Reborn with My Genius Husband-Chapter 116: Parent-Teacher Conference, the Two Dads Meet

Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Parent-Teacher Conference, the Two Dads Meet

Pantheon thought for a moment and called Mortimer Quincy directly. When the call went through, he quickly explained, "Boss Quincy, let me explain. My relationship with your girl is completely innocent. I just wanted to ask where you were. We want to copy your homework, for real. I swear to God."

Mortimer Quincy said with disgust, "No need to swear. She’s out of your league."

Pantheon: "...??!!"

’Son of a bitch.’

Just as he was about to declare their friendship over, Mortimer Quincy spoke again from the other end of the line. "Come get it at the second bubble tea shop from the school gate."

"You got it, Boss Quincy." A grin immediately spread across Pantheon’s face.

At the bubble tea shop.

When Pantheon and Zeke Zane saw Mortimer Quincy and Holly Winslow casually sipping bubble tea and eating grilled skewers, they felt like a stampede of ten thousand horses was thundering through their minds.

’Envy.’

’Jealousy.’

’Hate.’

When Mortimer Quincy saw the two of them, he handed them his backpack directly. "Don’t get snack crumbs on the homework."

Pantheon took the backpack. Considering how often Mortimer Quincy had been posting on social media lately, he couldn’t help but ask, "Mortimer, you’re already done with the homework?"

Mortimer Quincy gave him a look that said he couldn’t be bothered to answer.

Pantheon: "..."

He grabbed the backpack and made a quick exit with Zeke Zane.

...

The senior classrooms had been vacated, so the juniors moved in right away.

Because they had air conditioning.

No more fanning themselves with their notebooks.

Now that they were in the senior classrooms, they were, for all intents and purposes, seniors themselves.

Gabe Chaucer became even stricter about their studies, and every subject entered an intense review period.

The students were buried in a sea of practice problems every day.

Presumably to get the parents to take the upcoming year just as seriously, the school scheduled a parent-teacher conference for the junior class.

During the last class on Friday, Gabe Chaucer stood at the podium and announced, "All parents must attend. If any of you fail to inform your parents, I will personally make a house call to ’praise’ your academic performance."

Holly Winslow, who was packing her schoolbag, froze for a second. The thought of Wyatt Winslow meeting Mortimer Quincy’s parents filled her with a wave of awkwardness.

Wyatt Winslow would say with a deadpan expression, "Hello. I’m Holly Winslow’s father."

Andre Quincy would nod. "Hello. I’m Mortimer Quincy’s father."

And then there would just be silence.

She shook her head and buried her face in her hands, mortified.

Seeing her shake her head one moment and purse her lips the next, Mortimer Quincy let out a low chuckle. "Worried about our dads meeting?"

Holly Winslow nodded.

"Don’t worry, they won’t get into a fight. At worst, your dad will say, ’Here’s five million. Tell your son to stay away from my daughter,’" Mortimer Quincy said with a raised eyebrow.

Holly Winslow: "..."

’Just how many novels has he been secretly reading to know about tropes from those CEO stories?’

...

After getting home, Holly Winslow told Wyatt Winslow about the parent-teacher conference. He just grunted in acknowledgment.

Holly Winslow rubbed the tip of her nose. She wanted to give Wyatt Winslow a heads-up about meeting his potential future in-laws, but she trailed off, "Dad..."

Wyatt Winslow lowered his newspaper. Seeing how nervous she looked, he asked, "What is it?" 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"So, um, my deskmate is Mortimer Quincy. You know that, right, Dad?" Holly Winslow said, rubbing her nose.

Wyatt Winslow, confused, nodded. "What about it?"

"His dad will probably be there for the conference."

Holly Winslow added sheepishly, "At school, Mortimer Quincy and I are telling people we’re cousins. All the teachers and our classmates think we are."

Wyatt Winslow was silent for a moment before grunting, "Mm. Got it."

The parent-teacher conference that Holly Winslow had been dreading began at two o’clock on Sunday afternoon.

By the time Holly Winslow arrived at the classroom with Wyatt Winslow, it was already a little after 1:40. Mortimer Quincy and Andre Quincy were already there.

Andre Quincy was sitting in Mortimer Quincy’s seat, with Mortimer standing beside him, talking.

Their eyes met, and before she could even speak, Holly Winslow felt a pang of awkwardness. "Uncle Quincy."

At the same time, Mortimer Quincy greeted Wyatt Winslow, "Uncle Winslow."

Andre Quincy and Wyatt Winslow nodded simultaneously. Andre Quincy stood and offered his hand, and Wyatt Winslow gave it a brief shake.

Both men were aware of the fake "cousin" relationship.

Zeke Zane and Pantheon exchanged a look. "..."

’Impressive. The parents are meeting already.’

’When it comes to high school romance, we bow down to Mortimer Quincy and Holly Winslow.’

Seeing his girl so embarrassed she looked ready to retract her head into her shoulders, a glint of amusement flashed in Mortimer Quincy’s eyes. "Uncle Winslow, Dad, I’m taking Holly out of the classroom for a bit."

Andre Quincy offered no opinion. It was a few seconds before Wyatt Winslow grunted in assent.

The two of them stepped out of the classroom, and Holly Winslow breathed a sigh of relief. Then she started stealthily peeking at their two fathers through the window.

Her antics made Mortimer Quincy chuckle. Holly Winslow shot him a glare, silently telling him to be quiet, before pressing her face to the window again to watch.

Zeke Zane and Pantheon sidled over. Pantheon clicked his tongue. "Mortimer, I’ve only just realized today that my admiration for you is absolute. I am in complete awe."

Zeke Zane nodded in agreement.

"Better late than never," Mortimer Quincy replied calmly.

Holly Winslow pursed her lips at Scholar Quincy’s shameless boast. ’As if she didn’t remember who got the door shut in his face the first time he visited her house. They had gotten their marriage license completely behind her father’s back; it was a miracle Wyatt Winslow didn’t grab a broom and chase him out of the house.’

Just then, Gabe Chaucer arrived, carrying a thick stack of papers. "All of you, head downstairs," he called out. "Don’t stand here eavesdropping. And don’t worry, when it comes to tattling, I won’t leave a single thing out."

"Teacher Chaucer, go easy on us! I’ll buy you a drink later," Paul Powell pleaded jokingly, leaning against the balcony railing.

Gabe Chaucer laughed. "Scared now, are we?" he said good-naturedly. "Why didn’t you offer to buy me a drink sooner? It’s too late now."

After watching the students head downstairs, Gabe Chaucer turned and went into the classroom.

Among all the parents in the classroom, Andre Quincy and Wyatt Winslow were clearly the best dressed. Both were in casual attire, but it was exceptionally neat and clean.

Gabe Chaucer gave Andre Quincy a second glance. ’Ahem,’ he thought, ’I mostly just wanted to see what kind of parent would support their kid dating in high school.’

He quickly looked away. "Hello, parents. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gabe Chaucer, but you can just call me Teacher Chaucer."

"The main reason for this conference is to discuss your children’s academic progress. They’re basically seniors now, and the college entrance exams are less than a year away. This is a critical year for them..."

After rattling on for a while, he handed out the report cards to the assembled parents. "Based on their current grades, 15 students in our class are on track for a top-tier university, and the other 25 are on track for first-tier universities."

"I’m sure you’re all thinking that sounds pretty good, and I agree. But if our students have a shot at a top-tier university, why shouldn’t they go for it?"

"Let me give you an example. Say two students from the same graduating class are interviewing for a job at the same company. One is from a top-tier university, and the other is from a first-tier one. If you were the employer, your first choice would be the student from the top-tier school, right?"

"I’m not denying that some students are very capable, but ability is secondary to education. Only after you’ve passed the academic threshold do you get a chance to show what you can do. If you can’t even get your foot in the door, your talent is useless..."

While Gabe Chaucer was speaking, Wyatt Winslow looked down at the report card. He first found Holly Winslow’s results, then after a moment, his gaze fell on the student in first place. Across the row of subjects were five perfect scores—a truly pleasing sight.

He thought about the Quincy family’s circumstances, and his lips tightened into a thin line.