Madam, Please Behave

Being lifted off the ground caused Liu Xiazhi’s brain to short-circuit for a moment. When she finally processed what was happening, her first thought was of the scary topic she had just been discussing.

Could it be? Could it really be?!

“Help me!!!”

“What are you yelling for?!”

The deafening voice drew the attention of people nearby, who all turned to look at the two.

Hearing the familiar tone, Liu Xiazhi’s scream abruptly stopped. She twisted her head to see who was holding her.

“Big Brother!”

Still holding his sister, Liu Zhiyue noticed the curious looks from the bystanders. Feeling a bit awkward, he quickly set her back on the ground.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Liu Xiazhi turned to face him, her expression one of surprise.

“Do I need a reason to pick up my little princess?”

He placed a hand on her head and ruffled her hair as he spoke.

In reality, he wasn’t being honest.

After his encounter with Ye Rong and her ominous words, he was worried she might do something to Liu Xiazhi. Instead of going home after leaving the car, he had waited at her school gate until dismissal. All the while, Ye Rong’s words echoed in his mind.

His father had once owned his own clothing factory.

It had been the result of years of hard work, starting from when he graduated high school and began working tirelessly. The factory represented Liu Changqing’s blood, sweat, and tears. Yet, it had closed shortly before the divorce.

The memory lingered heavily in Liu Zhiyue’s thoughts.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiazhi was clearly overjoyed to see her brother come to pick her up.

She threw her arms around his, clinging to him like a koala. Her happiness was simple—she was too young to be burdened with many worries. To her, having her brother pick her up from school was enough to make her day.

“Big Brother, I’m hungry!”

“What do you feel like eating?”

Liu Zhiyue’s thoughts were interrupted by her voice, pulling him back to the present.

“As long as it’s not Lanzhou noodles…”

Her tone was a little disheartened.

The last time her brother had picked her up, they had eaten Lanzhou noodles. It wasn’t that they were bad—it just wasn’t something she liked.

Hearing her reply, Liu Zhiyue chuckled.

He raised his free hand to tap his chin thoughtfully, pretending to ponder deeply.

“Definitely not noodles today. Let me think…”

He glanced at Liu Xiazhi.

She was clutching his arm tightly, her little head tilted up, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Fried chicken sounds good…”

Her eyes seemed ready to light up.

“Or maybe some cake…”

Liu Xiazhi felt like she was already salivating.

In her mind, the picture was crystal clear: fried chicken in her left hand, a fork with strawberry cake in her right.

It’s too perfect!

She looked up at Liu Zhiyue eagerly, her small hands raised as she bounced excitedly in place.

“I want to eat both!”

As soon as Liu Xiazhi blurted it out, she realized something was wrong.

She quickly covered her mouth, as if she could somehow take the words back.

She knew what greedy meant. People who wanted everything often ended up with nothing—her teacher said so all the time.

She glanced cautiously at Liu Zhiyue.

“Big Brother, can I think about it a little more? It’s really hard to choose between the two…”

“It’s fine. You can have whichever one you want,” Liu Zhiyue reassured her.

“Hmm…”

Liu Xiazhi stopped walking and lowered her head, deep in thought.

It had been a while since she’d had cake, but fried chicken was her absolute favorite.

The more she thought about it, the harder it became to decide. It felt like two little voices were arguing in her head—one saying to choose the cake and the other insisting on the chicken.

“Ahhhh!!!”

“Hahaha!”

Watching her ruffle her hair into a messy bird’s nest, Liu Zhiyue burst out laughing.

He stepped forward, smoothing her tousled hair with his hand, his eyes full of warmth.

“Alright, stop overthinking it.”

He bent down and scooped her up into his arms, looking at her with a gentle smile.

“Let’s get fried chicken first, then cake.”

With the shutter door finally pulled down, Liu Changqing felt a wave of relief wash over him.

Riding the momentum of a mysterious benefactor’s reward, he had decided to capitalize on the hype by releasing a marathon update: twenty chapters in one go. The sheer effort was mind-boggling. Even though he knew how the story would unfold, typing it all out on a computer was no small feat.

His fingers were cramping, and even a simple stretch felt awkward and stiff.

Night had fallen, and Liu Changqing walked alone down the street.

Suddenly, he noticed a figure running toward him.

The person’s expression seemed flustered, and they kept stopping to glance around, as if searching for something.

Liu Changqing’s gaze followed them as they passed, tracking their retreating figure until they disappeared around a corner.

Not thinking much of it, he continued on his way home.

As he approached his neighborhood, the streets grew quieter. The occasional car sped by, but there were few pedestrians.

“Crunch.”

Liu Changqing stopped in his tracks.

He had stepped on something.

Lifting his right foot, he bent down to inspect the object.

Twisted and snapped in two was a pair of eyeglass frames surrounded by shattered lenses.

Glasses?

“Uncle, you owe me.”

A cold, childish voice startled him.

Liu Changqing jumped, his heart racing. After all, anyone walking a quiet street at night would be startled by an unexpected voice.

He quickly turned to look in the direction of the sound.

Sitting on the curb was a young girl with twin pigtails. Wisps of hair framed her forehead, and she wore a light blue chiffon dress with white children’s shoes. Her thin face and lackluster eyes gave her an overall air of weariness.

Dead fish eyes?

The resemblance was there, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that she simply lacked energy, which made her eyes appear lifeless.

Still exuding an aura of indifference, the little girl propped her chin on her hands, her elbows resting on her knees. Her feet pointed inward as she sat slumped on the curb.

“Compensate me,” she demanded again.

Liu Changqing stared at her in a daze. It wasn’t until her voice rang out a second time that he came back to his senses and stepped forward.

He towered over her, looking down with a complicated expression.

The two of them stood—or rather, faced each other—at a stark contrast: one tall, one small; one standing, one sitting.

“You were baiting me, weren’t you?” Liu Changqing finally broke the silence.

Her face remained expressionless.

“What’s baiting?”

She paused for a moment, then shook her head and continued, “Don’t try to change the subject. Compensate me for my glasses.”

“What glasses?”

The girl, unfamiliar with confrontation, was taken aback.

“The ones you just stepped on…”

“Oh? Did I?”

Liu Changqing turned to look at the broken lenses and frames behind him.

“Where? I don’t see anything.”