Chapter 520: Chapter 530 Finally Passed Again

“Ahem, Gina…” John Brown wanted to say something, but at this moment he knew how to explain it. Even if Emily Lopez took the initiative, as her brother-in-law, if he remained steadfast and didn’t give Emily any chance, it wouldn’t have come to this. So, he was still largely responsible.

But just then, Emily Lopez heavily stepped on his foot and then withdrew it, saying, “Brother-in-law, watch your influence, will you? So many people here.”

John was stunned for a moment, while Sarah Grandy removed her hand from his leg, giggling, “I didn’t do anything.”

Gina Lopez had already sat up. Initially seeing Emily’s foot on John’s foot gave her a shock, her first instinct was to think the two of them were doing something inappropriate under the table. But then Emily suddenly stepped on John’s foot heavily and said something like that, followed by Sarah’s comment.

She dismissed her previous thoughts, thinking instead that Emily had seen Sarah teasing John and was just reminding John by stepping on his foot.

Understanding the situation, Gina secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then rolled her eyes at John, saying, “Eat well.”

Seeing Gina like this, John knew that Emily had successfully covered it up. This little sister-in-law was truly quick-witted; with her level, she could even qualify for training in the Hawk Squad.

Just then, Sarah mischievously smiled and said, “Sister Gina, don’t blame the old man; it was me causing trouble.”

Gina really couldn’t do anything about Sarah now, she said in a teasing manner, “You should also be careful, you know. Melody Yoody and Emily aren’t outsiders, but if others see it, what will it look like?”

“Got it.” Sarah immediately agreed obediently. Gina allowed her to live in this house, ignored the past issues, and even turned a blind eye to her antics with John, so she really respected Gina a lot.

Emily successfully shifted the focus onto Sarah, and now everyone concentrated their attention on Sarah, no one noticed Emily, who secretly winked at John, a sense of pride that couldn’t be described in words.

The crisis was finally resolved, and John also quietly breathed a sigh of relief, though a cold sweat ran down his back. He was increasingly concerned about his marital relationship with Gina and didn’t want any problems.

Everyone knew the relationship between Sarah and John, so even if they noticed some mischief between them, they just shrugged it off with a laugh. Since Gina, the legitimate wife, didn’t say anything, who else could?

So this matter was merely a minor episode, and everyone continued eating unaffected.

John thought that nothing else would happen, but who knew Emily would stretch her foot again to step on his? This scared John enough to make his hair stand on end. He secretly cast a pleading glance at Emily, wondering why she couldn’t calm down.

But observing Emily, this girl was even more excited than before. John could see, Emily just enjoyed playing these thrilling games. The more dangerous it was, the more interested she became. But while she was having fun, John’s heart couldn’t take much more.

John wanted to move his foot, but Emily chased after it relentlessly, not giving up. Under the table, there were feet everywhere, so he didn’t dare to move recklessly for fear of revealing himself by accidentally touching someone else’s foot.

This meal was a truly thrilling one for John, and he couldn’t wait for everyone to finish before he quickly stood up, saying, “You all continue eating, I’m going for a smoke,” and then slipped into the kitchen.

Before he had finished half his cigarette, Emily followed him in, playfully bumping his shoulder, saying, “Scaredy-cat brother-in-law, are you that timid?”

John peeked outside, saw everyone still eating happily and no one paying attention to them, and then whispered, “Emily, spare your brother-in-law, won’t you? I can’t handle these kinds of games anymore.”

“Come on, didn’t you feel it was pretty thrilling just now?”

“Thrilling? I was scared, okay? Emily, you’re Gina’s sister, and I’m your brother-in-law. Things like this…”

“What’s wrong with that? I’m not doing anything with you. Do you really need to be so nervous?” Emily pouted and leaned closer to John, smirking, “If you ignore me, I’ll tell my sister you always secretly bully me.”

“When did I secretly bully you?”

“Well, you kissed me in the elevator the other day.”

“Shush…” John was so scared that he quickly covered Emily’s mouth and glanced outside the kitchen. Thankfully, no one was looking their way. With a wry smile, he said, “Emily, my little lady, what exactly do you want?”

“I don’t want anything with you, brother-in-law. Are you thinking I want to be your woman too?” Emily widened her eyes, pretending to be shocked.

Emily’s reaction left John bewildered. With a dry laugh, he said, “I didn’t think that, but isn’t this overstepping the boundary between brother-in-law and sister-in-law?”

“I just like it this way. Don’t worry; I won’t go overboard. That’s my sister, and I don’t want to compete with her for a man. Husbands can change, but sisterly bonds are natural and can’t be changed.”

“Do you really think so?” John Brown looked at Grace Lopez with some disbelief.

“Of course, I just feel it’s thrilling to hang out with you, good brother-in-law, isn’t that enough?”

“Okay, okay, but such a thrilling brother-in-law can’t handle it.”

“Hehe, forget it, I’ll let you off today, don’t worry anymore.” Emily Lopez winked at John Brown and swayed her little waist as she opened the kitchen door.

John Brown stubbed out his cigarette and came out too. When he was with all the women again, he was still a bit on edge, but Emily Lopez didn’t play any more tricks. This allowed John Brown to slowly relax. It seems Emily Lopez is just playful and likes excitement. He knew this from the moment he met her; back then, she always liked being with young people of the same kind.

Chatting along with eating went until almost nine. Melody Yoody proposed to leave, and Gina Lopez immediately said, “James, why don’t you drive Melody home?”

Melody Yoody chuckled and said, “Gina, you’re really generous. Aren’t you afraid this guy won’t come back tonight?”

“He’s the father of the baby in your belly, so it’s only right.” Gina Lopez remained as generous as ever.

John Brown laughed dryly, didn’t say a word, and left the house with Melody Yoody.

Sitting in the car, Melody Yoody looked at John Brown and said, “Your wife is really quite something.”

“Is she really? I didn’t think so.”

“I don’t mean fierce. I mean her tactics. She clearly knows our relationship, yet she can still graciously let you see me off. Doesn’t that make me feel too guilty to ask you to stay with me tonight?”

“Well… don’t overthink it.”

“What do you mean don’t overthink it? It’s obvious. To win you over, I guess I need to put in more effort, or else I won’t be able to compete with your wife.”

John Brown found it hard to answer this question, so he had to say, “Melody, no one knows what the future holds, so don’t take it too seriously. Right now, the main thing is to ensure the child is healthy and born smoothly.”

Melody Yoody smiled and didn’t come up with any sarcastic remarks, saying, “Don’t worry, the baby is in my belly, so it matters more to me than to you.”

After the car drove for a while, Melody Yoody asked, “James, what are you chasing after now?”

“Why ask such a serious question?” James Brown turned his head and smiled as he asked Melody Yoody.

Melody Yoody smiled slightly and said, “I used to believe that a man must either have power or money, as these are the manifestations of a man’s life value. If he doesn’t achieve in these areas, then he’s an unqualified man. But I don’t think so now. If you wanted to earn money or power, it wouldn’t be too difficult for you, but you have no interest in it at all. So now I feel that maybe a man should have other pursuits.”

James Brown chuckled and said, “When you have money, you think about making more, but no matter how wealthy you are, there’s always someone richer. With power, you aim to climb higher positions, yet there’s always someone with a higher rank. It’s exhausting, so I’d rather not pursue anything, just live a simple life, with my wife and kids around the warm stove. That’s my life’s pursuit.”

“Is that so? Then it seems like you’re not ambitious.” In the past, Melody would have scolded James with a straight face upon hearing such words, but now she smiled, completely devoid of her previous mindset.

“Whether ambitious or not, life is about living comfortably. I don’t like living under too much pressure.”

Melody Yoody glanced at James Brown and said, “You might be easygoing in other areas, but in some aspects, you seem quite burdened.”

James Brown laughed dryly, naturally understanding that Melody Yoody was talking about relationships, and said, “Indeed, a bit.”

“That’s your own doing. Don’t expect me to lighten your load. I’m pregnant with your child, so if you want to relieve pressure, find someone else.”

“I wouldn’t want to.” James Brown laughed and patted Melody Yoody’s leg.

“You rascal. Now I feel like you’re not that burdened in this area anymore. You seem quite at ease.”

James Brown paused, realizing he indeed wasn’t as conflicted as before.