Mary and her group said their goodbyes and left.
Seeing Sheldon's extraordinary talent, everyone except Emmett was satisfied. With four members now, the Fruit Candy Band finally moved from "novice amateurs" to "intermediate amateurs."
Adam lay on his bed, staring straight at the ceiling, eyes full of anticipation.
**Intelligence +0.005!**
**Intelligence +0.005!**
"Haha, it's just as I thought!"
Adam couldn't contain his joy. Suddenly, Sheldon seemed much cuter to him. Yes, the kid was annoying, but he had boosted Adam's intelligence by five points upon arrival and was now contributing 0.005 points daily.
Don't underestimate 0.005 points; over a year, that adds up to 1.825 points of intelligence. And that's just from one person! Add Juno to the mix, and it's 3.65 points annually.
When he first started, his intelligence was at 108. Now, it's 114.015. Even if he couldn't find other ways to improve, just with Sheldon and Juno, his intelligence would surpass 120 in a year and a half, reaching the "excellent" category. Seven years later, he'd break 140 and become a bona fide genius.
Currently, he's just entering ninth grade. Following a normal trajectory, seven years from now, he wouldn't even have graduated college. This means that before applying to med school, he could already take the exams as a genius. With his outstanding stamina of 300, even the grueling med school curriculum wouldn't stop him from excelling.
From there, he envisioned a glorious journey from genius intern to renowned doctor. Once he became a brilliant surgeon, he could dedicate himself entirely to the operating room, performing surgeries day and night to save lives.
Each surgery granted him an extra 0.01 points of life span. Performing ten surgeries a day meant 0.1 points, which added up to 36.5 points annually. In two years, he'd reach a century's worth of longevity, and then... he'd truly live life to the fullest.
And this was just the conservative estimate!
Adam now roughly understood the mechanics of intelligence growth. It came from "proximity to brilliance," slowly accumulated over time. The reason his earlier attempt with Duke's genius classmate didn't work wasn't because the classmate was male—it was because he was just an insignificant background character.
Background characters had no influence. But that was fine; there were plenty of well-known geniuses out there. Take the future "Big Bang Theory" gang of seven, for example. Apart from Sheldon, there were five other geniuses. Imagine how much intelligence they could provide!
Of course, for now, he couldn't access them. Other than vaguely recalling that Leonard's mother wrote a book about him, Adam had no information about the others.
But it didn't matter. This world wasn't limited to the Big Bang Theory geniuses. Talented individuals like Juno were bound to show up, and he would encounter them eventually.
Even finding just one more would significantly accelerate his dream of "living it up."
Adam couldn't suppress his delight.
His dad, Bob, rubbed his eyes as he came downstairs.
"Oh, nothing. I just dreamed about getting promoted, becoming rich, marrying a beautiful heiress, and reaching the pinnacle of life. It made me laugh in my sleep." This content belongs to NoveI★Fire.net
Adam lied with a straight face.
"Son, wake up," Bob said, shaking his head. "Don't just dream about good things. I used to have dreams like that too. Look at me now. Be realistic. Start with a small goal."
Adam glanced at Bob's typical middle-aged American physique—balding and overweight—and took it as a warning.
A doctor in a white coat might be many women's dream man, but the moment he turned into a bald, pot-bellied middle-aged guy, that dream would shatter. Worse, if he ran into an aggressive woman, he might even get beaten up—a terrifying thought.
In the following days, Sheldon successfully integrated into the Fruit Candy Band. The four of them practiced classic rock tunes, even winning over Emmett. With Sheldon as a genius keyboardist and Juno on bass, their performances far surpassed the old "PJ and the Dynamic Band."
Music has a contagious quality. Good teamwork amplifies its impact. As a rock enthusiast, Emmett couldn't resist.
Outside of their band practice, Adam sought Sheldon's advice on academics. True to his title as a genius, Sheldon could answer any of Adam's questions effortlessly, and the learning results were phenomenal.
Even Juno remarked, "I doubted your intentions at first, but now it's clear—you really are here to study."
Time flew by amidst this fulfilling and joyful routine, and soon summer vacation ended, marking the start of high school life.
**Outside the school gates.**
"Adam, Juno, please take good care of Shelly for me. He's still so young..."
Mary looked worried as she made her request.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Cooper."
Adam glanced at Sheldon, who was fiddling with the bow tie around his neck, and replied somewhat unconvincingly.
Bullying in American schools was notoriously rampant, and a "fashionable" genius like Sheldon was a walking target.
Fortunately, Sheldon was too young. Bullies either had no interest or didn't dare pick on him. Moreover, Sheldon's dad was the football coach, and his brother was on the team, which deterred most of the potential bullies, who were often football players themselves.
Classrooms were different stories, though.
"Hello, class. I'm Ms. Mark Elroy, your homeroom teacher, as well as the English teacher for some of you..."
The middle-aged woman introduced herself on the podium.
Although the American education system follows a credit-based model with no fixed classrooms or classmates, there are still homeroom teachers who guide students in academic planning and serve as liaisons between the school, students, and parents.
"I've been at this school for over 20 years and have seen a lot, but today, my eyes have truly been opened. As you all know, we have a new student here—young yet exceptionally gifted..."
At this, everyone turned to look at Sheldon.
Most ninth graders are 14 or 15 years old, making nine-year-old Sheldon stand out glaringly. And Sheldon, true to form, raised his hand.
Ms. Mark Elroy's warm smile lasted only a few seconds before Sheldon's bluntness shattered it.
"According to the student dress code and etiquette guidelines, that boy's hair is too long, that boy's tracksuit is outside the acceptable range, and that girl's top is too sheer, allowing me to see things I shouldn't."
He then turned to the teacher, utterly serious. "And you're also in violation of Rule 5, Section B, Page 48 of the grooming regulations. You have a faint mustache."
Adam, Juno, Emmett, and George—Sheldon's older brother, who had been shrinking into the back row to avoid being associated with him—all facepalmed simultaneously.
This kid was way too blunt!
The teacher's initial goodwill toward Sheldon evaporated instantly. This "gifted child" from her colleague's family now made her want to strangle him.