Chapter 43: From Strangers to Acquaintances

Chapter 43: From Strangers to Acquaintances
"William!"
Sophia, seated in the car, jolted awake abruptly, startling Samuel beside her. He quickly asked, "Sophia, are you alright?"
Sophia wiped the sweat from her forehead, still not quite accustomed to the air conditioning in the car, which made it feel as chilly as winter.
She recalled pulling Samuel to the side of the road and hailing a taxi. After getting in, she closed her eyes to rest and seemed to have dozed off into a dream where William, upon discovering her departure, was relentlessly searching for her.
Yet, she was always just behind him, calling out, but William couldn't hear her no matter how loud she shouted.
Eventually, she witnessed a car speeding straight towards him. She screamed for him to dodge, and that's when she woke up with a start.
"Where are we?" Sophia twisted open a bottle of mineral water and gulped down half of it in one breath.
Samuel checked the navigation on his phone and replied, "We're three kilometers away from the school, almost there."
"Okay," Sophia responded, then took out her pistol to check the ammunition— indeed, one bullet was missing; the report couldn't be avoided.
Samuel looked at Sophia, hesitating, with words on the tip of his tongue that he wasn't sure whether to voice or not.
"Speak your mind, don't be indecisive," Sophia noticed his dilemma.
Samuel had been holding back the whole trip, and now that Sophia prompted him, he spoke his mind freely, "Sophia, didn't I mention when I came to meet my Aunt Lee, we need their permission first before I can arrange a meeting? We should find a place to stay first, not go to the school right away."
"I almost forgot about that," Sophia's face darkened as she questioned him, "Who have you told about my coming to Washington? And who is your uncle? How many people know about him lending us the house to stay in?"
Sophia's expression was as stern as if she were interrogating a suspect.
Intimidated by her aura, Samuel stammered, "Not many people know. My uncle is a legitimate businessman, no criminal record, no bad habits. It's unlikely many people know about him lending us the house."
"No 'should,' I need precise answers. Give me your uncle's number, I'll ask him directly," Sophia left no stone unturned.
Samuel didn't dare to argue and obediently provided his uncle's phone number.
After jotting down the number, Sophia told him, "No need for permission, I know them."
"Hmm? Sophia, you know my Aunt Lee?" Samuel felt like he couldn't keep up with her train of thought.
Sophia nodded, "Didn't know her before, but I do now."
Samuel blinked, feeling a bit bewildered.
"By the way, Sophia, I heard you just called out the name William—is that the person we were investigating before?" Samuel remembered to ask her.
Mentioning William, Sophia's mood dipped again; she didn't expect to leave without saying goodbye again. She suspected that Butler Tristan was doing it on purpose, why else would he keep taking stealth photos of her?
"Sophia?" Noticing her zoning out again, Samuel called her name.
Sophia grumbled, "Why ask so many questions? You should think about who else you've told about my coming to Washington."
With that, Sophia closed her eyes to rest again.
Samuel scratched the back of his head, feeling something was amiss. He didn't know what had suddenly come over Sophia.
One moment she was calling the police, claiming an illegal organization was targeting them, and the next, she was saying they wouldn't stay overnight and would return to school the same day.
Her attitude was resolute, and nothing he said could sway her. Eventually, Samuel gave in and followed her lead.
The three-kilometer journey wasn't far, and they arrived shortly after.
Upon getting out of the car, they saw two police officers in uniform at the school entrance. As soon as Sophia got out, the officers approached, explaining they were sent by higher-ups to assist.
Sophia asked them, "Any updates? Find anything?"
Both officers were young; a clean-cut one named Sebastian Reed and a slightly more robust one named Shawn Scott.
In response to Sophia's inquiry, they exchanged glances, and Shawn Scott informed her, "Yes, we've identified suspicious individuals. The police were dispatched immediately, but those people are cunning, and we're still on their trail."
"Those people?" Sophia frowned and asked, "Are there many of them?"
Shawn Scott nodded, "No fewer than five."
Indeed, it wasn't just one person. Thinking about it, Sophia was grateful for her decision. Even armed, she wasn't sure she could gain the upper hand against an organized group.
Avoiding the high profile of being with two police officers, Sophia had them wait elsewhere while she went to inquire about something, so she only brought Samuel into the school.
The professors' teaching schedules were public. Samuel checked and found that his Aunt Lee had no classes today, but Professor Julian King had two.
By coincidence, the last one was about to start in a few minutes.
"Sophia, should we wait for Professor Julian King to finish his class?" Walking on the playground, Samuel asked Sophia, hoping to play some basketball if they had time to spare.
Sophia, however, was in no mood to wait. She was eager to find Julian King and ask what had happened to William and whether Sean was safe and sound. "Let's go to the classroom," she said.
"Ah?"
Then, without drawing attention, they blended into a group of college students and entered the classroom, taking seats at the very back.
Seats were assigned on a first-come, first-served basis. Shortly after they sat down, a bespectacled male student approached. He seemed drowsy and listless but brightened up instantly upon seeing Sophia.
The young man, grinning cheekily, sat down next to Sophia and stared at her several times.
Then, to his great surprise, he said, "Attending a lecture on linear algebra and spatial analytic geometry, which is so dry, and there's actually such a beautiful classmate here? Senior, which department are you from? It can't be physics, right? Otherwise, you would definitely be the most beautiful girl in our physics department!"
Sophia initially didn't plan to engage him, but upon glancing at him, she was taken aback by his appearance.
Noticing the senior didn't speak, the young man's face fell, disappointed, "You're not here with your boyfriend, are you?"
He couldn't help but wail, "There's no justice! I'm considered the handsomest guy in our physics department, and someone has beaten me to it, finding such a good-looking one! I'm so jealous!"
"What's your name?" Sophia asked him.
The young man's expression suddenly turned a bit strange. He looked at her suspiciously, "Senior, you're not interested in me, are you? Just because I'm the most handsome in our department, you're going to ditch your boyfriend for me?"
Sophia rolled her eyes. Are all the kids nowadays this narcissistic? Judging by his age, he was probably just eighteen, a freshman.
In terms of height and looks, he was indeed good-looking. Although not particularly handsome, he was definitely a handsome guy. After all, even a face like "Julian King" would not be outdated today.
Yes, Sophia paid attention to him because this young man bore a strong resemblance to Julian King.
However, he was more outgoing and cheerful than Julian King, with a big, carefree smile revealing a set of pearly whites. Judging by his facial features, he looked about seventy to eighty percent like Julian King.
It could be said that with a little disguise, he could be mistaken for Julian King.
"Senior, don't be angry, I was just joking. My name is Will King," Will King said with a smile, thinking that even if they couldn't be a couple, it would be nice to be friends.
And to make sure she knew the exact spelling, he deliberately wrote his name down for her to see.
After reading it, Sophia raised an eyebrow, "Your last name is King? What's your relationship with Professor Julian King?"
"He's my grandfather, no need to hide that. Everyone knows Julian King has a grandson who's a physics prodigy, and that's me!" He puffed out his chest, beaming with pride.
Sophia had only guessed as much, but she didn't expect it to be true.
"But my grandfather has never praised me," Will King suddenly became dejected, "Even though it's impressive that I got into college at sixteen, he still uses some genius he knew in college to put me down, saying I'm far from as good as that person, clearly to prevent me from getting arrogant!"
Hearing this, Sophia's first thought was that the "genius youth" he mentioned was William.
So, Sophia deliberately asked him, "Is that genius youth really that impressive? Or is it that your grandfather, fearing you'd get arrogant, made it up on purpose?"
"I thought so at first, but then I found out it wasn't made up. My grandfather really knew such an amazing person, and the reason my name is Will is that my grandfather named me that in memory of him."
Sophia was stunned, so the name Will was actually in remembrance of William?