Chapter 260: That Dog of a Student

“For now, just stick to your own ideas,” Professor Martin said. “If you run into problems, shoot me an email. But let me be clear—I won’t have answers for everything.”

He clicked his tongue and added, “You can ask that little bastard, too. He’s useless at most things, but when it comes to thinking outside the box, he’s not bad.”

“Got it, Professor!” Sierra couldn’t help smiling.

Even though Professor Martin spoke of Jonathan with obvious disdain, a closer listen revealed pride behind every word—pride that Jonathan was one of his students.

“You work hard and aim to surpass that little bastard. No—scratch that. You have to surpass him.”

Professor Martin looked thoroughly annoyed. “All that talent, wasted. Always messing around instead of using it properly.”

Sierra knew he was talking about Jonathan. She didn’t know what to say, so she offered a small smile.

Professor Martin shot her a look. “Smile, smile, smile. You look like a damn fool. No wonder he’s got you wrapped around his finger!”

Sierra was speechless.

After a round of his signature “guidance,” Professor Martin finally left, and only then did everyone dare to breathe again.

Autumn looked completely drained. “I swear, our professor must have studied literature, too. His vocabulary is too impressive. Just another day of being verbally demolished.”

The others looked like they’d been through a war. Then, one by one, they turned to Sierra—eyes burning with intensity. She instinctively stepped back.

Autumn was the first to speak. “I’m so jealous of you. He didn’t even yell at you. He actually spoke to you nicely. He called me a dumbass.”

Sierra tried to gently remind them, “That’s really not even that bad…”

Autumn gave her a “you-sweet-summer-child” look. “Not bad? That’s basically him showering you with affection.”

Sierra was speechless. Okay, maybe she was a little naive.

That afternoon, when Jonathan came to pick her up, Sierra told him everything that had happened.

His expression turned strange. “After all these years, the old man’s still that energetic.”

Sierra looked at him. “More than that, I want to know—what did you do back then?” She sensed lingering bitterness from the professor.

“I wanted to leave after learning what I needed. He didn’t want me to go, so I ran off. Think I went abroad after that…studied…art.”

Sierra stared at him, her expression shifting. Biochemistry and art. Those two couldn’t be further apart. No wonder the professor was so furious. Talk about wasted potential. Just hearing that made her feel indignant—and she wasn’t even the one being let down.

She said sincerely, “Mr. Yeager, don’t say that in front of anyone else. I’m afraid someone might actually hit you.”

Jonathan looked pleased. “They couldn’t beat me anyway.”

Sierra was speechless. She was tempted to throw a punch herself. How could anyone be this smug?

Jonathan rarely saw her like this and found it incredibly amusing. He freed one hand to gently ruffle her hair.

“You know, that’s exactly how people feel when they look at you. Why do you think the old man took you in? Sierra, one day, your achievements will surpass mine.”

Sierra thought about that for a moment. “No way. I’m not as freakishly gifted as you.”

She was good in one field, but Jonathan? He made it feel like there was nothing he couldn’t do.

“That’s just boredom. When you’re bored, you end up messing with random things. Otherwise, you do worse stuff. But if you ever focused all your energy on just one thing for a while, you’d succeed, too. The difference is—you care. You’ve got people you don’t want to disappoint. You’ve got goals. You’re not like me.”

He said it lightly, as if it didn’t matter, but something about it made Sierra pause. She looked at him. “And now? Mr. Yeager—have you found your goal yet?”