Chapter 3: Flirting with the Beautiful Woman on the Bus

In less than half a day, he’d run into two and a half hotties.

Emily was still a kid, so she only counted as half.

Sophia shot a side-eye at John and asked, "Emily, who’s that dude? You know him?"

Emily followed Sophia’s gaze, shook her head, and said, "Nah, just met him on the plane!"

A flicker of sadness crossed Sophia’s face. She nodded and said, "Emily, hop in the car, let’s bounce!"

As soon as they got in, Emily started gossiping, "Sophia, I heard James found you a hubby. Is he hot?"

A hint of gloom flashed in Sophia’s clear eyes. She shrugged and said, "No clue, haven’t met him yet. He’s one of Dad’s soldiers, named John."

Emily’s big eyes lit up with excitement. "John? That’s such a basic name. Sophia, when can I meet my future bro-in-law?"

"What future bro-in-law? It’s just a blind date James set up ‘cause he thinks the guy’s decent!" Sophia’s tone was full of reluctance.

Clearly, she wasn’t thrilled about this blind date.

Ava noticed Sophia’s worry and smiled to comfort her, "Sophia, if James thinks he’s good, he can’t be that bad!"

Emily nodded eagerly, "Yeah, Ava’s right. He’s gotta be a hundred times, no, a thousand times better than the jerk who yelled at me on the plane!"

John, who was chilling by the roadside waiting for the bus, suddenly sneezed loudly.

He rubbed his nose and muttered, "Dang, who’s talking about me? Just got off the plane, and someone’s already thinking about me?"

After waiting for five minutes, the airport bus came zooming towards him.

The driver was a young woman, about twenty-three or twenty-four, with two ponytails and a fresh look.

She glanced at John and shouted, "What are you standing there for? Either swipe your card, pay up, or scram!"

"Hold up," John heard her sass but didn’t get mad. He just smiled and replied.

Then, he fumbled in his pocket for a good half minute before slowly pulling out two bills.

After getting on the bus, John, out of habit, started scoping out every passenger with the corner of his eye.

Soon, his gaze landed on two girls.

Both were about 20, rocking light blue pleated skirts, looking super innocent.

One of the girls, with long hair draped over her shoulders, was seriously reading a book.

Her long lashes had a light touch of eyeshadow.

At that moment, the girl reading the book noticed someone staring at her and shot John a fierce glare.

John didn’t care. Seeing the beauty glaring at him, he felt no shame and even met her gaze with a smile.

"Pervert!" She tightened her skirt, spat the word out, and then ignored John, diving back into her book.

John had to look away.

"Perfect body, perfect face, but her chest is probably just 36B, a bit small, overall not perfect."

Suddenly, the long-haired girl seemed to discover something and gently nudged her friend’s elbow, saying, "Mia, the male lead in this book flirts with many girls but never gets it on. I think he’s gay, and the author’s writing sucks!"

Mia said, "Isabella, you might be right, but this kind of book has no literary value. You should read less of it."

John, hearing their convo, calmly analyzed, "Maybe the male lead has erectile dysfunction and can only enjoy emotional connections? Also, I agree, you should read less of this kind of book. No steamy scenes, no literary value, not worth it."

Isabella blushed at the thought of steamy scenes after hearing John’s words. Mia’s expression didn’t change much; she just nodded in agreement with John.

John waved at them and said, "Ladies, this is my stop. Catch you later! And I don’t have erectile dysfunction!"

The two girls stared at John’s departing figure, wide-eyed.

After a moment, the long-haired girl, blushing, squeezed out a word, "Pervert!"

After hopping off the bus, John made a beeline for Horizon Innovations Group, the address James had given him.

But before he even got to the entrance, he stumbled upon a scene straight out of a rom-com.

999 red roses were laid out on the ground in a heart shape, with red candles spelling out "Sophia, I Love You."

A young dude, probably around twenty-four or twenty-five, decked out in a black tailcoat and gold-rimmed glasses, was leaning against a white Lamborghini, proposing to a stunning girl.

A crowd had gathered, eyes full of envy, especially the girls who were all about that money and fairy-tale romance.

John couldn’t help but frown.

Sophia, why does that name ring a bell?

He pulled out an old, slightly crumpled photo from his pocket.

The photo showed a little girl, about three or four, holding a balloon and grinning at the camera, with two faint dimples, looking super cute.

In the bottom right corner of the photo, there was a small line of text: 1997, 09, 30, Sophia's third birthday.

After glancing at the photo, John looked back at the heart-shaped roses.

"Wait, isn’t that the little girl and the ice queen I met at the airport, and that other beauty?"

The guy with glasses was half-kneeling in front of the fairy-like girl, holding a light blue rose, pouring his heart out.

But the fairy-like girl wasn’t feeling it, her expression cold, with a hint of disgust in her clear eyes.

"Damn, that fairy is James's eldest daughter, Sophia?" John was floored.

He couldn’t believe that James, with his not-so-great looks, had such a fairy-like daughter.

"Sophia, from the moment I saw you, I fell head over heels. Your smile is like a clear spring, flowing with pure affection, washing my heart with sweetness, touching my love's rebirth. In this life, you are my only one."

"Sophia, will you be my girlfriend?"

Hearing this cheesy love confession, John felt like a third wheel.

"Damn, that’s gross. How dare he propose to my fiancée right in front of me?"

John wanted to rush over and deck the guy.

But then he remembered, this was the States, not Tabooria. Solving problems with fists could backfire big time.

While John was debating, he noticed a bicycle repair stall not far away.

In front of the stall was an old bike with a sign hanging on it, crookedly written: For Sale!

Seeing this, John had a lightbulb moment.

"Hey, boss, how much for this bike?"

The boss looked up at John, held up two fingers, and waved them twice in front of him.

John fumbled in his pocket, pulled out $100, and tossed it over.

"Boss, here’s the cash!"

Before the boss could react, John had already hopped on the bike and was pedaling furiously.

"Excuse me, everyone in front, move aside, my brakes are shot..."

The guy with glasses was still lost in his romantic proposal, expecting Sophia to nod. He didn’t notice John.

By the time he saw John barreling towards him on the old bike, it was too late.

"Bang!"

The bike, with everything working except the brakes, plowed through the bright red roses and headed straight for the guy with glasses.

The guy, who had never faced such chaos, stumbled backward.

One of his bodyguards shouted, "Sir, spread your legs, spread your legs..."

Hearing the bodyguard’s shout, the guy instinctively spread his legs.

At that moment, the bike wheel went right through the guy’s crotch.

"Ah!"

The guy with glasses screamed in pain, half-squatting on the ground.

Several bodyguards were stunned and quickly surrounded him, "Sir, you okay?"

John grinned, showing an apologetic expression, and said, "Sorry, sorry, really sorry, my brakes are busted..."

"Are you blind or what? Can’t you see such a big person?"

Several bodyguards, furious, raised their fists, ready to pummel John.