Chapter 264: Chapter 274: She’s Not in a Hurry, I Can Support Her

Seeing that his sister wasn’t answering him, Chet Sutton whispered again, "Sis, is she pretty? She’s way better looking than she was in middle school."

Zoe Sutton looked him up and down. "Chet Sutton, a man’s got to know his limits."

Then, she added with disgust, "If you had any prospects to speak of, Mom wouldn’t be making me bring you out here to find a girlfriend."

Chet Sutton, who had just been dissed by his sister for no reason: "..."

He retorted, "Sis, you’ve read so many books, and you still haven’t found a boyfriend."

"Don’t think I don’t know! You had a crush on Mortimer Quincy in middle school. Something about ’one look from him lasts ten thousand years’... OUCH, Sis... I was wrong."

Zoe Sutton pinched his thigh, seething, "Chet Sutton, you read my diary! You think you’re any better? And what about that ’I only like you’ line? If you’d actually said that to anyone since we were kids, maybe you wouldn’t still be single."

Chet Sutton: "..."

Most of the people from Mortimer Quincy’s middle school class were top students. Any one of them would be impressive on their own, but when they all got together, the comparisons were inevitable.

When a group of people who hadn’t seen each other in a long time got together, it was unavoidable that there’d be some idle chatter (i.e., bullshitting and bragging).

"I hear it’s hard to find a job these days. I passed the TEM-8 for English majors, but I have no idea if that’s even useful."

"Holy crap, you passed the TEM-8? I only passed the CET-6. Don’t worry, English skills are in high demand right now, you’ll be fine. I’m the one who should be stressed. I chose to major in medicine, and you can’t even take the licensing exams until after graduation. It’s tough."

"Tough my ass! Out of all of us, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Medicine is a hot field right now, and your university is the number one medical school in the country. It’d be a miracle if you *couldn’t* find a job!"

"I’m just a scrub at my school. It’s not easy to get by."

"Oh, give me a break. You get scholarships every year. Unlike me, I’ve only won the National Scholarship once."

Holly Winslow clicked her tongue. It was the first time she’d ever heard a group of brainiacs trying to one-up each other about their studies like this.

Anna Willow leaned in and whispered, "Holly, the world of these academic superstars is terrifying. I’m just a student from a Tier 1 university, and I don’t even dare to speak up."

Holly Winslow couldn’t help but chuckle. Anna added, "Good thing my handsome cousin-in-law isn’t like this, or I’d be too embarrassed to ever visit you again."

"If he were like this, I probably would’ve been too embarrassed to marry him," Holly Winslow said, hiding a smile.

Suddenly, someone shifted the conversation to Mortimer Quincy. A guy in a white short-sleeved shirt and glasses asked, "Mortimer, we’re about to be seniors. What are you planning to do after graduation?"

Instantly, all eyes turned to him. The girls, in particular, were staring openly.

Mortimer Quincy was in the middle of dipping a piece of beef tripe in the hot pot. After a few seconds, he placed it in Holly Winslow’s bowl and said nonchalantly, "Haven’t decided yet."

"You should start thinking about it. But someone as outstanding as you won’t have to worry about finding a job," another guy said with a chuckle.

Mortimer Quincy glanced at him, lifting his eyelids slightly, and gave a simple, crisp, "Mm."

Then, someone else turned the topic to Holly Winslow. "What are you planning to do, sis-in-law?"

Holly Winslow didn’t know these people very well, so she didn’t reveal her own plans, giving a perfunctory answer just like Mortimer Quincy had: "I haven’t really thought about it."

Everyone seemed to be listening in on their conversation. A girl at the next table chimed in with a smile, "You should figure it out soon. It gets hard to find a job after graduation, especially for women. It’s even harder for us than for men."

The others chimed in with agreement.

Anna Willow rolled her eyes.

Holly Winslow didn’t want to say much more. She was just about to nod when Mortimer Quincy, beside her, said in a deep voice, "She’s not in a hurry. I can provide for her."

His meaning was clear: if his wife couldn’t find a job, he would be there to support her. Her situation was different from theirs.

Everyone instantly let out a collective "Tsk." The girls looked at Holly Winslow with envy, while Anna Willow gave her handsome cousin-in-law a mental thumbs-up.

’Did you hear that? My Holly has a husband to support her. And if worse comes to worst, she still has Uncle Winslow.’

’My Holly was already leagues ahead of them right from the starting line.’

Holly Winslow nodded. "I’m not in a hurry."

And she truly wasn’t in a hurry. It wasn’t just because of Mortimer Quincy, but also because of herself.

’To quote a phrase her teachers often used: ’When you’ve got the goods, you’re never out of place.’’

’The saying was a bit of an exaggeration, but the principle held true.’

’In her past life, no matter what job she interviewed for, she was always plagued by self-doubt, constantly wondering if she was capable enough for the work.’

’With that kind of doubtful attitude, finding a job was a hopeless endeavor. If you weren’t even sure of yourself, how could you expect a boss to be?’

Anna Willow was simply admiring her handsome cousin-in-law’s manliness, praising him to Zeke Zane: "Her handsome cousin-in-law is so manly."

Any man would get jealous if his girlfriend praised another guy right in front of him.

A jealous Zeke Zane picked up some food with his chopsticks and placed it in her bowl. "You don’t have to be in a hurry, either. I’ll provide for you."

He’d already made up his mind. Once he passed the bar exam, he would find an internship at a law firm. When he had enough experience, he’d find a storefront in the city and open a law firm with some of his classmates.

Anna Willow looked at the contour of his side profile. It had become more defined. He was actually a bit more handsome than the average guy.

Her roommates all said she was very lucky.

She mumbled, a little embarrassed, "It’s not like I need you to provide for me. I can support myself."

"I want to provide for you," Zeke Zane said seriously.

After a few rounds of drinks, the alcohol had loosened everyone’s tongues. They lost their "inhibitions" and started talking about their relationship histories.

Each person’s relationship history seemed more extensive than the last.

It turned out Boris Owens wasn’t the only "bad boy" among the academic elites. Holly Winslow was listening with great interest when suddenly, a guy in a black short-sleeved shirt looked at her and said, "Back in middle school, you were famous for your dancing, sis-in-law. A lot of guys from our school liked to go watch. A few times, we even climbed over the wall to see you, only to get caught by a teacher and have our parents called."

Holly Winslow: "..."

The guy continued, "Later, we even asked Mortimer Quincy if you were good-looking, and he just went ’Mm.’ So, sis-in-law, you could say we were the ones who brought you and Mortimer together."

Holly Winslow had never heard this before. She looked at Mortimer Quincy and whispered, "How come you never told me about this?"

’It made no sense for him to have kept it to himself for over a decade.’

Mortimer Quincy gave an unnatural cough and explained, "I didn’t get a good look."

At the time, a group of noisy guys had been pestering him with questions while he was trying to solve a problem, so he’d just given them a perfunctory "Mm."

’Thinking back on it now, all he could remember were the brightly colored clothes. As for her face, he truly had no impression of it.’

’If only he had known, he would have taken a few more glances.’

Holly Winslow wasn’t satisfied with his answer. ’She was so pretty back in middle school!’

’Ahem, that was a little shameless of her to think.’

Unsatisfied, she whispered, pressing him, "Why?"

Seeing her staring at him, Mortimer Quincy coughed. "The bright colors were pretty conspicuous."

Holly Winslow: "..."

’Aside from the ones you bought yourself, middle school dance costumes were basically all a gaudy mess of colors, and the makeup was just as garish.’

She said gloomily, "Are you saying the clothes were better looking than I was?"

Mortimer Quincy: "..."

’His wife was starting to split hairs. She was probably upset.’

He changed the subject. "Waiter, a glass of watermelon juice, please."

Holly Winslow: "..."

’As long as she got her watermelon juice, she’d stop splitting hairs.’

Just then, someone singled her out again, asking, "Sis-in-law, can I ask you something?"

Holly Winslow took a sip of her watermelon juice, puzzled. "Go ahead and ask."

The person laughed, then said to Mortimer Quincy, "Mortimer, don’t get mad, okay? I’m just really curious."

"Sis-in-law, how many boyfriends did you have in middle school?"

Even though Holly Winslow was from the school next door, she had been quite famous. There were constant rumors that she was dating this guy or that guy.