Chapter 301: If She's Seen All the Grandeur, Show Her the Carousel!
"Graduation procedures?"
Upon hearing this, Sheldon immediately turned to look at Justine and Cheryl in the back row.
Thanks to his exceptional hearing,
even from this distance, he caught this crucial news immediately.
"You mean Dr. Chuck Wolfe is leaving this class?"
Sheldon's joy was genuine.
The other students also turned to look.
"I don't know either."
Justine shook her head, looking at Professor Alicia Harper at the front.
"Alright, class is starting!"
Professor Alicia Harper didn't answer, only reminded everyone.
Then the lecture began.
During class, Sheldon was in high spirits and found everything fascinating.
Yes.
At least that's how he felt.
"I loved this class!"
After class, Sheldon gave a very satisfied review.
At this moment, Chuck walked in.
"Chuck, aren't you staying in class?"
Cheryl immediately came over.
"No."
Chuck shook his head.
"Why?"
Cheryl glanced at Professor Alicia Harper, reluctantly saying, "This isn't like you... You always finish what you start—there's no need to rush..."
Professor Alicia Harper couldn't help but glance at her, feeling subtly criticized.
"I've already earned all my credits, published my thesis, completed my coursework ahead of schedule, and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics,"
Chuck explained.
"I believe you."
Seeing Cheryl suddenly speechless, Sheldon immediately smiled and said to Chuck, "You have the ability—it's actually very simple for us, isn't it? I support your decision!"
"Let's go."
Chuck glanced at Sheldon and said to Professor Alicia Harper.
"Okay."
Professor Alicia Harper nodded.
The two walked away side by side.
"They really are a perfect match..."
Cheryl watched their departing figures with disappointment.
Justine put her arm around her best friend's shoulder, saying nothing.
"That's great!"
Sheldon stood there for a while, waiting until Chuck and the others disappeared from sight, before cheering and jumping for joy, doing a stiff little dance while singing repeatedly.
"Sheldon's free! Sheldon's free! Sheldon's free..."
Justine's eyes flashed with pity as she watched this scene.
Although she didn't know what Chuck would do next, based on her understanding of him, young Sheldon was probably celebrating prematurely.
"Where are we going?"
Professor Alicia Harper got into Chuck's car and watched him drive away from campus, asking curiously.
"Definitely not Chuck E. Cheese's,"
Chuck said seriously.
"..."
Professor Alicia Harper was speechless.
What was that supposed to mean?
However, after thinking about it for a moment, she easily grasped the implication, and even after years of passively living in a marriage in name only, she couldn't help but feel her heart skip a beat.
Even though she had devoted most of her energy to scientific research, she was still a mature woman in her thirties.
However, she was more rational than emotional and knew it wasn't appropriate to discuss such topics while driving.
Moreover, since their teacher-student relationship had only just officially ended, she felt a bit strange, because it reminded her of her ex-husband.
She had also been his student.
However, she was already a graduate student then, unlike undergraduates.
This difference is well illustrated in The Big Bang Theory.
Howard and Leonard, as university instructors, once had an amusing conversation in the cafeteria with newly enrolled graduate students.
Howard, leering at the group, muttered to himself, "Hurry up and get fat so nobody will want you. But I do, and I can wait!"
His best friend Raj asked curiously, "Is it okay to date graduate students?"
He knew dating undergraduates was definitely out of the question!
Leonard replied, "As long as you can ask them out, the school won't interfere."
Raj, unable to speak to women without alcohol, couldn't help but mutter, "That's still a problem for me."
Because he couldn't bring himself to ask anyone out.
To explain: it's similar to how Americans reach majority at 18, but the legal drinking age is 21.
Twenty-one is considered the age of full adulthood.
American university students typically enter college around 18, and most of their four years of undergraduate studies occur before age 21, when they're considered fully mature adults.
Not yet fully developed, their physical and mental maturity is incomplete, and an undergraduate degree is extremely important to them.
Therefore, if they become romantically involved with a professor who controls their grades and can influence their degree, they're easily vulnerable to manipulation or coercion, leading to tragedy.
This is also to protect students, just as certain activities remain regulated, otherwise countless tragedies of coerced consent would occur.
At the graduate level, students are more mature in age, mindset, and overall perspective regarding their degree, so the power imbalance is slightly less concerning.
"Young Sheldon seems quite happy about your departure,"
Professor Alicia Harper quickly suppressed her complex thoughts, recalling Sheldon's expression earlier, and couldn't help but laugh.
"I understand,"
Chuck nodded.
"You should tell him that you might become his substitute instructor at any time,"
Professor Alicia Harper said with a smile.
"Let him be happy for a while,"
Chuck said calmly.
Yeah.
That way, when Chuck appeared in class, Sheldon would be more affected by his presence.
No need to say anything, no need to do anything, and the effect would naturally accumulate.
That's right!
How could Chuck possibly give up the opportunity to have more contact with Sheldon, this special case study?
Even for the sake of collaborating with Professor Alicia Harper on experiments.
In comparison, if there was only one choice, he would always choose to interact with Sheldon.
Of course, the reality was that even if he could no longer be Sheldon's classmate in physics, he could be Sheldon's classmate in other courses.
However, he chose the advanced method: becoming Sheldon's instructor!
After all, after almost a year of interaction, Sheldon had become quite resistant to his presence—it was time to intensify the approach.
"Where is this?"
Professor Alicia Harper asked curiously as Chuck drove into a villa property.
"Your new home,"
Chuck explained.
"My new home..."
Professor Alicia Harper was still processing this news when she saw a striking woman approach.
"Boss, the items have been delivered."
Lisa, the Texas girl, said, her eyes briefly assessing Professor Alicia Harper. She extended her hand and introduced herself. "Hello, I'm Lisa, the boss's new assistant."
"Hello, Alicia Harper."
Professor Alicia Harper also sized her up, shaking her hand with a look of mild amazement.
"Boss, I'll be going now—anything else?"
The Texas girl smiled at Professor Alicia Harper, then looked at Chuck.
Chuck shook his head.
"Is this your new assistant?"
Professor Alicia Harper watched the Texas girl leave, looking at Chuck with a knowing expression.
"Is there a problem?"
Chuck countered.
"If you're satisfied, that's fine."
Professor Alicia Harper shook her head.
"You're not satisfied?"
Chuck glanced at her and went inside first.
"..."
Professor Alicia Harper was momentarily speechless.
"And what's this?"
After following Chuck into the villa, she saw a wooden crate there and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"A housewarming gift for you."
Chuck said expressionlessly.
"A gift?"
Professor Alicia Harper immediately remembered the artwork Chuck had given her when he first visited her home. Her eyes lit up with anticipation as she walked over, opened it, and froze.
"This is... a carousel horse?"
"This is a carousel I made myself,"
Chuck corrected.
"Oh, thank you,"
Professor Alicia Harper thanked him and began to examine the carousel.
Looking at it from every angle, she couldn't find any particular artistic merit—it seemed no different from an ordinary carousel horse.
"It's made according to the most standard carousel model."
"Why?"
Professor Alicia Harper breathed a sigh of relief, realizing she wasn't missing something obvious, and looked at Chuck with confusion.
He knew she appreciated art, and the gifts he gave her should have some artistic value.
"I just wanted you to reminisce about certain memories,"
Chuck said seriously. "You know, American ones."
"Memories, American ones..."
Professor Alicia Harper was puzzled, but looking at the carousel before her, she became thoughtful.
Every girl has a fairytale dream in her heart—who wouldn't want to ride a carousel representing romance, spinning endlessly?
When she was a little girl, she indeed had endless hopes for love and the future.
She understood. Chuck wanted her to forget the unpleasant past, return to those bygone days, and rediscover her hope for life and love.
As for why it was specifically American... she immediately understood. Among her students were international students.
Once, when discussing childhood experiences, someone didn't understand the reference to carousels. After some discussion, they realized that carousel rides at parks and malls weren't universal childhood experiences.
Only in the United States, with its abundance and prosperity, were carousels ubiquitous childhood memories.
Yes!
Chuck could easily have created a truly artistic carousel, but he restrained himself from showing off, perfectly replicating the most ordinary carousel, just to remind her of her purest and most innocent hopes for love and life.
And that was true art!
At that moment, Professor Alicia Harper felt she completely understood Chuck's intention.
Of course, she also recalled how her international student, unfamiliar with carousels, had been somewhat dismissed by American classmates for "never having ridden a carousel—how sheltered!" The student's calm response had also been memorable.
"We had different childhood experiences,"
the student had explained. "Compared to carousels, I grew up with neighborhood friends, playing outside until dark. That better represents my ideal of connection and community."
She was immediately moved by the touching imagery and deeply remembered the phrase about "childhood connections," but clearly, this romantic ideal was something that could only be encountered by chance.
Once that age and time had passed, there would be no more opportunities.
She didn't have that.
Chuck didn't either.
"Get on."
Just as Professor Alicia Harper was touching the carousel, countless interpretations flashing through her mind, Chuck's reminder came.
"Okay."
Professor Alicia Harper thought she understood Chuck's meaning. Feeling quite moved, her eyes full of affection, she smiled at Chuck and stepped onto it.
Chuck handed her a coin.
"It really needs a coin to operate?"
Professor Alicia Harper was taken aback.
Outside, for commercial purposes, coins are needed to make it move. For something like this at home, there was no need for the coin-operated mechanism.
Nevertheless, she took the coin, inserted it, and the single-seat carousel immediately started moving.
At that moment, her expression became strange.
Compared to the joy of riding it as a child, now, sitting on it made the carousel seem small, and she seemed very large. The innocent fun had faded, replaced by a more... mature feeling.
Was her previous understanding all wrong?
Was this Chuck's real purpose?
She couldn't help but turn her head and study Chuck for a while, but even after the coin's time ran out and the carousel stopped, she didn't notice anything unusual about his expression.
"Looks like I was overthinking it..."
Professor Alicia Harper shook her head internally.
Chuck wasn't that kind of person!
Then she saw Chuck hand over a large box of tokens.
She took it, and under Chuck's gaze, inserted another coin. The single-seat carousel started moving again, gently swaying.
After a while, the swaying motion was... captivating.
She couldn't help but recall the provocative words Chuck had uttered when he drove her here: "Definitely not Chuck E. Cheese's."
"You..."
Professor Alicia Harper looked at Chuck, who was merely watching her without making any move, with a hint of reproach.
"Have you rescheduled your classes for tomorrow, the next day, and the day after?"
Chuck suddenly asked.
"It's been rescheduled, all postponed to next week."
Professor Alicia Harper was puzzled. "But why?"
She had heard Chuck mention this before, asking her to reschedule her classes.
Although she didn't understand, she still adjusted it as Chuck suggested, postponing everything to next week.
For a tenured professor like her, this wasn't difficult.
She just didn't understand why.
"You'll find out soon enough,"
Chuck said bluntly. "Trust me!"
"..."
Professor Alicia Harper was speechless, but meeting Chuck's gaze, she suddenly had a flash of insight, as if she had grasped something.
But she wasn't certain.
However, when she actively began to test her hypothesis, she realized she wasn't wrong.
Chuck really meant it.
"Heh, men!"
At this moment, Professor Alicia Harper couldn't help but think of what her university colleague, the renowned neuroscientist and psychiatrist Dr. Beverly Hofstadter, had once said.
Men, regardless of age, all have certain preferences for scale—whether regarding themselves or comparing to others, they demand consistency.
They especially like to boast about their capabilities.
She had initially thought Chuck wasn't a typical man.
But now it seemed that even if he wasn't typical, he was still a man after all, and couldn't escape the male instinct to demonstrate prowess.
(End of Chapter)
[500 PS unlocks 1 Extra Chapter]
[10 Reviews unlock 1 Extra Chapter]
Thanks for reading—reviews are appreciated.
P1treon Soulforger has 50+ advance chapters