"You're squishing me..."
His body still ached from the impact of the car, and now the girl was hugging him so tightly that James was in pain.
Bella Kennedy quickly let go of James, asking anxiously, "Are you okay?"
"What do you think?" James gestured to the dent on the SUV. "Do you want to give it a try?" he said snidely.
Bella Kennedy's eyes reddened. Looking at the shape of the deformed hood of the car was enough to tell her how much it must have hurt.
"I'm sorry, it's all my fault. I shouldn't have run like that."
"What good is an apology?" James scoffed. "I save your life twice in three days. Are you cursed or something?"
"I... I'm not usually like this, I swear."
"It's lucky it was me this time. If it had been anyone else, they might be dead now," James said.
He couldn't help but feel relieved that he had followed her. If her dad found out that she had gone looking for a man and gotten hit by a car, all hell would break loose.
"I'm really sorry. I know I was wrong," Bella Kennedy said, tears welling up in her eyes as she choked back a sob.
Her expression was so full of remorse that it was hard to stay mad at her.
James sighed.
Why couldn't it have been Tailsa or Amanda who needed rescuing?
This was the perfect opportunity to flirt and say some cheesy lines.
Her affection points might have shot straight to 100.
But with Bella, it was a different story. She wasn't the right person, and her father was someone he definitely didn't want to cross.
If she actually fell for him, it would only lead to trouble and drama.
"You know you did wrong, but you still hit someone?" James asked, shaking his head.
"He was driving too fast in the city. If he'd been going slower, even if he'd hit me, it wouldn't have been this bad," she explained quietly, trying to defend her actions.
James shook his head, his tone turning cold.
"You break the traffic rules, and the first thing you do is blame others? You think your dad's protection gives you the right to act like this? Honestly, I can't stand your spoiled-princess attitude. I really hope you leave me alone from now on. Let's just stay out of each other's way."
His words struck Bella like a physical blow. She sat there, frozen, staring blankly at the cold man before her.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Growing up in the lap of luxury, she had never been spoken to like this, as if she were some kind of à¤à¤à¤¦à¤à¥ that this man wanted nothing to do with.
"You..."
She pointed at him, the man who had just risked his life to save her, but the words wouldn't come. Tears welled up, but she couldn't say anything.
"What? You think the world revolves around you just because you hit the genetic lottery?" James lashed out.
He found a strange satisfaction in berating the young woman, especially since she couldn't even argue back.
Bella Kennedy broke down, tears streaming down her face.
Despite her privileged upbringing, she knew that from the moment she had barged into James's home, she had been in the wrong.
She had simply refused to admit her mistake, stubbornly making excuses.
Now, being so directly and harshly criticized, all she could do was cry. She didn't know what else to do.
James felt his words had struck a nerve, so he didn't say anything further.
He tried to stand up, but found that his lower body was immobile. He couldn't even lift his legs.
It must have been the impact from the bumper hitting his thighs.
His enhanced physique was impressive, but it still couldn't fully withstand a collision with a metal beast.
If it had been the old James, he might not have survived that impact.
Of course, the old James wouldn't have had the guts to make that rescue, either.
He only dared to do it now because he subconsciously believed his own car wouldn't hurt him that badly.
And it turned out he was right. He was only temporarily immobilized.
His brain told him that with a few days' rest, he'd be fine.
James sat on the ground and sent his location to Jay Johnson.
He had asked Jay to drive earlier, planning to drop Bella and Asa off at the station.
He hadn't anticipated this turn of events.
"Boss, are you okay?! Thank goodness... Thank the ancestors for watching over you," the driver exclaimed, scrambling over to James.
Asa, upon seeing the driver, got angry again.
"Don't think just because he's okay, you're off the hook. This isn't going away for less than a million," she threatened.
"It's okay, it's okay. Whatever you want, I'll pay," the driver said, relieved.
Compared to killing someone, paying some money was nothing.
The driver, still shaken, turned to James with concern.
"Boss, are you alright? Should I take you to the hospital first?"
James sized up the driver. He looked to be in his thirties, with a somewhatæ¨åç appearance, close-cropped hair, and a slight paunch.
His smile was smooth, and his words seemed sincere.
He looked like a small business owner.
James didn't plan on causing him any trouble, but the man's reckless driving was a concern.
"How much did you pay for this car?" James asked.
The driver, hearing James's question, suspected he might be after his car.
He hesitated for a moment before reluctantly saying,
"It wasn't that expensive. I bought it two years ago, a Jeep Wrangler. About 600,000 RMB after taxes. If you like it, Boss, I can transfer the ownership to you."
He figured that giving up the car was a small price to pay to resolve the situation.
After all, given the force of the impact, anyone else would likely be dead.
He couldn't fathom what this young man was made of to have survived that.
"Since you're offering it to me, let me give you a piece of advice. Take this car to a scrapyard tomorrow and have it scrapped," James said calmly.
"Huh? Boss, this car could easily sell for 300,000 to 400,000 RMB. Why scrap it?" the man asked, surprised.
"Consider it a lesson learned."
"But... what did the car do wrong?"
James glanced at him, noticing his reluctance.
"If you don't feel the pain, you won't learn the lesson," he said coldly.
The driver's expression shifted.
He had never encountered someone who refused monetary compensation after an accident.
And the request was so bizarreâto scrap his perfectly good car?
He was still debating whether to comply when a Rolls-Royce pulled up, its horn clearing a path through the crowd.
A large, imposing man jumped out of the car and rushed over, his face etched with worry.
"Boss, are you alright?" he asked urgently.
"I'm fine," James said, waving him off. "Help me up. Let's get in the car." He didn't want to linger at the scene any longer.
The driver stared in disbelief.
What kind of big shot had he just hit?!
"I'm sorry, Boss," Jay Johnson said, full of self-reproach, as he helped James, who couldn't move one leg, toward the car.
"It's not your fault. That girl was asking for it."
As he passed the driver, James added,
"But you're not blameless. You're a terrible driver. You shouldn't be on the road. Stick to riding a scooter from now on."
The driver was sweating even more profusely now.
He might have ignored advice from an ordinary person, but he couldn't ignore a warning from someone like James.
"Yes, sir. I'll get rid of the car tomorrow," he said quickly.
James took a few more steps and then realized Bella Kennedy wasn't following.
Turning around, he saw Asa trying to help Bella up, but she remained stubbornly seated on the ground.
"How long are you going to sit there?" he asked, exasperated.
Bella looked up at him, her voice trembling as she asked,
"Do you really hate me that much?"
"Stop making a scene. Get in the car, and we'll talk," James said, gesturing toward the Rolls-Royce. He had no patience for this drama in front of a crowd of onlookers.
Bella stood up, tears still in her eyes, and got into the car.
Jay Johnson started the engine and quietly drove away.
They left behind a crowd of stunned spectators and a thoroughly shaken driver.
"Rich people are something else. He just walked away without even asking for compensation."
"I don't know, something's not right. How could someone get hit by a car like that and be fine?"
"Who knows? Maybe he took some gene serum, or he's wearing an exoskeleton... or he's an alien..."
"The world of the rich is beyond me."
Meanwhile, James, the supposed "alien," was lying back in the plush seat of the Rolls-Royce.
He appeared to be resting, but in reality, he was having a conversation with his system.
"System, do you have any items that can increase charm?"
ãNo.ã
"This system is so useless. Other systems have shops with all sorts of items, and they even give out newbie gift packages."
ãThis function is not currently available.ã
ãThe host is advised to unbind and wait for other systems.ã
James swallowed nervously. Perhaps it was because he'd been spending so much time with women lately, but he could have sworn he detected a hint of jealousy in the system's cold response.
"Then how can I increase my charm?" he asked, adopting a more respectful tone.
ãFemale charm fluctuates naturally over time.ã
"And what are the criteria for evaluating charm?"
ãAppearance, physique, personality, abilities, and genes.ã
Damn, so this is a life simulation game.
James's gaze shifted to Bella Kennedy, who was sitting across from him, looking at him with a mixture of affection and hurt.
He carefully examined her from head to toe.
Her appearance was definitely a plus, but her physique and personality were lacking.
He didn't know anything about her abilities, but judging by her temperament, they probably weren't anything to write home about.
If he wanted to improve her, he'd have to focus on her physique and personality.
But she was clearly underdeveloped, so there wasn't much hope there.
As for her personality...
Maybe... some training was in order?