Reborn with My Genius Husband-Chapter 92: Keeping Distance

The dorm, usually still bustling at this hour, was quiet today. Holly Winslow didn’t bother trying to guess what Valerie Walsh and the others were thinking.

If they were truly found out, she would just have to accept her fate and write a formal apology.

And then she’d throttle that scoundrel Mortimer Quincy.

Not long after she got into bed, a message came from Mortimer. She huffed, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she fired off a long reply.

Mortimer spent a dozen seconds reading it before summing up the main point: keep your distance.

He hadn’t gone through all this trouble to get his wife into the same school just to keep their distance.

To hell with keeping our distance.

He rolled over and typed back a few words: "Baby, want some of the Chapman Family’s red bean buns tomorrow? I can have someone bring them."

Holly’s eyes lit up when she saw the mention of the Chapman Family’s red bean buns. "Yes! I want three, and a cup of soy milk too."

Mortimer’s brow smoothed, and he arched an eyebrow. "Okay."

They exchanged a few more messages before stopping. As Holly drifted off to sleep, she felt that something wasn’t quite right, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was.

...

After the morning self-study session the next day, Holly had just finished her red bean buns when she felt a familiar ache in her lower abdomen.

’Looks like my period’s here.’

She reached into Mortimer’s desk drawer, furtively tore open the wrapper underneath it, then shoved the item into her pocket and hurried out of the classroom.

Mortimer was coming back from throwing out the trash when he saw her retreating figure leaving the classroom. He returned to his seat and glanced at his drawer. A sanitary pad wrapper was torn open.

He took the brown sugar from his drawer, poured some into Holly’s cup, and then got up and left.

Only Eileen Webb was in the faculty office at the moment. When she saw Mortimer knock on the door with a cup in his hand, she smiled and waved him in to get some water.

"The water isn’t boiling yet. You’ll have to wait a minute."

Mortimer grunted in acknowledgment and stood by the water cooler. A minute or two later, he saw Holly walk back to the classroom, clutching her stomach.

The image of the instant noodles from last night came to mind. He pressed his lips together, then turned to Eileen Webb. "Ms. Webb, do you have any medicine for period cramps?"

Eileen Webb, who was in the middle of lesson planning, paused. It took her a second to register the question, and she looked up at the student. His expression was perfectly calm, as if this was something he did all the time.

"I do."

She took two boxes of medicine from her drawer and handed them to him. "Two pills from each box, three times a day. And make sure Holly drinks plenty of hot water with brown sugar."

She’d never seen Mortimer get close to any girl other than Holly.

Mortimer was indeed used to this. He pulled a hundred-yuan bill from his pocket and placed it on the desk. "Thank you, Ms. Webb."

Eileen Webb quickly tried to hand it back. "There’s no need, the medicine isn’t expensive. And the water’s ready." She pointed to the cooler.

Mortimer ignored the money, filled the cup, thanked her again, and left the office, leaving Eileen Webb at a loss for whether to laugh or cry.

When Gabe Chaucer arrived, she handed him the money. "Teacher Chaucer, could you give this to Mortimer? He just got two boxes of medicine for... well, for girls, from me and left a hundred yuan. He wouldn’t take the money back, and I didn’t want to make a scene."

Gabe Chaucer took the bill. "How much was the medicine? I’ll reimburse you, Ms. Webb."

Eileen Webb just smiled. "It’s not much, don’t worry about it."

"I can’t let you be out of pocket, Ms. Webb. The medicine needs to be paid for." Gabe Chaucer insisted, pulling a hundred-yuan bill from his own pocket and giving it to her.

...

Mortimer had the long jump event that morning and had to go to the athletic field, but seeing Holly slumped over her desk, he felt uneasy.

Holly waved a hand at him. "Go on, I’m fine."

The medicine had already made her feel much better.

"Just stay here and rest. I’ll be back soon." Mortimer reached up to draw the curtains slightly, then went to the faculty office one more time to get hot water before heading out with Pantheon and his other friends.

Holly was the only one left in the entire classroom.

Holly was just about to close her eyes for a nap when Valerie Walsh and her two friends walked back in. In Valerie’s hand was a drink—the same brand as the one in Mortimer’s drawer.

’So that drink from yesterday was from Valerie.’

Valerie and her friends hadn’t expected Holly to be in the classroom and froze for a second.

After a moment, Holly turned her head away, showing them her back.

The three of them walked over anyway. Valerie placed the drink in Mortimer’s drawer, shot Holly a look, and then they quickly left the classroom.

Holly turned her head and stared at the drink in Mortimer’s drawer. She huffed, then glumly slumped onto her desk to sleep.

’Valerie knew perfectly well that Mortimer has a girlfriend, but she still brings him drinks.’

’Having a crush is one thing, but this is just wrong.’

In any case, Holly would never admit that she was jealous.

Mortimer came back to the classroom half an hour later. Holly shot him a glance before turning away and ignoring him.

Mortimer was speechless.

’No doubt about it,’ he thought. ’My wife is angry.’

He sat down beside her. "Still not feeling well?"

’Some other girl gives my man a drink right in front of me. How could I possibly be feeling well?’

Holly let out a loud huff. "Why don’t you look in your drawer?"

Mortimer bent down to look, his brow furrowing. He took out the drink and tossed it straight into the trash can.

Before he could say anything, Holly, feeling sensitive because of her period, started picking a fight. "I don’t see anyone bringing *me* drinks."

"..."

Mortimer absolutely adored it when she got jealous like this. He chuckled, reaching out to stroke her ponytail. "Honey, let’s just go public with our relationship."

Her courage immediately failed her. She mumbled a bit, her mood clearly improving, and pouted. "No way. I need to study hard and be a good student."

Mortimer wanted to plant a couple of kisses on her, but with other people in the room, he settled for pinching her cheek. "And love your husband properly, too."

Holly was speechless.

After placating his "unreasonable" wife, Mortimer scanned the classroom. Valerie Walsh was there.

It was nearly noon, and most of their classmates were back.

He walked over to Valerie’s desk and rapped his knuckles on it. His voice was just loud enough for everyone to hear. "Stop putting things in my drawer. My girlfriend might get the wrong idea."

"And another thing—I hate it when any girl who isn’t my girlfriend gives me stuff."

"So let me say this one more time: I have a girlfriend. We’re going to get married someday, and we’re even going to have kids."

The entire class fell silent.

Pantheon and Zeke Zane were speechless.

’Now that’s what you call a public display of affection,’ they thought. ’Smooth as hell.’

Hearing the part about "having kids," Holly felt a flush of embarrassment, as if he were shouting obscenities in broad daylight. She was utterly speechless.

Her face turned bright red.

’Damn you, Mortimer Quincy!’

The hopeful flush on Valerie’s face morphed into humiliation. She bit her lower lip, looking fragile and pitiful.

Gabe Chaucer had just reached the classroom door, right in time to hear Mortimer’s final declaration: "...we’re going to get married someday, and we’re even going to have kids."

He was speechless.

His teaching career of more than a decade had just met its Waterloo.

After a long pause, he managed to choke out, "Everyone, please return to your seats and rest. There are still events this afternoon."

Once the students were settled, Gabe Chaucer called Mortimer out into the hallway. He spent a moment trying to find the right words to convince Mortimer that he shouldn’t be dating at his age.

But after a moment’s thought, he fell silent.

’Aside from the dating, Mortimer is an excellent student in every other regard...’

...

Classroom

When Mortimer sat back down, Holly tugged his sleeve. "Are you okay?" she asked, worried.

"What could possibly happen? It’s not like your husband murdered anyone or set a fire."

Mortimer gave her a roguish grin, reaching out to tap the tip of her nose. He leaned in closer. "So, were you satisfied with your husband’s performance?"

Then he turned his cheek toward her. "If you’re satisfied, you can give me a five-star rating... with a kiss."