The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 129: Mutually Declining

Chapter 129: Chapter 129: Mutually Declining

Under Gina’s insistence, Emily reluctantly changed into a more conservative pair of pajamas that Gina had provided before coming out.

Once out, she heard James say to Gina, "Gina, go take a bath first. You’ll be ready for dinner once you’re done."

Gina agreed, then took her things and went into the bathroom.

Emily walked into the kitchen, stuck her tongue out at James, and said, "Brother-in-law, I’m sorry."

"What’s the matter? What trouble have you caused?" James looked at Emily with a smile.

Emily said sheepishly, "I blurted out earlier about seeing two beauties and almost made my sister mad. Luckily, I helped you smooth things over."

James chuckled and replied, "Anyway, there’s nothing between me and them. It’s fine even if your sister knows."

"Come on," Emily said, "with my sister’s temperament, she doesn’t take kindly to even the tiniest bit of irritation. Tonight, you better brace yourself and sweet-talk my sister, ’cause I won’t be much help."

James looked up and tapped Emily’s head lightly, saying, "After causing trouble, you just wash your hands of it? That’s not how it should be."

Emily giggled and replied, "At that moment, I just wanted to make my sister feel a little threatened. I didn’t expect it to backfire."

"Alright, no worries, my relationship with your sister is very solid. It’s not something that can be damaged by such a trivial matter. Go help your brother-in-law set the table; we’re about to eat."

Emily agreed and hurried off to help.

After Gina had showered and emerged, the aroma that filled the house made her stomach growl, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten a thing all day. Earlier, when she was upset, she hadn’t felt hungry, but now her stomach began to grumble loud protests.

"You must have gone a whole day without eating again," James said, with a frown. "Come and eat now. You really shouldn’t work yourself to the bone like this."

Gina, still in a daze, sat down at the table. James’s scolding made her feel warm inside. It reminded her of her parents, who would only scold her like this when she was young. Once she grew up and left home, her parents never scolded her again.

"Have some soup first to soothe your stomach before you eat anything else," James said as he served Gina a bowl of egg drop soup.

Gina took it, sipped a mouthful, and couldn’t help but drink a couple more because it was so refreshing and delicious. She then looked up and said to James, "Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for? Am I a stranger?" James shook his head and served a bowl to Emily as well.

Emily, grinning, accepted the bowl and said, "I’m not going to be polite like my sister. Whatever my brother-in-law makes is always delicious." After taking a few sips of the soup, she started eating heartily.

Gina, who was famished too, ate a lot and gradually felt even better. "Where did you guys go for fun today?"

"We just went to W Temple, and then I took Sandra shopping for some clothes," James answered succinctly.

Emily couldn’t help but giggle. Today had been thrilling and exciting, definitely the most fun she had ever had.

"Then take Emily out for fun tomorrow too, but you can’t use my car. You’ll have to take a taxi."

James nodded and said, "Yeah, by the way, did work not go well again today?"

Gina sighed and said, "The people sent from the headquarters are truly infuriating."

Emily pouted and suggested, "Then just quit working for them. With your abilities, sis, you’d do well anywhere."

Gina shook her head and said, "It’s not that easy. But right now, I do want to leave."

James chimed in, "Going to work with Lucy Campbell wouldn’t be too bad."

Gina replied with a hint of worry, "Lucy Campbell’s personal charm is undeniable, but I’m afraid that after going there, it may be good at first, but eventually, it will turn into the same situation I’m in now."

James said, "I think you don’t need to worry about that. Lucy Campbell is nothing like the short-sighted people at your current headquarters."

"That’s not something I need to rush into. I’ll consider it some more."

Emily, listening to their conversation, was completely lost and interjected, "Who is Lucy Campbell?"

James laughed, "She’s got quite the background. Heard she owns a massive company in the Capital of SSUP. Don’t know what got into her, but she’s come over to YODC City to expand and seems to really admire your sister, wants her to help manage the branch office here. But your sister hasn’t agreed yet."

"Lucy... Is that a woman’s name? How old is she? Is she pretty?" The thing that Emily was most concerned about turned out to be this.

That question didn’t bode well for James to answer, but Gina nodded and said, "She’s about my age, and she has a title—SSUP Country’s number one beauty. So, do you think she’s pretty?"

"What? SSUP Country’s number one beauty? How come I’ve never heard of it?" Emily’s eyes widened; this title of SSUP Country’s number one beauty was just too grand.

Gina explained, "For ordinary people, SSUP Country’s number one beauty indeed seems too far off. Even I didn’t know about her until recently when I attended a banquet in the city. That’s when I found out that such a person exists. It’s a title circulating among the elite, but if you think about it, for someone to be named the number one beauty among those high-end individuals, you can imagine how pretty she must be."

"Wow, that’s incredible. I’d really like to see what SSUP Country’s number one beauty looks like, given the chance."

Gina gave her sister a look and said, "That’s not going to happen. When she comes to YODC City, not even the mayor or the Mayor dare to visit her without permission. How could I just casually take you to see her?"

Emily pouted and said, "She really puts on quite the airs, huh."

Just after dinner, Gina’s phone rang. It was Sunny calling. After glancing at James, she slipped into the bedroom to take the call.

"Sister Sunny, what’s up?" Gina closed the bedroom door before answering the call.

Sunny said, "Nothing much, just feeling a bit upset and wanted to talk to someone."

Gina quickly said, "Sorry, James has been commandeered by me. With my sister staying over these past few days, I’ve had to pretend he’s my boyfriend. I hope you don’t mind."

Sunny paused, then chuckled lightly, "Why would I mind? I’ve told you before; it’s not possible between him and me. We were just keeping each other company to ward off loneliness."

Sunny had said this to Gina more than once, and now Gina understood Sunny’s thinking: she didn’t want to start another relationship for the time being. But Gina always felt that since James and Sunny had been intimate, they should become a proper couple. Now, with Sunny calling and Gina using James as a makeshift boyfriend, she felt a bit guilty.

"Hehe, never mind that. What’s got you feeling so irritable today?"

"Sigh, how could you not know? If that person comes to the company, how will I face him? And with that shrewish woman around, she’ll surely never stop belittling me."

Gina sighed and said, "I’ve been troubled about the same thing these past few days. Don’t worry, I’ll definitely have a definitive answer for you by the end of the week. Whether I’ll go or stay, I’ll make a decision."

"Mhm, that would be best. Although I haven’t worked with you long, I feel most at ease working together with you."

A woman like Sunny had suffered a great deal of harassment in the head office previously—managers and executives and such, which was highly aggravating. Now, working with Gina made her feel content; as a female boss, Gina wouldn’t harass her. Moreover, her work ethic was as conscientious as her own, truly a feeling of meeting a like-minded soul, so even considering switching jobs, she very much wanted to work with Gina.

After talking about work for a while, Sunny suddenly laughed softly and said, "You know Gina, I’ve got a personal question for you."

"What is it?" Gina’s heart skipped a beat, anticipating that whatever Sunny was about to ask would be difficult to answer.

"Your sister is staying at your place, so she must be sleeping there. But what about James... where does he sleep?"

Gina blushed immediately, finding the question indeed difficult to answer. She hemmed and hawed but couldn’t provide a clear response.

Sunny, already guessing the answer from Gina’s awkwardness, laughed heartily and said, "Look at you, Gina—no need to hide anything from me. If you really like him, just get together with him already, and I’ll stop associating with him from now on."

"No, no, no!" Gina said ’no’ three times in her agitation, organizing her thoughts before continuing, "Although James and I are sharing a room, we haven’t done anything. Am I the kind of person who’s that easy? Besides, I really have no feelings for him. The reason he’s been helping me is just to maintain the lie I told over the New Year."

"A man and a woman living in one room, even sharing one bed... and you can really do nothing?" Sunny’s voice was laced with teasing.

"Really, how could I do that? You’re my good friend, and he’s your man. Could I steal him?"

"I’ve told you before, he’s not my man. Whether you steal him or not isn’t my concern, as long as you don’t mind that he and I had a relationship before."

"Sister Sunny, if you say that again, I’ll send him packing right now, even if it means my sister finds out I’ve been lying."

"Alright, alright. I’ll stop teasing you. But this James guy really is quite the flirt—to be with a great beauty like you and still act so innocently, it’s beyond my imagination."

"He really is very honest, I can vouch for that. So don’t judge him by how flirty he seems. When it comes down to seriousness, he’s quite principled. I really think you should consider being with him. Although he’s just a lower-level employee, I feel he’s very capable. And even if he doesn’t develop in his career, just having him take care of the home would be pretty good. Especially since his cooking is so delicious. I ate so much tonight."

"Gina, have you noticed, you really have a high opinion of James?"

Sunny’s comment left Gina speechless, and suddenly, she realized that she actually quite liked having James stay at her place.