In Regina's music room, Mike, surrounded by the girls, hand-wrote the sheet music and lyrics for "We Wish You A Merry Christmas."
Amidst the girls' exclamations of surprise, Regina took the song sheet, looked at it several times, and joyfully said, "With this, The Plastics will surely make a splash at the performance!"
"Hmm? You can read sheet music now?" Mike asked curiously.
That question really stumped the girl.
Regina's embarrassment flashed and disappeared as she smiled and said, "I believe in your ability, Mike. This will be a good song..."
The learning ability of the girls was not as strong as Mike's. After nearly a month of music theory study, only Cady and Gretchen among the four girls could read simple sheet music.
As for Regina and Karen, those two "silly sweethearts," they still hadn't even grasped the basics of music theory.
But still, as the saying goes, even though Regina couldn't read sheet music, it didn't stop her from thinking Mike was amazing.
Seeing Regina's attempt to gloss over the truth, Mike shook his head and said, "Alright, now that we have the song, I'll demonstrate the singing method directly to you.
Once you've learned the song well enough, we'll go to the recording studio to record a demo..."
With June as the logistical support, Mike didn't have to worry about the song's recording.
Instead, the speed at which the girls learned the new song was the key.
"Then how should we choose the instruments for our performance?" Regina asked, concerned.
The "Queen Bee" hadn't forgotten that The Plastics' transformation direction was a band.
It was clear that she really wanted her The Plastics to have a better performance at the school's Christmas party.
"Don't worry about the instruments yet; we'll talk about that after the master tape is out..." It wasn't that Mike looked down on The Plastics; it was just that with the girls' musical skill level, there weren't many instruments available for them to perform.
Mike, who had seen through the girls' true abilities, continued, "Don't worry, with me here, your Christmas party performance will definitely be a success."
With his [Absolute Pitch] ability, he had enough confidence to produce a high-quality song.
After reassuring the girls, Mike sat down at the piano and began teaching them the new song by playing and singing.
The entire afternoon was spent on teaching.
"Alright, you've seen the complete song. Keep practicing it in private, and I believe it won't be long before you reach the level required to record a demo." Mike, who finished teaching the song in the evening, said to the girls.
"Mike, are you staying for dinner? I'll have June prepare a big meal for us." Regina, seeing that Mike intended to leave, spoke up to persuade him to stay.
"No, someone's waiting for me to eat at home," Mike replied, declining.
He had previously overestimated the learning abilities of Regina and Karen, those two "silly sweethearts."
This afternoon, Mike had expended too much energy trying to teach them the singing method without going off-key, so he just wanted to go home and rest, to properly recuperate.
"Alright, I was going to ask you if you had any other singing tips. Since you're in a hurry to go back, those questions will have to wait until tomorrow." For someone who wasn't great at learning but wanted to make a splash, Regina was very active in terms of learning enthusiasm.
"Hmm, I'll organize some knowledge in that area when I get back, and we can discuss it tomorrow..." Mike waved his hand subtly and said goodbye, "Then I'll see you tomorrow!"
On the other side, seeing Mike leave, Cady and the other girls also chose to go with him.
...
At the University of Texas research lab, Sheldon, determined to get closer to Dr. Linkletter, constantly sought opportunities to ask him questions during the afternoon's auditing and learning.
Yes, asking questions was the method Sheldon had thought of to get closer to Dr. Linkletter.
However, Sheldon didn't know that his constant bothering of others had already made Dr. Linkletter, who had endured a whole afternoon of harassment, feel very annoyed.
So, after the afternoon work hours ended, Dr. Linkletter turned and walked out of the campus.
"Wait for me, Dr. Linkletter!" Sheldon, who thought he had befriended Dr. Linkletter over the afternoon, caught up with him in the hallway.
Like chatting with an old friend, Sheldon said, "Dr. Linkletter, can I join the research team as a researcher next?"
"Why do you say that?" Dr. Linkletter was still somewhat unaccustomed to Sheldon's current overly familiar way of communicating.
"It's just a small request between friends," Sheldon said with a smile.
As mentioned before, Sheldon had unilaterally decided that he and Dr. Linkletter were friends.
And between good friends, giving each other a small convenience was a very reasonable thing.
"Friends? Me and you?" Dr. Linkletter now realized why Sheldon had behaved that way earlier.
He stared at the other party and said seriously, "We have never been friends, and there's no possibility of that in the future. Don't waste your time on me; I won't agree to you becoming a researcher on the project."
With that, Dr. Linkletter strode away, leaving Sheldon behind.
At this moment, Dr. Sturgis, who came out a step later, saw Sheldon in the hallway. He asked with concern, "How was it? Did you convince Dr. Linkletter?"
"No, his personality is indeed very difficult to deal with." All of Sheldon's plans had failed, which made him feel a bit dejected.
Seeing Sheldon's crestfallen expression, Dr. Sturgis, fearing that he had been discouraged, encouraged him, "Don't give up; you'll have other opportunities in the future."
Dr. Sturgis's "future" was a broad term, but it didn't include this physics research project.
Still, as the saying goes, Dr. Linkletter was very stubborn, and what he decided on usually wouldn't change.
Therefore, it was almost impossible for Sheldon to get a researcher spot from him again.
"Don't worry, I won't give up!" Sheldon, in a disadvantageous position, clearly misunderstood Dr. Sturgis's meaning.
He thought the other party was encouraging him not to give up his "struggle" with Dr. Linkletter.
Regarding Sheldon's sudden resurgence of fighting spirit, Dr. Sturgis shook his head and said nothing more.
Later, on the way home when Connie picked up Sheldon and Paige, Sheldon was still thinking about what other ways he could get a project researcher spot from Dr. Linkletter.
Not long after, Karen, who had conveniently driven Mike to the Cooper family's doorstep, happened to meet Connie and the other two who were also returning.
"Mike, what did you do this afternoon?" Paige asked Mike after watching the wavy-haired Karen leave.
"Nothing much, just helped someone write a Christmas song," Mike said directly.
"You can write songs too?" Paige asked in surprise, "Can I see it?"
"Of course." Writing a song wasn't something to hide, Mike replied and was about to take out the manuscript of the song.
"Mike, Paige, it's so cold outside, hurry inside. Mary has probably prepared our dinner." Connie interrupted Mike and Paige's conversation.
After dark, the outdoor temperature was indeed lower.
So, Mike said to Paige, "Let's go inside first; we can look at the song anytime."
Then, Paige saw Mike's back as he entered the house. Although she was a little unwilling, she obediently followed him in.