Chapter 285: Chapter 295: Upgrading to a Bachelor’s Degree Isn’t Shameful, It’s the Reality of Society

Holly Winslow, who was telling the truth but wasn’t believed: "..."

She gave up trying to explain. ’I’ll just eat for now,’ she thought. ’Tomorrow, I’ll have Mortimer come wait for me inside the center.’

But before she could prove her identity, Sandra Marshall and the others suggested going upstairs after their meal to see if the handsome guy was still working.

Holly Winslow spoke up. "He’s at work."

No one had believed her when she said she was married, so this was even less convincing. Chelsea York grinned. "Teacher Winslow, you’re really getting into this role, aren’t you?"

Holly Winslow was speechless.

She planned to go back and grade papers, but Chelsea York and the others insisted on dragging her up to the sixth floor. They peered through the glass, but they couldn’t see anything beyond the front desk.

Melody Shaw suddenly turned to Holly Winslow and wheedled, "Teacher Winslow, you’re the prettiest, you should go ask. Just ask the front desk if Mortimer Quincy is here. Or, you know, just say you’re his wife."

Holly Winslow was at a loss for words.

’But I *am* his wife.’

Chelsea York shook her arm. "Teacher Winslow, our future happiness is in your hands."

Holly Winslow had no response.

She took out her phone and looked at the three of them. "I’ll make a call."

Chelsea York and the other two were confused. ’Who is she calling?’

’The front desk?’

The next second, they heard Holly Winslow say into the phone, "Can you come out for a second? Ahem, my colleagues want to see you."

The three of them were speechless.

Before they could even react, the handsome man they had been obsessing over walked out briskly in a suit. Since it was lunchtime, the top button of his shirt was undone.

His Adam’s apple stood out, a distinctly mature and masculine feature.

Even after more than a decade of marriage, Holly Winslow was still captivated by his looks. She never tired of looking at him; in fact, she found him more handsome every time she did.

"Honey, these are my colleagues."

The three women were dumbfounded.

They looked at her in shock.

The man hummed in acknowledgment, then nodded politely at them. "Hello. I’m Mortimer Quincy, Holly Winslow’s husband."

He really was Holly Winslow’s husband. The hopes of Chelsea York, Sandra Marshall, and Melody Shaw were utterly crushed. "..."

’Such a handsome man, and already married so young.’

The three of them were stunned for a long moment before they managed to choke out, "Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

Holly Winslow almost burst out laughing beside them. For some reason, she was reminded of Gabe Chaucer and Julian Carlton. They had worn the exact same expression.

A look of shock mixed with utter disbelief.

Now that they had met the man they’d been mooning over, Melody Shaw felt too embarrassed to linger. She waved to Holly Winslow. "Teacher Winslow, we’ll head downstairs now."

Then she added, "Wishing you a long and happy life together, and may you have children soon."

It was her way of atoning for what she had said during lunch.

’I can’t believe I just told his actual wife that I was married to Mortimer Quincy and that we’d almost kissed.’

’It’s over. I’ve become the other woman.’

After they left, Holly Winslow couldn’t help but laugh out loud. But she was met with her husband’s displeased gaze; he was clearly not happy that she’d brought her colleagues to see him.

She touched her nose sheepishly. "I told them I was your wife, but they didn’t believe me. I just wanted to provide a little proof."

She waved a dismissive hand. "You should get back to work. I’m heading down."

"Wife," Mortimer Quincy called out suddenly, a smile playing on his lips.

Holly Winslow looked at him, puzzled. "Hm?"

Before the "Hm?" had fully left her lips, Mortimer cupped her face and kissed her. At that very moment, a loud THUD echoed from nearby.

Mortimer Quincy’s colleague, Todd Quinn, had walked right into the glass door. He’d hit it hard—his forehead was already turning red.

In front of everyone, even the normally thick-skinned Holly Winslow couldn’t stop her face from flushing. "I’m going downstairs," she blurted out, then scurried over to the elevator and repeatedly jabbed the ’down’ button.

Mortimer chuckled, then raised his voice slightly. "Wife, I’ll wait for you to get off work."

He had always been shameless with his affection, completely unconcerned about who was watching.

Holly Winslow mumbled an "Okay" and quickly ducked into the elevator.

Satisfied with her response, Mortimer headed back into the office. He glanced at his colleague who’d run into the door and asked coolly, "You all right?"

Todd Quinn waved his hand. "I’m fine."

’My heart, on the other hand, can’t take this abuse.’

...

Back in their office, Melody Shaw leaned in with an expectant look. "Teacher Winslow, are there any more guys like your husband? You have to introduce me to one."

Holly Winslow was speechless.

She continued grading her students’ papers. "There really aren’t."

Sandra Marshall, while preparing lessons, let out a long sigh. "Looks like I’ll be single for a few more years."

Chelsea York laughed. "You guys, stop talking. Let’s hurry up and grade these tests."

She paused, then continued, "I’m about to lose my mind. This one student got all the steps right, but when it came to the final answer, they put down that 2*6 equals 16. They wrote it so confidently that I almost marked it correct."

"Good thing I caught it right away."

Hearing this, Holly Winslow and the others laughed. Sandra Marshall had the look of a veteran. "Ever since a student wrote an English essay on a math test, nothing surprises me anymore."

Then she turned to the newcomer. "Teacher Winslow, since you just got here, remember this: don’t get angry over these things. Otherwise, you’ll lose your mind several times a day."

Holly Winslow knew the feeling all too well. When she first became a homeroom teacher, she was incredibly diligent and responsible, micromanaging every little detail. Eventually, the frustration built up until she was completely burned out. Back then, she’d fantasized about grabbing those students and giving them a good thrashing.

The consequence of her burnout was a sharp increase in household spending and a sharp decrease in Mortimer Quincy’s allowance. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"I’m holding up fine."

She graded the papers quickly. These were likely for students transitioning from middle to high school, so the material didn’t cover advanced topics yet, and the scores weren’t great.

During the lunch break, Principal Vaughn held a meeting regarding the recent monthly test scores, asking all the teachers to analyze their students’ issues.

As a new arrival, Holly Winslow didn’t have speaking privileges, so she just took diligent notes on what the other teachers had to say.

They had all been teaching for years and naturally had plenty of experience. It was beneficial for her to listen and learn.

Principal Vaughn glanced at her several times. After all the other teachers had spoken, she said, "Teacher Winslow, why don’t you share some of the issues you’ve observed in your classes recently."

Holly Winslow was taken aback for a moment. She put down her pen, stood up, and said, "Over the past few days of teaching, I’ve noticed that students lack proactive motivation to learn, and they don’t complete their homework very conscientiously."

Principal Vaughn nodded. "And how do you think we can improve that? Don’t be nervous, just share your thoughts."

Holly Winslow thought for a moment before answering seriously, "Fifteen and sixteen-year-olds are at an age where they’re prone to fooling around. A rigid, by-the-book teaching style will cause them to lose interest. I believe that if we can communicate with them more and adopt teaching methods that resonate with them, we might see better results."

She paused. "Also, we need to have more patience with the students."

The relationship between a teacher and a student is like a battle of endurance; it’s a test of who can persevere longer.

Principal Vaughn motioned for her to sit, then said sternly, "What Teacher Winslow said is exactly what I wanted to say. As teachers, we are responsible for every single one of our students. There’s no such thing as a ’good’ or ’bad’ student. We must not give up on anyone."

"We’ve all been in their shoes, and we understand the importance of education better than they do. I ask every teacher here to show a hundred times more patience in guiding these students."

When they returned to the office after the meeting, Sandra Marshall sank into her chair and let out a long breath. "I don’t even dare to breathe too loudly in front of Principal Vaughn."

Melody Shaw nodded in agreement. "I really admire Principal Vaughn. To have built such a large tutoring center after upgrading from a vocational diploma to a bachelor’s degree."

It was no secret at the center that Shannon Vance had upgraded from a vocational diploma to a bachelor’s degree. Holly Winslow had heard her colleagues mention it several times.

She glanced at them before lowering her head again. ’This is just how it is,’ she thought. ’No matter how successful you become or how hard you work, people will always talk about your perceived shortcomings.’

’There’s no shame in earning a degree that way. It’s the judgmental nature of society that’s the problem.’