CHAPTER 522: CHAPTER 531: THE RULES SET BY EMILY LOPEZ_2

Grace Lopez said arrogantly, "Smart of you, let me tell you, I can forgive you for other things, but I can’t forgive staying out all night."

James Brown couldn’t help but smile and said, "Your sister hasn’t set that rule for me, and you’re setting rules for me?"

"That’s a must. My sister’s too shy, so I have to set it for you. This rule is absolutely non-negotiable. If you dare stay out all night, you’ll definitely face severe punishment."

James Brown laughed, "What if I have something going on, can I still not stay out all night?"

"That’s still a no!" Grace Lopez said firmly.

"No way, that’s harsh. Let me ask again, if I really stay out all night, how will you punish me?"

"Well... Hmmph, then you’ll be punished by doing the laundry and cleaning every day, serving my sister and me until we are satisfied."

"Aren’t I already serving both of you every day now?" James Brown murmured softly.

Grace Lopez waved her small fist, and said fiercely, "We’re going easy on you now, not making it difficult for you at all. You’ll find out how terrifying our punishment is then."

James Brown laughed heartily and said, "All right, all right, I’ll make sure to come home every day from now on, no matter how late it is. Does that satisfy you?"

"That’s more like it, that’s my good brother-in-law." Grace Lopez immediately beamed with joy, looking irresistibly charming.

That evening, after getting a call from David Johnson, James Brown headed to an upscale hotel right after work. This hotel was obviously expensive; choosing such a venue for a class reunion seemed a bit extravagant.

James Brown wasn’t short of money, but most of his classmates weren’t exactly wealthy. If someone were footing the bill it would be fine, but one might feel pained using a split-the-bill method.

Arriving at the reserved private room, James Brown pushed open the door and went in. There were already four people inside: David Johnson, Amy Smith, a classmate named Steven Robinson whom James Brown wasn’t very familiar with, and another who looked vaguely familiar but whose name he couldn’t recall. He should also have been James’s classmate, but James hadn’t seen him at the last two reunions, and they probably didn’t interact much during high school.

"James, why are you dressed like that?" David Johnson looked at James Brown’s security uniform in surprise and shouted loudly.

Amy Smith also asked in confusion, "Old friend, weren’t you still a driver for the CEO last time? How come you’re a security guard now?"

At their last meeting, J Corporation hadn’t been established yet, and James was just Gina Lopez’s personal driver. They didn’t know he had become a manager at J Corporation, so he laughed and said, "No choice, the boss wasn’t impressed with me, so she transferred me to the security department."

David Johnson furrowed his brow and said, "You really are something, couldn’t even serve the leaders well."

James Brown rubbed his nose; now he was serving very well indeed, attending at the company during the day and on the bed at night. But there was no need to share this with his classmates, after all, revealing this kind of identity might seem a bit boastful, so he smiled and said, "No big deal, the salary’s about the same, working anywhere is fine."

The classmate James couldn’t recognize smiled and said, "Don’t belittle security guards, it’s still a proper job." This sounded like consolation, but the tone felt rather condescending.

James Brown didn’t take offense, he smiled and said, "Yeah, being a security guard isn’t bad, but I really can’t recall your name, though I know you’re my classmate."

Amy Smith quickly said, "How could you forget this, it’s Michael Davis, our class committee member!"

James Brown made an "oh" sound, "I remember now, that time you were the best student in our class. But I didn’t really like studying then, so I was embarrassed to hang out with you top students."

Amy Smith, who was usually quite active, immediately said, "Michael Davis not only excelled in high school but also in university, and now he’s just graduated from graduate school and is going to be deployed back, directly as a section-level cadre."

Michael Davis immediately gave a proud smile and pretended to be humble, "A small section-level cadre, nothing worth mentioning, nothing at all."

Just then, a few more classmates entered one after another, and everyone seemed to recognize Michael Davis. Hearing he was a dispatched cadre, they were all quite envious.

Most of James Brown’s high school classmates had jobs, but not many were doing well. After all, they had just graduated two years ago and had little seniority. Only those who had become public servants were doing relatively well. Like James Johnson, whose father was the deputy director of the Environmental Protection Bureau in H District, he himself was a civil servant, which was already enviable. But Michael Davis was graduating straight into a section-level position, which was out of James’s league and indeed made others look up to him.

About a dozen people arrived, chatting away together. Naturally, Michael Davis became the center, while no one paid much special attention to James Brown in his security uniform.

It wasn’t until Michael Terry arrived that the dynamic changed. Seeing James Brown, Michael Terry warmly greeted him and gratefully said, "James, you really helped me out last time. My wife and I still watch our wedding tape from time to time, it’s truly unforgettable."

James Brown laughed, "Just happened to be there, no need to be so polite, if you’re polite every time, I won’t dare to see you again."

Michael Terry laughed heartily and heavily patted James on the shoulder, "In that case, I won’t be polite, since we’re old classmates."

This seemed to steal the spotlight from Michael Davis, who furrowed his brow and said, "Michael, I couldn’t make it to your wedding as I was busy with graduation stuff, sorry about that."

Michael Terry laughed, "No worries, when my wife gives birth, come to the full moon party."

"Sure thing, I’m moving back to YODC City for work, I’ll definitely be there. By the way, how did James help you, that you’re so grateful?"

Amy Smith quickly interjected to recount how James Brown had brought along Alice Brown and Jennifer Hog, two big-name hosts from YODC City, to host Michael Terry’s wedding. Michael Davis didn’t take it seriously, thinking James had just relied on his boss’s connections, which couldn’t compare to his own capabilities.