When Mortimer Quincy saw the comment, his face turned green. He circled it and sent it to Holly Winslow: "Honey, the way people spread rumors these days is hilarious."

Upon receiving the message, Holly Winslow instantly saw through his true intentions. She typed back a line: "Quincy the Puppy, you’re being so dramatic."

Those snacks were for Serena Shaw. Nathan Chaney asked me to bring them to her.

She thought for a moment, then decided to turn the tables on him and sent another line: "And what a big bag of snacks it was."

Mortimer Quincy got it instantly and chuckled. He then went online and ordered her favorite snacks, like nuts.

He started playing poor: "Honey, can I get a fifty-buck raise on my allowance next month? It’s not enough."

Holly Winslow could have sworn to the heavens she had never restricted his spending. "Just take the card and withdraw it yourself. The PIN is your birthday."

But that rascal Mortimer Quincy replied: "I forgot."

Holly Winslow: "..."

’For some reason, that guy just loves having someone else manage his money.’

’She was quite pleased with it, though.’

I’ll give it to you tomorrow. A hundred.

That rascal Mortimer Quincy started haggling, but against himself: "Let’s make it thirty. A hundred is too much."

Holly Winslow: "..."

She was speechless. After putting down her phone, she looked over at Serena Shaw and raised a hand as if to swear an oath. "Serena, don’t believe that stuff on the forum. There’s absolutely nothing to it."

Serena Shaw happened to be browsing the forum at that very moment, so she had already seen the post about Mortimer Quincy and the comments. "I know. Nathan Chaney is miles behind your boyfriend. You wouldn’t have such bad taste."

Her tone was full of disdain.

Holly Winslow: "..."

She was genuinely curious. "Serena, Nathan Chaney isn’t that bad, is he? Why do you despise him so much? I actually think he’s kind of into you."

Autumn Underwood, who was holding a book, nodded in agreement.

Serena Shaw was quick to deny it. "You guys are really overthinking things. That good-for-nothing Nathan Chaney? Not even a ghost could deal with him."

Holly Winslow: "..."

Autumn Underwood: "..."

Hearing the resentment in her voice, Simone Quincy analyzed, "Serena, you didn’t use to have a crush on Nathan Chaney, did you?" 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Of course not," Serena Shaw said, her voice lacking conviction.

’There’s a story here.’

Autumn Underwood put down her book, a mischievous grin on her face. "Serena, you’re not being honest. Hurry up and confess."

It wasn’t some huge secret, so Serena Shaw told them. "It was back when I was young and foolish. I wrote a love letter to Nathan Chaney, and he tore it up right in front of me. Then he said, in that punchable way of his, ’Got nothing better to do?’"

"I really wanted to fire back, ’Nothing better to do, my ass!’ But I just chickened out and cried." As she said this, she quickly added, "I cried in secret, of course."

"No wonder the ’deep-seated hatred’ between you two is so intense." Now that she knew the inside story, Autumn Underwood clicked her tongue.

The more Serena Shaw thought about it, the angrier she got. She started ranting, "Even Scholar Quincy isn’t as arrogant as him. I don’t even know what he has to be so high and mighty about. Is it such a big deal that I liked him? It’s not like I was demanding he like me back."

Holly Winslow: "..."

’To be perfectly honest,’ she thought, ’my own experience was even more ’miserable’ back then.’

’My love letter was tossed in the trash can, and so were the lucky stars I made.’

’The worst part was that rascal Mortimer Quincy thought I was some kind of shady solicitor handing out flyers.’

’It got to the point where I came up with a ’revenge’ plan: I had to get him to date me, and once he fell in love, I’d dump him.’

’Ahem. Of course, that plan never came to fruition. I couldn’t bring myself to dump him.’

Just as she was about to say something, she heard Serena Shaw add, "I really wish I could date him, wait for him to fall for me, and then just dump him. Even if he came back crying and begging, I wouldn’t even look back."

"But I can only dream," she sighed.

Simone Quincy and Autumn Underwood were bent over with laughter. Autumn teased, "You should get Holly to teach you. She managed to land the top scholar from The Quincy Academy, so what’s to fear about helping you land the top scholar from the Cheney Group?"

Holly Winslow: "..."

’Did *I* land the top scholar from The Quincy Academy?’

’No, it was the top scholar from The Quincy Academy who launched a counter-offensive and landed *me*.’

...

The day before the college entrance exams, Holly Winslow stopped tutoring Yara Nolan and suggested Robin Roland take some time to bring him out to relax.

Robin Roland’s life usually revolved around newspapers, so she had no idea where to take him for fun. She ended up asking Holly Winslow to come along with them.

Since she didn’t have classes, Holly Winslow agreed.

The three of them went to an amusement park. Right after buying tickets and heading inside, Holly Winslow got a call from Wyatt Winslow. "Hey, Dad. You’re here? I’m at the amusement park right now... Joyland Amusement Park... Okay, see you."

She looked at Robin Roland apologetically. "Aunt Roland, my dad’s coming. You two can go on ahead."

It was still early, so Robin Roland smiled and said, "We’ll wait for you. It’s no trouble."

Yara Nolan didn’t say anything, but he stood his ground, clearly intending to wait as well.

Holly Winslow bought another ticket. Half an hour later, Wyatt Winslow arrived. Seeing him in his suit and leather shoes, Holly figured he had just come from work and couldn’t help but smile. "Dad."

"Mm," Wyatt Winslow grunted. He glanced at Robin Roland and Yara Nolan, then hesitated with the cup of milk tea in his hand, ultimately not passing it to Holly.

Of course, Holly Winslow noticed. She scanned their surroundings. "Dad, Aunt Roland, wait for me for a second."

She went and bought two more cups of milk tea, handing them to Robin Roland and Yara Nolan. Then she took the one Wyatt Winslow had bought for herself. "Thanks, Dad."

Wyatt Winslow grunted in acknowledgment. There were many rides Holly was too scared to go on, but seeing that Robin Roland was also hesitant, she gritted her teeth and accompanied Yara Nolan.

Yara Nolan could see her fear and tried to talk her out of it. "Ms. Summers, you don’t have to. I can go by myself."

Holly Winslow had a look of grim determination on her face. "I’m going with you."

Wyatt Winslow didn’t say a word, but he got on the ride with Holly and the others.

"AHHH!! Dad! Dad, save me!" Holly Winslow shrieked, unable to stop herself as she gripped Wyatt Winslow’s hand.

Wyatt Winslow squeezed her hand tightly. "Holly, don’t be afraid. Dad won’t let anything happen to you."

She didn’t hear that last part; her own screaming was too loud. But Yara Nolan, who was next to them, heard it clearly. An unconscious look of "envy" flickered in his eyes.

’The phrase ’Dad won’t let anything happen to you’ felt like an impossible luxury to him.’

He lowered his gaze for a moment before quickly looking up again.

A few minutes later, Holly Winslow stumbled off the ride, her legs shaking. "I need to ride the carousel to recover."

Yara Nolan, standing beside her, couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Wyatt Winslow was smiling too, but Robin Roland looked worried. "Holly, are you all right? Rest for a bit. Once you’ve recovered, Aunt Roland will go with you on that... what-cha-ma-call-it horse?"

It was a perfectly normal question, but for some reason, it made Holly Winslow laugh. In the end, they all started laughing.

The group rode the carousel twice before heading to the haunted house, which was Holly Winslow’s favorite. The haunted house at this particular amusement park used live actors.

Wyatt Winslow had never been to one of these before and was startled by a "ghost" with white hair and a bloody face. His first instinct, however, was to pull Holly Winslow behind him for protection.

He stared down the "ghost" with a completely serious expression.

The Ghost: "..."

It wavered, caught between leaving and staying, before finally retreating, its dignity in tatters.

When they emerged, Robin Roland’s face was pale with fright, but she found it hilarious in hindsight. "That last ghost dropped its shoe! I was this close to kicking it."

Holly Winslow couldn’t hold back her laughter. "One time, I came here with Mortimer Quincy. A ghost ran up from behind and put a hand on my shoulder, which startled me. Mortimer just kicked him instinctively."

"The ghost just lay there on the ground and wailed, ’Bro, can you please show a little respect for me, the ghost?’"

She bent over laughing as she finished the story.

Back then, Mortimer Quincy had retorted, ’Not even a ’ghost’ is allowed to touch my girlfriend.’

Robin Roland, still under the impression they were cousins, said earnestly, "You two have such a wonderful relationship for cousins."

"Aunt Roland, actually... Mortimer Quincy is my boyfriend," Holly Winslow explained, rubbing her nose a little sheepishly.