Once they were out of the company building, Holly couldn’t help but laugh out loud. "Honey, you’re pretty self-aware!" she praised.

Mortimer raised an eyebrow. "If I’m not, I’ll have to go home and kneel on the keyboard tonight."

"Good, as long as you know." Holly glanced at him, her eyes crinkling as she smiled again.

As much as she admired Scholar Quincy’s looks and abilities, it was his unwavering devotion that truly made her happy.

He reserved this devotion for her and her alone, never hiding it. In fact, he seemed to wish the whole world knew.

She loved this open, public affection, just as she cherished Wyatt’s quiet, unspoken love.

Seeing how happy his wife was, Mortimer leaned down to seize the opportunity for a little bonus. "Honey, a kiss."

Holly: "..."

She let out a "hmph" before giving him a quick kiss. A second later, she sneezed, and then immediately sneezed again.

Mortimer’s expression immediately turned serious. He hailed a cab and took her to the hospital, where the doctor said it was just a slight cold and nothing serious.

But Mortimer knew this was how it always started for Holly. If she didn’t take medicine or get an IV, it would become much more serious.

He asked the doctor to prescribe some medication and set up an IV.

The doctor didn’t think it was necessary. He didn’t order an IV, only prescribing some mild cold medicine with little effect.

Mortimer’s expression soured, but he suppressed his temper and explained, "She has a delicate constitution. Her colds tend to get much worse."

The doctor frowned, giving him a look that clearly said, ’You don’t know what you’re talking about.’ "It’s just a mild cold, nothing serious. Just make sure she stays warm, and it won’t get any worse."

This wasn’t the first time they had run into this kind of situation. Holly tugged on Mortimer’s sleeve. "It’s fine. Let’s just go home."

Mortimer bit back his frustration. The two of them left the hospital, and as soon as they got home, he turned on the heat.

The temperature in April and May wasn’t cold anymore.

Holly went from sneezing once every half hour to once every ten minutes, and her face was starting to look flushed.

She was starting to run a fever.

Mortimer tried to bring her fever down physically by rubbing her body with alcohol, then carried her to the bedroom. "Honey, do you feel awful?" he asked, worried.

Holly shook her head. "Honey, I can’t have ice cream anymore."

Mortimer: "..."

He let out an exasperated laugh. "You can have some after you get better."

Fortunately, he was experienced in these matters and handled the situation adeptly. Once Holly was asleep, he stepped out to make a phone call. "Dad, can you help me buy a few types of medicine..."

When Wyatt Winslow returned and saw that Holly was sick, the color drained from his face. He wanted to take her to the hospital, but Mortimer spoke up. "Uncle Winslow, going to the hospital is useless. I’ve already asked my dad to buy medicine."

He paused for a moment before adding, "Holly’s constitution is unique. She catches a cold from the slightest chill, and regular medicine doesn’t work on her."

Wyatt didn’t know any of this. He suddenly recalled a year when Holly had also gotten sick around April or May, a cold that had lingered for over two weeks.

The doctor had said Holly’s constitution was a bit unusual.

’How could I have forgotten?’

’I’m the one who hasn’t been taking good care of her.’

"Thank you."

Mortimer looked at his suddenly distressed father-in-law, pursed his lips, and said, "Uncle Winslow, Holly will be okay. She’ll feel better once she takes the medicine."

Wyatt hummed in acknowledgment, then watched the sleeping Holly from the bedroom doorway.

Andre Quincy and Brooke Jarvis took a plane over, arriving in just over three hours.

After Holly took the medicine, her fever began to break. Brooke Jarvis went to buy groceries and started cooking in the kitchen.

With a cooling patch on her forehead, Holly smelled the wonderful aroma and said to Mortimer at her bedside with a grin, "Mom’s cooking."

Mortimer hummed in agreement, then removed the thermometer from under her arm. 37.2 degrees.

Her temperature was back in the normal range.

He finally relaxed. "Do you want to eat in the living room, or should I bring it in here?"

Holly sat up. "I want to eat out there."

「Living Room」

The family of five gathered around the table to eat.

On the table was a dish of Holly’s favorite clams, simply stir-fried without any chili peppers.

"Mom, your cooking is delicious," Holly praised genuinely after tasting the clams.

Brooke Jarvis smiled. "Then have some more. I’m free for the next few days, so I’ll stay here and help out."

"Mom, I want fish for our next meal." Holly knew her mother-in-law wanted to dote on her, so she didn’t stand on ceremony.

She then used her chopsticks to place some vegetables in her mother-in-law’s bowl, then did the same for Wyatt and Andre.

"Alright, I’ll go buy some tomorrow."

Brooke Jarvis didn’t mind at all; on the contrary, she loved this kind of interaction.

The Quincy family members were not very talkative people. They tended to be somewhat reserved in their speech and mannerisms, a stark contrast to Holly’s cheerful disposition.

Mortimer raised an eyebrow, picked the meat out of a clam, and placed it in Holly’s bowl. "Mom, you should probably buy two fish. One won’t be enough for Holly."

He then looked over at Holly with a grin. "Right, Holly?"

One year, Brooke Jarvis had only bought one fish. Holly, who probably hadn’t eaten her fill, had told him that night, "Honey, next time, tell Mom you want two fish."

"Why?" he’d asked.

"Because I have to be demure."

"Demure? So demure you drank every last drop of the broth?"

At the time, a mortified Holly had pounced on him in a furious "Mount Tai Press."

’That bastard Mortimer actually exposed me!’ Holly shot him a glare. Perhaps because the atmosphere was so warm and cozy, her tone was just as playful as it had been in her past life. "Mom, Mortimer’s the one who wants it; he’s just trying to pin it on me. Don’t believe him."

Brooke Jarvis laughed.

Wyatt and Andre were also smiling.

After dinner, Mortimer went to do the dishes. Holly pulled out her phone and saw a text message from the company saying she had passed the first written exam.

She was a little surprised.

She got up, went to the kitchen, and showed it to Mortimer, who was washing the dishes. "Quincy the Puppy, look at this," she said smugly.

After a glance, Mortimer praised her suggestively, "Wow, honey. You’re overflowing with good fortune."

Holly: "..."

She couldn’t resist giving him a light kick. ’Shameless,’ she thought.

The three in the living room glanced their way. Andre Quincy suddenly remembered something and said to Wyatt, "I’ve made an appointment with a leading specialist at the hospital. Let’s take Holly for a check-up tomorrow afternoon."

Wyatt didn’t refuse. "Thank you."

Andre smiled. "We’re family. No need for thanks."

"If Mortimer steps out of line, feel free to discipline him. His mother and I don’t have time to manage him."

Wyatt said, "You’ve raised him very well."

"And you’ve raised Holly very well, too." Andre’s words brought a hint of warmth to Wyatt’s expression.

...

While Mortimer was at his first interview, Holly was taking her second written exam.

They both passed.

Mortimer passed his final interview, and Holly, against all odds, passed her third written exam.

During Holly’s first interview, the hiring manager looked at her resume and asked, "You’re a math major, so why choose the finance industry? How do you typically keep up with the financial world?"

Holly thought for a moment before answering seriously, "The financial industry has a certain correlation with mathematics..."

"I primarily learn about finance through lectures and self-study."

The interviewer nodded. "Then tell me about the state of the bond market in recent years."

Holly had already done her homework online. She thought for a moment before replying, "Over the past three years, our country’s bond market issuance volumes were 7.55 trillion yuan, 8.55 trillion yuan, and 6.96 trillion yuan, respectively. Last year’s issuance saw an increase over the previous year, but this year’s volume has shrunk, mainly due to the rapid reduction in the issuance of central bank bills... Under the self-regulatory management model, China has successively launched medium-term notes, short-term financing bills for SMEs, and US dollar medium-term notes..."

’This is one of the few satisfying answers I’ve heard recently. She’s clearly done her homework,’ the interviewer thought.

The interviewer gave her a high score, then asked one final question. "Our company has a policy that employees cannot get married within five years of their university graduation. What are your thoughts on this?"