James Brown had truly encountered such an annoying girl for the first time. Little troublemakers like Little Lily were easy for James Brown to handle, but Sarah Grandy just idolized him without any ill intentions. However, her persistence left him feeling tied down.
He stopped walking and said to Sarah Grandy with a serious face, "If you want me not to dislike you, you’d better behave. Your show-off attitude only makes me dislike you, and I don’t want to see you again."
Sarah Grandy pouted and said, "Uncle, I just like you, that’s all."
"Your liking me is your business, but I don’t like you. The kind of girl I dislike the most is the one who brings me trouble all the time. Only girls as gentle as Lemon do I like."
Sarah Grandy glanced at Emma Campbell, pouting even more, and said, "I know, I won’t be a brat anymore, so Uncle, can you take me to your place?"
"No," James Brown answered decisively.
Stomping her foot in frustration, Sarah Grandy asked, "Uncle, do you really dislike me that much?"
"I didn’t dislike you initially, but the way you acted earlier, it really made me dislike you."
Sarah Grandy said with a forlorn expression, "Can’t I change? Besides, when I saw you fight, you were so cool, and I was really excited."
Seeing that Sarah Grandy had calmed down a bit, James Brown softened his tone, "Okay, now go back home and behave. If you behave well, I might still pay attention to you in the future, otherwise, I’ll never bother with you again."
"Uncle... I’ll listen to you, but... please don’t send me away. I’m so bored today, I just want to come over to your place to hang out. I promise I won’t cause any trouble!"
Seeing that James Brown was silent, Sarah Grandy shook his arm and said in a pleading voice, "Uncle, please agree, I’ll really be good."
"Big Brother Brown... Just agree to it," Emma Campbell surprisingly spoke up to help Sarah Grandy while James Brown was about to refuse.
An excited Sarah Grandy said, "Sister, you are such a good person. I’ve decided, from now on, we’re comrades in the same trench, following Uncle."
Both Emma Campbell and James Brown were struck speechless, but since Emma Campbell had agreed, James Brown didn’t refuse. With a girl like Sarah Grandy, the more you refused her, the more insistent she seemed to become. Once she realized that James Brown was just an ordinary employee without money or power and nothing else of interest, she would probably lose interest before long.
After hailing a taxi, James Brown sat in the front while Sarah Grandy and Emma Campbell sat in the back. Sarah Grandy was quite chatty, clearly trying to curry favor with Emma Campbell, who, though not much of a talker, managed to exchange a few words with Sarah Grandy.
It wasn’t long before the three of them arrived at James Brown’s home. Once inside, Sarah Grandy looked around the place before expressing her amazement, "Uncle, how can you live in such a small house?"
James Brown smiled faintly, "I’m renting this place. Without money, of course, I can only live in a small house."
Sarah Grandy nodded, then blinked and said, "That’s not bad either. A small home is cozier. Living in a big house wouldn’t be as meaningful."
Not wanting to dwell on the topic with Sarah Grandy, James Brown turned to Emma Campbell, "Lemon, chat with Sarah for a bit. I’m going to buy some groceries."
"Big Brother Brown, I’ll go buy them," Emma Campbell offered quickly.
James Brown waved her off, "No need, I’ll make something tasty for lunch." He left without waiting for Emma Campbell to rise.
When James Brown returned, Emma Campbell and Sarah Grandy came to greet him. Emma Campbell took the groceries from his hands, while Sarah Grandy watched James Brown with a smile, then she bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle and even fetched his slippers, saying, "Uncle, you’re back."
James Brown felt as if he had seen this scenario before and, upon reflection, realized it was the typical Japanese custom; wives would greet their husbands in this manner when they returned home—though in contemporary Japan, many women worked, so this tended to be more prevalent among housewives who didn’t work.
However, it could not be denied that such a welcome gave men a sense of achievement and the dignity of being the head of the household, something James Brown had also witnessed during his stay in JKWN Country.
"Uncle, you must be tired. Please sit; I’ll pour you some tea," Sarah Grandy said earnestly, playing the part quite convincingly.
James Brown couldn’t help but smile wryly, "Enough, don’t put on that act for me; I can’t deal with it."
Sarah Grandy giggled mischievously and then jumped onto the sofa beside James Brown, kneeling and resting her hands on his shoulders, "Uncle, may I give you a shoulder massage?"
James Brown brushed her hands off, "No need, I have to cook, otherwise we’ll be hungry at lunchtime."
"But isn’t Sister Emma cooking?" Sarah Grandy pointed towards the kitchen.
Just as expected, Emma Campbell was in the kitchen cooking. James Brown quickly spoke up, "Lemon, take a break. I’ll do it." With Emma Campbell already washing his clothes and tidying his room, James Brown really felt bad making her cook too.
Emma Campbell turned and gave James Brown a sweet smile, "Big Brother Brown, take a rest; I can handle it."
James Brown stood up, "Then let’s cook together." He certainly didn’t want to be alone with Sarah Grandy, the girl who was just too clingy.
"Uncle, can you cook too?" Sarah Grandy also followed him, tilting her head to look at James Brown.
"Of course, I can cook. I can’t afford to always eat out, otherwise, I’d starve," he said.
Sarah Grandy immediately said excitedly, "Uncle, you’re really so cool."
James Brown said, feeling both amused and annoyed, "I’m cool just because I can cook?"
"Definitely, there are too few men who can cook nowadays. If I were with you, wouldn’t that mean I never have to learn how to cook?"
James Brown replied grumpily, "Sorry, but I have no interest in supporting a freeloader."
Sarah Grandy immediately said seriously, "I’m not a freeloader. I can keep you company while you cook, or I can hug your waist while you cook, to let you experience the sweetness of cooking." As she spoke, she reached out to hug James Brown’s waist.
James Brown quickly jumped away, glaring at her and said, "Watch yourself."
Sarah Grandy giggled and said, "Uncle, you’re too old-fashioned."
James Brown glared at her and said, "I am an old-fashioned person, and I’m definitely not into playing those romantic games with you."
"Hee hee, old-fashioned uncles are cool. I really despise those men who are all talk and no action."
"How am I cool again?" James Brown was feeling rather frustrated. It seemed that no matter what he was like, in Sarah’s eyes, he was always cool.
Emma Campbell couldn’t help but laugh out loud, which made James Brown even more annoyed. He said, "Listen, Lemon, I’m your boyfriend, and now when someone’s trying to steal me away, you’re still able to laugh."
Emma Campbell’s face turned red, and she said softly, "As long as Big Brother Brown is happy."
Sarah Grandy immediately said triumphantly, "See that? Sister Emma has accepted me. What else do you have to say, Uncle?"
"Get out of here, it’s none of your business." James Brown looked at Emma Campbell for a cue, and Emma Campbell exhibited a bitter smile, clearly also troubled by Sarah’s persistence.
"Get out, don’t mess around here, or you won’t have any dinner to eat." James Brown had no choice but to play his trump card, glaring at Sarah and shooing her out of the kitchen.
"Lemon, put on a stern face and tell her off, drive her away," James Brown whispered to Emma Campbell somewhat dejectedly.
Emma Campbell also whispered back, "Big Brother Brown, I can’t say that, and besides, I know that Big Brother Brown doesn’t like her. It’s just her one-sided feelings, so it’s even harder for me to say anything."
James Brown suddenly felt like slapping his forehead and said with a sigh, "Your character is really too meek. You’ll suffer for it sooner or later."
Emma Campbell gave an apologetic smile and said, "Sorry, Big Brother Brown, I just can’t be the bad guy."
James Brown shook his head and said, "Alright then, I won’t push you."
The two of them cooked together, and Emma Campbell kept a smile on her face the whole time. Whenever she caught James Brown’s gaze, she shyly looked away, but her face flushed, and her smile grew even brighter.
Watching Emma Campbell , James Brown suddenly realized a very serious problem. He had just ousted the tiger by the front door and welcomed the wolf at the back door. He had only been focused on dealing with Sarah, but he had neglected Emma Campbell. Now that he used Emma Campbell as an excuse, her feelings for him must have deepened even more.
He cleared his throat and said softly, "Lemon, sorry about before, I shouldn’t have said you were my girlfriend."
Emma Campbell’s face changed immediately. The girl couldn’t hide her feelings, and her mournful look instantly pained James Brown’s heart, making him somewhat regret having said those words.
"I know." Emma Campbell answered softly, then brushed her hair aside and even managed to smile at James Brown, though the smile was quite bitter.
James Brown sighed internally but didn’t offer any comfort. Instead, he pretended to be unaware and said, "Heh, as long as you don’t mind, that’s good."
Emma Campbell bit her lip and said softly, "Big Brother Brown, I really don’t mind. I’m just happy to be able to help you with anything."
James Brown nodded, pretending not to see the tears forming in Emma Campbell’s eyes.
Emma Campbell secretly wiped her eyes, then finally beamed at James Brown and said, "Big Brother Brown, don’t worry. I won’t cling to you like Sarah does. I just want to do whatever I can to help you, and if you find a girlfriend you like, I definitely won’t interfere."
James Brown now felt incredibly guilty, for hurting such a tender girl, but such things had to be done. He couldn’t afford to give Emma Campbell any false hope.