Reborn with My Genius Husband

Chapter 174: Mortimer Quincy and Holly Winslow’s Brand of Dog Food

With graduation just around the corner, a group of girls who’d had their eyes on Mortimer Quincy plucked up their courage and came over to ask for a photo together.

Mortimer Quincy glanced at his girlfriend, who was already starting to look jealous. His voice, laced with a smile, was incredibly smooth. "Sorry, my girlfriend says no."

The group of girls walked away in disappointment.

Holly Winslow, very satisfied, took the initiative and grabbed Mortimer Quincy’s hand. "Boyfriend, I’ll treat you to a Coke."

Then she added, "You’re paying." With that, she gave him a smug little shake of her head.

The school store wasn’t crowded at the moment, so buying a Coke was easy. The woman at the counter praised their class uniforms as she made change. "Those graduation outfits look really good on you two."

Holly Winslow glanced at Mortimer Quincy. He had cut his hair into a buzz cut for the summer again. His features were sharp and well-defined, and with his dashing brows and eyes, he gave off a strong, masculine air.

The cartoon monkey on his class uniform, however, created a charmingly handsome contrast.

’It all comes down to his good looks.’

She gave the woman a sweet smile, then took the change and stuffed it into Mortimer Quincy’s pocket.

The two of them started from the basketball court, Cokes in hand, and took a stroll through all their old haunts. A wave of melancholy washed over Holly Winslow. "Quincy the Puppy, aren’t you even a little sad to leave this all behind?"

Mortimer Quincy took a sip of his Coke and gave it some serious thought. "A little."

He paused. "I won’t be able to kiss my girl in the woods, on the sports field, next to the bathrooms, hmm... so many places... anymore."

The sentimental Holly Winslow fell silent. "..."

’I’ll just pretend I never asked.’

The next day was picture day at Jarton Second High. Holly Winslow took a half-day off to go back. The graduation outfit for her class, Grade 12 Class 8, was Republican-era student attire: a blue blouse and a black mid-length skirt.

Her graduation outfit had been a secret gift from Anna Willow and Iris Kensington, who had pooled their money to buy it for her. She had only found out recently.

During the main group photo, Anna Willow, Holly Winslow, and Iris Kensington stood together. All three had their hair in matching pigtails.

Anna Willow glanced at Holly Winslow and Iris Kensington and couldn’t help but laugh. "We’re the three great belles of the ball. Holly is the top beauty, Iris is the second, and I’m the third."

Holly Winslow and Iris Kensington laughed and said in unison, "You’re the most beautiful."

"Oh, I couldn’t possibly accept that. At most, I’d say I’m a peerless little beauty," Anna Willow said with a loud "HAHA."

Xavier Jennings, who was in the last row, suddenly swapped places with the boy standing behind Holly Winslow but didn’t say a word to her.

Iris Kensington and Anna Willow glanced back. ’It’s a shame, really,’ they both thought. ’Xavier Jennings is a decent guy, but he’s got nothing on Handsome Cousin.’

’Heh, they were still Team Handsome Cousin.’

’Handsome Cousin was just too perfect.’

’He was the only guy they knew who seemed like he’d stepped right out of a novel.’

After the main group photo was finished, the three girls took a picture with Julian Carlton. Then, the trio took a few goofy photos by themselves.

They all posted the same status update: "Happy graduation, my little fairies."

Holly Winslow had barely posted it when "Holly Baby" commented: "Happy graduation, my universe-conquering little fairy."

She let out a pleased little "hmph," deciding she’d buy something to reward Holly Baby later.

Just as she was about to leave the school gates, Beau Sullivan ran over and called out to her. "Holly Winslow."

Holly Winslow looked at him, having a pretty good idea what this was about.

Beau Sullivan held out a carefully wrapped gift to her. "This is from Xavier Jennings. Happy graduation."

Holly Winslow didn’t accept it. "Thank you. You too."

"Please take it, Holly. Xavier doesn’t mean anything by it, he just wanted to wish you a happy graduation," Beau Sullivan insisted, holding it out.

Holly Winslow shook her head earnestly. "Thank you, but I can’t accept it. My boyfriend would mind. Let me just wish you both the best of luck on your exams."

Watching her walk away, Beau Sullivan took the gift back to the classroom and placed it on Xavier Jennings’s desk. Xavier stared at it for a few seconds before getting up and walking out.

Beau Sullivan found him by the bleachers on the sports field and put an arm around his shoulder. "You okay, man?"

The rims of Xavier Jennings’s eyes were slightly red. His voice was hoarse and dejected. "I’m fine."

"It’s not like we’ll see each other again after graduation anyway."

「June 5th」

It was the seniors’ last day of school. The exam hall and seat assignments had already been released the day before.

Holly Winslow would be taking her exams at Jarton Second High, while Mortimer Quincy would be at Jarton High. Exam locations weren’t strictly based on one’s own school; some Jarton High students were also assigned to Jarton Second High.

That morning, the seniors had no classes. Instead, the homeroom teachers were given free rein to organize some fun activities.

This would only last for half the day, however, as the other half was needed for the teachers to set up the exam halls.

The first and second-year students had already been dismissed for the break the day before.

Gabe Chaucer had bought several large bags of snacks out of his own pocket. "Class president, could you hand these out?" After speaking, he turned on the classroom’s media system. "We’re going to watch one last movie together."

The movie he’d chosen was a coming-of-age drama, a student favorite.

Teacher Chaucer sat at the back of the room, watching along with them. At one point, he quietly took a picture.

When the movie was over, Teacher Chaucer took out some red envelopes he had prepared and handed them to the students personally. "It’s not much money, just six point seven eight yuan. I hope all of you can score that many points—six hundred and seventy-eight. Of course, scoring even higher would be best."

After handing out the envelopes, he tied two zongzi to the top of the doorframe and explained with a chuckle, "They say that hitting a zongzi will help you pass your exams with flying colors. It’s a pun—the words sound similar. I don’t normally advocate for superstition, but let’s just believe it this one time."

"Everyone, come and give it a tap."

The students went row by row, each tapping it with their head. It was easy for the boys, but the girls had to get on their tiptoes and jump a little.

Mortimer Quincy saw Holly Winslow looking up at the zongzi, as if gauging how high she’d need to jump. A small smile played on his lips.

The boy ahead of her finished, and then it was Holly’s turn. Just as she was about to jump, a pair of large hands wrapped around her waist and gently lifted her.

Seeing her widen her eyes in a daze, Mortimer Quincy chuckled. "Holly, go on and tap it."

The entire class turned to look, and Teacher Chaucer was watching too. Pantheon: "..."

He suddenly clutched the side of his face. "Ouch, my tooth is killing me."

Paul Powell, who was behind him, burst out laughing. "That’s what you get for hoarding all the snacks!"

Pantheon: "..."

’Hoarding snacks, my ass.’

’Do I look like my tooth hurts from eating snacks?’

’It’s the PDA from Mortimer and Holly!!’

’I’ll endure it. Once exams are over, I’m gonna get my revenge on him.’

Holly Winslow snapped back to reality, her face flushing red to her neck. She leaned her head forward and tapped the zongzi.

Mortimer Quincy set her down, tapped the zongzi with his own head, and the two of them returned to their seats under the watchful eye of Teacher Chaucer.

After the entire class had their turn, Teacher Chaucer gave them a final round of earnest reminders: don’t eat anything cold when you get home, expect traffic jams tomorrow, and get to the exam site an hour early.

He repeated one last time, "Admission ticket, ID card, pens, and especially your 2B pencils. Read the questions carefully, don’t be careless, and don’t get nervous. Just stay calm."

"Your teacher wishes you all the best of luck on your exams and a bright and beautiful future." As he spoke, his voice grew a little thick with emotion, reluctant to see them go.

After all, he had been their teacher for three years.

Not wanting the students to see his emotions, he waved his hand and said in a deliberately cheerful voice, "Go on home, everyone."

The students of the Rocket Class exchanged glances, then suddenly shouted in unison, "Teacher Chaucer, thank you for everything! All of us in the Rocket Class wish you good health and a full head of hair forever!"

The students’ farewell brought tears to Teacher Chaucer’s eyes. He took off his glasses and wiped their corners. Once he’d composed himself a little, he joked back, "I’m not going to go bald, so don’t you worry."

"Now hurry on home. There are delicious meals waiting for you."