Chapter 507: Chapter 517 Ignoring James Brown

Melody Yoody pulled Emily Bailey along, smiling, “Take a good look yourself, it’s him.” She pointed at John Brown.

“Huh! Uncle?” Emily Bailey looked at John Brown in surprise.

John Brown had a faint smile on his face and said, “Little Grace, we’ve met again so soon.”

At this moment, it was futile for John Brown to deny it. That time when he accompanied Sarah Grandy for her college entrance exam, Emily Bailey’s mother also saw him. Since Emily Bailey was here, her mother was likely here too. Now it was up to Emily Bailey’s attitude,

“You know each other?” Melody Yoody’s mother asked Emily Bailey in puzzlement.

Emily Bailey blinked her big eyes and looked at John Brown again, “Of course, I have a very good friend named Sarah Grandy. This uncle has been taking care of Sarah. I used to often visit his home for fun.”

John Brown laughed, “Yes, Little Grace is very well-behaved. She’s helped me a lot recently.”

Emily Bailey gave John Brown another smile and said, “I really didn’t expect you to become my cousin-in-law.”

John Brown could tell Emily Bailey was implying something. At his home, Sarah Grandy and Emily Bailey talked about everything, even showcasing sleeping in the same bed with John Brown. This little girl always thought John Brown and Sarah were a couple, and now she’s here acting like his cousin-in-law.

However, what gave John Brown some relief was that Emily Bailey didn’t directly mention the relationship between him and Sarah Grandy, leaving plenty of room for maneuver.

“Uncle, Aunt, Grandpa is asking for you to go inside.” Emily Bailey said to Melody Yoody’s father.

Melody Yoody’s parents exchanged glances, then both shook their heads. Their daughter chose John Brown, leaving them with no confidence, sure to be chastised by the Old Master Smith again.

Melody Yoody’s grandmother was not Grandpa’s main wife but a concubine. Therefore, Melody’s father was not a core member of the family. It was only due to Melody’s excellence that they started receiving attention from the family again. If Melody were to be neglected by the family due to John Brown, their status would fall back to obscurity.

SSUP Country has been established for more than sixty years. At its founding, it wasn’t strictly monogamous, so descendants like Melody’s grandfather could have more than one wife. However, in such big families, there was still a significant difference between the main wife and a concubine. Children of concubines aren’t usually considered core members and are often marginalized.

But since the Old Master had called them, they had no choice but to grit their teeth and bring John Brown in, sighing and shaking their heads the same way.

Melody Yoody, on the other hand, walked over to John Brown’s side, hooked her arm with his, and openly said, “Let’s go, my man.”

John Brown gave Melody Yoody a gentle smile, offering her a comforting look, then followed her inside.

Emily Bailey followed closely beside Melody Yoody, occasionally sneaking glances at John Brown, her thoughts unknown.

They bypassed a screen wall, crossed a small courtyard, and stepped into a spacious living room. The room had no comfortable sofas but was filled with classic, antique redwood furniture. A man in his seventies sat centrally, flanked by several middle-aged men on each side and standing women behind them, none seated, evoking an air reminiscent of old-time large family traditions.

“Dad, they’re here.” Melody Yoody’s father entered respectfully and addressed the old man in the center.

The Old Master Smith nodded, his gaze settling on John Brown, then slightly furrowed his brow, “I seem to have seen you somewhere before.”

John Brown smiled gently, “Hello, Grandpa. My name is John Brown; I’m Melody’s high school classmate.”

John Brown had also met the Old Master Smith before. The old master, named John Smith, was quite high-ranking, being the third-most important official in the province before he retired. During a sudden incident, the old master was also taken hostage along with several other more important officials. John Brown was in charge of the rescue then and had done his research on those held. Therefore, he had an impression but didn’t know he was Melody’s grandfather.

However, here, John Brown didn’t want to mention that connection. He was no longer the captain of the Hawk Squad. Even if he revealed his former position, whether the old master would recognize him was another matter altogether.

Nonetheless, the Old Master Smith continued to stare at John Brown, slowly saying, “Melody was only in her teens in high school, that’s seven or eight years ago, and I feel like I’ve seen you no more than four years ago. Who exactly are you?”

Everyone was somewhat surprised to look at the old master. Despite his age, his memory was quite sharp, but he was also a very high-minded person. Even if he had seen someone, he typically wouldn’t remember them unless they held a notable identity.

This made Melody Yoody’s parents’ eyes light up, but they couldn’t stay excited for long. They knew too much about John Brown before. This guy has no family background at all. In today’s society, trying to stand out without a background is extremely difficult, or practically impossible. So now, they can only assume that Old Master Smith has mistaken him for someone else, perhaps someone he’s met who looks a lot like John Brown.

“Grandpa, I am indeed John Brown, Melody’s classmate.”

The old master scrutinized John Brown again but still couldn’t recall where he had seen him before. Doubting his own memory, he asked, “Is the child in Melody’s womb yours?”

John Brown nodded and said, “Yes, that’s indeed my fault. I should have come sooner, but now it’s Melody who has suffered grievances.”

The old master stared at John Brown and asked, “I just want to ask you, what makes you think Melody should be with you?”

John Brown met the old master’s gaze, neither humble nor arrogant, and said, “Grandfather, I know if I talk about love, you will certainly look down on me. I also think love is something only children and immature people talk about.”

The old master squinted his eyes, seemingly quite interested in John Brown.

John Brown paused for a moment and then continued, “I want to be with Melody not only because I like her but also because I hurt her back then and caused her so much grievance. Therefore, I need to make it up to her and ensure she lives happily from now on. This is my responsibility as a man.”

“Sounds nice, doesn’t it? Melody is now a county chief. She has both money and power, plus our Yawk Family. I think you just want to take advantage of Melody, right?” a man in his fifties sitting next to the old master remarked disdainfully.

Following this, another man around fifty said, “Young man, you always speak so grandiosely, talking about a man’s responsibility. But you need the ability to fulfill that responsibility. Can you help Melody climb higher in her career?”

“I say, old third, how have you raised your child? Our Yawk Family values Melody so much because we want her to develop quickly. Now she’s found someone who does not help her career at all, and she’s pregnant, which will delay her for at least a year.”

“Positions in officialdom are not just waiting for her. In a year’s time, who knows how many good opportunities she’ll miss? And after a year, who knows when the next good opportunity will come?”

With these words, they not only criticized John Brown but also scolded Melody Yoody’s father, which made his face turn red and white. However, these two were his older brothers, whose positions in the Smith Family were far beyond his. So, despite feeling uncomfortable, he couldn’t contradict them and could only nod obediently.

Although John Brown knew of many big families, he had never really interacted with them. Now he realized that these big families were full of internal conflict, and living in such a family was indeed not easy.

The Yawk Family’s eldest, Robert Johnson, who now holds an important provincial position, said, “We’ve met the person. This indeed doesn’t meet our family’s needs. And what we’ve been discussing about letting Melody marry into the W Region is out of the question. Whether Melody has a child or not, marriage alliances with other big families are impossible. In fact, this could be a good thing. If Melody does not marry, she remains a Smith Family Member. Otherwise, after marriage, she belongs to her husband’s family, and we end up contributing to someone else’s success.”

Old Master Smith looked at his most outstanding son and slowly said, “So, what do you suggest?”

Robert Johnson glanced at Melody Yoody’s parents and then at Melody. He said, “I think we might as well let Melody terminate the pregnancy. It’s not like she can’t have children. Our Yawk Family doesn’t lack heirs. If she doesn’t have a child, then so be it. Then we’ll continue to support Melody with all our might. With the Smith Family’s backing, even without relying on others, Melody’s career won’t turn out too poorly.”

Old Master Smith turned to Melody Yoody’s father and asked, “Old third, what do you think?”

Melody Yoody’s father, named William Johnson, immediately responded, “I agree with my elder brother’s suggestion.”

Old Master Smith also nodded and said, “Well, this approach isn’t bad, although it falls short of our initial expectations. But it’s the best solution for now.”

John Brown felt extremely displeased; everything he just said was completely ignored by these people, and they made such a decision without even consulting Melody Yoody’s opinion. This unilateral decision-making among big families is vividly displayed here.

At this moment, Melody Yoody became agitated and urgently said, “No, I disagree. The child is mine, and I want to give birth to them.”

Melody Yoody’s mother quickly grabbed her daughter and hurriedly said, “Don’t be silly; this is your lifelong future. If you have this child, it will ruin your entire life.”

Melody Yoody’s father also said, “Melody, as long as you terminate this pregnancy, whatever you want in the future, we won’t interfere. Even if you want to be with this guy, we won’t mind, as long as you don’t marry, that’s fine.”

Melody Yoody suddenly felt a bit wavering and turned to look at John Brown.