Chapter 196: A Chance Encounter with Helen Wilson

Words : 1672 Updated : Sep 23rd, 2025

Chapter 196: Chapter 196: A Chance Encounter with Helen WilsonAs the group turned a corner, they were out of sight. James Brown didn’t pursue them; regardless of who they were, it no longer concerned him. He was just an average citizen now, living a normal life. Only the people and things close to him mattered; all those strong figures were now fleeting memories. The sunshine was pleasant, and the weather was quite nice. Underneath a crabapple tree there was a lounge chair. James sat on the lounge chair, closed his eyes, and enjoyed this comfortable moment. He was so at ease that he fell asleep without realizing it. "Brother-in-law, wake up!" Emily Lopez’s melodious voice rang in James’s ear, startling him awake. This made James feel somewhat frustrated. Recently, his senses seemed to have dulled. In the past, not to mention someone approaching him, he would wake up automatically even if they were five meters away. Now Emily was shouting in his ear, and he hadn’t noticed. "What’s wrong with you? Did you oversleep or something?" Emily waved her hand in front of James’s face and leaned down, her face barely ten centimeters from his. James opened his eyes suddenly, startling Emily, who shrank back. Only then did James stand up and smile, "Are you done chatting?" Emily immediately smiled happily, "If I were to chat with Qiao Ya for a day and a night, I still wouldn’t finish, but I must know better, so I had to call you over." Qiao Ya chuckled and said, "Yes, I have some things to do, so I can’t chat with Sandra today, but I’ve already promised her that if I have time, she can come to see me any time." She paused, her expression filled with regret as she continued, "It’s a pity Sandra met me so late. If it had been ten years earlier, Sandra could have achieved great things." Emily smiled sweetly, "Qiao Ya, you needn’t feel sorry for me. Even if I could dance well, I wouldn’t have your kind of temperament, and I’m too wild, always wanting to go out and play. If I were to appear in the tabloids every day, the world would be in chaos." James laughed heartily, "You do have some self-awareness, don’t you?" Emily nodded, "Yes, brother-in-law knows me well." At this moment, Qiao Ya asked in surprise, "Hey, why do you keep calling James ’brother-in-law’? At first, I thought I had heard it wrong." Emily playfully blinked and said, "He once pretended to be my sister’s boyfriend, so I started calling him ’brother-in-law.’ I got used to it and am too lazy to change it now." "Lisa Smith... brother-in-law, little sister-in-law, this relationship is really quite amusing," Qiao Ya said with a mischievous grin, laughing at James. James’s face darkened. The relationship between Gina Lopez, Emily Lopez, and him was indeed complicated, and he couldn’t be bothered to explain it to Qiao Ya. Pulling Emily along, he said, "It’s getting late, I won’t bother you any longer. Let’s go." "I won’t see you out then, we’ll be in touch by phone," Qiao Ya gestured with a phone sign, then watched as James and Emily left. Once they were in the car, Emily couldn’t help asking, "Brother-in-law, I really didn’t expect you to be so close to Qiao Ya. I thought you were introduced through someone else, and that’s how I got to meet her. It turns out you two are such good friends. Can you tell me how you met?" James smiled slightly, "Qiao Ya once participated in a performance, and a VIP went to watch it. An incident happened and I was responsible for protecting that VIP. I also helped her out, and that’s how we got to know each other." "Wow, you must have been so cool back then." "There was nothing cool about it, it was all dangerous stuff. Haven’t you seen that I’ve stopped doing it now?" "That’s really a pity. If I could see you looking dashing and heroic again, I’d be so happy." James chuckled to himself, then remembered his decline in prowess during this period. It seemed he would have to increase his training. Skills weren’t something that, once learned, remained forever without regular practice. His decline was all too evident. For James, even a decline meant he was still formidable. But these skills had been honed through years of hard training; it would be such a waste to let them go. Moreover, they were now a part of his inherent pride. To give them up was something his heart couldn’t accept. "Brother-in-law, where shall we go have fun now?" Emily tilted her head, looking at James with a smile. James responded at once, "I’m taking you home now, I have things to do this afternoon." Emily’s mouth puckered in an instant, "It’s the weekend, can’t you spend some time to play with me?" "I really do have something important." "Well, Brother-in-law, you’re not being nice to me anymore; you don’t even hang out with me," Emily Lopez could hang a soy sauce bottle on her pout. "Haha... What can I do when your sister is arranging so much work for me these days? I’m only taking you with me because Qiao Ya is leaving in a few days, and it might not be easy to see her later," he replied. Emily huffed but didn’t say much else. She let James Brown drop her off at the residential complex. After waving goodbye to him, she entered the complex. When Emily left, James breathed a sigh of relief. Although he didn’t want to admit it, he was quite aware that, among the girls he interacted with, Emily was definitely the most attractive to him. Emily was joyful and carefree; being with her always felt very relaxing. Although she wasn’t the traditional wife material, spending a lifetime with a girl like her would surely never be lonely or boring. He was, in fact, a little afraid of getting too close to her. If he accidentally developed real feelings for her, James wasn’t sure he could extricate himself. And now that he had Emma Campbell, he constantly reminded himself to stay focused. Sёarch* The ηovёlFire .net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. After dropping Emily off, James didn’t immediately head home. With Sarah Grandy waiting at his house, he and Emma couldn’t really do anything, and because his perception had weakened today, he wanted to strengthen himself. He thought about finding a gym to work out for a bit. He knew exactly what was wrong with his body; it was because he had been too relaxed lately. He needed to get his body back into shape to return to his apex condition quickly. His foundation was strong; he hadn’t truly weakened. He found the biggest fitness center in YODC City. Having little interest in the standard equipment, he opted for those with high intensity that could really make a difference in his training. After more than two hours, James was drenched in sweat, but his perception abilities had improved significantly, which pleased him. As he was about to go freshen up and leave, he saw a familiar face—it was Helen Wilson, the female police officer. Helen Wilson noticed him too. Dressed in a form-fitting workout outfit, she walked straight up to James. "You’re also here to work out?" she asked, eyeing him up and down with a frown and an unfriendly tone. James replied with a cheerful smile, "Officer Monaghan, what a coincidence! You work out too? It’s amazing to bump into you here." His gaze, however, couldn’t help but sweep over Helen’s figure. She really did have an impressive physique: long legs, a flat stomach, and nicely proportioned hips. Her imposing posture, coupled with her delicate beauty, stirred up plenty of envy among the other men in the gym. Helen kept her eyes on him. "Don’t tell me you’re here to hit on girls instead of working out?" she asked suspiciously. James broke into a sweat, replying, "Officer Monaghan, do you really see me as that kind of guy?" "Aren’t you?" Helen retorted with disdain. James responded with a wry smile, "Aside from you, have you seen me chatting up any other women?" "I know you’ve got high standards. You wouldn’t just settle for anyone." "That’s right, only a beauty like Officer Monaghan could pique my interest. I wonder if you’d give me a chance to try my luck with you?" "Fine! I’ll give you a chance." "What?" James exclaimed in disbelief, staring at Helen as if she were a creature from another world. He had only been joking with her, but she, the usually serious female police officer, seemed to be joining in on the jest. "What? I don’t meet your standards?" Helen asked him coldly. "No... Officer Monaghan, I was only joking, and I apologize for being disrespectful," he replied. Helen snorted before continuing, "Go change. I’ll wait for you at the entrance in twenty minutes. If you dare run away, I’ll come looking for you at your house." Without waiting for his response, she left. Completely taken aback by Helen’s response, by the time James came back to his senses, she was gone. He quickly changed and rushed to the lobby. He wasn’t afraid of Helen, but with two girls at his place right now, if Helen barged into his home and saw that he’d taken in Sarah Grandy, he feared this justice-driven police officer might cause him trouble. He waited less than five minutes at the entrance before Helen came out dressed in simple casual wear. Pleased to see James there, she nodded in approval. "Let’s go, we’ll talk outside." James could only agree, filled with curiosity. What was Officer Monaghan planning? She surely wasn’t like Gina Lopez, trying to drag him home to meet her parents, was she? Nowadays, women who wanted to remain single but faced parental pressure often resorted to such tactics.

Chapter 196: A Chance Encounter with Helen Wilson

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