The Supreme Soldier in the City-Chapter 479 - 489: Professional Fake Boyfriend

John Brown met Emily Berns’s gaze and said, "You’re now a public figure. Every move you make will attract attention, and the people around you are even more the focus of those reporters. If you mention your daughter, those reporters will definitely hound her. She’s so young, surrounded by reporters every day—can she handle that? And if her friends find out she’s the daughter of Emily Berns, the big star, how will they treat her?"

"It’s not that serious. She’s only in kindergarten. Those kids don’t know anything about who’s a star and who isn’t."

"But what about the teachers? What about the other parents? As long as you announce this, wherever she goes, people will be watching her, which is certainly not beneficial for her growth."

Emily Berns’s expression turned sour, but she knew John Brown was right. She had always wanted to keep her daughter’s existence a secret, initially to avoid notice but later to protect her daughter from any negative impact.

"So, are you saying I can never mention I have a daughter for the rest of my life?" Even though she knew, Emily still felt uncomfortable and retorted to John Brown unhappily.

"Not necessarily. If you retreat from the public eye for a while, and nobody pays attention to you, then even when you mention your daughter, no one would care."

Emily Berns immediately said decisively, "Fine, I’ll announce my retirement from the entertainment industry tomorrow before anyone else suspects I’m taking advantage of my acting roles." She shot a look at John Brown.

John Brown chuckled awkwardly and said, "I was just suggesting. Don’t take it to heart. But you should go slow with this retirement announcement. If you suddenly say that, it will definitely attract more attention, bringing even more reporters focusing on you, which isn’t good for when we bring our daughter back."

"This doesn’t work, that doesn’t work, what exactly do you want me to do?" Emily Berns frowned deeply, looking at John Brown with dissatisfaction.

John Brown laughed and said, "It’s simple. My suggestion is if you truly want to leave the entertainment industry, to fade from the public view—then start by not taking any new roles and avoid events with media presence. Gradually, you’ll fade out of public view, and then you can do whatever you want without anyone caring."

"Oh... that’s actually a good idea. You’ve got quite the cunning mind," Emily Berns complimented John Brown and then smiled sweetly, saying, "Then I won’t have a place to earn money, and our little family will have to rely on you."

John Brown was stunned for a moment, realizing that with this suggestion, he would essentially be supporting Emily Berns, which was like lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot.

"Look at you, so unwilling. Hmph, I don’t need you to support me. Over the years, I’ve saved up quite a bit, so we three can live comfortably for the rest of our lives." Emily laughed.

John Brown didn’t explain, just smiled at Emily Berns. Emily didn’t push further on the matter either, saying, "I’m also looking forward to fading out of the public eye as soon as possible. I feel so uneasy nowadays. I regret ever entering this line of work."

"What’s done is done. Regretting it won’t help." John said.

Emily Berns immediately widened her eyes and said, "Do you regret what happened between us back then?"

John Brown rubbed his nose and said, "I used to regret it all the time. Now, not so much anymore. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have such a lovely daughter."

"Good that you know. Hmph, I’m going to accompany our daughter and won’t bicker with you anymore."

In the past couple of days, Emily Berns hadn’t been bothering John Brown much, which made him quite relieved. After all, they had a daughter, so even if Emily wanted something more with him, it seemed rather normal.

Over the following days, John Brown played the role of a qualified father, playing with his daughter and taking her to and from school. Initially, the relationship with his daughter seemed to improve, but unexpectedly, a few days later, she started missing John Smith and Lisa Johnson, her fake parents, throwing tantrums and insisting on finding her mommy and daddy.

Neither John Brown nor Emily Berns could solve the situation. No matter how they tried to momentarily distract her, as soon as things calmed down, she’d miss John Smith and Lisa Johnson. Especially at night, she’d cry for mommy and daddy, leaving John Brown and Emily Berns stressed out.

During this time, Emily Berns felt immense guilt; had she not previously let John Smith and Lisa Johnson care for their daughter, this wouldn’t have happened.

John Brown didn’t blame Emily Berns. Given that the situation had already happened, there was no point in blaming. What mattered was finding a way to help their daughter forget her original parents, which seemed to require even greater patience.

After spending over a week there, John Brown met with Martin and the others. Martin was in high spirits. After the last conflict with William Goodman, Martin decided to stop tolerating the rift with team members who had political backgrounds, resulting in open opposition within the team.

Martin, being the second in command of the Hawk Squad, was still in charge of the team’s training, an aspect where Number One couldn’t interfere. So Martin led the training sessions, pushing the newcomers, including those led by William Goodman, who couldn’t keep up with the core team. Within a few days, Martin exhausted them thoroughly.

The newcomers naturally resisted, refusing to partake in training, but Martin was straightforward, resorting to physical punishment. In the Hawk Squad, physical punishment wasn’t against regulations, and he even confined a few who still wouldn’t comply, disregarding protests from Number One.

Martin’s previous lack of assertiveness had ceded power to Number One, almost leading the Hawk Squad to downfall. Followed by John Brown’s guidance, his current decisive action swiftly restored his prestige within the Hawk Squad.

Seeing Martin’s approach, Number One was at a loss, since everything Martin did was within bounds. Even if taken higher up, Martin had the advantage, and trying to undermine him proved challenging for William Goodman and his faction without any solid evidence against Martin.

Being the elite special forces unit of the nation, Hawk Squad had always been highly regarded by the top. Subtle undermining was one thing, but overt actions couldn’t be tolerated, even with the backing of William Goodman and his faction.

This was Martin’s first good deed, and the second was his blossoming relationship with Evelyn Wilson. The guy was riding high on an air of success, adopting a more serious manner. Even after drinks, he abstained from visiting saunas and the like.

John Brown felt happy for Martin. Martin, being highly skilled, was unquestionably capable of carrying out missions, but leading the Hawk Squad required experience, which he apparently gained now, relieving any concerns John Brown had about him.

In terms of relationships, John Brown was equally pleased for Martin. The members of the Hawk Squad were rather unruly, so finding a stable partnership wasn’t easy for them. Evelyn Wilson seemed to be a good match, and if Martin truly ended up with her, it would be a great thing.

After the drinks, as John Brown prepared to head home, he received a call from Lucy Campbell. He had mentioned the incident with William Goodman to Lucy, hoping she could exert some pressure on them. He knew these spoilt children in power circles were harder to deal with than terrorists. Holding onto Lucy’s backing could prove beneficial in facing them.

"James, do you have time tonight? A few friends are gathering. Can you come and back me up?" Lucy Campbell asked.

"Back you up?!" John Brown exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, you have to help me. These people keep trying to set me up on blind dates. If you don’t come to my rescue, I’ll be overwhelmed."

John Brown grinned and said, "Lucy, I’d handle anything else for you, but pretending to be a boyfriend, I’m not sure I can pull it off this time."

"Aren’t you quite skilled in it?" Lucy laughed softly.

"It’s different. Before, I pretended for Gina and Helen Wilson. Their parents were relatively easier to handle, but with your status, no one would believe I’m your boyfriend."

"That’s not necessarily the case. I don’t have to find someone on my social level, right? As long as I like the person, that’s all that matters. You just need to convince my friends, so they stop matchmaking for me."

"I’m feeling a lot of pressure here..." John Brown said.

"I’m just asking this little favor. You won’t abandon me, will you?" Lucy’s tone carried a hint of pleading and a bit of melancholy.

John Brown was defeated immediately, so he smiled wryly and said, "Alright, I’m becoming quite the permanent fake boyfriend."

Lucy chuckled and said, "That means you’re skilled; otherwise, how dare I ask you?"

Since Lucy trusted him so much, John Brown couldn’t refuse. In YODC City, Lucy had helped him a lot and had always treated him well. Even the cigarettes he smoked were thanks to Lucy. If not for anything else, he felt obliged to support her at least for the cigarettes.

Still, John Brown felt quite pressured. Lucy Campbell was undoubtedly the top young elite domestically, and mingling with her friends meant dealing with people of equally high status and potentially the children of top government officials. Tricking them might not be easy.