Watching Paige fall into a state of indecision again, Mike spoke, "Sheldon is right, avoiding problems won't solve them. And your runaway, self-destructive behavior is not advisable."
"Then what should I do?" Paige asked Mike the same question.
It was clear that the young girl had lost her own opinion about her troubles. She was like standing at a crossroads in life, not knowing which way to choose.
This situation was terrible; a slight misstep could lead her into an abyss.
"Your current ideas are too extreme; we have a gentler approach," Mike said, organizing his thoughts. "To solve your current troubles, I have two suggestions..."
Mike's method was simple, a toned-down version of Paige's idea. First, he suggested the young girl try to leave her mother's sight on weekends to create alone time for her parents.
Second, he suggested trying to find ways to mend the conflicts between her parents.
These two methods were related, and the first method could even be upgraded.
After Paige demonstrated her ability to live independently to her mother, she could, like Mike, choose to go out and start boarding.
This relatively gentle approach would ultimately achieve a similar effect to Paige's previous expectations.
However, if Mike's plan succeeded, the young girl's situation would clearly be much better than before.
After listening to Mike's suggestions, Paige pondered for a long time.
She also realized that Mike's proposal was a very good guide for both her and her family.
"There's another problem," Paige said after thinking it over. "From what I know of my mother, she would never agree to me leaving her sight on weekends."
Paige's weekend activities were very rich. Linda, who hoped her daughter would become a dragon, often arranged for her to participate in various interest classes and knowledge competitions.
It was indeed difficult for Paige to gain free weekend time from a mother with extreme control.
"I've considered that problem too. We need an external helper..." Mike said.
"External helper?" Paige asked curiously. Seeing Mike's confident demeanor made her feel more reliant on him.
"Yes, an external helper," Mike nodded and said. "I can tell Connie about our plan, and then let her persuade your mother."
Mike had thought about this problem before. Compared to him, the older Connie would clearly be more persuasive to Linda.
"Moreover, besides Connie, we can also ask Sheldon to seek help from his parents," Mike continued.
Linda had seen the Cooper family's situation, and if two families vouched for Paige, she would likely have the opportunity to 'study' at the Cooper family or Connie's on weekends.
Yes, the reason Mike found for the girl to leave home on weekends was to study outside.
With Paige's high intelligence, she quickly understood Mike's plan. And this plan had a high probability of success.
Happiness came too suddenly. Paige still asked uncertainly, "Can this really work?"
"It never hurts to try. If this method doesn't work, we can think of other ways," Mike said, as if providing a safety net.
Sheldon, who had been listening for a long time, also proudly stated, "I can offer some help to convince my parents to assist."
"Thank you, Sheldon," Paige said, then added emotionally, "And Mike, whether your method succeeds or not, I appreciate your kindness."
[Intelligence main attribute +1]
As the young girl spoke, a main attribute light cluster emerged from her.
It seemed she was genuinely touched this time.
"I'm happy to help you too." Mike smiled and then accepted the light cluster in his hand.
At the same time, as the science lecture ended, George and Barry, who couldn't find the children at the museum, were very anxious.
"Don't worry, Barry, Paige is likely with Sheldon and Mike, so there's no danger..." Although George was also anxious, thinking that Mike and his youngest son were together, he wasn't as worried as Barry.
And seeing the other party's anxious look, George instead comforted him.
"Paige is very sensible; she has never disappeared like this without a word..." Barry, who was emotionally agitated, subtly blamed George.
In his opinion, his daughter's disappearance this time was likely due to Mike or Sheldon's instigation.
George vaguely understood the meaning in the other party's words. Although very annoyed, he still suppressed his emotions and said, "Did you bring Paige here last year? Think about where she went last year."
George's meaning was clear: in this relatively unfamiliar place, Paige would likely go to places she was more familiar with.
"Last year, we took Paige to a dessert shop. She seemed to really like the food there..." Barry recalled and said.
George's words gave him inspiration.
So, the two parents wandered around and found the small dessert shop where Mike and the other two were.
"Paige, you..." Barry was about to go forward after seeing his daughter sitting safely in the shop.
However, someone was even faster than him. Linda rushed into the shop from behind, came to her little daughter, and reprimanded, "Paige, why are you so disobedient? What if you got lost...?"
Seeing her mother's face, which was both worried and angry, Paige quietly lowered her head and listened to the scolding.
On the other side, George also walked past Barry, who had stopped. He came closer and asked, "Sheldon, Mike, are you alright?"
Compared to Linda, George's emotions were clearly more stable.
Moreover, the expression on his face did not blame Sheldon or Mike, and his words were mostly filled with concern.
"I'm fine, Dad," Sheldon even had time to comment, "The desserts at this shop taste really good."
"Oh, really?" George smiled upon hearing his youngest son say that.
His youngest son still having time to care about desserts also confirmed to him that he was indeed fine.
Relieved, George then asked Mike about the situation here.
Knowing that Mike had brought his youngest son here, he didn't show any dissatisfaction.
Instead, seeing Linda still scolding her daughter nearby, George shook his head slightly and stepped forward to persuade her, "Linda, there's nothing wrong with a child having her own ideas. No big problems have occurred, so don't scold her anymore."
George, who knew something about Linda's family situation, felt some sympathy for Paige.
"You don't understand, George," Linda said haughtily. "Paige is still young; she doesn't know what she should and shouldn't do. As a parent, I must correct her mistakes in time."
Seeing Linda's tough attitude, George knew he couldn't persuade her for a while. So, annoyed by the trouble, he immediately bid farewell, "Alright, Linda. We'll see you next time."
With that, he signaled Sheldon and Mike and walked out.
Passing Barry at the door, George politely nodded to him as a farewell.
Mike, on his side, also secretly exchanged glances with Paige as he left.
Clearly, the plan to help the girl still needed to be perfected. And next, the two would need to continue to keep in touch by phone.