Reborn with My Genius Husband

Chapter 187: The Hat Is on My Girlfriend’s Head

’At least it wasn’t just the two of them.’ There were over twenty other people.

She glanced at Mortimer Quincy beside her and whispered, "Good thing I have you to be embarrassed with me."

Mortimer Quincy: "..."

’Damn it.’ He was so exasperated he had to laugh.

The drill instructor lectured them on the importance of punctuality for a few minutes before making them stand at attention.

After about ten minutes, Holly Winslow’s legs started to feel a bit weak. She snuck a peek at Mortimer, who was still standing perfectly straight.

Meeting her gaze, Mortimer glanced at the head instructor, whose back was to them. He discreetly shuffled closer until their arms were touching. In a very soft voice, he said, "Lean on me."

Holly glanced at the instructor. Seeing he wasn’t paying attention to them, she gently leaned against Mortimer, keeping her shoulders still as she lifted one foot slightly behind her.

The guy next to them shot them a strange look, probably assuming they didn’t know each other well.

’That’s allowed?’

He looked at the girl next to him. ’Nah, better not. She’s not that cute.’

The head instructor turned around. As he surveyed the four-row formation, he felt something was off. After scanning it a few times, he noticed a male and female student standing too close together.

He picked up his megaphone and waved a hand. "You, the guy in the second row! Back off. What are you doing so close to a female student?"

"Watch out, or I’ll make you take responsibility and marry her."

Holly Winslow: "..."

Mortimer actually wanted to marry her, just not under these circumstances. He calmly took a step to the side.

It was almost noon by now, so they wouldn’t have to stand for much longer.

Pantheon and Zeke Zane, who were in the crowd: "..."

’Damn, they’re even showing off their love on the punishment platform.’

’Are they going to show off in heaven next?’

Pantheon couldn’t hold back his laughter at the thought and let out a chuckle. The next second, he met the drill instructor’s stern gaze. "..."

He quickly stifled it.

The instructor jutted out his chin and snapped, "Laughing? What are you laughing at! What’s so funny? Never seen something like this before?"

"Go on, get up there and stand," he said, giving Pantheon a light kick.

An innocent Pantheon had a curse word he wanted to say. "..."

Under everyone’s stares, he went up to the platform to stand, ending up right next to Mortimer. He met Mortimer’s indifferent gaze, which seemed to be "mocking" him.

"..."

’Damn it. When someone stands on the platform with his girlfriend, it’s called "sharing weal and woe." When I, without a girlfriend, stand on the platform, it’s called "losing face."’

They stood for a full forty minutes. At 12:00, the classes were dismissed one by one for lunch. The people on the platform were the last to leave.

Just a few minutes later, the cafeteria was already packed. This was Cafeteria No. 3, the one closest to the dorms. As for Cafeterias No. 1 and No. 2, they were over by the academic buildings, a walk of over twenty minutes.

Everyone had been standing all morning and didn’t want to walk any further.

Holly Winslow looked over all the food options in the cafeteria before finally pointing at a clay pot rice stall.

Pantheon watched the couple in front of him, who clearly had no intention of paying any attention to a single guy like him. Although he was used to it, the sting still hurt.

’If I don’t find a girlfriend soon, I’m going to be stabbed by their PDA until I look like a porcupine.’

He pulled out his phone, about to call Zeke Zane, when he suddenly saw Cynthia Owens queuing for rice noodles two stalls over. He hurried over, pretending he had just noticed her. "Second Cousin, what a coincidence! You’re getting rice noodles too?"

Cynthia Owens glanced at him with an expression that said if they weren’t classmates, she wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge him. "Yeah."

Pantheon, who got the message loud and clear: "..."

After getting his rice noodles, he shamelessly followed Cynthia and sat down with her. Cynthia didn’t say anything.

Holly and Mortimer, carrying their food and looking for a table, spotted "Second Cousin" and Pantheon. Holly said, "Quincy the Puppy, should we go sit with Second Cousin?"

"No."

Mortimer led her to another table. He reached out, took off her military cap, and tucked it alongside his own at his waist.

Holly saw that his hair had been pressed into shape by the cap. She couldn’t help but chuckle, reaching out to ruffle it a few times.

After finishing their meal and putting away their trays, the two headed to the library, deciding not to go back to the dorm for a nap.

Mortimer picked out an introductory math book and handed it to Holly. Then he chose a finance book for himself. They found a spot and quietly read their respective books.

An hour passed in a flash. Holly’s phone vibrated in her pocket—it was 1:50 PM. After silencing it, she looked beside her. The young man’s eyes were slightly lowered, his expression completely serious.

She took out her phone and snapped a picture just as Mortimer turned to look at her. The lights above cast bright spots in his narrow eyes.

’So innocent, yet so tempting.’

Mortimer raised an eyebrow. After they returned their books and left the library, he said in a low voice, "Honey, let’s get a room after the military training."

"Booking it in advance."

Holly Winslow: "..."

She coughed. "I’m going home after the training is over. Who’s getting a room with you?"

Mortimer bent down and said, "How much longer are you going to make your husband wait? Don’t forget, we have a ’license to operate.’"

"..."

Holly rolled her eyes at him and his endless stream of flirty nonsense. She snatched the cap from his waist and ran off.

Just as she rejoined the formation, the whistle blew. Holly quickly put on the cap, but the moment it was on her head, she felt something was wrong. "..."

’The cap is too big.’

She was about to turn her head, but the drill instructor was already yelling, "Everyone, stand straight! If you’re not in position in three seconds, you can get up on that platform."

Holly Winslow: "..."

The cap on her head was covering her eyes. ’If I look like this,’ she thought, ’Mortimer’s must be just sitting on top of his head.’

She snuck a peek out of the corner of her eye. Sure enough, the cap on Mortimer’s head only came down to his eyebrows. It was obviously the wrong one.

’He kind of looks like a handsome bobblehead.’

The drill instructor was now inspecting their uniforms and appearance to see if they met regulations.

Holly was just about to report it when a guy from the neighboring finance department spoke up.

It was Mortimer.

The drill instructor for Class One of the finance department looked at him. "Speak."

Mortimer stared straight ahead and said with a perfectly straight face, "Sir, I’ve taken the wrong cap."

The instructor looked at the cap on his head and pursed his lips. "Where’s your cap?"

"On my girlfriend’s head," Mortimer said.

Holly Winslow: "..."

The drill instructor: "..."

He said, "And where is your girlfriend?"

"In the platoon next to this one," Mortimer said.

As Holly was the only girl in Class One of the math department, her instructor’s gaze naturally fell on her. A few seconds later, he looked back at Mortimer and gave his permission. "Go switch. This is the only time. If there’s a next time, there will be punishment. Do you understand?"

"Understood."

Under everyone’s stares, Mortimer swapped caps with Holly and returned to his platoon a minute later.

After this incident, Class One of the finance department and Class One of the math department became "in-law classes."

As Mortimer became "famous," Holly also became "well-known."

She was *the* girlfriend of Mortimer Quincy.

After a few days of standing in formation, they began practicing marching drills. Each class’s instructor picked out their best model students, and the head instructor led them in goose-stepping practice. They would be the ones marching at the very front.

Holly felt that when the instructors were choosing, skill was secondary; looks were what really mattered. *Ahem.* She thought all the guys in the goose-stepping squad were quite handsome, every one of them over 180cm tall.

’But Mortimer is still the most handsome, of course.’

As for her, being a girl, things were a bit more relaxed. They just practiced formation marching.

The instructor, concerned that the girls might get heatstroke, borrowed the performance hall above the cafeteria from the school for them to practice in.

Over these few days, Holly had gotten to know the girls in her dorm a little better. Serena Shaw saw something and showed her phone to Holly. It was the school’s online forum.

Rich Top Student Persona Collapses: Finance Department’s Top Scorer Mortimer Quincy Is a Kept Man, Relying on His Girlfriend’s Family to Attend University.

The accompanying picture was of Holly stuffing money into Mortimer’s pocket at the campus store.

Holly Winslow: ...

’This post was written entirely on imagination.’

’That guy Mortimer’s outfit, from head to toe, costs enough to buy two of mine.’

She gave a serious critique: "They have a talent for writing fiction."