"This is a new way to play that I just researched," Sheldon explained, looking somewhat pleased. "This magical 'Wizard Chess' piece has been imbued with the ability to 'teleport'…".
As Sheldon explained, he believed that since the chessboard already had kings, knights, and soldiers, a powerful wizard should also have a place.
However, the appearance of 'Wizard Chess' on a regular chessboard sounded very unreasonable.
This was likely a temporary idea Sheldon came up with to annoy Paige.
"I really appreciate your innovative spirit, but can you tell me, with 'Wizard Chess' having the ability to teleport, how can your opponent checkmate your king?" Paige asked mockingly after hearing Sheldon's introduction.
According to Sheldon, the 'Wizard Chess' piece with teleportation ability could swap positions with any piece at any time. In this situation, the opponent could never checkmate the player who possessed 'Wizard Chess'.
Clearly, the existence of 'Wizard Chess' had disrupted the balance of the game.
Sheldon thought for a moment and realized this problem. So, he silently put away the 'Wizard Chess' piece.
To ease the awkwardness, he even said, "Very good, your intelligence has earned my approval."
In response to Sheldon's "condescending" tone, Paige gave him a look of disdain.
Afterward, the two super child prodigies began their chess game.
…
Meanwhile, at the Cooper family, the parents of the two child prodigies, the Swanson, also found themselves chatting about their intelligent children.
To build rapport with the other family, Mary once again spilled the beans: "Did you know, Sheldon has many quirks? Every time he goes to the supermarket, he can't help but straighten the items on the shelves, making sure the side with the brand logo faces the customers…"
"Yes, because of that, the supermarket stockers absolutely love him," George chimed in with a laugh.
"Of course, this habit can also be very frustrating in some situations," Mary continued. "For example, when Sheldon saw that the tiles in the bathroom weren't aligned, he refused to use the bathroom…"
"Yes, during that time, Sheldon chose to bathe in the sink. This situation continued until the workers re-tiled the bathroom," George looked very happy recounting his youngest son's embarrassing story; it was a genuine happiness.
In fact, accepting a child's flaws is also a demonstration of love.
The amusing anecdotes shared by the Coopers family also made the Swanson laugh out loud.
Just as the atmosphere became more and more harmonious, Mary suddenly asked, "Does your Paige ever have such strange behaviors?"
Clearly, sharing embarrassing stories about their own children was the quickest way to bring the two pairs of parents closer.
"Oh, our Paige…" Barry was about to say something.
But Ms. Linda quickly interrupted her husband, saying, "Our Paige is very sensible; she's never had such a situation."
After speaking, she even gave her husband a meaningful glare.
Barry's expression froze, and he put away his smile, saying, "Yes, our Paige is very sensible."
With the Swanson's statements, the laughter in the room disappeared.
The Swanson's dishonesty made Mary feel very unbalanced. She felt that she had shared her child's embarrassing stories, but the other party did not, which clearly meant they looked down on her.
"You two stay seated, I'll go cut some more fruit for you," Mary forced a stiff smile and pulled her husband into the kitchen.
Once in the kitchen, Mary's face instantly changed, and she said discontentedly, "They're lying, they're not sincere at all. I must be crazy to want to be friends with them…"
George, on the other hand, appeared very calm. Seeing his wife angry, he quickly comforted her, "It's alright, Mary, maybe their child really is excellent."
Hearing her husband say that, Mary became even more unhappy. She was unwilling to admit that her youngest son was inferior to their youngest daughter.
So, after scolding her husband a few times, she huffily carried out the cut fruit.
Meanwhile, the Swanson also noticed that the Cooper family's mood was off when they returned. So, Ms. Linda looked at her husband for help.
"George, I heard you work for a football team, that must be very interesting, right? Can you tell me about it?" After receiving his wife's hint, Barry immediately picked up the conversation again.
However, his comment made George very awkward.
"Actually, I don't work for the football team anymore. I work at the town's sporting goods store now," George said with a complicated expression.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—" Barry, seeing George's low spirits, quickly apologized. As for what he was apologizing for, he wasn't quite sure.
After all, for a dentist with a private clinic, he didn't know much about either working as a football coach or a store clerk.
And with this conversation, the atmosphere once again fell silent.
On the other side, at Connie's, Sheldon and Paige's first match had reached a critical point.
Sheldon's expression did not look relaxed, while Paige on the opposite side still looked at ease.
"Sheldon, have you heard of the parallel universe theory?" Paige asked.
Sheldon, who was contemplating the chess game, initially didn't want to respond. But what Paige said was truly captivating.
Finally, after making his next move, Sheldon couldn't help but reply, "Of course, I've studied Stephen Hawking's parallel universe theory, it's very interesting."
"Is that so?" Paige followed up with a move, completely unpressured, and said, "But I think this theory is a paradox. If there exists another identical world, then that means there also exists another us."
Sheldon thought for a moment and said, "According to the theory proposed by Stephen Hawking, this situation is very possible. They possess the same intelligence as us…"
The thought of another "himself" in another world, just as smart as him, made Sheldon very excited. It made him feel that he wasn't "alone."
"Is that so? If people in another world are identical to us, then what is the meaning of their existence?" Paige asked casually.
And as the two super child prodigies engaged in this question-and-answer, their chess-playing speed unconsciously quickened.
"Perhaps people in another world are in a different time period than us. The Sheldon there might already be an adult, and perhaps he has even won the Nobel Prize," Sheldon had considerable confidence in "his" own potential.
"Alright, perhaps you're right…" Paige replied.
Hearing the other party's words, Sheldon thought he had convinced Paige, and a "victorious" smile appeared on his face.
But before he could be happy for long, Paige picked up a chess piece, placed it in front of Sheldon's king, and cheered, "Checkmate! I win! I'm the smartest!"
At that moment, Sheldon realized he had been "tricked" by the other party again; Paige's previous words were clearly meant to distract him.
Sheldon, whose brain was in an overloaded state, told himself to calm down.
But when he saw Paige's triumphant smile opposite him, he finally couldn't hold back.
The last time he was this angry was the last time.
Sheldon, whose head was clouded with anger, overturned the chessboard, then, fuming, he tucked his arms and ran home.
Paige, startled by Sheldon's drastic action, noticed Mike, who was watching like he was at a show, and asked, "Is he always like this?"
"Normally, Sheldon isn't like this," Mike smiled and continued with a hint of meaning, "However, he's still a child, so this situation is understandable."
After speaking, Mike crushed the glowing orb of [+1 Intelligence Attribute] that he had just picked up from Sheldon.
It must be said that when it came to "dealing with" Sheldon, Paige was truly gifted.
Of course, this situation was definitely a good thing for Mike.