A father and an uncle looked at the joyful face of a girl who seemed to be experiencing the thrill of young love.
"Forget what I said earlier, this is Ally's first time having friends over. Be careful not to scare off the guests," John said, noticing that James was wearing a rather grim expression.
"Then you take care of it," James replied, setting down the newspaper he was holding and taking another sip of tequila.
At the door, Jimmy glanced at Ally's outfit and was slightly surprised.
She had her hair styled in two simple ponytails and wore light makeup, looking quite cute.
Of course, that wasn't the point.
Jimmy had promised himself he wouldn't fall in love after leaving the city where he grew up. For now, he wasn't feeling anything like that.
"I brought a cake," Jimmy said, having been advised by Judy to bring something when visiting a friend's house. The simplest thing that came to mind was a cake.
Looking at Jimmy standing so close, Ally's face turned red again as memories of her friends' embarrassing advice flooded her mind. When their eyes met, she quickly looked away.
She took the cake from Jimmy and said shyly, "Come in—my uncle and dad want to meet you."
Then she immediately turned around and walked back into the house.
In fact, there was no need to show him the way. As soon as Jimmy stepped inside, he saw the two men—clearly relatives—waiting for him.
One of them had a kind expression; the other looked like he had just swallowed something bitter.
Both were wearing sharp business suits at home, which didn't really match Ally's style.
Ally led Jimmy to the dining table and introduced him to her family.
Then she handed the cake Jimmy had brought to her father.
"Well, it smells good," John said, first complimenting the gift. Then he added, "Jimmy, please have a seat. I'll go finish preparing the food, and we'll eat shortly."
"I'm allergic to chocolate," James said, aiming to make Jimmy uncomfortable right from the start.
Let's be honest—humans are easily influenced by appearances. Jimmy's neat outfit and his looks, which had improved thanks to several changes in his life, left a decent impression on both of Ally's "guardians."
But James was a detective. He had seen too many good-looking guys turn out to be demons. He wasn't about to be fooled by charm.
To avoid any further embarrassment, Ally quickly said, "I'll go help in the kitchen!"
With that, father and daughter left the room, leaving the two men alone, staring at each other.
"Your name is Jimmy, right? Are you in the same class as Ally?" James squinted at him as if interrogating a suspect.
"I'm a senior, but I'm in a completely different class than Ally…" Jimmy could sense the man's disapproval, but he understood where it was coming from.
"So, are you the same age as our Ally?" James asked, his eyes full of curiosity.
Jimmy didn't think much of it and shook his head slightly.
"How much older are you, then?"
"I think I'm several years younger than Ally. Even though I may look older, I'm actually thirteen..." It was the first time Jimmy had ever explained that to someone, and oddly enough, it made him feel proud.
"Let's say she created you…" James clearly didn't buy that story. Then, continuing with his line of questioning, he asked, "Do you smoke or drink? Do any drugs?"
"I've never drunk alcohol, used drugs, or smoked anything that could harm my health." Jimmy wasn't against people who did, but he was way too young to take on such habits.
"Really? You sure?" James said slyly, pulling out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and acting like he was about to offer one.
"No thanks, I don't smoke," Jimmy said, gesturing with his hand to decline.
James's expression softened slightly when he saw Jimmy refuse the cigarette. Lighting one for himself, he held it and asked seriously, "Who's in your family and what do they do for a living?"
Realizing the conversation was turning into a full-on interrogation, Jimmy started to regret ever coming over.