I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 166

Nora and Zelda were both stunned for a moment. Nora instinctively glanced at the boy again.

Zelda was surprised. "A graduate student? This kid looks like he's only eighteen or nineteen. How is he already a grad student?"

Arthur said smugly, "You wouldn't know, would you? This is what a genius looks like. Julian is nineteen this year. He skipped three grades in undergrad and has already published four core papers. I've mentored students my whole life, and I've never seen anyone sharper.

"Xavier recruited a good prospect, so I can't fall behind, right? From now on, this kid will be in and out of the institute with me. Show him the ropes."

Nora glanced at Julian again. Aside from a simple greeting when he walked in, the boy hadn't spoken a word. The tips of his ears had even turned slightly red.

A nineteen-year-old prodigy who had published core papers—anywhere else, he would be a shining star. A truly rare genius.

But Nora wasn't one to pry, and she quickly looked away.

Her mind was entirely consumed by the data model. She got straight to the point. "Professor Caldwell, do you have time right now? I happen to have a data issue I'd like your input on."

Arthur dropped onto the sofa. "I'm already here, aren't I? Of course I have time. What data? Let me see."

He turned his head and waved to Julian. "Jude, come learn. Consider Nora your senior. Even though you technically belong to different mentorships, Xavier and I are practically the same house. His student is my student, and my student is his student."

Julian gave a polite nod and murmured softly, "Yes, Professor," before stepping closer to stand beside Nora.

Nora didn't think much of it and pulled her attention back to the data.

After discussing for a good while, the two finally cross-verified a definitive solution from different angles.

Arthur's tone was filled with genuine admiration. "You are a force to be reckoned with, Nora. This data deviation was buried so deep that most people wouldn't have spotted it with a casual glance. The fact that you pinpointed this bug in such a complex parameter model proves you have a master-level grasp of the entire project framework. If this error wasn't corrected immediately, it would have acted like falling dominoes, derailing the entire experimental process."

Nora smiled modestly, redirecting the credit. "It's all thanks to the foundation you, Professor Vance, and Mrs. Vance gave me. Professor Vance actually mentioned the cross-verification method you just taught me before, but I never fully grasped it. Your example today finally made it click."

Arthur chuckled, picking up his teacup. Suddenly, he shifted the topic. "By the way, I heard from Xavier that you got hurt? Needed a few stitches? That old grouch chewed my ear off on the phone for half the day, complaining that you don't know how to take care of yourself. He was worried sick about you."