"How did I become Garfield?"
Hayley said unconvinced.
"Rest well. I won't stay much longer. Time is limited, so learn as much as you can."
Chuck didn't explain why the youngest of the three siblings was only a house cat. Instead, he reminded her, "Whether you can transform from a house cat into a mountain lion capable of taking down the Big Bad Wolf depends on you."
Chuck, who had originally planned to stay for only a week, stayed an extra month. Only when summer ended and the new semester began, and Hayley was about to start school, did Chuck decide to leave.
It was simple.
Hayley was truly his sister, gifted and making rapid progress under the intense training that would cripple an ordinary person.
Chuck could only delay his departure.
She was bound to be as restless as her brother Frank, and her future was bound to be filled with disasters.
Even to save himself some trouble, he had no choice but to intensify his sister's training.
It involved combat and firearms, as well as reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance.
Again, compared to the three siblings, Hayley is at most Garfield. It's no exaggeration.
She's truly too immature.
Three days before school started, Chuck was leaving.
Dad drove, and the family took Chuck to the airport.
"Can't you stay a little longer?"
Hayley, who absorbed professional knowledge like a sponge, was reluctant to let him go.
"Just consolidate for now, and we'll see later."
Chuck ignored his sister's request.
Staying this long was already his limit; he had his own life to live.
"That's right, Hayley, you can't bite off more than you can chew."
Dad was in a particularly good mood today. As he drove, he watched the siblings in the rearview mirror. "Besides, we're moving to Washington, D.C. tomorrow, and it's not far from New Jersey. When we have time, we'll drive you to see Chuck."
"Why New Jersey?"
Hayley gave her father a perfunctory smile, still looking at Chuck curiously.
"I'm planning to get a PhD in physics,"
Chuck explained.
"So?"
Hayley asked, her eyes full of gossip. "I know the physics department at Princeton University in New Jersey is very good, but not as strong as Caltech's.
When you were getting your doctorate in accounting, you chose the University of Texas at Austin, which is ranked number one in the country for accounting.
Why didn't you choose Caltech, which is ranked number one, for your second degree this time?"
As soon as she said this, Dad, who was driving, and Mom, who was in the passenger seat, both glanced at her in the rearview mirror or turned their heads sideways.
It's no wonder they were interested.
For most people, it might not matter; they were both equally excellent universities, so ranking first or second wouldn't make that much of a difference.
But for someone like Chuck, with his severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, if he could get first, he would choose first, not second.
And it was clear that with Chuck's qualifications, he could easily get into any prestigious university, regardless of whether it was number one or number two, if he chose.
Now, with Hayley's reminder, it was clear there was gossip going on.
"I like Professor Harper's eyes,"
Chuck said frankly, seeing everyone looking at him and feeling confident that there was nothing to hide.
"Wow, I love Professor Harper's eyes~"
Hayley laughed playfully and exaggeratedly after digging up such a big piece of gossip: "We should gossip about this Professor Harper."
"Who is this Professor Harper?"
Her mother was even more excited than Hayley. She had to control her composure and said happily: "She must be very talented to be a professor."
"Isn't the age difference too big?"
Dad was, after all, family, so after a gossipy laugh, he rationally pondered a question.
To be a professor at such a prestigious university, she must be quite old.
After all, not everyone is so talented that they have a doctorate in their teens or twenties, let alone a professor in their twenties.
"She does have a pair of captivating, passionate eyes."
Hayley had already quickly searched for information on her phone. She looked at the picture displayed on the website, carefully examining it for a moment, and praised with a strange expression, "And she's very, very beautiful!"
"Is there a problem?"
Mom, sensing something was wrong, asked, reaching out for it impatiently. "Let me see your phone!"
"It's not a big deal,"
Hayley said with an odd smile. "Professor Alicia Harper is only 30, just eight years older than Chuck. She's a brilliant physicist..."
Seeing her father curiously waiting for a turn, Hayley, worried about causing a car accident, stopped dragging her words and spoke directly, "It's a shame she's married."
"Huh?"
A cry of surprise followed, and the entire car fell silent.
Mom looked at the incredibly beautiful young professor on the phone, then read her married profile. She opened her mouth, about to speak, but stopped.
"Ahem,"
Dad coughed softly. "Chuck, did you know about this?"
"Yes,"
Chuck said calmly, ignoring his sister's teasing glance.
"Well..."
Chuck's calm response left Dad at a loss for words. But facing his wife's pleading gaze, he could only bite the bullet and shoulder his father's responsibility: "It's not good to ruin someone's marriage."
"I just simply like Professor Harper's eyes,"
Chuck said truthfully.
"Hmm,"
Hayley chuckled.
Dad and Mom exchanged a glance, unsure how to continue. Now that Chuck had said it, even if they didn't believe it, they couldn't say anything else.
A 22-year-old man simply likes the eyes of a 30-year-old, incredibly beautiful, married professor?
That was hard to believe!
Chuck remained calm.
He was telling the truth. In his previous life, he had always been particularly fond of Alicia Harper's face, especially her eyes, which had deeply touched his heart.
He understood the joy of vision.
Now, after merging with his severely autistic predecessor, the impurities had faded, leaving only a pure, heartfelt admiration and love for those eyes.
It was that simple.
"Oh no, it's all my fault."
Mom suddenly burst into tears again.
This time, neither Dad nor Hayley asked why.
They both understood that Mom must have believed that Chuck liked her because she had left him as a child...
lacking maternal love, leading to a subconscious choice of mature partners in adulthood, which made perfect psychological sense.
Chuck didn't explain.
If they knew about Chuck's old acquaintance, Alex, the external human resources consultant, they would probably confirm their speculation.
But he didn't have any such psychological problems. He liked anything as long as it was beautiful and moving, and he had no particular preferences.
(End of Chapter
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