A Sobering Wake-Up Call (Please Vote!)

A Sobering Wake-Up Call (Please Vote!)

Cooper's Home.

"Paige, you don't need to do this!"

After thinking it over for a long time, Adam decided to get straight to the point.

This opportunity was simply too rare. If he missed it, he might never see Paige again.

In the original timeline, Little Sheldon had never seen Paige again, nor had he heard any news of her in the scientific community. It definitely wasn't because her guest appearance had ended and they couldn't afford to invite her back, or because of scheduling conflicts... It could only mean that Paige had completely left and truly become an ordinary person.

Paige glanced at Adam, seeming both mocking and self-deprecating. "I like it."

"Do you really like it?"

Adam spoke righteously. "Stop lying to yourself. What you like most is being smarter than everyone else. You like math and physics, not this edgy little redhead look."

"Heh!"

Paige's eyes darkened as she said mockingly, "So what if I'm smarter than everyone else? My parents never used to fight, but now they're getting divorced because of me. Being an ordinary person like you is pretty good."

"..."

Adam felt a toothache, but this was the first time Paige had said so much to him. Willingness to talk and vent was better than cold indifference, so he rallied himself. "Don't think so highly of yourself. Your parents aren't getting divorced because of you at all!"

"You don't understand."

Paige gave a faintly sarcastic smile and repeated Adam's words. "Don't think so highly of yourself."

She clearly understood Adam's intentions, but she wasn't willing to accept them.

"No, you don't understand!"

Adam laughed bitterly inside, but outwardly he spouted nonsense with a perfectly serious face. "Do you really think your parents are divorcing because of you? Look at Sheldon! He's just like you. His parents have argued countless times over how special and strange he is, but are they divorced now?"

"Every family has similarities and differences."

Paige looked at Little Sheldon, who was standing to the side with a bewildered expression. She was slightly moved, but still shook her head. "My parents really are getting divorced because of me.

"If it hadn't been for my education, my mom wouldn't have asked my dad to move here.

"And if he hadn't moved away from his hometown, my dad wouldn't have become depressed over leaving all those good friends behind. He hasn't made many friends here.

"On top of that, my mom spent too much time taking care of me and had no time for my dad, so they kept arguing until they finally got divorced. It's all because of me!"

Well said. Clear logic, focused theme—it really is because of you.

Adam mocked inwardly, but outwardly he still shook his head theatrically. "You're overthinking it. That might be part of the reason, but it's definitely not the main reason. Your parents got divorced because they no longer loved each other. At most, your situation was just the trigger.

"Think about it. If they truly loved each other, what couldn't they discuss properly? Why did they have to argue furiously until they broke up? They argued all the way to divorce because they were tired of each other.

"Humans all have flaws. Craving the new and growing tired of the old is instinctive. Psychology has this concept called the seven-year itch in marriage. How many years have your parents been married?

"If you don't believe me, look up the divorce rate in the United States. Numbers don't lie. The ever-rising divorce rate reveals a universal truth. Are all those people getting divorced because of their children?

"Don't be ridiculous!

"They just stopped loving each other. They couldn't even be bothered to stay together for their child.

"You said it yourself—your mom has already started dating..."

"I never said that."

Paige looked at Adam strangely. "How did you know?"

"Uh."

Adam was startled inside, realizing he'd mixed up his lines. But he was experienced enough to instantly make up an explanation. "Does that even need saying? Look at your mom. She looks worried, but she doesn't seem particularly miserable. On the contrary, she's dressed up carefully. I remember your mom is a housewife, right? She doesn't work, so why would she dress up so formally? She must have a date!"

Paige frowned. "Yes, she has started dating."

"See?"

Adam clapped his hands. "If they really got divorced because of you, would she have gotten over the shadow of her marriage and ex so quickly and embraced a new relationship?"

Paige fell silent, deep in thought.

It's working.

Adam secretly rejoiced and decided to press on. "You're dressing like this now and not studying properly at school, making everyone worry and feel bad. You think you're punishing others, but actually, you're punishing yourself..."

"I'm punishing myself!"

Paige looked up and interrupted Adam.

"Fine."

Adam's mouth twitched. "It works the same way the other way around. You think you're punishing yourself, but you're making everyone who cares about you sad and worried. Do you really want to do that?"

Paige fell silent again. After a long while, she looked up, her eyes now full of tears. "I live in two houses now, going back and forth between them. My Grandma has said a lot of terrible things about my dad. I know I've been doing badly at school and making everyone worried and sad, but it's really hard for me to care about studying anymore. Things that used to be important to me aren't important anymore."

"You're lonely."

Adam knew this was the critical moment. He took a deep breath, theatrically softening his expression as he said gently, "What you need is friends."

"Friends..."

Paige instinctively looked at Little Sheldon, who had been completely bewildered the entire time.

"..."

Adam was exhausted, but he decided not to hold it against a little girl. His expression became even gentler. "Yes. Your parents' divorce has indeed hit you hard, but think about the over 50% divorce rate in the United States. Life still has to go on. Everything has two sides. You can think of it this way: both your parents love you, so now you have two families and even more people who love you."

"Don't you know the story of Snow White?"

Paige rolled her eyes at Adam.

"Ahem, that isn't important."

Adam was a little embarrassed. He knew his reasoning was far too forced to fool Paige, but Paige was clearly feeling much better, so he waved away the details. "Let your parents handle their own problems. As long as you believe they both love you, that's enough. What you need most right now is companionship from friends. Then be yourself, make yourself happy, and reassure your parents and everyone else who loves you.

"A moment of indulgence and decline brings a lifetime of pain. Paige, you're so smart. Step out of this shadow and look at this from a higher perspective. You should know what the most rational thing to do is, shouldn't you?"

Seeing that much of Paige's emotionality had faded, yet still hearing no system prompt in his mind, Adam couldn't help growing anxious. Then, from the corner of his eye, he spotted Little Sheldon and had an idea. "Sheldon, what should you do when a friend is sad?"

"Hm?"

Little Sheldon frowned and said uncertainly, "Offer her a hot drink?"

"Paige?"

Adam looked at her expectantly.

Paige froze. Her gaze moved back and forth between Adam and Little Sheldon several times before she suddenly smiled. "That sounds nice."

Ding!

Wisdom +6!

PS: Thanks to Shi Dou Fakeng, Yue Zhen Yuanting, and Norton IX for the tips!