Chapter 36: Chapter 36: The Look of Catching a Cheater
The principal cleared his throat with a pointed "ahem." Instantly, the students of Class 8 and Vivian Sheffield all looked toward the window.
The principal, the school director, and the top student with a score of 743 were standing outside.
The students, who had been listless just a mont before, perked up and sat straight. A student in the last row shielded his movents and slipped his phone into his desk drawer.
He had to go AFK in his ga.
Beau Sullivan propped his head up with his hand and cursed under his breath, "Fuck. My penta-kill."
Mortir Quincy watched as his wife slowly turned her head. She wasn’t wearing her school uniform today; instead, she had on a sky-blue crewneck sweater over a collared shirt embroidered with two small, pale-yellow flowers.
Her fair, innocent face was captivating.
Holly Winslow t Mortir Quincy’s gaze and stuck her tongue out playfully. Mortir lowered his head, the corner of his lip twitching into a small smile.
Although Vivian Sheffield was angry, she didn’t want the student from Jarton High to see her in such a state. She took a deep breath and picked up her textbook again.
She said amiably, "Next, could a student please explain why B is the answer to question three? I’ll just call on soone at random... How about Sean Hayes?"
"Don’t be nervous. It’s fine if you get it wrong."
Holly Winslow was speechless.
’She already went over this question.’
’So much for picking "at random."’
Sean Hayes adjusted his glasses, picked up his textbook, and said, "Adding a saturated ammonium sulfate solution to a protein solution is a salting-out process. The properties of the precipitated protein do not change, which ans no new substance is ford. Therefore, it is not a chemical reaction..."
Outside the window, the principal nodded repeatedly, trying to salvage the situation for Jarton Second High. "Our students are actually quite decent."
Director Vance was speechless.
’In front of soone who scored a 743, Principal, where is your self-awareness?’
"Mm."
Mortir Quincy chid in with an agreent. He noticed Holly Winslow’s deskmate was now a boy—the sa one who had gone up to the blackboard with her.
A quick glance was enough to set his mind at ease.
The principal, worried about another incident like the one in Class 8, decided against continuing the tour of Jarton Second High’s "educational environnt" with Mortir Quincy.
He wracked his brain but couldn’t think of anywhere else to show him. Jarton Second High was a bit on the small side.
"Mortir, let
show you the cafeteria. Our school’s cafeteria is quite nice."
Director Vance looked up at the sky, speechless.
’Compared to Jarton High’s cafeteria, ahem... even he couldn’t, in good conscience, say it was nice.’
"Principal, I’d like to sit in on a couple of classes. Teacher Chaucer told
to observe the teaching thods at Jarton Second High and apply what I learn."
Mortir Quincy’s gaze fell on his wife’s glossy dark hair, which was pulled into a high ponytail with a black, star-adorned hair tie.
’And that unremarkable little trinket had taken the place of his expensive watch.’
Upon hearing this, the principal said hurriedly, "Excellent! Director Vance, arrange for Mortir to sit in on a class in Class 1."
Class 1 was Jarton Second High’s advanced science class, which was roughly equivalent to a standard class at Jarton High.
"That won’t be necessary, Principal. May I just stay in this class? My Holly said the teacher here is excellent." Mortir Quincy lied without so much as a blush.
Neither the principal nor Director Vance caught the "my Holly" in his sentence. Even if they had, they would have just thought it was normal.
They were cousins, after all.
In the end, Mortir Quincy took an empty seat in the back row of the Class 8 classroom, next to a boy.
The principal sohow procured a brand-new chemistry textbook for him.
When the fourth period ended, Holly Winslow glanced toward the back of the room. A girl from the desk in front of Mortir was asking him a question, her cheeks flushed and her eyes glued to his face.
Holly Winslow crumpled the scratch paper on her desk into a ball, stood up to throw it in the trash can at the back, and stole a few glances as she walked past.
Mortir Quincy said, "This is just how I normally solve it. You probably won’t be able to follow."
He lacked the patience he always showed Holly Winslow.
Out of the corner of his eye, he caught his wife’s glare, as if she’d caught him cheating. He was speechless.
"Holly, co here."
Holly Winslow walked over, and Mortir Quincy pulled another piece of chocolate from his pocket for her. "The rest are in Mr. Carlton’s office. Go get them at noon."
He paused, then turned to his temporary deskmate. "Hey, would you be willing to switch seats next period?"
William Lewis nodded. "Sure, but we’ll have to let Mr. Carlton know."
As soon as he finished speaking, Julian Carlton appeared at the doorway. He happened to overhear the request to switch seats and, without thinking much of it, simply assud Mortir didn’t know the other students. "Go ahead and switch."
And so, with another assist from Julian Carlton, Holly Winslow and Mortir Quincy beca deskmates.
The fifth period wasn’t chemistry, but Vivian Sheffield was still the teacher. The schedule had likely been changed at the last minute because of Mortir Quincy.
Holly Winslow was taking notes when she suddenly felt her left hand being held. She turned to look, but the boy beside her was focused on the blackboard, appearing to listen intently to the lecture.
She glanced around the classroom nervously. Seeing that no one was paying them any mind, she squeezed his hand back before lowering her head and returning to her notes.
...
It was soon twelve o’clock.
The principal had business to attend to, so he tasked Director Vance with taking Mortir to lunch. Since Mortir was in Class 8, Director Vance delegated the duty to Julian Carlton.
Julian Carlton, figuring Mortir would be uncomfortable eating with strangers, asked Holly Winslow to have lunch with him, adding that the school would reimburse whatever they spent.
And just like that, the couple ended up together right under everyone’s noses, having a perfectly legitimate lunch date.
Since Mortir Quincy didn’t have a lunch tray, Holly Winslow told Anna Willow and Iris Kensington to get in line while she went to the school store to buy one.
Mortir Quincy went with her, the two walking side by side.
On the tree-lined path, sunlight dappled through the canopy. Holly Winslow chattered nonstop, and Mortir Quincy watched her with a smile, leaning down slightly to hear her better.
Mortir Quincy was handso, and passing female students on their way to lunch couldn’t help but steal glances at him.
The school store was notoriously overpriced; a lunch tray that cost fifteen outside was sold for twenty-five here.
Holly Winslow saw she only had twenty-three left on her al card, not enough for two people. She headed to the top-up station. It was Wednesday, so the line was short, and their turn ca in just a minute or two.
Just as Holly Winslow was about to pull out her own money, Mortir Quincy handed a few red bills to the woman at the counter. "Six hundred, please." He then looked at Holly, motioning for her to hand over her card.
"I have money," Holly Winslow protested, pulling out a handful of red and green bills to show him.
"Use your husband’s."
Mortir Quincy raised an eyebrow, took the cash from her hand, folded the bills neatly, and tucked them back into her pocket.
After topping up the card, they saw Anna Willow nearing the front of the line. She spotted them and waved. "Holly! Cousin! Over here, quick!"
Holly Winslow hurried over and squeezed into the line. Mortir Quincy smiled from behind her, then stepped up. "Holly, I’ll pay for their als, too."
The way her "cousin" said "Holly" always sounded a bit intimate. Anna Willow often questioned her own instincts, but the aroma of pork ribs wafting from the service window quickly drove the thought from her mind.
"Thanks, Cousin!"
Mortir Quincy stood by the counter and, once Holly had her food, took the tray from her hands and walked by her side.
Iris Kensington had saved a four-person table by the window.
Anna Willow set Iris Kensington’s portion of pork ribs down in front of her with a grin. "Cousin’s treat."
"Thank you, Cousin. Thank you, Holly," Iris Kensington said with a playful wink.
"Don’t ntion it. I’d appreciate it if you’d continue to look after Holly for ." Mortir Quincy’s words had the tone of soone entrusting his family to their care.
But given that he was her cousin, neither Anna Willow nor Iris Kensington gave it a second thought and simply nodded happily.
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