Gina Lopez's father, Jonathan Lopez, took out a cigarette and handed it to James Brown. James quickly accepted it and then personally lit the cigarette for Jonathan Lopez while he himself placed the cigarette on the coffee table.
"You don't smoke?" Jonathan Lopez looked at James Brown with perplexity.
"I do smoke, but Gina doesn't really like me to, so I try to smoke as little as possible."
"You can smoke, as long as you don't smoke too much. A few cigarettes a day isn't anything too terrible. Come on, light up."
James Brown then lit the cigarette and took a satisfying drag. On the way here, Gina had strictly forbidden him from smoking, which had been quite suffocating for him.
Jonathan Lopez was now smiling as he asked, "James, what are you working as now?"
James Brown glanced at Gina Lopez, showing a hint of embarrassment. This immediately tightened Gina's heart—had this guy forgotten the plan they had agreed on beforehand?
"Gina, I feel that lying to Uncle and Auntie is not right at all; we should just tell the truth."
Gina was even more shocked but kept her composure, merely shooting James a silent glare and said, "James, what would we need to lie about?"
Jonathan gave James a pat on the shoulder and said, "Just speak your mind. My daughter may be tough, but with me here to support you, you can say anything you want. Don't always look at Gina's face before you talk."
Grateful, James nodded and said, "Uncle Lopez, the plan Gina and I discussed was to say that I'm a manager at a company, but I feel it's wrong to lie. Life requires struggle, and nobody can achieve success overnight. We shouldn't feel inferior just because I'm currently a security guard."
At this point, Mrs. Lopez immediately frowned. Gina was now a high-ranking manager, earning tens of thousands per month, and here was James, just a security guard—how was he a suitable match for her daughter?
Gina was seething internally. How could James go off-script like that? Not only did it make it much harder for her parents to accept the situation, but if they did accept, then all the subsequent plans would need to change. How would they deal with the parents then? It just unnecessarily complicated everything.
Jonathan fixed his tiger-like gaze onto James and slowly said, "I am somewhat puzzled then. Our Gina has high standards and expectations; ordinary folks don't catch her eye. How could she possibly fancy you, a security guard?"
James puffed out his chest and proudly replied, "That's why I'm so proud. As for why Gina likes me, that's simple—because she sees my potential and knows that every piece of gold will eventually shine."
"Oh? You're that confident?"
"Indeed, I've always been confident ever since I was young, and it's not a blind confidence. I'm only confident in things I believe I can achieve. Although there's a significant gap between Gina and me right now, as an excellent soldier, you need to have unstoppable mental energy. No matter how difficult it is, it must be overcome. I believe that the gap in our careers can be closed in no more than two years."
"Good! For that spirit, I support you," Jonathan said, giving James a firm pat on the shoulder.
"Thank you, Uncle Lopez, I assure you that I'll complete the mission," James stood up and gave a crisp military salute.
It must be said, James really did strike a chord—Jonathan's favorite kind of young man was one with a military spirit, and James had hit the nail on the head.
"Little James, who else do you have in your family?" Mrs. Lopez asked, concerned with this above all else.
James suddenly spoke with a hint of sorrow, "I am an abandoned child. I've never seen my parents since I was small and don't even know who they are. I grew up in an orphanage and am on my own now."
Mrs. Lopez's eyes lit up and she said, "Well, that sounds good."
Gina was suddenly at a loss for words and poked her mother, who immediately said awkwardly, "Little James, Auntie didn't mean it like that. I was saying that these days there's a gap between young people and the old, and it's very difficult to get along with in-laws. Our Gina can be quick-tempered, which makes it even harder to get on well with a mother-in-law. Now I don't have to worry about this at all."
For a mother, when a daughter marries, the fear isn't that the other family might be of lesser means, but that the husband's mother might be too formidable. Now that her daughter was successful in her career, financial circumstances weren't a big problem. James was tailor-made for Gina. Besides, once her two daughters married, they wouldn't be as dependable for elderly care as a son would be; but since James had no parents, he'd be just like a son to her. So just on that account, she was very satisfied with James. As for whether James was a security guard, she wasn't concerned about that anymore.
Having received approval from both seniors, everything else became much easier. Conversations became lively and enjoyable, especially when James started talking with Jonathan Lopez about the army, both becoming very animated and acting as if they regretted not having met sooner.
Jonathan had served in the military until he reached the rank of full colonel. He had transferred to a civilian job for his family's sake, now working as a district bureau director in ASCS City, but he wasn't too fond of his municipal job and still reminisced about his time in the army. So James talking about his military exploits was right up his alley.
Particularly upon learning that James had earned several commendations and completed numerous missions, Jonathan greatly admired him. He believed that true men were forged in the military and that anyone who had achieved recognition there would be competent in any endeavor.
Seeing James get along so well with her father, Gina finally breathed a sigh of relief. Passing the father's test meant the rest should be much easier.
At this time, Mrs. Lopez had gone to prepare dinner and told her husband, "Old man, give Sandra a call and tell her to come home early for dinner."
Jonathan picked up the phone, made the call, and said, "Sandra, your sister's back, and she's brought your brother-in-law. Dinner's about ready, so come home quickly... What? Your brother-in-law isn't more important than your classmates... Stay today; we're all here for the New Year's... Alright, alright, just come back early and don't stay out too late."
After hanging up, Jonathan shook his head and remarked, "Gina's sister is just a different character altogether, always out playing with others and coming home late every day. She even said just now that you weren't going anywhere and that she'd be fine meeting you later when she gets back."
James hastened to say, "It's okay; today's youngsters all like to have fun. There aren't many like Gina and me, so it's not necessarily a bad thing."
"Heh, well, let's leave her be; we'll eat without her. Tonight, you'll have to join me for a drink; I finally have someone to drink with this New Year's, as not one of these women in the family does."
"No problem, though I can't hold my liquor that well, Uncle Lopez, so don't get me too drunk."
Jonathan gave an emphatic stare and exclaimed, "What soldier doesn't drink? Don't worry about Gina; I'm here. She wouldn't dare stop you from drinking!"
"Well... I might end up in trouble afterwards."
"Now there you're wrong. A man's got to have a bit of spirit; can't be afraid of his wife. Trust me, drink when you should drink. If a man never comes home drunk, he's no man at all."
Right then, Mrs. Lopez came out of the kitchen with dishes, heard her husband's words, and glared at him, saying, "You old coot, is that how you teach your daughter's boyfriend?"
Jonathan, proud of himself, wagged his head and stated, "I'm right, aren't I? A man who fears his wife can't grow, can he? What future could he have? I'd reckon if Little James were like that, Gina wouldn't spare him a second glance."
James was suddenly surprised and said, "You noticed, too? Well, initially, Gina was drawn to me because I wasn't exactly polite to her as the general manager, even made her angry a few times, and that's how we ended up together."
"Ha ha... I knew it! I know our Gina's character most of all. She's tough and only respects someone stronger than her. If you go soft, you're done for."
Gina, overhearing from the kitchen, felt her heart pounding. James was spouting more and more nonsense; things were veering off her plan. If her parents questioned them separately afterward, inconsistencies could easily be exposed. She'd have to align their stories with James later and stop him from blabbering on, or it would be even harder to manage.