**Friday Afternoon**
Adam drove to Long Island early and arrived at the Green family's home.
Tonight's banquet was thanks to Leonard's connections, so it was only proper etiquette for Adam to pick him up as his driver.
"Wow! Adam, you look so handsome today!"
Jill, the youngest daughter who opened the door, gasped in amazement, her eyes sparkling.
As the saying goes, "Clothes make the man."
Adam had deliberately chosen the favorite high-end, custom-tailored suit of Barney, the playboy character from *How I Met Your Mother*. A single set cost $20,000—pure daylight robbery.
But the effect? Absolutely stunning.
A charisma boost of 20,000%!
Unfortunately, since it was custom-made, it didn't have a luxury brand price tag. Otherwise, he could've pulled a certain genius junior lawyer move by leaving the $20,000 tag on full display—letting everyone see it. That kind of flex would be indescribable.
After all, if you don't leave the price tag on, how will people know your suit costs $20,000? Without it, how is it any different from a $58 flea market knockoff?
Amy, the second daughter, stood to the side, her gaze just as fiery. She had always secretly taken her older sister Rachel's things. Seeing Adam like this, her heart couldn't help but race—after all, this was a man even Rachel hadn't won over.
Unfortunately for her, Adam was completely different from Rachel's past boyfriends and fiancés. He gently but firmly rejected all of Amy's hints—both subtle and obvious.
At one point, she even suspected that Adam wasn't a real man.
Otherwise, how could he resist a gorgeous woman like her, practically offering herself on a silver platter—no strings attached? No normal guy would turn that down.
But after secretly investigating him in various ways, she had to abandon that theory and came to a disappointing conclusion:
She simply wasn't attractive enough for him.
Thankfully, with Rachel as a precedent, she didn't go crazy from rejection.
And as Adam's *Lord of Mysteries* novels became increasingly popular over the past two years, bringing him both fame and fortune, along with his imminent future as a doctor like her father, Amy found herself admiring him even more.
That's right—
She had a thing for doctors, just like her older sister Rachel.
Though, not as intensely.
Her philosophy? Don't be picky—take them all.
So, her type was *Doctor or Sugar Daddy*.
As long as a guy fit either category, he was fair game.
In the original timeline, she had even planned to marry her ex-boyfriend's aging, frail father—just to get a luxury mansion. What excited her the most was that her elderly husband barely visited, meaning she'd have the house all to herself…
"Thanks."
Adam smiled politely. "Hey, Jill. Hey, Amy."
"You're here early."
Leonard, hearing the commotion, came downstairs, checked his watch, and chuckled.
"I had nothing else to do, so I figured I'd come over early."
Adam replied casually.
After three years of "mutual affection," Adam had built a close relationship with the entire Green family.
Of course, when it came to the Green sisters, he had always maintained his boundaries. Even though all three of them had tried—subtly or not-so-subtly—to seduce him, Adam's willpower remained unwavering, and he turned them down every time.
At first, this definitely frustrated Jill, the youngest, and Amy, the sneaky middle child. But once they realized Adam treated all three of them the same—rejecting them equally—they had to admit a grudging respect for him.
Of course, they had no idea that the moment Adam got home, he would immediately find Heather to… relieve some tension.
If Adam had kept his distance from the sisters, his bond with their parents—Leonard and Sandra—was even stronger. They truly saw him as a close friend.
Sandra had long grown tired of being a housewife for over twenty years. She increasingly craved the excitement of a romantic life outside of her marriage, leading to growing tension at home.
She had no close friends to confide in about these feelings.
Otherwise, in the original timeline, she wouldn't have kept running to Rachel for company, even finding Monica's dull parties enjoyable. Heck, even a simple kiss from Joey had made her giddy.
With Adam frequently visiting the Green family, combined with his *great listener* personality and undeniable charm, Sandra's fondness for him grew significantly.
Every time Adam came over, Sandra would pull him aside for long chats. Most of the time, she just needed to vent, while Adam simply listened, comforted, and did his best to help mend the Greens' marriage.
His psychology studies were proving useful once again.
And Leonard wasn't blind. He quickly caught on and was deeply grateful.
Thanks to Adam's involvement, Sandra's restlessness had significantly eased. She even made real efforts to salvage their marriage.
As a result, Leonard also began confiding in Adam.
The couple had practically turned Adam into their marriage counselor.
But some problems run too deep.
Their marital issues had built up over decades. By their fifties, even if they wanted to change, how much could they truly change?
In the end, their marriage still failed, and they divorced.
But this time, unlike in the original timeline—where Sandra spitefully demanded half of Leonard's beloved sailboat just to punish him—she let go peacefully.
They had a relatively amicable split.
Through it all, Adam had become an irreplaceable close friend to both of them.
This was why Leonard, instead of merely tolerating Adam's presence, had gone out of his way to plan for his future.
Tonight's banquet was just one example.
Previously, when Leonard learned that Adam, Juno, and Karen were honing their surgical skills through hunting, he personally invited them to a cabin in the woods to demonstrate real surgical techniques.
For many medical interns—and even residents—this kind of hands-on teaching from an experienced attending physician was a dream come true. Yet Adam and Juno had already received this privilege before even entering med school.
This was Adam's carefully cultivated networking at its finest.
The only downside was that Leonard was busy, so he only had time for one such lesson.
But that was enough.
By then, Adam and Juno had been visiting the cabin at least once a month, practically living there during summer and winter breaks, performing hundreds of surgeries on hunted animals. They weren't quite *butchers-turned-surgeons*, but they had reached an impressive level of skill.
All they lacked was formal guidance.
Leonard's one-time lesson had been a game-changer for them.
After that, the forest's wildlife suffered.
A cute little rabbit? Shot with an arrow—then immediately operated on in a life-saving attempt.
Success? Victory!
Failure? Time to chop it up.
Arrow wounds, blunt trauma, gunshot wounds.
External injuries, internal injuries, penetrating wounds.
There was always something new to practice on.
"Alright, let's head over early."
Leonard chuckled in understanding. "There will be some big names at tonight's banquet. Getting there ahead of time will give me a chance to introduce you to a few of them. It's always good to start making connections."
"Dad, with Adam's face, once people see him, they won't forget him."
Jill pouted playfully.
"Haha, true, true."
Leonard laughed heartily.
(End of Chapter)