**Night falls.**
**The Cooper Residence.**
"Sheldon, guess who's coming to play tomorrow?"
As soon as young Sheldon got home, his mother, Mary, exclaimed excitedly, "Your new friend, Paige! Aren't you happy?"
"Paige is not my friend."
Young Sheldon immediately put on a look of disdain.
"What?"
Mary froze for a moment, her excitement cooling slightly. "Isn't Paige the one taking Dr. John Sturgis' class with you?"
"Yes."
Young Sheldon replied with a blank expression: "That only means we attend the same class. At best, she's a classmate, but definitely not a friend!"
"Don't be like that."
Mary guessed the reason but was eager to have Paige's family over. After all, she'd never encountered another family as unique as hers and was desperate to see if her approach to parenting Sheldon had gone astray.
"Sheldon, you might end up becoming great friends—just like Adam and Juno."
"Adam and Juno are friends."
Young Sheldon stated coldly, "Paige is not a friend, let alone a good friend. I don't like her and don't plan to."
"..."
Mary was speechless but thought to herself: *Next time, I should avoid using the term 'good friend,' especially in front of Adam and Juno... Clearly, Paige must be very smart, or Sheldon wouldn't have reacted so strongly.*
Despite Sheldon's bluntness, he was a mama's boy and no match for Mary.
Mary first expressed her loneliness, admitting she didn't have many friends and hoped to befriend Paige's mom. Then she stepped back slightly, saying she wouldn't force Sheldon if he really didn't want to.
Faced with Mary's expectant eyes, the previously resolute mama's boy hesitated and said he'd think about it. Mary, delighted, immediately invited Paige's family over.
---
**The Next Day.**
**Afternoon.**
*Ding-dong!*
"Welcome, welco... uh."
"Hi, Mrs. Cooper."
"Oh, hi, Adam, Juno. It's you two."
Mary had clearly dressed up, wearing her brightest smile as she opened the door. But seeing Adam and Juno, her smile froze.
"You're here to see Sheldon, aren't you? We're expecting guests today, so it might not be convenient. Maybe—"
"It's fine," Adam interrupted with a grin. "You're talking about Paige, right? We came to check things out. If they argue, we can mediate. Just kidding."
"Ha-ha."
Mary forced a laugh. Despite Adam's light tone, she figured he wasn't entirely wrong. Having Adam and Juno there might actually help, so she stepped aside to let them in. "Sheldon's in his room."
---
**Sheldon's Room.**
Sheldon stood in front of a full-length mirror, repeatedly adjusting the position of his bow tie with a look of frustration and annoyance. Seeing Adam and Juno enter, he was surprised.
"Huh, what are you doing here?"
"We're here to support you!" Adam fibbed. "You're our friend, after all."
Juno rolled her eyes beside him.
Although Adam's name had been removed from her mental blacklist, she still felt an urge to dissect his brain to understand why he was so keen on befriending young children.
"Really?"
Sheldon smiled faintly for the first time, feeling the warmth of friendship. Unconsciously, his opinion of Adam and Juno improved.
This was an unconscious reaction. Normally, it would've taken years of persistence, like Leonard's fawning, to make Sheldon acknowledge friendship.
But Paige's intellectual threat had accelerated this process.
After all, Sheldon prided himself on his genius-level intellect, believing that apart from scientific giants like Einstein, Newton, and Hawking, no one could truly communicate with him.
However, his recent interactions with Paige had shattered that pride.
He wasn't the youngest prodigy after all—Paige was a month younger! And during their discussions about physics, Paige often left him speechless.
A mix of anger and sadness overwhelmed him, emotions his grandmother would call *jealousy*. Not knowing how to cope, he instinctively sought comfort—even from those he once dismissed as "stupid earthlings."
---
Adam, of course, had no idea what Sheldon was thinking. If he did, he'd probably grab a chicken from the neighbor's yard and chase Sheldon up a tree. Adam's goal was simple: to connect with Paige and tap into her brilliance as a source of inspiration.
"How are you feeling?" Juno asked, intrigued by Sheldon's emotional state.
"Vulcans use a technique called Kolinahr to suppress emotions."
Sheldon frowned. "Unfortunately, I only have Vulcan hearing and am not a Vulcan myself. I can only bury my feelings deep inside. If I become an emotionless person one day, don't be surprised."
"You've got this," Adam encouraged, giving him a thumbs up.
---
"Sheldon, they're here!"
Mary's voice called from the living room.
"It's starting."
Sheldon took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and marched stiffly toward the living room in his signature "Sheldon-style imperious stride." The living room was already filled with people.
"Hi, Sheldon!"
A blonde girl opened her arms and gave Sheldon an enthusiastic hug.
Sheldon's face instantly turned into a mask of despair.
Mary warmly introduced everyone, then she and Paige's parents sat in the living room to chat. Paige's older sister went to the backyard with Sheldon's siblings, Georgie and Missy.
Adam and Juno followed Sheldon and Paige to Sheldon's room.
"Since we'll be spending a few hours together, I've made a list of activities to keep us occupied."
Sheldon, expressionless, explained, "We'll start with a tour of my room, then play board games. If there's still time, you can look at my train model, but you're absolutely not allowed to touch it."
"Hey, Sheldon, lighten up. We're all friends here," Adam said with a casual smile. "Paige, I'm Sheldon's good friend, Adam. This is Juno. Nice to meet you."
Paige stared directly at Adam.
Adam's confident smile faltered. For some reason, he felt inexplicably uneasy.
"Do you play chess?" Paige suddenly asked with a grin.
"Uh..." Adam forced a smile. "Of course."
"Then let's play."
Paige grabbed Sheldon's chessboard and gestured for him to join.
Juno watched the scene with amusement.
"Checkmate. I win!" Paige clapped her hands and smiled. "Your turn, Sheldon."
"Okay."
Sheldon stepped forward.
The two played chess while casually discussing quantum mechanics, entirely absorbed in their world.
Juno watched, fascinated.
Adam, meanwhile, wore a sour expression throughout, especially when his system remained utterly silent.
The game ended when Sheldon flipped the chessboard in frustration.
---
*(End of Chapter)*