Reborn with My Genius Husband

Chapter 165: Strive in Youth, or Grieve in Old Age

Gabe Chaucer had already seen the mirror. He lightly tapped Mortimer Quincy’s desk, signaling him not to look in the mirror during morning reading.

He wasn’t angry; it was perfectly normal for a young person to check their reflection.

Mortimer Quincy calmly put the small, round, pink-rimmed mirror into his drawer. Out of the corner of her eye, Holly Winslow shot him a guilty glance, muttering away as she recited, "When the mulberry leaves are still on the bough, they are so lush and green. Oh, turtledove, I pray, eat not the mulberries! Oh, young maiden, I pray, do not dally with a man..."

"A man’s folly can be excused. A woman’s folly cannot be excused..." Mortimer Quincy recited, picking up where she left off, all while under Gabe Chaucer’s watchful eye.

Holly Winslow was speechless.

Her tongue slipped, and she switched from one poem to another, reciting, "Heaving a long sigh, I wipe away my tears, grieving the many hardships of my people’s lives..."

Mortimer Quincy couldn’t hold back a chuckle. He mimicked her slip-up, skipping to a different part of the poem. "The River Qi... The River Qi flows swift and wide, splashing the curtains of my carriage..."

Gabe Chaucer stood beside them for a moment longer before walking away.

...

Jarton Second High consulted with Jarton High and, after getting Holly Winslow’s approval, arranged for her to return to her old school to give a pep talk to the seniors and boost their morale.

Since it was a rare chance for someone to leave campus, the students in the Rocket Class drew up a shopping list for Holly Winslow. She agreed to everything, just as they’d asked other students for favors in the past.

During morning study hall that day,

Pantheon turned around. "Hey, cousin, add a sweet potato noodle skewer to my order."

Holly Winslow nodded, jotting it down with a pen. Then she looked over at Mortimer Quincy and blinked. "What do you want? It’s my treat."

"Whatever."

Mortimer Quincy arched an eyebrow. After study hall, he walked her to the school gate.

Holly Winslow waved at him. "Bye! You should go get some breakfast."

"Yeah." Mortimer Quincy nodded.

Standing by the bus stop, Holly Winslow pulled out her phone to see if Mortimer Quincy had messaged her yet. ’Ahem, I know my husband all too well,’ she thought.

Suddenly, she sensed a shadow approaching from behind. She whipped her head around, her eyes widening in delight. "How did you get out?"

"Take a guess." Mortimer Quincy’s eyes fell on her phone screen, which happened to be open to their chat. He smiled and pinched her cheek.

Holly Winslow huffed, then wrapped her arms around his and said sweetly, "You’re such a tagalong."

...

By the time the two of them arrived at Jarton Second High, second period was already underway.

Julian Carlton had already been in touch with Holly Winslow and was waiting for them in his office. When they arrived, he poured them each a glass of water and then turned to the tall, handsome young man beside her. "So, Mortimer Quincy, you came along too?"

His expression was so friendly, you would think Mortimer Quincy was one of his own students at Jarton Second High.

No, one of the *good* students.

Mortimer Quincy nodded politely. "Hello, Mr. Carlton."

"It’s all good. You should do this more often—come visit us at Jarton Second High with Holly," Julian Carlton said, his tone casual and friendly.

Holly Winslow was at a loss for words.

’Mr. Carlton, are you sure you want to encourage that?’

That shameless Mortimer Quincy readily agreed. "Yes, Holly and I will come back together from now on."

It sounded a little strange, almost like a boyfriend meeting his girlfriend’s family.

Ahem. Julian Carlton quickly pushed the odd thought aside. "Great. Come back together anytime. When I’m free, I’ll treat you two to a meal."

...

During the break after second period, it was time for the school-wide exercises.

Holly Winslow had changed into a Jarton Second High uniform and was standing by the stage. Mortimer Quincy stood near her, openly claiming the role of her "cousin."

The principal and other administrators were delighted he was there, chatting with him from time to time to ask about his academic life.

After finishing his own remarks, the dean of students stood on the stage and announced, "Alright, everyone, settle down! Next, let’s have student Holly Winslow come up and share some of her study experiences with us."

"Holly Winslow’s academic performance is outstanding. She has repeatedly placed second in her entire grade at Jarton High. Her dedication to her studies is something we can all learn from."

Holly Winslow took the microphone and walked onto the stage. She had always been known for her good looks back at Jarton Second High, and now her features had matured even more. Her height allowed her to fill out the baggy school uniform, giving her the classic look of a bright, innocent schoolgirl.

A loud round of applause, CLAP CLAP CLAP, erupted from below. The boys were especially enthusiastic, clapping with their hands raised high above their heads.

Mortimer Quincy’s expression turned thunderous. ’Look at them,’ he fumed internally, ’terrible grades, and ugly on top of that.’

’And they dare to fantasize about my wife?’

’Fucking daydreamers.’

Holly Winslow waited for the applause to die down before giving a simple self-introduction. "Hello, everyone. I’m Holly Winslow, from Senior Class 8."

"I’m sure you’ve all heard plenty of inspirational quotes and pep talks, so I’m not going to give you more of the same."

"Instead, I’ll tell you a bit about the atmosphere at Jarton High. Before I transferred, I imagined it was full of nerds who did nothing but study in their classrooms all day."

"But that’s not true at all. It’s really not. They have fun too. They play video games, play basketball, and browse the internet. Everything you all do for fun, they do too."

"But despite that, their grades are still amazing. Is it because they’re smarter? Not really. They just know how to focus and study hard when it’s time to learn. Some of you might even be smarter than them; you just haven’t put that same effort into your schoolwork."

"What I’m trying to say is, since you’re already sitting in the classroom anyway, you might as well give studying a real try. The sense of accomplishment you get from a productive class actually makes the break afterward feel twice as rewarding."

"Are there any students here who sometimes want to have fun, but don’t know what to do? Or you start doing something fun, but it just feels boring and pointless, like you’re just floating?"

Her words struck a chord. A male student in the crowd shouted, "Yeah!"

Holly Winslow smiled sweetly. "Then it’s time for you to start studying."

"Just start studying."

"It’s not too late. You still have three months. Try to push yourselves a little harder, even if it feels tiring. I promise the results you achieve will be completely different."

"Trust me, studying is more worthy of your serious effort than just having fun. Don’t waste your youth, or you’ll only have regrets in old age."

"You can do it, everyone! Let’s all move forward together!"

It wasn’t the typical kind of speech, and because of that, it actually sparked a little bit of interest in studying among the students.

The principal was very pleased with Holly Winslow’s speech. He leaned over and remarked quietly to the dean of students, "There really is a significant gap between Jarton Second High and Jarton High."

’That’s an undeniable fact,’ the dean thought to himself, but he wisely kept his mouth shut.

’He wanted to keep his job, after all.’

By the time she finished speaking, the bell for the next class had already rung five minutes ago. As the students began to disperse, Anna Willow and Iris Kensington ran up to Holly Winslow, happily linking arms with her. "Holly!"

"Holly!"

Holly Winslow winked at them. "You guys want some milk tea?"

Anna Willow and Iris Kensington didn’t hesitate for a second. "Yes!"

For some reason, the three of them burst out laughing together.

The kind of synchronized humor only best friends share.

By the time Anna Willow and Iris Kensington got the milk tea from Holly Winslow, the school grounds were mostly empty. Still, the two of them insisted on walking her to the gate.

Holly Winslow was both touched and amused. She waved at them from the other side of the gate. "Hurry back to class! Pay attention, okay? We have to work hard together so we can all go to college together!"

Anna Willow and Iris Kensington nodded with wide smiles. The moment Holly Winslow was gone, they bolted toward their classroom as if a ghost were hot on their heels.

Just before reaching the classroom door, they quickly hid their milk tea inside their uniforms. Iris Kensington bent over while Anna Willow steadied her, their movements swift and practiced.

Anna Willow called out from the doorway, "Excuse me!"

The math teacher glanced at them and nodded, gesturing for them to enter.

She had taken just two steps into the classroom when the milk tea, which she hadn’t secured properly, suddenly tumbled out from under her uniform. It landed with a loud THUD, and the entire class turned to look.

Anna Willow froze.

Her face instantly flushed red, but she was secretly relieved it hadn’t burst open.

She quickly snatched the drink off the floor and scurried to her seat, shooting a guilty glance at the math teacher.

The whole class erupted in laughter.