As for why he liked Sophie so much?
Hmm... It was definitely because this girl was mischievous and incredibly cute.
Hmm, and her gentle and charming mother... It was really okay.
It was probably because he hadn't married or had children in his previous life.
Well, it must be so.
Ethan found a "reasonable" explanation for himself in his mind.
Claire led Ethan, who was holding Sophie, into their small courtyard.
Inside the room, the aroma of food was already wafting out.
The elderly lady sitting at the dining table looked up and was stunned.
At the kitchen doorway, the old man who had just come out carrying a plate of dishes was also stunned.
The elderly couple scanned Ethan and Claire back and forth in unison, finally settling on the young man holding their granddaughter, who looked especially well-matched.
The old lady's eyes lit up, her face instantly filled with a surprised and gossipy smile. She slapped her thigh: "Oh my! Claire! You brought your boyfriend back, why didn't you give me and your dad a heads-up! We were completely unprepared, and we didn't even buy a few good groceries at home!"
She stood up and warmly greeted Ethan, "Please, have a seat! This young man looks really sharp! What's your name? How old are you? Where are you from?"
It was clearly the posture of a "mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law."
Claire's pretty face flushed slightly, and she quickly explained, "Mom! Don't talk nonsense! We met on the flight from LA back to New York. Today we happened to run into each other next door, and Sophie kept pestering him and refused to come down..."
She spoke rapidly, trying to clarify this huge misunderstanding.
However, the elderly couple exchanged an "I understand" look, completely disbelieving their daughter's story of a chance encounter.
The old lady even waved her hand directly: "Come on, that's enough! Keep making it up! How could it be such a coincidence? Everyone living in this area are old colleagues from the university. Which young people don't we know? How could someone so handsome suddenly appear out of nowhere, and then our Sophie clings to him like that?"
She directly labeled Claire's explanation as a cover story — after all, Ethan looked too young, and her own daughter might feel embarrassed to admit she'd found a younger boyfriend.
The more the old lady thought about it, the more she felt it was the case. She simply ignored Claire and became even more enthusiastic toward Ethan, switching directly into full background-check mode: "Young man, ignore her, have a seat! Tell me, what's your name? How old are you? Where are you from?"
Ethan held back a laugh and answered confidently, "Hello ma'am. My name is Ethan. I just turned eighteen a few months ago, and I'm originally from Los Angeles."
He deliberately emphasized the words "eighteen years old."
"Eighteen years old?" The old lady thought she must have misheard, glanced at her husband beside her, and the old man gave her a confirming nod.
Countless thoughts flashed through the old lady's mind. First, she secretly gave her daughter a big thumbs up in her head — impressive, Claire, quietly finding such a young and handsome guy!
Then she blurted out, with the excitement of someone who had just discovered something unbelievable, pointing at Claire and saying, "Oh my god! Claire, I really didn't expect this from you! Found a boyfriend nearly ten years younger, and he's so handsome! You're just as bold as those balding middle-aged men who go chasing after pretty college girls!"
Claire: "..."
She was about to be petrified on the spot. She was silently screaming inside — Mom! Are you actually my real mother?! In your eyes your own beautiful daughter is already being compared to a balding middle-aged man? What happened to basic decency?
The old man nearby was also caught off guard by his wife's shocking comparison, three dark lines sliding down his temple. He quickly pulled her aside and lowered his voice: "Hey! What are you saying!"
Then he turned to Ethan, eyes filled with scrutiny and a hint of uncertainty: "You're Ethan?"
This time he said the name clearly, like something had clicked.
"Yes, I'm Ethan." Ethan nodded.
Only then did the old lady realize she'd made a huge blunder. When Ethan had introduced himself earlier, she had been so focused on interrogating her potential son-in-law that she hadn't even listened to the name properly.
Now that her husband had asked again, it finally hit her — the calm, handsome young man holding Sophie was the same Ethan who had caused a nationwide stir, the perfect SAT scorer who had turned down Harvard and every Ivy League school to enroll in NYU Stern's Business Administration program.
"Oh my! This... This..." The old lady was at a loss, her face going red.
But Professor's reaction was completely different.
He suddenly slammed the table with a loud bang, then burst into a hearty laugh: "Hahaha! Alright! Alright! Hahaha! So it's you, kid! Ethan! I knew it! Hahaha!"
Ethan felt a wave of helplessness inside. These two were truly something else.
The professor walked over in a few quick steps and gave Ethan a firm pat on the shoulder, eyes full of undisguised admiration and pride: "Good kid! Someone with real insight! He chose our NYU Stern Business Administration program! Great choice! Hahaha!"
He was as happy as a child who had just gotten his favorite toy.
After laughing for a while, he finally remembered he hadn't officially introduced himself. He cleared his throat, though he couldn't hide the grin on his face: "Oh right, look at my memory! Let me introduce myself properly. My name is James."
James.
Ethan already knew — it really was him. The cornerstone of NYU's Business Department. Dean, academician, a true giant in the field.
Claire's father was actually James.
That surprised Ethan a little.
In terms of credentials and academic standing, in the entire American business administration field, there were barely five people who could stand on equal footing with him.
No wonder this courtyard had such a scholarly atmosphere.
Professor affectionately pulled Ethan down to sit and eagerly launched into his proudest achievement: "Ethan, you have no idea! Ever since I found out you chose NYU Stern, I've been on cloud nine!"
He beamed with excitement: "Our Business Administration program got an A+ ranking this year, we're genuinely on par with Harvard or Wharton! But those guys over there, relying on their old reputations, always brag in front of me every chance they get! Hmph!"
The more he spoke the more fired up he got, like he was reliving the moment all over again: "But this time! The top scorer in the whole country picked us! I called each of them one by one, one call a day, for a whole week! Hahaha! You should have heard their sour, helpless tone! One of them got so frustrated he blocked my number outright! Hahaha! That felt better than anything! Tsk tsk, even better than winning a grant!"
Watching the respected professor in front of him — usually serious and composed — now grinning ear to ear and proudly showing off like a mischievous kid who had just won a schoolyard argument, Ethan couldn't help but laugh along.
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