Chapter 275: Mutual Territory

Mateo stood beside Jonathan, observing his every ridiculous move. Seeing Jonathan's latest post, he blurted out, "Dude, what the hell?! Jonathan, are you serious right now?" He couldn't believe Jonathan had such a dramatic, hot-blooded side. You wanna fight? Come find me? Seriously? He then saw Jonathan sporting the smug, self-satisfied look of a peacock in mating season. It was genuinely hard to watch.

Jonathan was too pleased to care. Even being dragged into an argument didn't faze him. He calmly put down his papers, grabbed his jacket, and said, "I'm heading out to pick someone up."

"Hey! We're not even done here," Maddox grumbled.

Jonathan glanced at them. "You guys can finish. None of you have girlfriends anyway."

The statement landed like a shot. Silence fell over the four of them. Before anyone could react, Jonathan was already out the door, car keys in hand.

Mateo muttered, "Next time I see him, I'm punching him in the face."

Stone didn't miss a beat. "Already recording. Back out, and you're a coward."

Mateo nearly choked and lunged. "Fine, I'll start with you!"

While the others were upstairs, Jonathan had driven to the lab. This time, he didn't bother staying out of sight as Sierra had instructed. He drove right up to the building, parked, and waited.

To the students at North Salem University, Jonathan was a legend—not just in biochemistry; his name carried weight across the academic world. So, the second word got out that he was on campus, students swarmed from every direction. Everyone wanted a glimpse, perhaps to soak up some genius energy, or maybe boost their grades by proximity.

Sierra had no idea of the scene unfolding until Autumn looked at her with a complicated expression. "Sierra, if you don't get down there soon, we're going to have a full-on stampede."

"What?"

Autumn showed her the exploding posts on the school forum. Jonathan and Sierra's names were trending at the top. Then she pointed outside. "Your Mr. Yeager is causing a riot."

Sierra went to the window and froze. There was Jonathan, standing beside his car, surrounded by a large, respectful crowd. He calmly answered questions, glancing at his watch occasionally.

Autumn sighed dramatically. "This is the day my illusions died—no, Erwin's illusions died." Then she grinned. "Ever since Jonathan posted that message, your little fan club has been radio silent. Bet they didn't expect a literal academic god to get jealous and come mark his territory."

Sierra's eyes twinkled with laughter. "Data's done. I'm heading out." She was already removing her lab coat as she left, clearly in a hurry.

Autumn muttered behind her, "Figures. Mutual pining is always sweet as hell."

Chapter 275: Mutual Territory (continued)

When Sierra stepped outside, the students instinctively parted for her. As soon as she appeared, Jonathan walked straight over and took her hand. With so many people watching, Sierra felt a little self-conscious.

Just as she was about to speak, Jonathan leaned down and whispered, "I was only gone a few days. Now everyone's lining up to confess to you?"

She relaxed a little. He clearly didn't know who started it all. He probably just thought some random people had been flirting with her.

They didn't make a scene. Once Jonathan had staked his claim, he took her hand and they left. After they passed the school gate, he turned and said playfully, "So? How many gifts did you get?"

Sierra rolled her eyes. "Not nearly as many as you."

"I heard that back when you were in school, people lined up outside your dorm every day. Girls, guys—you had fans in every direction."

That's what her upperclassmen had told her. Even professors had joked about how insane Jonathan's fanbase used to be. The guys were even crazier than the girls. Her Mr. Yeager had always been that popular.

"That was ages ago," Jonathan said with a smile. "Now you're the one getting confessions."

Honestly, he hadn't been thrilled about all the attention she was getting. But then he saw her post—direct, bold, and completely his—and the jealousy faded instantly. Let them chase her, he thought. They're never going to get her. Sierra was his, and his alone.