The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 112 Trouble Caused by a Box of Cigarettes

Chapter 112: Chapter 112 Trouble Caused by a Box of Cigarettes

James didn’t make a sound, and David continued, "Although her backing is strong, her father being the vice-mayor, her personal ability is truly remarkable. We all greatly admire her. Compared to her, James’s connections are like trash. But Melody Yoody isn’t like James; if she were here today, she’d surely blend in well with everyone."

At that moment, James’s thoughts had drifted back to his high school days. At that time, Melody Yoody was the class president, not only excellent in her studies and beautiful but also incredibly warm-hearted. She never gave up on him, a struggling student, especially when he thought about skipping class; he had to get past Melody Yoody first.

Thinking about how he used to find ways to skip class and how Melody Yoody would watch him like a hawk, James suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of warmth, and a blissful smile involuntarily appeared on his face.

"Hey, are you listening to me?" David shouted at that moment.

James’s thoughts were pulled back, and he said, "What did you say?"

David shook his head and said, "You know, I really think you should see Melody Yoody. Some things, only by facing them can you truly let go."

James gave a faint smile and said, "No need, the past is already past, and I’ve long since let it go." But he knew in his heart that he couldn’t really let go; if it weren’t for Melody Yoody, he wouldn’t be so fearful of relationships now.

"Alright, let’s not talk too much. Let’s sleep early; we have to help John Stephens with the preparations tomorrow morning." David yawned, mentioning that they’d all had quite a bit to drink earlier, and now the alcohol was taking its toll, making him feel very sleepy.

However, James found himself unable to sleep at all at that moment. His memories with Melody Yoody, scene after scene, appeared in his mind like a movie. After so many years, he still remembered everything so clearly, even the minor details.

The soft, gentle persuasion from Melody Yoody to study hard, her annoyance when he skipped classes, the joy she showed when he improved, the wonderful feeling when he first held her hand, and the excitement and nervousness of their first kiss...

James usually tried not to think about these things, but today, he couldn’t help but recall them uncontrollably, making him really want to see Melody Yoody. However, he dared not meet her, unsure of how to face her and fearing that their beautiful memories might be shattered by a meeting.

The next morning came early, and everyone hurriedly washed up and rushed to the wedding venue to help Michael Terry with the preparations.

The wedding was held in a hotel, and the banquet hall was decorated with a very romantic atmosphere. All these were handled by a professional wedding company, and the classmates were there just to help with some odd tasks, such as moving things around.

After 6, Michael Terry went out to pick up the bride while everyone gathered in the hotel lobby, waiting and chatting. Being relatively unremarkable, James mingled with a few classmates who were not very successful, chatting casually.

With nothing else to do, James wanted to smoke. Yesterday, everyone had been playing together, and Michael Terry had paid for it, but today, with Michael Terry gone, James took out his own cigarettes and handed one to each of his few classmates. A classmate named John Harris looked at the cigarette James handed to him and then curiously at the pack, saying, "James, what kind of cigarettes are these?"

The cigarettes only had a picture of a little panda on them, and not just anyone, even wealthy people, would have a chance to get this kind of cigarette.

James chuckled and said, "They’re not expensive. I just bought them casually while strolling on the overpass."

Another classmate, Bobby Robinson, chuckled and said, "Looking at this pack, it looks like the legendary special tribute cigarettes. I thought you got them from some special source."

James laughed and said, "Where would I get such fine cigarettes? You’ll just have to make do with these."

Bobby Robinson took a couple of drags and said, "These cigarettes are really good; they taste great. Do you have more? Give me two packs."

James handed the half-empty cigarette pack to Bobby Robinson and said, "This is all I have on me; I’ll give it to you if you like."

Bobby Robinson immediately stuffed the cigarette James handed him into the cigarette box he had just given him and chuckled, "James smokes R Region cigarettes? Those are high-quality, I need to save them, I’ll smoke one later."

James proudly said, "They were all gifts, just making do with them." But upon seeing Bobby Robinson’s cigarette box, he seemed puzzled and asked, "What kind of cigarettes are these?"

Bobby Robinson grinned and said, "These were given to me by James Brown. I think they taste pretty good. You should try one. You’re used to SSUP Country cigarettes; you probably can’t handle this no-brand blend."

James certainly didn’t think the cigarettes James Brown had given to Bobby Robinson were anything special and simply laughed it off, saying, "You’re quite right, I can’t smoke anything worth less than 2 dollars, they make me cough. You better keep them for yourself."

Some classmates couldn’t help but look down on James. When he was at university, he used to smoke cigarettes that cost around 2 dollars, and they had never seen him cough then. Now that he has a good job, he suddenly starts putting on airs.

"Come on, give me one to try, I think the aroma from your cigarettes is pretty good." A man in his forties walked over asking for a cigarette.

James also generously handed over an R Region cigarette, but the middle-aged man didn’t take it and instead said, "That doesn’t smell like R Region, it smells like the ones you guys are smoking."

James frowned and said, "Uncle, you think those cigarettes could be better than the soft R Region ones?"

The man chuckled and replied, "I’m a long-time smoker, and I don’t just smoke for the feel like you guys; I can genuinely tell the quality of the tobacco. This tobacco definitely seems higher grade than R Region."

The man’s comment quickly piqued everyone’s interest. Among the men, more than ten were smokers. They all gathered around as James took the cigarette box from Bobby Robinson’s hand and looked it over, saying, "These no-brand cigarettes without even a manufacturer listed, and you say they’re good?"

The uncle nodded and said, "The quality of a cigarette isn’t about the brand or how much money you spend. You should all know that. Cigarettes are made from tobacco leaves, and besides the process of curing them, the selection of the material is the most crucial aspect. Sometimes, the climate of a region isn’t conducive, so the tobacco quality suffers. However, in some regions, the tobacco might not be great, but a particular year’s favorable weather conditions lead to exceptional tobacco leaves. And some cigarette factories will use these superior leaves to make special cigarettes intended only for internal distribution."

James took a cigarette out of the box and asked, "Are you saying that these cigarettes are the good ones?"

The uncle took a cigarette, glanced at the design on it, eyes lighting up. Then he put the cigarette to his nose, closed his eyes and smelled it gently, turned the cigarette around to examine the tobacco inside, his mouth twitched a few times, and then he directly spoke to Bobby Robinson, "Young man, do you have any more of these cigarettes? Could you sell me a pack?"

"No... no more left," Bobby Robinson stuttered, the uncle’s intense interest making him feel like a hungry wolf eyeing a lamb, causing him to shiver.

"Could you sell me this half-pack then? I’ll offer One Thousand Bucks."

"What?" Bobby Robinson’s eyes widened, and the others all looked at the uncle as if he were mad.

Feeling a bit abrupt, the uncle sheepishly smiled and said, "Sorry, I didn’t know where this young man’s cigarettes came from, but I can confidently state that these are definitely specially made Little Panda cigarettes, only accessible to the big leaders in the Capital of SSUP. Even the Mayor here in YODC City couldn’t get their hands on these."

Seeing everyone’s gaze turning towards him, Bobby Robinson felt like he was holding a hot potato and quickly pushed the cigarette box towards James Brown, saying, "These are James Brown’s cigarettes."

Everyone’s gaze shifted to James Brown, making him flustered. He hadn’t expected to meet someone so discerning in YODC City, and this uncle was quite the expert, able to discern the quality of cigarettes just by smell, truly a supreme smoker.

"Mister, would you mind selling these cigarettes to me?" the uncle persisted, nervously watching James Brown.

James Brown laughed and replied, "Uncle, are you mistaken? I bought these cigarettes from a stall over the train station bridge, a whole pack cost me just Ten Dollars. If you’re paying One Thousand Bucks for them, wouldn’t that be a huge loss?"

The uncle immediately shook his head, insisting, "No, no, these aren’t fakes, they’re definitely the real deal."

James interjected, "So the good tobacco happened by chance?"

This indeed gave James Brown an out, yet the uncle shook his head again...