Madam, Please Behave

Liu Changqing stepped into the hospital room.

Closing the door behind him, he walked a few steps forward and saw Li Chongming lying in bed with his eyes tightly shut.

Perhaps because the door had been open earlier while he was talking to Li Wanran, Li Chongming had overheard Liu Changqing’s voice. So now, he was pretending to be asleep.

Liu Changqing, holding a random assortment of fruits he had casually bought, walked over to the bedside and placed them on the table.

Then, he pulled up a chair and sat down.

Staring at Li Chongming’s face…

He suddenly raised his hand and gave him a slap.

It wasn’t very forceful, but the crisp sound echoed through the room. Since it landed on his injured side, the pain was sharp and piercing.

Li Chongming instantly snapped awake, hurriedly sitting up in bed, glaring furiously at Liu Changqing.

Now that he thought about it… Back in high school, Liu Changqing always used to hang around with those street punks.

As if he couldn’t hold back any longer, Li Chongming’s expression turned furious as he glared at Liu Changqing.

“Are you out of your mind?! This is a hospital!”

“And?”

Liu Changqing pondered his words for a moment before asking,

“So are you saying I should just wait until we’re outside to hit you?”

“You—!”

“Alright, relax. I’m not here to beat you up today. That slap just now was only to wake you up since you were sleeping so soundly.”

“……”

Listening to that, Li Chongming finally understood what it meant to argue with a fool—it was pointless.

He felt like he couldn’t communicate with this guy at all.

Just like Ye Rong had said—Liu Changqing was just some country bumpkin. The thought that this man hadn’t continued his education after high school made Li Chongming feel a little relieved.

Talking to someone like him…

“Don’t just sit there in a daze. I even brought you some fruit since you’re injured. At least acknowledge the effort.”

“I appreciate the thought, but I don’t see what we have to talk about.”

“Oh, but I think we have plenty to discuss.”

With that, Liu Changqing leaned forward, grabbed Li Chongming by the collar, and yanked him closer.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

“Do you even realize… what consequences your little affair with Li Wanran has caused?”

Startled by Liu Changqing’s sudden move, Li Chongming averted his gaze, not daring to meet his eyes directly.

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about…”

“You and Li Wanran killed Liu Changqing.”

“……”

Hearing those words, Li Chongming’s eyes widened in shock, his gaze locking onto Liu Changqing’s indifferent face.

“You… you…”

“So… I’m here for revenge.”

The moment Liu Changqing said that, an unexplainable fear surged within Li Chongming.

Before he could even process what was happening, he saw Liu Changqing’s serious expression suddenly shift—into a grin.

“Hahaha, your reaction is priceless. Relax, I’m not dead. If I were, how would I be standing here talking to you?”

Letting go of Li Chongming’s collar, Liu Changqing stood up and paced the room a couple of times.

“But… you know what they say. The heavens are always watching. If you’re aware of the things you’ve done wrong… you’d better start praying that karma doesn’t come knocking on your door.”

“You’re talking nonsense!”

At Li Chongming’s outburst, Liu Changqing’s expression darkened.

If this had been just a simple divorce, he wouldn’t have gone this far.

But… the way they did it was just too cruel.

If it had been a normal separation, the original Liu Changqing wouldn’t have ended up the way he did.

If he hadn’t been completely shattered by the divorce, the Liu Changqing of this world wouldn’t have drowned himself in alcohol until he died.

And if that hadn’t happened… he himself wouldn’t have ended up in this body.

During an avalanche, no single snowflake considers itself responsible.

That same principle applied to Li Chongming and Li Wanran.

Maybe in Li Wanran’s mind, choosing Liu Changqing back then was partly out of spite.

Then, years later, when she reunited with Li Chongming, she suddenly realized that her marriage with Liu Changqing wasn’t what she truly wanted.

So she turned her back on him without hesitation.

And to force him to let go, she made sure to draft that kind of divorce agreement—taking all his money, leaving him with nothing, and even throwing the children at him.

She wanted to make sure he couldn’t survive on his own.

But… nobody had ever stopped to consider how Liu Changqing felt.

He had given up further education after high school, worked tirelessly, lost his family, and had no contact with his parents. In middle age, just when he thought things were finally getting better…

This happened.

Maybe, after enduring years of cold treatment from Li Wanran, the original Liu Changqing had already reached his breaking point. That’s why, after deciding to divorce, he spiraled so quickly.

What had he gained in all these years?

Aside from two children who shared his bloodline… nothing.

His career? Gone.

His love? Gone.

Even his parents, who had raised him, had passed away without him ever getting to say goodbye…

He should have had a peaceful, harmonious life.

But because of Li Wanran’s selfish decision, his entire existence had been destroyed.

There was no denying it—his life had been a tragic failure.

At least, that’s how Liu Changqing saw it.

And that was why, even after inheriting everything from the original Liu Changqing, he still harbored deep resentment toward these three people…

Since he had taken over someone else’s life, he figured…

He had to do something about it.

Liu Changqing watched as Li Chongming’s expression grew more panicked.

Then, after a long moment, a faint smile curved his lips.

“I wish you both a happy life together. May your marriage be blissful.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the door.

Li Chongming, momentarily stunned, suddenly snapped back to his senses and shouted:

“Liu Changqing! Explain yourself! What exactly are you trying to do?!”

But there was no response.

All he saw was Liu Changqing’s retreating figure.

And the sound of the door closing behind him.

The room fell into silence.

Li Chongming sat there in a daze, staring blankly ahead, his mind replaying Liu Changqing’s words over and over.

Deep down, he knew the truth.

Back then, the reason he had chosen An Yuan Yao over Li Wanran wasn’t just because he preferred her personality…

It was also because of her family.

As one of the country’s top illustrators, An Yuan Yao’s father had connections to people that ordinary folks could only dream of meeting.

And just as Li Chongming had hoped, after their marriage, his career had flourished.

At times, he barely even had to lift a finger. The moment people heard he was the An family’s son-in-law, doors simply opened for him…

But that advantage hadn’t lasted long.

Perhaps because An Yuan Yao’s father had said something, all those convenient business opportunities suddenly dried up.

And that… was when Li Chongming made the decision to reunite with Li Wanran.

In the world of adults…

Who still believes in love?

The naive boy he once was in high school—he was long gone.

Now, only one thing mattered.

利益——利益才是最重要的。

利益 (profits)—that was the only thing that truly mattered.

In his eyes, Liu Changqing must have been with An Yuan Yao for the same reason.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Li Chongming looked toward the door. A single thought flashed through his mind:

You’ll end up just like me…

Liu Changqing.

Liu Changqing stepped out and immediately saw Chen Dafu crouching to the side… and Li Wanran standing nearby.

After closing the door, he didn’t say much.

He simply walked up to Li Wanran and said:

“I saw Li Chongming getting into a car with a woman the other day. I don’t know where they were headed, but…”

He paused for a moment, then continued,

“She looked younger than you.”

With that, Liu Changqing turned and walked away.

“Let’s go, Chen Dafu.”

Chen Dafu didn’t hesitate—he had been itching to leave this place.

Their figures quickly disappeared down the hallway, leaving behind…

A stunned Li Wanran.

Her face frozen in shock.