The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 105: Make a Friend

Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Make a Friend

The next morning, James Brown had made breakfast, and Lucy Campbell and Emily Jenkins came over just by following the scent. James Brown had gotten somewhat used to having these two shameless neighbors around, and of course, having two beautiful women to share a meal with was quite enjoyable. Moreover, Lucy Campbell was wealthy, and she had supplied all the premium ingredients for the meal, which allowed James Brown to enjoy some gourmet delights as well, so naturally, he was quite happy with the arrangement.

Emily Jenkins had a flying mission today and wouldn’t be back for three days. She was on long-haul flights; a round trip took her three days, so she had slightly longer rest periods.

Lucy Campbell wouldn’t be coming back for dinner tonight either. As for what she was doing, James Brown wasn’t going to ask.

This was just fine; the arrangement was supposed to be three people eating together, but James Brown hadn’t come back for two consecutive evenings, and now when he finally did have a free evening, both of them had other plans.

As usual, James Brown arrived at the company on time and greeted several colleagues from the logistics department before returning to his desk.

After sitting for a while, Sarah Utah peeked over the divider and gave a gentle knock before passing over a small lunch box.

"What?" James Brown didn’t take it, looking at Sarah.

Sarah’s cheeks reddened, her watery large eyes looking at James Brown with shyness and a bit of excitement as she whispered, "It’s your breakfast."

James Brown was afraid of this; he knew he had saved Sarah yesterday and tricked her into a kiss. Now he had really gotten himself into trouble. To others, this would have been a stroke of luck, but unfortunately for James Brown, it was something he couldn’t afford, so he just smiled at Sarah and said, "Thanks a lot, but I already ate this morning."

Sarah’s face suddenly turned a bit sour, with a touch of embarrassment as she took back the lunch box and quietly sat down.

James Brown knew he had hurt Sarah’s feelings a bit, but there was no helping it—it was better than hurting her more later on. He didn’t offer any explanation and just went back to his own work.

The sound of a chair sliding over was heard, and Jessica Wilson leaned in close, resting her hands on James Brown’s desk, cocking her head to stare at him.

"Ms. Wilson, is there something on my face?" James Brown joked.

Jessica Wilson chuckled and said, "You do have something there. Otherwise, why would you have such good luck with women?"

James Brown gave an awkward smile and said, "Ms. Wilson, don’t make things up. What kind of luck with women do I have?"

Jessica Wilson leaned in closer to James Brown and pinched him, scolding playfully, "Young man, you’re playing dumb with me. I saw it all just now. Our Little Erin, a stunning beauty, took the initiative to prepare breakfast for you and you didn’t even eat it. Are you made of wood?"

James Brown continued to feign ignorance, "I really did eat breakfast this morning, I always eat at home in the mornings."

"A big guy like you can make breakfast for himself?" Jessica Wilson looked at James Brown disbelievingly.

"Of course, I have to. Skipping breakfast isn’t good for the stomach."

"Oh, here I thought you were rejecting Little Erin. But you really don’t catch on, do you? When has Little Erin ever brought breakfast for anyone else? You’re definitely the first in our company. Even if you’ve already eaten, you should eat a little bit more."

"I ate a lot this morning, I really can’t eat anymore."

"You’re really hopeless. This is Little Erin showing interest in you. Don’t tell me you’re not into Little Erin?" Jessica Wilson glared at him. She was quite fond of Sarah Utah and, having worked with her for a long time, was naturally biased towards her.

James Brown internally groaned and managed a strained smile, "Ms. Wilson, it’s not that I don’t think highly of Little Erin, it’s just that someone like me doesn’t have the means to be dating anyone. I don’t have a house, I don’t have a car, and I barely make enough money each month to get by."

Jessica Wilson wouldn’t hear of it and said cheerfully, "Then let me ask you this, what do you think about Little Erin?"

"That... well, of course, she’s great."

"There you go, that settles it. Little Erin isn’t looking down on you and is even making advances. If you still don’t accept the favor, then you’re just a cad. I’ll tell you, it’s those superficial women who are after houses and cars. Sure, they enjoy it for now, but what matters in a man is potential. If there’s no potential and they squander whatever you had to begin with, then you end up in a hard life later on. I see you’re a hard worker, and I’m sure you’ll have your chance to make a fortune. So I’m rooting for you two."

James Brown felt the situation was getting more and more chaotic. If he had known that Jessica Wilson was going to play matchmaker, he would have taken the lunch box and had a few bites earlier.

"Hey? Aren’t you going to say something?" Jessica Wilson pinched James Brown again.

James Brown sighed and whispered, "Ms. Wilson, I appreciate your kindness, but I already have someone in my heart, so..."

"Really? Is that true?" Jessica Wilson looked at James Brown incredulously and asked.

"Of course it’s true," James Brown assured her with a firm nod.

"You’re not trying to pull one over on me, are you? You’ve been working for over a month now, and I’ve never seen any girl call you, let alone visit you."

James Brown hurriedly explained, "There really is someone, but she’s a college student who’s still in school."

"No way?" Jessica Wilson’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Really," James Brown emphasized once more. At this point, he had no choice but to bring up Emma Campbell. If one day Jessica Wilson and the others wanted to see his girlfriend, then asking Emma Campbell for help would be something she would certainly be willing to do.

Jessica Wilson shook her head and sighed, "That’s a real shame about Little Erin’s feelings for you. I’ll go talk to her later. It’s rare for her to take a liking to a man, and this will be quite a blow to her."

James Brown repeatedly expressed his thanks, and Ms. Wilson waved her hand, saying, "It’s not your fault. It just means you two weren’t meant to be. By the way, bring your girlfriend around sometime for us to meet. I’ve got to say, kid, you’re quite something, snagging a college girl."

James Brown smirked and replied, "Just say when, and I’ll have her come over, no problem at all."

Seeing how James Brown spoke, Jessica Wilson felt assured that he was telling the truth. After exchanging a few more words, she stepped back.

Sarah was separated from James Brown by a partition. Although James Brown had been speaking in a low voice, she could still make out most of the conversation. Upon learning that the real reason James Brown had turned her down was because he had a girlfriend, Sarah felt deeply disappointed.

The night before, the scene in the elevator kept replaying in her head. She had even gone so far as to look up what might happen if an elevator dropped that many floors and was chilled by the descriptions. With such a descent, if not properly protected, there could be life-threatening dangers. Even with the right measures in place, one would still suffer considerable injuries.

But she was unharmed, which was undoubtedly thanks to James Brown’s actions at that moment. He had picked her up—she couldn’t remember the exact posture—but Sarah knew that he had allowed her to sit on his legs and had held her waist tightly, preventing her from any harm.

If James Brown had just looked after himself and then helped her, Sarah’s gratitude wouldn’t have been so profound. But James Brown acted selflessly, disregarding his own safety to save her, which took enormous courage. It was one thing to believe in self-sacrifice, but quite another to risk one’s life to save someone else, which not everyone could do.

So, even if James Brown did things afterward that appeared to be aimed at making Sarah dislike him, she brushed them off. She couldn’t believe that James Brown would be such a person. The more James Brown acted this way, the more Sarah esteemed him, felt grateful, and her affection for him grew.

Sarah was a very shy girl. Bringing breakfast for James Brown in the morning had required a great deal of courage on her part. Yet, she hadn’t expected that James Brown would turn her down, leaving her incredibly heartbroken.

However, after overhearing the conversation between James Brown and Jessica Wilson, Sarah suddenly felt at peace. It further confirmed that James Brown was loyal and sincere. With a girlfriend, he would not be fickle. It was just unfortunate that James Brown already had a girlfriend; otherwise, Sarah would have liked to boldly pursue him.

Pulling out her phone, Sarah composed a text message and sent it to James Brown.

"Big Brother Brown, I’m sorry for this morning. It was too abrupt of me and must have caused you trouble."

Seeing the message, James Brown cracked a smile, feeling this approach was indeed the best. He quickly replied, "Thank you, and don’t worry about it if it hurt your self-esteem."

"It’s okay, but you have to let me see your girlfriend, you know. I’ve got to vet her for Big Brother Brown."

"No problem, I’m busy this weekend, but next week, I’ll bring her so everyone can meet her. Then, I’ll treat everyone to dinner."

After a brief text exchange, James Brown felt completely at ease. If things had become awkward between himself and Sarah, working in the logistics department would have been uncomfortable. Fortunately, everything was now out in the open.

Gina Lopez’s call came through at that moment, and James Brown, ever the dedicated driver, swiftly descended the stairs.

Gina had been bustling around all day, only finishing up after 6 PM. Sitting in the car, she still furrowed her brows, deep in thought about something.

At that moment, James Brown felt sorry for Gina Lopez. For someone her age, she had achieved a certain level of success as the boss of a company worth seventy to eighty million. But this success came with a great deal of hardship. Outsiders only saw her glamorous side, but as her driver, James Brown saw the effort she put in.

When the car arrived at the entrance to Gina’s residential complex, she massaged her forehead, preparing to get out. But instead of stepping out after opening the door, she turned to James Brown and said, "Could you make dinner for me tonight? I don’t feel like eating out."

"No problem," James Brown cheerfully agreed, not because Gina was his boss, but because she had been very straightforward the last time he needed a loan. James Brown had always felt indebted to her for that.