Holly Winslow: "..."

She gave him a little push. Once Mortimer Quincy was off her and lying by her side, she propped herself up over him and whispered, "Go on. Larceny will get you at least a few years. By the time you get out, you’ll be the perfect age to get married."

Mortimer Quincy: "..."

’Damn it,’ he thought, letting out an exasperated laugh.

He murmured darkly, "Sweetheart, you are *so* asking for it."

Holly Winslow: "..."

She scoffed quietly, then said smugly, "You want to bet I won’t scream for help right now?"

"Rape will also land you in jail for a few years."

Seeing that her every other word was about prison, Mortimer Quincy raised an eyebrow. He rolled onto his side and propped his head up with a hand. "Sweetheart, are you sure you want to talk about the law with me in the middle of the night?"

Holly Winslow fell silent. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Satisfied, Mortimer Quincy pulled her into his arms and gave her a kiss.

Around 5:30 AM, Mortimer Quincy slipped out of Holly Winslow’s bedroom. Walter Winslow was getting on in years and couldn’t stay asleep past that hour. He happened to be opening his door at that very moment.

At five in the morning during the summer, the sky was already growing light. Their eyes met.

Mortimer Quincy: "..."

’This is the first time I’ve been caught in the act.’

He wondered whether he should greet him or just pretend nothing had happened and return to his room.

Walter Winslow let out a quiet "ahem," then went downstairs as if he hadn’t seen a thing.

Mortimer Quincy returned to his own room.

...

During the meal, Holly Winslow caught Walter Winslow looking at her several times. She touched her face. "Grandpa, is there something on my face?"

"No," Walter Winslow said, a little unnaturally.

Holly Winslow was baffled. Having been caught red-handed, Mortimer Quincy didn’t dare explain. If he did, Holly would kill him.

That afternoon, Wyatt Winslow was planning to head back to the county town, and Walter Winslow and the others were going with him.

There were two cars in the yard: one belonging to Mortimer Quincy, the other to Wyatt Winslow.

Holly Winslow glanced at a "lonesome-looking" Mortimer Quincy, then gestured toward him. "Dad," she said to Wyatt Winslow, "I’m going to ride with him."

After a moment, Wyatt Winslow grunted in acknowledgment. "Fasten your seatbelt."

It wasn’t until she got in the car that Holly Winslow realized Mortimer had a different one. ’The Quincy family must have gotten a new car.’ "Did your dad buy this?"

"Yeah." Mortimer Quincy turned sideways to help her fasten her seatbelt.

Holly Winslow leaned back against the seat. "This is pretty comfortable. We should get a car like this someday. It’s way more comfortable than that one of yours with the rings."

Mortimer didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’Rings? It’s clearly...’

"Okay."

When they got back home, the Quincy family invited them over for dinner. Brooke Jarvis had brought a lot of things for Holly Winslow again—clothes, snacks, and more.

Wyatt Winslow must have felt it was too much, so he transferred five thousand to Holly and told her to give it to Mortimer Quincy.

Holly Winslow called Mortimer Quincy. "Quincy the Puppy, just letting you know, my dad sent you five thousand."

Mortimer Quincy grunted an "okay," hung up, and said to Andre Quincy, who was on the sofa, "Dad, Uncle Winslow transferred five thousand to me."

Andre Quincy grunted in acknowledgment. "You can transfer it to Holly."

"I’ll have your mom transfer you a few tens of thousands later. If you’re short on cash, you need to speak up. You might not need it, but Holly does. Clothes, snacks—buy her whatever she needs."

He paused for a moment before adding, "You and Holly aren’t married yet. Be careful about... certain things. Don’t put her in a difficult position."

"I know," Mortimer Quincy nodded. "And I don’t need the money. I have enough."

Andre Quincy said no more, clearly having full confidence in him.

Brooke Jarvis handed a glass of water to Andre Quincy, then smiled at her son. "Moira, I’m still going to send you some money. It’s one thing that you have your own, but this is from your father and me."

Andre Quincy grunted in agreement.

Brooke Jarvis continued, "Holly’s a university student now. She’ll need makeup, perfume, purses... You’re a guy, so you probably don’t know much about that stuff. You can ask your cousin for advice."

"Mm," Mortimer Quincy said. "I know."

He had already done plenty of research on all that in his past life.

...

The college entrance exam results came out. Yara Nolan had scored 663, high enough to get into Branton University.

Robin Roland called Holly that same day to share the good news. Holly sent Yara Nolan a red envelope with 66.6 yuan.

Yara Nolan didn’t accept it at first, but finally did after Holly insisted.

Holly Winslow washed an apple and took a bite, her voice brimming with excitement. "Dad, the student I was tutoring scored over six hundred!"

Wyatt Winslow gave his customary grunt of acknowledgment.

Holly told Mortimer next. A moment later, he transferred her 520 yuan with a message: `Congratulations, Teacher Winslow.`

Holly accepted it without a second thought. `Thanks, Lawyer Quincy.`

Mortimer Quincy raised an eyebrow. `Hm? And who might this Lawyer Quincy be?`

Holly mentally stuck out her tongue. `Lawyer Quincy is my Quincy the Puppy.`

Mortimer chuckled. `Alright, Winnie Winslow.`

`Give me my money back.`

Holly had no intention of returning it. `Sorry, once it’s in Holly Winslow’s pocket, it’s mine.`

Mortimer Quincy: `Oh~?`

`Then I’m yours, too.`

`After all, I’ve "entered" you.`

Holly Winslow: "..."

Her face instantly turned beet red. She locked her phone, set it down, and took a huge, angry bite of her apple.

’That damn Mortimer Quincy,’ she fumed internally. ’He’s so shameless he’s a disgrace to the entire legal profession.’

Wyatt Winslow’s gaze lingered on her flushed face for a moment before he quickly looked away.

...

That Saturday, Holly used her own physical exam as an excuse to drag Wyatt Winslow to the hospital for one as well.

In her past life, Wyatt had been diagnosed with rather severe gallstones during her sophomore year of college.

He often suffered from excruciating colic.

She wanted to get him checked out early, hoping to treat the gallstones in their initial stage if he had them.

Wyatt got all the same tests that Holly did.

Wyatt’s tests came back clear—no gallstones. Holly, on the other hand, was diagnosed with a "uterine cold." It wasn’t serious, but it couldn’t be ignored either.

Holly already knew about this; she’d found out after getting married in her past life. It wasn’t a major issue, she just had to be more mindful of her daily habits.

The doctor explained the condition to Wyatt in great detail. The color drained from Wyatt’s face as he listened. Afterward, he insisted on taking Holly to a major hospital in Branton City for another examination.

Registration, tests, acupuncture... by the time they were done with everything, it was already three or four in the morning.

Wyatt had been running around all day. His usually well-styled hair was now plastered to his forehead in a messy tangle.

Holly grabbed his arm. "Dad, take a break. I’m fine."

Wyatt gestured for her to lie down. "Go to sleep. I’ll be right here."

「The next day」

Robin Roland had come in for a check-up on her rheumatic legs. She ran into Wyatt while paying the fees. "Wyatt, are you sick?"

"No, it’s Holly," Wyatt said, adjusting his glasses.

"Oh?" Robin Roland said. "Did she catch a cold?"

"No, it’s a uterine cold," Wyatt said.

After paying her bill, Robin Roland followed Wyatt to see Holly.

When Holly saw her, she asked, "Aunt Roland, what are you doing here?"

"I’m here for a check-up on my rheumatic legs." Robin touched the cup on the bedside table and found the water was cold. Even on a hot day, someone with a uterine cold should drink warm water.

She got up, poured out the cold water, and came back with a cup of warm water. "Holly, you have to be careful to stay warm. And avoid cold food and drinks as much as you can."

"You should buy some traditional brown sugar and longans to make tea with. Take care of your body for a while."

She glanced at Wyatt. ’He’s a man, he wouldn’t know about this stuff,’ she thought. "Why don’t I go buy them for you? You wouldn’t know which brand of traditional brown sugar is best anyway."

Wyatt indeed had no clue about such things. "That would be a great help. Let me give you the money."

"You can pay me after I buy it." Robin Roland smiled. She chatted for a little while longer before heading out to buy the items, returning more than an hour later.

She showed Wyatt and Holly how to brew the tea. "You have to drink it consistently for it to work. A uterine cold isn’t some major illness, so don’t you two worry too much."

Wyatt carefully followed her instructions and prepared a cup himself. It was a simple process, yet he was incredibly meticulous, even asking Robin what the ideal water temperature was.