Madam, Please Behave

“Listen to yourself talk! I came an hour early today!”

Liu Changqing bent down and picked up the baseball cap he had knocked to the ground, brushing the dust off it casually before scrunching it up in his hand.

“So, why are you here again?”

“I… I came to see you…”

An Yuanyao’s voice was weak and lifeless, as if she could pass out at any moment. Yet, she maintained that silly smile of hers.

Looking at her in this state, Liu Changqing couldn’t help but feel a tinge of worry.

Could this woman have lost her mind?

Once the thought crossed his mind, it was hard to shake. The more he looked at her, the more he felt that something wasn’t right.

Could her failed marriage really have hit her this hard?

“You’re not planning to kill yourself in front of my shop, are you?”

An Yuanyao’s silly smile froze instantly.

“Don’t even think about it. If you die here, there’s a security camera right above you. It’ll clear me of any involvement. And besides, this shop isn’t even mine. Your death here wouldn’t really affect me. If I were you, I’d take a rope and head straight to your husband’s company. Go hang yourself there—that would really give me some satisfaction.”

Angrily, An Yuanyao raised her hand and feebly punched Liu Changqing’s shoulder twice.

It was so light, it didn’t hurt at all.

“Did you not have breakfast this morning?” Liu Changqing asked with genuine curiosity.

An Yuanyao’s chest rose and fell sharply, her hands clenched into fists.

For four or five seconds, she glared at Liu Changqing. Then, taking several deep breaths, she calmed herself down.

She cast him a sideways glance and grumbled, “Every time I talk to you, I feel like you’re going to make me explode.”

“No need to compliment me,” he replied nonchalantly.

“You! Ugh… Forget it…”

Just as she was about to lose her temper again, something seemed to click in her mind. Her anger dissipated as quickly as it came. She pulled her stockinged feet inward, curling them to shield from the cold.

Liu Changqing noticed the movement.

“Cold now, huh? You had perfectly good shoes—why aren’t you wearing them?”

“They’re wet…”

It was only after her response that Liu Changqing noticed how damp her sneakers were.

As if realizing something, he reached out and pressed down on her clothes with his hand.

With a slight squeeze, water dripped down from her clothes onto the floor.

His expression turned complicated.

“This is all you’re wearing?”

“Mm-hmm…”

“…”

The conversation ended there. Liu Changqing sighed deeply as he stood, wincing from the soreness in his legs caused by the morning’s exercise.

Pulling out the keys to the shop, he unlocked the metal roller door and pushed it up. Then, he used another key to open the glass door and stepped inside.

“Grab your stuff and follow me.”

With that, Liu Changqing walked into a small room at the back of the bookstore.

An Yuanyao sat at the entrance in a daze for a moment before finally grabbing her damp sneakers and stepping into the shop.

The bookstore was significantly warmer than outside.

Although it was still summer, the dampness of An Yuanyao’s clothes made the early morning breeze unexpectedly chilling.

From her pale complexion and the half-closed, fatigued eyes, Liu Changqing could tell she likely had a fever.

Fortunately, there were some fever-reducing medications left behind by the previous owner of the bookstore.

He placed the kettle on the stove, figuring that starting with some hot water would be a good idea.

Turning his head, he glanced through the open door into the shop.

He saw An Yuanyao, holding her sneakers, standing there in a daze, unsure of what to do.

“Why are you frozen there? There’s a stool nearby. Pull it over and sit down.”

“Oh… okay.”

Still in a foggy state, An Yuanyao didn’t say much. She shuffled over and dragged out a small stool, sitting down on it.

Even then, she curled herself into a ball, shivering constantly.

Without saying anything further, Liu Changqing finished boiling the water and poured it all into a thermos. From a nearby shelf, he grabbed a plastic basin, poured some cool water into it, and then added hot water from the thermos.

He tested the temperature with his finger—it was a bit too hot.

He carried the basin over and placed it in front of An Yuanyao, who was still trembling.

With a sigh, Liu Changqing knelt down, despite his aching legs from the morning jog.

“Geez, your feet are freezing,” he muttered as he grabbed her ankles.

Startled, An Yuanyao reflexively raised her head. When she saw it was Liu Changqing, she relaxed, no longer resisting.

Her snow-white socks were now completely blackened with dirt. Liu Changqing peeled them off, revealing icy-cold feet that sent chills through his hand.

He tossed the socks aside and lifted her feet, placing them into the warm water in the basin.

“Ah! It’s hot!”

An Yuanyao let out a startled cry.

Liu Changqing glanced up at her, puzzled.

“Too hot?”

She nodded, then quickly shook her head like a child unsure of how to answer.

For some reason, her childlike response made Liu Changqing want to laugh.

“Speak up if it’s too hot. Just because I can tolerate it doesn’t mean you can,” he said.

“Mm…”

After a brief pause, she hesitated before murmuring softly, “It’s just a little bit hot…”

“I’ll add some cold water then.”

She nodded enthusiastically.

He poured in a cup of cool water, and this time the temperature was just right for her.

An Yuanyao’s face relaxed as she leaned back, her eyes narrowing slightly as the warmth seemed to chase away the chill in her body.

Seeing her like this, Liu Changqing began his questioning.

“Why are you soaked head to toe?”

“…”

Her expression fell, and the brief hint of contentment vanished.

“I accidentally fell into the fountain…”

“What?”

“I said, I fell into the fountain!”

The first time, her voice had been too soft, but Liu Changqing heard her loud and clear the second time.

His expression grew complicated.

“What were you doing near a fountain? Where was this?”

“At the Pangling Hotel…”

Hearing the location, Liu Changqing didn’t probe further.

The outfit she was wearing looked like something meant for sneaking around.

And the hotel’s name sparked a realization based on his predecessor’s memories.

She went spying again.

Looking at the even paler-than-before An Yuanyao, Liu Changqing’s tone carried a trace of frustration.

“Still not over it?”

“…”

“Didn’t I already tell you last time at the café? You shouldn’t be living like this… What is it about Li Chongming that’s so irresistible to you women?”

“…”

An Yuanyao fell silent. She had no response to his words.

Seeing her like this, Liu Changqing let out a resigned sigh.

He chose not to press further.

“Take off your jacket. I’ll get the hairdryer to dry you off.”

Breaking the awkward silence, Liu Changqing stood up and made his way to fetch the hairdryer.

An Yuanyao nodded and unzipped her jacket, revealing a white tank top underneath, clinging tightly to her body.

Liu Changqing paid it no mind.

But as she struggled to take off her jacket due to her lack of strength and awkward seated position, Liu Changqing stepped in.

“Ugh, you’re so slow. Let me help.”

He reached out and grabbed the edge of her jacket, just as the sound of rapid footsteps came from outside the shop.

“Uncle! I don’t have class this morning, so I came to—”

Li Qing’s cheerful voice was abruptly cut off as she stopped short at the doorway, her expression freezing in place.

Standing outside, she stared blankly at the scene inside the shop.