The Supreme Soldier in the City
Chapter 227 - 228: Encounter a Problem

Chapter 227: Chapter 228: Encounter a Problem

Sarah was back in no time, and just as Sunny Nguyen was finishing signing the document, Sarah took it and was about to leave when James Brown immediately followed her out of the office.

"Big Brother Brown, I’m really sorry about how I reacted just now... it was too extreme, please don’t take it to heart." James Brown was about to explain further, but Sarah had already rushed to apologize to him.

James Brown chuckled awkwardly, "Sarah, I should be the one apologizing. If I had spit sticking to me, I would be disgusted, let alone you."

Sarah smiled sweetly, "It’s really okay, it’s not like you did it on purpose. By the way, you should smoke less, it’s really bad for your health. Oh, and have you taken your medicine?"

"I’ve been smoking for so many years, it would be hard to quit, and I can get better without any medicine."

"That won’t do, I’ll get you a couple of boxes of lozenges later, at the very least they can help protect your throat."

"No need!" James Brown quickly refused; he wasn’t really coughing, so why take any medicine?

"Alright, I’m going out to get some supplies anyway, I’ll bring them back for you when I return."

Sarah was insistent, and James Brown could only thank her. Only then did she leave, satisfied.

Just before closing time, Sarah brought James Brown the medicine. He was about to put it aside casually when Sarah insisted, "You need to keep this medicine with you and start by taking one now."

James Brown couldn’t refuse Sarah’s kindness, and to say that he wasn’t coughing at all wouldn’t be completely true; it would mean that what had gotten on Sarah’s hand wasn’t spit at all. He obediently opened the box and placed a lozenge in his mouth.

Sarah’s smile immediately bloomed like a flower, "That’s right. You’re a grown man; you should take care of yourself."

James Brown laughed, "Well, it’s you, Sarah, who takes care of people."

Sarah squinted her eyes slightly, her cheeks blushing a bit, "Big Brother Brown, if there’s anything you need my help with, just let me know. I might not be able to do much, but I can help you with laundry and household chores, no problem."

Listening to this, James Brown felt there was something off about it. Taking care of laundry and household chores—that’s supposed to be done by a girlfriend, right? Could it be that Sarah was hinting at something?

Feeling James Brown’s puzzled gaze, Sarah suddenly felt a bit guilty, grinned, and said, "Big Brother Brown has a girlfriend now, so you probably don’t need me for those things. Anyway, if there’s ever something I can help with, just let me know."

This reassured James Brown, and he chuckled, "No problem, we are good friends, right?"

"Alright, I’m going to head out now, call me if you need anything." Sarah turned and left James Brown’s office. After stepping out, her mouth curled slightly in a pout. James Brown’s reaction really made her a bit unhappy, but she quickly pursed her lips, clenched her fists, and gave a determined glance at James Brown’s office before departing.

When it was time to leave work, James Brown was just about to leave when a call from Gina Lopez came in.

"I’m already at the airport, come pick me up."

"Didn’t you say you’d be back tomorrow?" James Brown was surprised.

"With my parents here, how could I be in the mood to stay in the Capital of SSUP? I just told Miss Johnson, and I came back early."

"Okay, I’ll be right there."

Half an hour later, Gina Lopez was sitting in James Brown’s car, frowning. The sudden arrival of her parents had caught her off guard and even with a day’s notice, she still found the situation very tricky to handle.

"Why the long face? Didn’t you say you’d fake a marriage certificate to fool them?" James Brown glanced at Gina and asked.

Gina looked at James Brown and said, "Yeah, but I’m worried they won’t leave anytime soon."

James Brown chuckled, "Then they can stay a bit longer. Don’t you as their daughter want to spend time with your parents?"

Gina countered, "Do you want them to stay longer?"

James Brown shrugged, "Of course not. It would be a bit too restrictive for me with them here."

Gina Lopez squinted at James Brown and said, "It seems that with them here, you’ll have to sleep in the same room with me. Aren’t you looking forward to something?"

"Is there anything worth looking forward to?" James Brown said with an amused look at Gina Lopez.

Gina Lopez raised an eyebrow and said, "I remember someone looking quite scary when they shared a room with me in the past."

James Brown chuckled and said, "Times have changed, haven’t they? Back then, looking at you, I was taking advantage, but now, looking at you, I’m afraid of taking on responsibilities, so I have no expectations."

Gina’s face darkened instantly. That damn James Brown was really direct with his words, and pretty crushing too. Now she seemed to be the one clinging to him, a CEO with countless suitors, it was just too embarrassing to say.

The two soon arrived at Gina Lopez’s home, where her parents and Emily Lopez were chatting.

"Gina, how come you’re back so early? Don’t you have work to do?" Mrs. Lopez immediately asked her daughter with concern.

Gina sat down next to her mother with a smile and said, "You’re here, so of course, I had to come back and spend time with you."

Mrs. Lopez smiled and said, "Mom doesn’t need your company that much. If you really think like that, you shouldn’t always be busy with work. You should spend more time with James. Having a grandchild for me soon would be the best."

Gina was immediately at a loss for words. Her mother was getting more and more anxious. Before she brought James home, it was all about urging her to find a boyfriend. After meeting James, it was all about pushing them to get married. Now that the marriage was on the horizon, it was about having children.

At this point, Emily broke into a giggle and said, "Mom, I support you fully. You should lay down the law for her; she must get pregnant and have a child this year."

Gina glared at her, and James was also startled. If Mrs. Lopez really resorted to that, it would be a real headache. A marriage certificate could be faked, but how could one fake having a child?

But as they say, what you fear comes to pass, Mrs. Lopez’s eyes lit up, excitedly saying, "Emily’s idea is great. Listen up, Gina and James. Mom is telling you, you must have a child this year. You should know that once a woman gets older, she’s passed the prime age for childbearing. Before thirty is the best time for having children. If it’s past thirty, childbirth becomes not only more difficult but also more dangerous. You all are educated people; you should understand the risks of older women giving birth. Also, having children earlier means they can grow up earlier. Your father and I wanted children early. I gave birth to you at twenty-three. By the time you were in university, I was just over forty and still had a few good years left with your father. If you have children late, they won’t be grown up, and you’ll be old. That would make it really hard for you to take care of them..."

Mrs. Lopez went on and on about the need for childbirth, leaving James and Gina speechless and overwhelmed, as if not getting pregnant now would be a grave mistake.

Emily was quietly laughing to herself on the side. Mom’s trump card had been a constant pain for them growing up; once she started a lecture, it wasn’t going to stop for at least half an hour.

"By the way, are you still using contraception? Let me tell you, from now on you’re forbidden from doing that. It’s not easy to conceive when you want to; some couples take a year or more. If you want to wait until you’re ready, who knows how long that’ll be? So, try to conceive now and let it happen when it happens."

James nearly burst out laughing. His pseudo mother-in-law was really something, even bringing up a topic like contraception with such a wish for a grandchild.

Gina was even more embarrassed at this point. As a virgin, discussing children was already embarrassing enough, and now even contraception was on the table. If her mother kept talking, who knew what details about conceiving and the best times for sex might come up next? So, she hurriedly said with a pained expression, "Mom, I just got back and I’m still hungry. Can we eat first?"

Jonathan Lopez then chimed in: "Old lady, there’s no hurry on this matter, let’s talk about it slowly. We should cook and eat first."

James quickly stood up and said, "I’ll be the one to cook. Uncle and Auntie, please take a break."

Gina also stood up in a rare move, saying, "I’ll help," and hurried into the kitchen with James.

Once in the kitchen, James couldn’t help but burst into laughter. Gina glared at him irritably and asked, "What’s so funny?"

James, trying to hold back his laughter, said, "Your mom is really something. Now I’m wondering where you could find a fake grandchild for them?"

Mentioning this made Gina frustrated. It was impossible to reason with her mother. If it weren’t for her mother’s nagging, she wouldn’t have needed a fake boyfriend. Without a child, her mother would certainly revert to calling every day, returning to the nagging she faced before having a boyfriend.

"Let’s just cook quickly, rather than watching this comedy unfold. When the time comes, you won’t be able to escape it either," Gina said dejectedly, ripping the leaves violently, as if harboring deep resentment.

James promptly took over, saying, "You better rest on the side. At this rate, there won’t be any vegetables left to cook."

Then, with a grin, he teased, "Or...shall we have a child for your parents?"

"You..." Gina’s face dropped instantly, she glowered at James as if she wanted to devour him whole.

However, James revealed a radiant smile at that moment. From Gina’s reaction, he knew that she didn’t actually like him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have reacted so negatively to the notion of having children, as though it was a huge insult.