The three exchanged bewildered glances, a sense of impending doom washing over them. Despite their enthusiastic gossip about Nolan, it was simply because they were such good friends. Tim, who usually presented a tough-guy image, was suddenly caught in the act.
"Damn it, it's all your fault, Jack! Why did you make stop the car?" Hannah complained in a low voice.
"I didn't, I just tapped you," Jack weakly defended himself.
Nolan's expression was the most exaggerated: "God, is he going to kill us to silence us?"
Just as the three held their breath, Tim wiped his eyes, stood up, strode to the car, and looked expressionlessly at the three inside: "I don't want to go ho today. Do you guys have sowhere to drink?"
The three nodded vigorously. Nolan stamred, "I'm going to Hannah and Jack's place. Jack said he prepared a lot of delicious food. Do you want... uh... co along?"
Tim silently opened the door and got in, sitting in the back seat with John. Hannah stepped on the gas and started driving again. A hush fell over the car. After a while, Jack cautiously spoke, "Tim, are you alright?"
Tim remained silent for a mont, his voice still thick with a nasal tone, "Isabella called a lawyer as soon as she woke up and gave a divorce agreent. She doesn't want anything, she just wants to end things with ."
Silence returned to the car. After a while, Nolan patted him on the shoulder, comforting him, "You deserve better."
Jack opened his mouth, unsure what to say to comfort him. In his mind, this might not be such a bad thing.
Back at Hannah's house, Jack asked her to bring a bar stool into the kitchen and began preparing dinner. Tim accompanied Hannah to the living room to play video gas, while Nolan, who had nothing to do, wandered into the kitchen and asked if he needed help.
"Is your injury alright?" Jack asked, surprised.
Nolan pointed to his leg, "Aren't you injured too?"
Jack sighed and handed over tasks like cutting and washing vegetables to him. The two chatted as they worked.
"Is your female doctor still single?" The two had beco like old friends in private, and Nolan had completely accepted Jack as an equal peer. Jack spoke less restrainedly.
"You an Carrie? I saw she was still wearing her wedding ring, so I didn't ask further. Besides, so many years have passed."
"Married won are the easiest to seduce, aren't they? These hot won are often unsatisfied in so ways because their husbands have gradually stopped caring about their feelings. Besides, you two have a past relationship; maybe you can rekindle it." Jack began to spout nonsense with a straight face.
Nolan looked at him in surprise and shook his head repeatedly. "No, I can't do that. I an, just thinking about it makes nervous. It's this kind of thinking that has ruined many people's lives."
"Hahaha, I fooled you. That's the correct answer." Jack let out a mischievous laugh.
Nolan's tense expression instantly relaxed, and he let out a sigh of relief: "Don't try to bewitch , you devil."
Jack corrected him: "It's not the devil. The devil only destroys; the demon is the one who manipulates people's hearts."
"But I think you should still talk to that..."
"Carrie?"
"Yes, talk to your ex-lover. At least you still owe her an apology, don't you?"
Nolan thought for a mont and nodded. "I'll try to explain to her next ti I see her. I admit I made a mistake back then."
Jack chuckled inwardly, but remained outwardly calm as he continued, "Anyway, I felt sothing was off about the way Carrie looked at you that day. Maybe she still has feelings for you. I think you should ask her about it. Maybe she's already divorced but hasn't had ti to take off her ring yet, or maybe she and her husband are separated. You know, this kind of thing is very common in Arica."
"Hey! Shut up, you demon!" John laughed and waved the parsley in his hand, the water droplets on it splashing all over Jack like holy water.
"I'll explain it to her." He thought for a mont and added, but how he would explain it, and what he would explain, remained a mystery.
Jack was quite pleased with Nolan's answer. In his previous life, he had never experienced what real Arican society was like; all his information and stereotypes ca from Arican TV shows and the internet. They often reflected the darker aspects of society, such as drugs, guns, gangs, and corrupt politicians.
At least so Aricans in that era were still relatively clear-headed. Just like the characters in these TV shows, they were either rational or emotional, so kind-hearted, so righteous. While they all had their flaws, they also seed more real and relatable.
Night fell, and after nearly three hours of work, it was dinnerti. "You two perfectly fine guys, can't you move your butts a little? Co and serve the food!" Jack yelled towards the living room.
Hannah and Tim, who had been playing gas and bickering on the sofa, obediently put down their controllers and approached, their mouths agape in surprise at the table laden with dishes.
It has to be said that as a developed country that can bleed the world dry through its financial power, the ingredients in Arican supermarkets are ridiculously cheap. A table full of dishes like braised pork kakuni, garlic butter shrimp, grilled lamb chops, and Japanese beef tomato stew cost less than $200.
Of course, today's ingredients were paid for by the wealthy Hannah. Jack didn't even have $50 on him, and payday was still several days away. He hadn't even gotten his $5,000 bail back yet.
"Why haven't I eaten any of these before? How many recipes do you have hidden?" Hannah grabbed Jack's arm and shook him, making his heart pound as he looked at her jingling assests.
Tim, looking around and pretending not to see anything, asked, "Do you have any beer?" This usually serious guy was actually quite considerate when he considered soone a friend, ignoring the ambiguous relationship between Hannah and Jack.
"Want to try so Japanese shochu?" Jack's eyes darted around, thinking, *Since you want to drown your sorrows in alcohol, I'll just knock you out today and see what this guy with the perpetually stern face looks like when he's drunk.*
He dragged a case of shochu from the corner. He'd discovered this recently; Aricans don't really like strong-slling traditional Chinese liquors, but they're more accepting of Japanese shochu, which is lighter and smoother.
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