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- TEN YEARS AGO -
"Do you think this is a joke?"
"But Professor-!" The poor secretary ran after her displeased chief and pleaded. "You have to hear me out!"
"Laboratory-grown mangoes? We have hundreds of studies in line, and you want me to entertain this one?," Ulysses Tan snapped at his secretary. "Stop-"
"It's from Mr. Ezekiel Xia's brother!," the exhausted woman panted, squatting a bit to reach her knees.
Dr. Tan stopped. "Ezekiel's brother? Elias?"
The secretary shook her head frantically, desperate to keep his attention. "No, the youngest!"
Youngest?
"If you're unaware, Ms. Wu, their youngest is barely seven," the doctor sighed. "That must be wrongly addressed."
"No, I'm aware!," Secretary Wu contended. "Have you heard of the young genius who had just returned from Germany after that week-long academic competition? The one who swept in the golds?"
A prodigy?
"Send him in," was the doctor's only reply when he realized the paper was indeed submitted to him. Ezekiel Xia and Elias Xia were excellent students- the youngest couldn't be any different.
Childish or not, a seven year old who managed to create a detailed paper was no ordinary kid. Reviewing the submission, Ulysses couldn't help but chuckle when he realized the kid was rather opinionated.
"Hi!," a young boy with features befitting his age excitedly skipped to Dr. Tan's desk and took a seat. "I'm Elijah, but Eze-ge calls me Eli. You can call me Eli, too!"
His plump rosy cheeks glowed against the light, locks of soft raven hair draping over his bright eyes. The child looked too enthusiastic and hyper- something the doctor rarely observed on usual academically inclined children.
"Now, Eli...," the doctor started. "Tell me why you wrote a thesis about mangoes instead of doing your homework."
Elijah's eyes widened. "Will you tell on me? But my homework is too boring!"
The doctor's brows furrowed in confusion. He assumed they wouldn't be giving the kid such a simple academic load when he's already miles ahead of his peers. "What grade are you in?"
"Second," Elijah pouted. "I took a senior advancement test and passed, but Lian-ge doesn't let me transfer. I think he doesn't want me to be his classmate."
Lian? Elias?
"Ah..." The doctor pursed his lips and reached for the kid, patting his head. He understood. Elias was also academically competitive. Having someone younger be a threat to his position should be what he was worried about. Moreso if it was his own brother.
"Maybe your Lian-ge just wants you to enjoy socializing with your peers?"
Elijah firmly nodded. "Ya. I don't really understand, but I'll just listen to him."
"But let's go back to the mangoes," the doctor cleared his throat to stop himself from chuckling. The little boy was too adorable that even he, who had sworn to keep a serious face during defenses, had almost broken into a smile. "Do you like mangoes?"
"Is there anyone who doesn't like mangoes?," Elijah innocently asked. "Cause you see, Mister, the supply of mangoes is declining. What if they go extinct?"
Secretary Wu couldn't help but burst into laughter while the doctor smiled and scratched his nape helplessly.
Elijah Xia was indeed a genius, but that didn't make him any more mature. Academic excellence does not equal common sense. It seemed economics was still a subject unexplored for the young boy.
"You see, young man. The chances of a nuclear explosion occurring right now are much bigger than mangoes going extinct."
The young boy's sulking face intensified as he looked around the area, wary. "But even planes can crash on towers -"
Secretary Wu immediately shushed the child. The kid was still too tactless that even his intelligence could not hide his curiosity.
"How about training under me, Mr. Eli?," Dr. Tan chuckled, mixing his nickname with a professional address to sound more affectionate. "I think I might need some helping hands around here."
"No," Eli raised a brow, pouting. "You didn't even read my proposal carefully. Why would I spend my time here without my request being granted?"
Dr. Tan could only smirk. The little genius might not be good at economics, but he definitely knew his way around business.
