Adding Another Useful Tool

"Let me think..." Seeing Link continue questioning him, Kevin hurriedly tried to recall. If not for Link, a Black nerd like him was obviously the unpopular type in high school.

It was precisely because he had latched onto Link early on that Kevin could occasionally follow Link to parties, perhaps even strike up conversations with girls trying to learn more about Link. Most importantly, he did not have to worry about being bullied. His high school life had finally gained a little excitement.

Previously, he had mainly focused on the gossip itself. As for the name of the person involved, he only remembered after thinking for a moment. "Hmm, that little boy seemed to be called Sheldon Lee Cooper."

After hearing Kevin out, Link suddenly understood. Sure enough, I'm in the world of The Big Bang Theory. But Sheldon should still be young now.

From what Kevin had said, this really did sound like something Sheldon would enjoy doing. Link remembered that The Big Bang Theory had a prequel called Young Sheldon.

He had watched Young Sheldon before. Thinking about it now, Peggy, his neighbor, seemed to be the genius girl who had once made Sheldon jealous as a child. And Dan, the Vietnamese boy in front of him, should have been Sheldon's friend during his youth.

If it had not been for Sheldon, Link would never have made the connection. After all, there were far too many people with the same names, not to mention how easy it was to overlook what was right in front of him.

This was really interesting. But since this was the world of The Big Bang Theory, it meant the world was relatively peaceful. There would be no supernatural powers or superheroes or anything like that. He could clearly live quite comfortably here.

A thought quickly came to Link. If Sheldon helped him, then he would have someone at school who could help him rapidly raise his intelligence attribute. Especially given Sheldon's personality, he would probably enjoy showing off his superiority through teaching others.

It seemed it was time to add another useful tool for increasing intelligence.

The two attended the same school. Link had already begun studying some college courses, and in that regard, Sheldon could offer far more help than those high school teachers, speeding up Link's studies.

With that in mind, Link said, "Maybe we can talk to him and make a friend!"

"Be friends with him?" Kevin immediately said, "Link, you're not joking, are you?!"

"He's just an annoying little brat. If I became friends with him, girls would think I'm a boring guy." Dan spoke from the side as well. Clearly, now that he had Link as a powerful backer, he had no interest in becoming Sheldon's friend.

Link replied, "Being friends with you two hasn't made people think I'm boring. I'm thinking that since this guy is so smart, I can bring him into our Math Olympiad Class."

"I became an official member of the Math Olympiad Class this year. Once the current captain graduates next year, I'm confident I can fight for the captain's position. And our Lola High School Math Olympiad Class has always had mediocre results."

"Even with you two, I'm not very confident that we can achieve good results in Texas. But if this Sheldon really is a genius with an IQ higher than ours, we might not only win the Texas championship, but even place well in the national Math Olympiad competition."

"Then we would not only receive generous prize money, but it would also strengthen our chances of applying for college scholarships in the future."

Link came up with that reason on the spot, but after considering it, he felt it was actually an excellent idea. Kevin and Dan thought about it and agreed. "That really is a good idea. So when do we go see him?"

Link said, "No rush. First, let's see whether he really is that smart. Kevin, go find out about Sheldon's family situation. You can also test just how intelligent he is."

"Okay, Link, leave it to me. I'll even find out exactly when he wet the bed!"

The next day, Kevin approached Link with an unpleasant expression. "I've confirmed it. This Sheldon really is very smart."

Dan looked at him from the side. "Judging by your expression, it seems you suffered a little?"

Kevin did not answer, looking like he did not want to say anything at all. Link and Dan both guessed that he had probably taken a loss. Thinking of Peggy, whom they had met at Link's house, Dan could not help saying, "Looks like Sheldon gave you quite a hard time."

Kevin glared at Dan, then handed Link a note. "I also found out about Sheldon's family. His father is actually George, our school's football coach. His older brother, Little George, is also on the school Football Team. His mother is Mary Cooper..."

After hearing that, Link confirmed that everything matched the plot perfectly and nodded.

"Alright. Judging by Kevin's expression, Sheldon must be extremely good at math. Just as I said, he really is a good candidate for the Math Olympiad competition. Tomorrow at noon, I'll go make contact with him first."

Meanwhile, Sheldon's mother was also worried that Sheldon could not make friends in high school.

High school schedules in the United States differed from those across the ocean. They had no morning or evening self-study sessions. Classes began at seven or eight in the morning, there was only a short lunch break at noon, then classes continued until school ended at two or three in the afternoon.

Because time was limited, most students ate in the school cafeteria. Of course, many parents prepared lunch boxes for their children in advance so they could have a homemade meal.

Students gathered in groups of two or three, eating lunch while chatting. At times like this, friendless "campus weirdos" would automatically stay away from the lively crowds and eat silently in deserted corners.

When Mary saw Sheldon eating alone, she could not stop worrying. She had even wanted her eldest son, Little George, to eat lunch with Sheldon, but he refused because it would cause Little George to be ostracized as well.

Although Sheldon's emotional intelligence was worrying, he cared deeply about his mother. After his twin sister Missy told him about it, he began trying to make friends.

He first went to the library and found a copy of How to Win Friends and Influence People. Then he tried using the methods in it to make friends, but clearly failed. In the end, he had no choice but to return the book in disappointment.

At that moment, Link arrived with Kevin and Dan. "Hello, you're Sheldon, right? My name is Link. I heard you're very smart and that you're trying to make friends. I think we can be friends."

"You mean you're willing to be friends with me?!"

"Of course. Not just me—Dan and Kevin are willing to be friends with you too!"

Sheldon immediately said in delight, "That's great! That means I suddenly have three friends!"

After saying that, Sheldon seemed to recognize Kevin. "I believe I saw you two days ago, Kevin."

"No, this should be our first time meeting." Kevin's expression changed slightly, but he directly denied it.

"My memory cannot be wrong. You previously tried to challenge me with mathematics. Although I would say that the gap between us is like the difference between sea level and Mount Everest, I admire your courage. You may continue trying, though I believe it will not affect the outcome."

"Damn it!" Kevin's eye twitched as he heard that. He nearly wanted to teach Sheldon a lesson right then, but remembering Link's earlier instructions, he could only endure it.

That evening, after Sheldon's mother Mary Cooper learned that her lonely younger son had made friends—and three at once—she excitedly invited Link and the other two over as guests.

Of course, because of Sheldon's speech about admiring Kevin's courage, followed by Sheldon's overwhelming intellectual superiority, when Sheldon invited Link and the others to his house the next day, Kevin directly found an excuse to refuse.

In private, Kevin said he did not like Sheldon at all. Dan, on the other hand, had endured years of cold stares and exclusion as a Vietnamese American, so he had a stronger tolerance for such things and could barely put up with Sheldon. Thus, only Link and Dan went to Sheldon's house that evening.

Link did not force the issue. He knew that with Sheldon's bizarre personality, if he did not have an ulterior motive, then even if he knew Sheldon was the protagonist, he would not have wanted to be friends with him.

At the agreed time, Link and Dan arrived at Sheldon's front door together.

As the doorbell rang, Link heard a woman's voice, excited but trying to restrain itself. "They're here. Everyone stay calm. It's just an ordinary day, an ordinary dinner."

Then came a little girl's voice. "Can I eat in front of the TV?"

"No. Sheldon has guests today, and we all need to give them a warm welcome."

"Fuck!"

"I know what that means, young lady. If we didn't have guests today, I'd definitely teach you a good lesson."

It had to be said that hearing Sheldon's mother roar on television before and experiencing it in person gave Link a strange sense of time and space being out of place. A knowing smile appeared on his face, while Dan, who was not very brave, could not help feeling a little afraid.

Then the door opened. Mary Cooper had clearly dressed up carefully. She was even wearing a necklace that she only wore for major occasions. All of it showed how happy she was that Sheldon had made friends, and how seriously she took the matter.

When she saw Link, her attitude was extremely warm. "Welcome."

Her kind and gentle demeanor was completely different from the roar they had just heard. Link understood why, so he stepped forward first.

"Good evening, Mrs. Cooper. I'm Link Bennett, and this is Dan. Kevin couldn't come because of something at home. He asked me to apologize on his behalf and hopes you won't mind."

"It's alright. Sheldon already told me!"

Mary Cooper had a very favorable impression of Link. In fact, she had already learned something about him through her husband George. She knew Link was a prominent figure at school, excellent in his studies, fond of sports, and highly popular. Even the school bullies did not dare provoke him.

With Link looking out for Sheldon, Sheldon would clearly have a better time in high school going forward. As for Dan beside him, he was far less important.

In her eyes, Dan and Kevin were the sort of people who followed Link around. In the 1990s, Black and Vietnamese students were both among the groups isolated in high school, so Mary Cooper did not think Kevin's absence was a big deal.

Still, Mary warmly shook Dan's hand and led the two of them into the dining room.