The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 113: No One Believes the Truth

Chapter 113: Chapter 113: No One Believes the Truth

"I just said it, didn’t I? The tobacco leaves might have been top-notch, but the craftsmanship is also quite sophisticated," said Uncle Terry with confidence that left everyone no option but to believe, "The production process for these tobacco strands is absolutely the best. Consider this: why would counterfeit-cigarette makers bother with such a complex technique? Besides, even if they wanted to, they wouldn’t have the technical skills. So, I am certain that these cigarettes must have slipped out from the Capital of SSUP."

David Johnson slapped James Brown on the shoulder and exclaimed, "Man, where did you get these fine cigarettes? Not giving me a pack? That’s not cool at all."

James shrugged and replied, "Honestly, I had no idea these cigarettes were anything special. If I had known, I wouldn’t have smoked them so casually. I could have sold them and made a killing."

Uncle Terry then eyed the half-pack of cigarettes in James’ hand and suggested, "How about you sell me those cigarettes?"

Shaking his head, James responded, "I’ve already smoked half of them. Why would I sell them to you? Come on, let’s all try them out and see what this legendary smoke tastes like. I, for one, can’t tell the difference."

With that, James distributed the cigarettes among the group, leaving just two, which he handed over to Uncle Terry, "Since you like them so much, Uncle, you can have the last two."

As everyone smoked, Uncle Terry’s mouth twitched in a grimace of distress, as if watching a tragic waste. After thanking James repeatedly, Uncle Terry finally walked away.

Indeed, like Uncle Terry had expected, none of them could quite discern what made these cigarettes so special—the girls didn’t hate the taste, probably because it didn’t irritate the throat too much.

Bobby Robinson questioned again, "James, did you really buy these from the overpass?"

With a wry smile, James said, "You all could go check out the overpass too. There’s lots of fake cigarettes on sale there."

Some believed him, others didn’t, but just then, John Stephens’ father hurried over, anxiously asking, "Can anyone contact a wedding host right away?"

Cigarettes were a minor issue; John Stephens’ wedding was the real crisis at hand. Everyone immediately gathered around, and Ethan Knight asked first, "Uncle Terry, what happened?"

John Stephens’ father looked distressed as he explained, "Oh, the wedding host had a car accident. He can’t make it today."

Amy Smith panicked, "You’re kidding? Why now? Of all times to have a crash, it had to be now?"

John Stephens urgently said, "The wedding company is out of options here; they’ve got no other hosts available. I was hoping you guys could help find someone new for the ceremony."

The role of a wedding host was crucial. Without a good one, the whole ceremony would suffer. With the host suddenly unavailable, it became a challenging problem, especially since inviting another host at the last minute wasn’t exactly easy.

As classmates were handling various aspects of the wedding, it was John Wilson who had arranged for the host. Getting on the phone, John Wilson found out the host wasn’t seriously injured but had sustained a cut on his head that was being stitched up, rendering him incapable of making it to the ceremony.

"No worries, I’ve got this," declared William Johnson, seeing an opportunity to elevate his status among his peers. He confidently took charge of the situation.

John Wilson immediately urged him, "William, you have the widest connections among us. Please, come up with something quickly."

William whipped out his phone, ready to tackle the task, "It’s a piece of cake, just finding a host. I know a lot of people in the wedding companies. I can definitely find another one right away."

However, after making several calls, William’s face grew increasingly grim. It wasn’t that people were unwilling to help or that he lacked influence; it was merely that this day was considered auspicious, leading to an abundance of weddings, with most hosts already booked. Since weddings in YODC City generally took place around the same time, rescheduling was not a viable option.

As everyone frantically tried without success to resolve the issue, James felt he should lend a hand. Lacking contacts in the wedding industry, he seemed unable to help until an idea suddenly struck him. He remembered his classmates mentioning that it would be prestigious to have Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog host the wedding. Stepping aside, he dialed Alice’s number.

"Mr. Brown, calling me so early?" Alice’s voice rang with surprise.

"Sorry to disturb your rest," James began tentatively, "Do you have some free time right now, Miss Brown?"

Alice laughed, "Of course, Mr. Brown. Even if I were busy, I’d make time for you."

Not one to be shy, James promptly made his request, "Then I’d like to ask for a favor, Miss Brown."

Alice had thought James was asking her out, but by the tone of his request, it seemed otherwise. However, that made her all the more eager—if she could be of help to James, that would mean he owed her big time, perhaps even more so than if she had spent the night with him. "Mr. Brown, why be so formal? Tell me, I’m all ears."

James explained, "So, my classmate’s getting married, and the wedding host was in a car accident and can’t make it. We urgently need a substitute host."

"No problem, I’ll be right over, and by the way, I’ll call Laura too. We’ve always been a team and we work better together."

"That’s even better, then. I appreciate it," James Brown hurriedly gave them the address.

"It’s a small matter. The place you mentioned isn’t too far from my home. I can get there in ten minutes. Will I make it in time?"

"You’ll make it. The official wedding ceremony isn’t until after nine."

"Great! Then I’ll see you there."

James Brown quickly added, "Wait, Miss Brown, none of my classmates know about my status, so make sure you don’t spill the beans."

Alice Brown suddenly laughed and said, "Mr. Brown, you’re really quite funny, but it’s rare to see a young master like you."

"You flatter me."

"Not at all; I admire you. But let’s stop here. I’m still lying in bed and haven’t even gotten dressed. I need to hurry up and get ready."

Her words carried a seductive tone that conjured an image of her lounging in bed, causing James’ heart to flutter. She was indeed a hostess, and with that single phrase, even he felt momentarily distracted.

With a chuckle, James said, "Then hurry up and get ready. I won’t keep you any longer."

After hanging up, James Brown approached the group of classmates who were all anxiously chattering and scheming. Some were already suggesting finding someone eloquent from among themselves to emcee the wedding.

James Brown cleared his throat and said, "Fellow classmates, I’ve found a host."

Everyone immediately turned to look at James Brown, with John Wilson being the first to excitedly ask, "James, for real?"

James smiled subtly and replied, "Of course it’s real. The host will be here in half an hour."

This news relieved everyone, but William Johnson felt somewhat uncomfortable, as something he hadn’t accomplished had been managed by James, which felt like a slap in the face. He stiffened his expression and said, "James, this is John Stephens’ lifelong event. You can’t just arbitrarily choose some third-rate host; if they do a poor job, John Stephens will lose face."

Amy Smith also quickly added, "That’s right, this is no trivial matter, James. Which wedding planning company did you hire?"

James shook his head and said, "They’re not from a wedding planning company."

"What? Not from a wedding planning company?" The classmates all cried out, with Amy Smith’s words coming out rapidly like machine gun fire: "James, what kind of joke is this? This is the wedding host we’re talking about. If they’re not from a professional company, can they even do a good job? And there’s no time left to prepare. How can someone just thrown together at the last minute possibly work?"

James shrugged his shoulders and ventured, "I think it should be fine?"

Amy Smith pressed, "What do you mean ’should be’? Either it’s fine, or it’s not. We’re all trying to figure this out here. If the one you found isn’t up to par, that really wouldn’t be okay."

"Yes, I’ll keep looking. I refuse to believe we can’t find a wedding planning company with an available host," William Johnson defiantly picked up his phone too.

James could only give a dry cough and said, "I’ve brought in Jessica Johnson and Jennifer Hog. I don’t know if there will be a problem with them hosting. I’ve never seen them host a show."

Everyone stared at James with wide-eyed expressions and a peculiar look on their faces. Amy Smith suddenly hit James, scolding, "James, are you out of your mind? Making jokes when everyone’s in such a panic?"

William Johnson snorted, "This really isn’t the time to be joking around carelessly."

Everyone else also cast contemptuous looks at James, clearly thinking it was inappropriate for him to joke at such a moment.

Feeling somewhat speechless, James said with a wry smile, "Don’t worry. I was just kidding. I’ve hired someone from a wedding planning company. They just finished a job, so they should be able to get here on time."

"You scared me to death. That’s more like it," Amy Smith rolled her eyes at James, and the others also rolled their eyes at him, clearly not pleased with him joking around at such a serious time.

At least the issue with the host was resolved, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, there was still some doubt about whether the host would be competent. After all, James hadn’t been in touch for so many years, and he was now just a minor employee. They weren’t too optimistic about his capabilities.