When John Brown returned to the city, his initial thought was just to see how Melody Yoody was doing. If Melody still liked him, he’d marry her, and they would spend their lives together. But he ended up attracting a few other women along the way, leaving him with a headache, feeling that all these relationships were becoming a mess.
However, during this period, it seemed he kept interacting with several women, but Emily Johnson was no longer as bothersome. When he was with someone, everything felt quite natural, which was different from his previous thoughts.
How did this happen? Has he become more and more fickle and irresponsible?
It doesn’t seem like it. Gina Lopez is his wife, and he doesn’t want to divorce Gina, so he must take responsibility for her; Melody Yoody is pregnant with his child, so he must also put her first without hesitation. Sarah Grandy is now all alone, and he is basically her guardian. Emma Campbell, such a delicate girl, has given everything for him without ever asking for anything in return; how could he bear to abandon her?
"What are you thinking? Don’t tell me you’re planning to gather them all and sleep under one big blanket?" Melody Yoody teased with a joke when she saw John Brown’s ever-changing expression.
John Brown let out an awkward laugh and said, "That seems like one way to handle it."
"Get out of here! You think you’re in ancient times with three wives and four concubines? Let me tell you, don’t think that just because some people today have more than one woman, bringing them all home is very rare. Do you think today’s women are as obedient as those three obediences and four virtues of the past? They’ll fight with you every day, and you’ll wish they hadn’t," Melody said.
John Brown chuckled and said, "It’s just a joke. Nowadays, women’s status is so high, and with the gender imbalance, with more women and fewer men, it’s good that it’s not one woman having multiple husbands instead of the other way around. Isn’t that just dreaming?"
Melody lightly laughed and said, "Your idea is not bad. Maybe I should find a Pretty Boy then marry him, and you can be my concubine."
"That won’t do. I can’t let my child end up calling some cheap guy ’dad.’"
Melody squinted her eyes and said, "So, what you’re saying is you plan to marry me, right?"
"Um..." John Brown was immediately at a loss for words.
Melody rolled her eyes at John Brown, playfully saying, "Typical male chauvinism, holding onto me but not wanting me, yet not allowing me to find someone else. That’s simply dictatorship, and I will resist, even join forces with others to resist with me, until you have a bunch of green hats stacked on your head."
John Brown’s forehead was lined with imaginary black marks. Just one green hat is enough to overwhelm a man; having a whole stack of them, how could he survive?
Melody, seeing his darkened face, burst into laughter again.
When they reached Melody’s doorstep, she joked, "Do you want to come in for a while?"
John Brown smiled and replied, "Of course, I’d like to go in."
Melody winked and said, "If you come in, I won’t let you leave tonight."
John Brown laughed heartily, "If I don’t go back then I won’t. Anyway, I’ve already taken leave."
After taking a shower, John Brown carried Melody into the bathroom, and the two snuggled in bed, whispering sweet nothings. Melody asked how John Brown had been in recent years.
John Brown couldn’t tell her about the Hawk Squad; it’s confidential. But he didn’t want to lie either, so he said, "I went to a special department and can’t talk about what happened there."
"To get into such a confidential special department, you must have gone through a lot over the years." Melody understood and gently caressed his cheek with care and concern.
John Brown was familiar with that gaze. When his parents passed away years ago, Melody used to look at him with the same tender look, which was why he liked this fiery little pepper. Such moments had kept Melody in his thoughts even while he was in the army.
In bed matters, Melody was an enchantress, wearing John Brown out with three rounds until he was exhausted. She kicked him with a grin and said, "Now go home. I’m curious to see what face Gina will make when she finds out your vigor doesn’t carry over to her."
Dressed and ushered out, John Brown went straight home. When he got there, it was twelve o’clock. He quietly opened the door and saw that the living room light was on. Then Emily Lopez’s excited voice rang out, "See, sis, I told you Brother-in-law would definitely come back."
Gina was already at the door waiting with a radiant smile, saying, "You were right. Why did you come back, darling?"
Seeing his wife Gina, John Brown felt a pang of guilt and said, "This is my home; of course, I had to come back."
Gina’s smile became even sweeter, "Do you want to eat something before sleeping?"
"No need, I’m not hungry. It’s already midnight, and I have work tomorrow. Let’s go to sleep," he replied.
Emily giggled and said, "Brother-in-law, you did well this time, going to see an old flame and remembering to come home. At least my sister and I didn’t trust you for nothing."
John Brown smiled at Emily and replied, "Yes, otherwise, you’ll kick me out and not let me into this house."