, Chuck did not leave as usual, but walked to Professor Alicia Harper's podium and looked at her.
"Dr. Wolfe, is there something you need?"
Professor Alicia Harper looked at the Mini Demon Sheldon who was packing up, and smiled at the Big Demon Chuck.
"How are the lab assistant schedules arranged?"
Chuck asked.
"...Oh."
Professor Alicia Harper was stunned.
She had invited Chuck out of sheer desperation, intending to use his reputation as a powerful demon to intimidate Little Sheldon, the troublesome pest. She hadn't actually intended to hire Chuck as her lab assistant.
She knew full well that, despite being Chuck's physics professor, she wasn't qualified to have him as her assistant.
It seemed few people in the world possessed such qualifications.
Now, seeing Chuck actually bring it up, she was bewildered.
"Wouldn't it be inconvenient for you?"
Professor Alicia Harper hesitated. "I know you're busy, and I was just saying it to scare him..."
At this point, she frankly revealed her real intention.
"I know,"
Chuck said calmly. "So, what's Cooper's schedule? Send me a copy."
"You're really planning on working with him?"
Professor Alicia Harper exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes,"
Chuck nodded.
"Isn't that a bit harsh?"
Professor Alicia Harper smiled wryly.
She had already said she only wanted to frighten Little Sheldon, not actually torment him this way.
"He's just a kid,"
Chuck said matter-of-factly.
"..."
Professor Alicia Harper was stunned. Watching Chuck state his reasoning without a second thought, acting as if it were completely natural, she completely understood why little Sheldon considered Chuck a demon.
Such a mindset, such determination, would only make the Mini Demon weep.
Chuck ignored Professor Alicia Harper's expressive gaze, savoring the shifting emotions for a moment before taking the lab assistant schedule she'd created for little Sheldon and leaving.
"He's just a child," Chuck didn't say afterward, "because he's still a child, there's still room for correction. Once he's older, it would be too late."
However, in the world where political correctness reigns supreme, the latter part couldn't be said aloud.
Nothing can be taken to extremes!
Political correctness can't reign supreme, and neither can permissive child-rearing. At an age when children are developing their sense of right and wrong, if your child makes a mistake and you can't correct it with firm discipline, relying only on empty rhetoric, the end result is a society full of entitled individuals.
Discipline is the most fundamental principle of child development.
As the saying goes: "Spare the rod, spoil the child!"
Now that the Big Demon is keeping him in check, the Mini Demon Sheldon, who once had inflexible standards for everything to go his way, will become more adaptable and considerate of others.
New York
Monica's Apartment
"Are you okay?"
Ross watched his sister frantically cleaning the house, and couldn't help but protest. "He's like this, why don't you give up?"
"Why should I give up?"
Monica asked as she cleaned obsessively. "Why should I give up?"
"..."
Ross's jaw dropped. "Hello? He's been with one woman after another, almost becoming a legendary playboy."
"I can attest to that."
Chandler raised his hand. "The centerfolds I saw in the Playboy magazines that Ross has hidden aren't as impressive as the women Chuck's been with."
Ross immediately glared at his supposed best friend Chandler, who had long been a traitor in his heart.
"What's wrong with you?"
Ross couldn't understand. "In the past, if you'd been in this situation, you would have broken up with him immediately. Why is it that with this guy, you're like possessed and just won't give up?"
"True love is built through perseverance!"
Monica pumped her fist to cheer herself up, looking like an energized young woman. "I believe I'll be the winner!"
"Rachel, Phoebe, talk some sense into her!"
Ross was helpless, looking at his sister's two best friends for support.
"What can we say?"
Rachel and Phoebe didn't dare to respond. They'd already privately discussed the situation with Monica, but the results weren't good. They also felt that Monica was overly invested, but they didn't think it was entirely unreasonable.
If they were in her shoes, if they met a truly exceptional man who was exactly what they wanted, they wouldn't be much better than Monica.
As for the gossip and rumors, it was indeed uncomfortable, but in a way, it also further validated Monica's judgment. Didn't they see even the famous Amazing Amy and the renowned author Dr. Bones competing for his attention?
The presence of these outstanding women in the competition only deepened Chuck's appeal, didn't it?
People only fight for valuable things.
People always discard junk.
And what Monica said was right—why should she give up?
"Crazy, you're all crazy!"
Ross said angrily. "What's wrong with this world?"
"Is it possible that there's nothing wrong with the world, but you have the problem?"
Chandler teased. "If you were Chuck, would you think Monica and the others were crazy?"
"..."
Ross was speechless.
If he were Chuck... Bah! He's not Chuck!
And even if he really had Chuck's qualities, he would only love one person for the rest of his life!
Right!
That's it!
"Get out of here!"
Monica began pushing her jealous brother toward the door. "Chuck's coming soon, you don't want to be annoying, do you?"
"I'm going to tell Mom and Dad!"
Ross couldn't hold it in any longer. He resisted, shouting, "I'm going to tell our parents this time. You're crazy, you're absolutely crazy!"
"Whatever,"
Monica continued to push her clamoring brother out. "In their eyes, I'll never get married anyway. Having a partner like Chuck, even if it's not perfect, is better than living alone forever, right?"
"..."
Ross was shoved out, dumbfounded. He stared at the closed door, unable to recover for a moment.
Ever since Chuck showed up, his status in his circle of friends had dwindled, becoming increasingly marginalized. Now, whenever Chuck came over, his sister would kick him out.
This made him regret for the umpteenth time. If he had known this day would come, he shouldn't have gone to visit
Compared to his current predicament, that nostalgia trip was completely worthless!
He was out of his mind. Why had he insisted on making that visit?
If he hadn't gone, perhaps none of this would have happened.
Just then, Chuck approached and paused, staring at Ross, who looked furious at the door. "You're blocking my way."
Ross moved aside resentfully.
Knock, knock, knock.
Knock, knock, knock.
Knock, knock.
A rhythmic knock sounded at the door. Monica was delighted and was about to answer when Chandler, with a single stride, arrived first and opened it. "Partner, you're finally here."
"I'm here,"
Chuck said in his usual deep voice.
"This case was so interesting, why didn't you tell me?"
Chandler complained. "I would have loved to see the sights of Washington, D.C."
"It's inconvenient,"
Chuck said. "First, the business trip interferes with your regular work."
"What else?"
Chandler, noticing Chuck had stopped talking, suddenly gestured dramatically, prompting Chuck to continue.
"And someone said you were too loud,"
Chuck said matter-of-factly.
"Too loud?"
Chandler glanced between Chuck and his friends who were watching, his expression incredulous. But as his smile faded, he saw Chuck wasn't joking at all, and his laughter died. "Who said that?"
At this point, he couldn't help but joke, "Partner, I know it wasn't me who said that! You're good at math, so tell me, who else could it be?"
He only knew of two partners: himself and Chuck. Chuck said someone said that, but it wasn't him. So who was that someone?
Chuck didn't say anything, just pointed upward.
"Oh. My. God!"
Chandler looked up and, in the same nasal drawl as his ex-girlfriend Janice, exclaimed, "I'm Janice!"
His ex-girlfriend Janice was both memorable and detested for that iconic nasal voice.
Chuck's words immediately made him understand how his ex-girlfriend Janice felt when she was mocked.
"Did God say that?"
Rachel asked, puzzled.
"If there's a case in New York later, you can still come if you have time. Cases elsewhere are pending."
Chuck still didn't explain who this person was, only stating his tentative plans.
To some extent, Rachel was right.
Indeed, a higher authority had indicated that bringing Chandler to cases was a bit too disruptive, breaking the atmosphere. While funny, comedy has its limits; not everyone appreciates constant jokes or the future sitcom king, Chandler Bing.
Chandler, though unhappy, accepted Chuck's words with a few self-deprecating remarks.
The group gossiped for a while longer, mostly Rachel and Phoebe asking about Amazing Amy and Dr. Bones.
Then, under Monica's pointed glare, they reluctantly stopped gossiping and each made a perfunctory excuse to leave, giving Chuck and Monica privacy.
An anticipated experiment proceeded as planned.
"Who's your favorite person?"
Monica, transformed into an energized and beautiful woman, suddenly asked Chuck as she looked down at him. "Is it Amazing Amy? Dr. Bones? Agent Jane Banner? Professor Alicia Harper? Or me? Or Paige?"
Chuck frowned as he watched her cycling through emotions and personas. Not long after, he laid her down in a peaceful sleep, went to the bathroom, cleaned up, and left the apartment.
Columbia University
Faculty Apartment
Paige's apartment wasn't like the average university student's. Like the professors without family housing, she lived in a specially prepared faculty apartment at Columbia University.
At the desk, Paige, dressed in cute pajamas, was reading under the lamp. She had been concentrating for a long time when she suddenly stretched and turned to look into a dark corner. "I've always heard Sheldon say you're elusive, and you never know when you'll emerge from the shadows. He didn't want to describe you the same way as Batman, but that's what he meant. Now it seems he's telling the truth. If you hadn't warned me, I wouldn't have had any idea when or how you got in."
Despite this, she wasn't frightened by the sudden presence of someone else in the room. Instead, she looked excited.
A figure sat in the dark shadows, and Chuck's voice slowly rang out: "You've crossed the line."
(End of Chapter)
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