Chapter 172: The Nightmare of Going Home

Texas.

Galveston.

The four of them were all experienced drivers, taking turns behind the wheel so the car barely stopped. Before long, they arrived home.

"Heather, why don’t you stay at Karen’s place with us?"

Juno suggested, "Her parents aren’t home, and her house is big—it’ll be convenient."

Heather instinctively looked at Adam.

Adam glanced at Juno, who was smiling mischievously with a "this is for your own good" expression. After thinking for a moment, he nodded. "That’s not a bad idea. There are a bunch of troublemakers at my house—honestly, I’d like to stay over too."

"Then come on over!"

Juno teased, "We’ll keep the door open for you. It’s not like you haven’t stayed over before. Have you forgotten?"

"
"

Adam’s mouth twitched.

He would’ve been fine if she hadn’t brought it up. The last time he stayed at Karen’s, he had blacked out almost entirely and had no memory of it.

But he had a feeling that someday, he would remember.

For ordinary people, permanent memory loss might be possible. But for Adam, as his intelligence continued to increase, his neural and memory functions were also improving.

The last time his IQ reached the genius level, he not only recalled memories from before his reincarnation but also every detail of his past life in 2020.

Who knew what kind of earth-shattering changes would happen if his intelligence reached the level of a super genius?

"Alright, see you tonight."

Adam had Juno stop the car in front of his house. He grabbed various gifts from the trunk, waved them off, and carried the large and small packages to the door.

"Charlie, open the door!"

His mom’s voice came from inside the house.

Creak.

A tiny figure peeked cautiously from behind the door, her little face full of suspicion. Who else could it be but Charlie?

"Wow! Adam!"

The moment Charlie saw Adam, she squealed in excitement and launched herself at him.

Adam crouched down, opening his arms in delight—only for his face to immediately darken.

The six-year-old skillfully dodged his hug, went around him, and grabbed the pile of gifts instead. She clutched them tightly and chirped, "Mine! Mine! They’re all mine! Thank you, Adam!"

"You think just saying ‘thank you’ means all these gifts belong to you?"

Adam smirked coldly. "Do you think you’re the first emperor of China or something?"

"Big bro~"

Charlie’s eyes darted around. She quickly put the gifts down, leaped into Adam’s arms, wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, and kissed his cheek sweetly. "I missed you sooo much~"

"I missed you too."

Adam kissed his little sister back and teased, "But why do I feel like you missed my gifts more than me?"

"I missed you!"

Charlie avoided his gaze, pressing her head against Adam’s shoulder as she playfully clung to him.

"Adam’s back!"

His mom walked out, holding the youngest sibling, Toby, in her arms, her face full of joy.

"Where’s Dad?"

Adam carried his things inside and, noticing that no one else was around, asked curiously.

"There was another emergency pest control call," his mom grumbled. "Teddy’s in college now, and he’s gone completely wild. He said he’s hanging out with his friends for a few days before coming back. And as for Gabby—do I even need to say it?"

"Heh."

Adam chuckled.

His younger brother Gabby was already sixteen. He had always been the ultimate troublemaker, and now he was even wilder.

With summer break in full swing, expecting him to stay home?

That would be pure fantasy.

"Did you come back alone?"

His mom gave him a knowing smile. "Or did you come back with Juno and Karen?"

"Of course, I came back with them."

Adam responded casually.

"Then why didn’t they come in?"

His mom sighed playfully. "I really like Juno. Invite her over for dinner tonight—I’ll cook a big meal."

"That’s not necessary."

Adam smiled wryly. "Juno and I are just good friends, not what you’re thinking."

"And what exactly am I thinking?"

His mom rolled her eyes. "Can’t I just invite your good friend over for dinner? And besides, what’s wrong with me thinking about it? You’ve already graduated college. It’s time for you to start thinking about these things too."

"I’m starting med school in the fall," Adam countered. "That’s four years of med school, plus seven years of residency. I’ll be way too busy to think about anything else."

"Since when do a career and a relationship have to be in conflict?"

His mom shot back. "I know you’ve never been short of dating options, but you’re getting older. It’s time to consider settling down. You can’t keep playing around forever."

Adam sighed.

"I know."

"No, you don’t!"

His mom cut him off. "Juno is such a great girl! You two grew up together, you spend so much time together—you’re such a great match! If you really knew, you would’ve made a move already. I wouldn’t have to keep nagging you."

"
"

Adam felt a headache coming on.

He had just walked through the door, and he was already being pushed into marriage?

It instantly brought back memories of past Lunar New Year gatherings, where he’d been bombarded with the same kind of pressure from family. He had even considered skipping the holidays entirely.

And now, after all those years of enduring it in his past life, he had reincarnated, moved to a foreign country, and was still facing the same thing?

Dear God.

He was only 21. He was still a kid!

Adam’s mom made no effort to hide her fondness for Juno.

At first, she had liked Karen just as much. But over the years, she had started to sense that something was off about Karen. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she felt like Karen and Adam just didn’t click.

Juno, on the other hand?

She was beautiful, charming, and had a close relationship with Adam. The more his mom saw her, the more she liked her.

Back in the day, she had worried about Adam messing around, getting someone pregnant, and being stuck in this small town forever.

But now, Adam had graduated from college, was worth millions, and his wealth was growing fast. Even if he never became a doctor, he could still live comfortably as a writer.

Yet, she noticed he was still playing around, without any intention of settling down. That worried her.

Because once a guy truly becomes a playboy, it’s hard for him to take relationships seriously again.

And without a serious relationship, life could be quite empty.

Many playboys seemed glamorous on the surface but ended up lonely in the end.

She and Bob were very happy in their marriage, and she wanted Adam to build something just as meaningful.

Adam understood his mother’s concerns.

But it’s not like he could just say, "Mom, forget about Juno. She’s a total tomboy and not into guys like me!"

"I have a girlfriend."

Unable to bear his mother’s intense, battle-ready gaze any longer, Adam made a snap decision—temporarily upgrading Heather from "more than a friend, but not quite a girlfriend" to an official girlfriend.

Technically, she was the woman he had been closest to for the longest time. If it weren’t for his personal rule of not dating seriously while young, they probably would’ve been official long ago.

"Who is it?"

His mom’s eyes lit up even more.

(End of chapter)