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Stepping into the restaurant gives you a sense of privacy, sophistication, and class.

The waiter led the way, while Uma, holding Green's hand, walked behind, trying her best to appear befitting her status here.

Green asked the waiter for the hidden menu and ordered the secret-recipe steak tartare and Boston lobster bisque.

I also ordered a low-calorie quail with grapes for Uma, and she ordered the rest herself.

Because it was a private room with a hidden compartment, the two of them didn't pay much attention to their surroundings while eating.

They chatted and laughed while drinking red wine, but when it came time to pay the bill, Green paid an extra two hundred dollars for the extended room stay.

The restaurant assigned Green a very steady driver in his forties to take the two of them to the hotel in Green's Lincoln Continental.

Uma hesitated several times on the road, wanting to speak but ultimately closing her mouth, resting her head on Green's shoulder, and pretending to sleep with her eyes closed.

She and Green had slept together countless times, but Green had never brought her home.

Moreover, Uma knew absolutely nothing about Green's family, where they lived, or any other information.

This has always been a source of anxiety for Uma; she always felt that sooner or later Green would get tired of her and leave her behind.

Looking at the city night view outside the car, Green rolled down the window a crack and took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket.

After smoking a pack of cigarettes at the hotel last time, Green's craving for cigarettes was reignited.

Although the Chinese flavor in America is somewhat different from that in China, he has a particular fondness for this kind.

"Sir, would you like one?"

Green flicked out a cigarette and asked the driver in the front seat.

He was a very perceptive person; the driver glanced at him several times through the rearview mirror after he got in the car.

Fortunately, he believed in the restaurant's background.

Drivers who specialize in transporting passengers must have undergone rigorous screening, with their family information and other details being very clear.

Green didn't expect that the driver in the front seat would actually bend down and take Green's cigarette.

He was just being polite and tactful, and also wanted to chat with his personal friends to gauge their opinion.

Unexpectedly, the other party accepted the cigarettes without hesitation.

"Chunghwa cigarettes? When did you start smoking those kinds of cigarettes?"

The driver's words sent a chill down Green's spine and made him break out in a cold sweat.

His hand, which was holding the cigarette pack, unconsciously reached for the door handle; if things didn't go his way, he would definitely jump out of the car.

As for Uma? Let's talk about it after he reports it to the police.

He didn't think he knew the driver, but the driver's manner of speaking made it seem like they were very familiar with each other.

Before Green could speak, the driver put a cigarette to his lips, took out a lighter from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep drag.

"Don't you recognize me? I'm Lance Holland. My daughter Adele always followed you and Kevin around when she was little." Lance Holland rolled down the car window and flicked his cigarette ash outside.

Long-forgotten memories began to surface in Green's mind.

That was back in Little Rock, Arkansas, before they moved to Los Angeles.

He had several neighbors, and Kevin was his playmate since he could remember.

Kevin was always by Green's side when he first skipped school, first got into a fight, and first stole his father's cigarettes to smoke in secret.

Kevin kept watch for him on his first date with a cheerleader in the rehearsal room.

Kevin stole the Smurfs from home the first time they used them, but they were a bit too small. The two of them even teased Kevin's dad about it.

Adele was three years younger than them and had just started middle school. She would spend all her time playing with them after school.

Later, due to his father's work, Green's family moved from Little Rock to Los Angeles.

Due to distance and inconvenient communication, everyone made new friends, and naturally, they received less news.

Later, his family had a tragedy; his parents died in a car accident while returning to their hometown.

A smile involuntarily crept onto Green's lips; it was a memory of his most cherished childhood, though not his own, for he was Green now.

Green sold his Los Angeles house partly due to family reasons; as a time traveler who had taken over someone else's body, he had to bear the consequences of the original owner's actions.

He was fully prepared at the time, and with the opportunity right in front of him, Green sold his house in Los Angeles and moved to New York with the money.

"Uncle Lance, it's been a long time." Green's tone carried a hint of familiarity.

"Haha, I never expected to meet you in New York. It's all God's arrangement." Uncle Lance laughed heartily.

"By the way, how are your parents? The last time I saw them was a few years ago when they came back to Little Rock for a trip."

"Uh, they passed away the year before last..." Green's tone suddenly became somewhat somber.

That most painful memory of his life began to haunt him again.

"What happened? How could this be?"

Uncle Lance's voice suddenly became somewhat shrill, which surprised him greatly.

Seeing that his hands were a little unsteady on the steering wheel, Green quickly said.

"Are you busy later? If not, shall we find a place to grab a drink?"

Uncle Lance nodded indifferently and drove to a small pub.

Uma perked up her ears the moment Green and Uncle Lance spoke their first words; it was the first time she had heard Green talk about his family situation.

So Uma listened very carefully, afraid of missing any details. When she heard that Green's parents had passed away, she subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, for no apparent reason, I started to feel sorry for Green.

When the car stopped in front of the tavern, Uncle Lance got out first.

"Your girlfriend? She's very beautiful. Your mother, Via, would probably like her."

Green did not answer the question and followed Uncle Lance into the tavern.

Uma stood still, stomped her foot slightly, and then followed them inside, unwilling to give up.

The two casually found a table and sat down, with Uma acting like a girlfriend, taking care of everything.

Neither of the two men felt anything was amiss.

Uncle Lance handed Green a Marlboro.

The two men clinked glasses and smoked, and Green told Uncle Lance about his family situation.

Uncle Lance was somewhat melancholy, never expecting to lose two more familiar friends.

"When did you arrive in New York? What about Kevin and Adele? How are they doing?"

Green composed himself and asked.

Lance put down his wine glass and smiled after hearing this.

"Adeline cried for a long time after your family moved away."

Once, a kid at school caused her trouble, and Kevin helped beat him up.

After graduating from high school, Kevin joined the military overseas. He returned last year after his discharge and married Adele. They now have two children.

You know how expensive New York is.

They had just started working and their salaries were low, plus they had two children to support.

So Adele's mother and I moved from Little Rock to New York to help them take care of their children during the day, and I found my current job to supplement our income.

Green was somewhat surprised. In his memory, Kevin was a master of empty talk who taught him how to pick up girls, but in reality, he himself was still a novice when he was a sophomore in high school.

Adele was a tomboy, and yet the two of them got married and had children?

Although Green inwardly grumbled for a while, he still sincerely wished his two partners happiness.

"Where are they now?" Green asked.

Kevin works as a patrolman for the NYPD (New York City Police Department), while Adele has found a job as an intern manager at a real estate agency.

"Should I contact them? They should be at home taking care of the children right now," Uncle Lance said.