Madam, Please Behave

< p110" data-end="177"> The weather in the latter half of November had turned a bit chilly.

< p179" data-end="335"> With winter just around the corner, people on the streets were noticeably bundled up in thicker clothing—and Liu Changqing and An Yuanyao were no exception. < p337" data-end="571"> At the very moment they received that red booklet stamped with the three golden characters “Marriage Certificate,” their relationship was officially sealed, and An Yuanyao’s name was now part of Liu Changqing’s household registration. < p573" data-end="605"> The two of them stepped outside. < p607" data-end="704"> Liu Changqing stopped in front of the steps, looking out at the street as if lost in some memory. < p706" data-end="808"> After a while, he turned to An Yuanyao and said,

“Do you remember what I told you on your birthday?” < p810" data-end="966"> An Yuanyao, quietly standing beside him, was momentarily taken aback. Her mind involuntarily drifted back to that day in the private room of the restaurant.

< p968" data-end="1045"> All because of a wrongly delivered cake… the two of them had gotten together. < p1047" data-end="1133"> Now that she thought about it, it had already been nearly three months since that day… < p1135" data-end="1292"> But… to An Yuanyao, it felt like it had just happened yesterday. And the moment Liu Changqing brought it up, every memory from that night came flooding back. < p1294" data-end="1363"> “I remember. That day… I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life.” < p1365" data-end="1517"> “Thinking back, our meeting really was kind of theatrical. If you hadn’t called me after getting drunk that day, maybe we wouldn’t be where we are now…” < p1519" data-end="1656"> Hearing his voice from beside her, An Yuanyao was stunned for a second, then slowly took a step forward and reached out to hold his hand. < p1658" data-end="1677"> Gripped it tightly. < p1679" data-end="1807"> “That’s life… Honestly, I think a lot of things are destined to happen. It’s just that we met a little later than we should’ve.” < p1809" data-end="1825"> “Destined, huh…” < p1827" data-end="1986"> Liu Changqing thought her words made a strange kind of sense. Before he came to this world, his last memory was rejecting a blind date arranged by his parents. < p1988" data-end="2016"> Saying he liked older women… < p2018" data-end="2137"> Then somehow, he ended up in this world, taking the place of a 35-year-old Liu Changqing—who had two underage children. < p2139" data-end="2289"> When he first woke up, he had every intention of bolting, of ditching everything. But when the original Liu Changqing’s memories surged into his mind… < p2291" data-end="2348"> By the time he came to again, he already knew everything. < p2350" data-end="2450"> That was when he looked at the two kids belonging to this body and made a silent promise to himself. < p2452" data-end="2588"> Looking up at the blue sky, Liu Changqing squinted. Maybe, just maybe, everything really was arranged by fate—just like An Yuanyao said… < p2590" data-end="2715"> After a long silence, Liu Changqing finally turned back to look at her, then started walking toward where the car was parked. < p2717" data-end="2820"> Step by step, the two of them moved toward a bright future. As if nothing in the world could stop them. < p2822" data-end="2828"> Until… < p2830" data-end="2881"> They stopped—because of a roasted pig trotter shop. < p2883" data-end="3054"> An Yuanyao suddenly halted, which caused Liu Changqing to feel a tug on his hand. Sensing it, he turned to look at her, still standing still and staring across the street. < p3056" data-end="3195"> Puzzled, Liu Changqing followed her gaze, and his own eyes were drawn to a small stand across the street where a few people were lining up. < p3197" data-end="3214"> He was surprised. < p3216" data-end="3260"> He looked from the stand back to An Yuanyao. < p3262" data-end="3404"> There was… a glimmer of craving in her eyes. A look Liu Changqing had never seen before. And then—almost without thinking—she licked her lips. < p3406" data-end="3527"> Seeing her like that, Liu Changqing was momentarily stunned. He glanced again at the pig trotter stand, then back at her. < p3529" data-end="3609"> Back and forth a few times, then he leaned in close and softly asked by her ear: < p3611" data-end="3642"> “Craving it? Want to try some?” < p3644" data-end="3661"> “Um… Is it good?” < p3663" data-end="3707"> “Roasted pig trotters… you’ve never had it?” < p3709" data-end="3881"> To his question, An Yuanyao gave a small shake of the head. But even so, her eyes never left the stand. Even across the road, it was like she could already smell the aroma. < p3883" data-end="3932"> It was strong—so strong it awakened her appetite. < p3934" data-end="4085"> Honestly, ever since finding out she was pregnant, maybe because of psychological reasons, her appetite had seriously dropped. Everything tasted bland. < p4087" data-end="4178"> Even though Liu Changqing—now Chef Liu—had been cooking personalized healthy meals for her… < p4180" data-end="4210"> She was clearly tired of them. < p4212" data-end="4345"> Even if the meals were perfectly balanced nutritionally, they didn’t taste good. In fact, sometimes they made her want to throw up. < p4347" data-end="4441"> Every time, An Yuanyao had to force herself not to gag and finish what Liu Changqing had made. < p4443" data-end="4587"> And Liu Changqing clearly noticed. He’d searched online, even consulted doctors, tried to tweak the recipes—but she still didn’t enjoy the food. < p4589" data-end="4691"> Maybe it was the pregnancy, but she was starting to crave meat again. The same meat she used to avoid. < p4693" data-end="4834"> Her appetite suddenly sparked, An Yuanyao finally tore her eyes away from the stand and looked at Liu Changqing with barely concealed desire. < p4836" data-end="4918"> She raised a finger and pointed toward the little shop diagonally across the road. < p4920" data-end="4967"> “Changqing… no, husband... I want to try it…” < p4969" data-end="5144"> Hearing her say that, Liu Changqing was caught off guard again. But he didn’t overthink it. Instead, he scanned the area and found a shop nearby that had some outdoor seating. < p5146" data-end="5210"> He led An Yuanyao over, helped her sit, and gently reminded her: < p5212" data-end="5250"> “Wait here for a bit, I’ll go get it.” < p5252" data-end="5257"> “Mm!” < p5259" data-end="5354"> Seeing her nod, Liu Changqing added a few more instructions before jogging toward the sidewalk. < p5356" data-end="5522"> Because the shop was across the street, the fastest way would’ve been jaywalking. But someone as safety-conscious as Liu Changqing would never do something that dumb. < p5524" data-end="5575"> That’s also why he didn’t take An Yuanyao with him. < p5577" data-end="5744"> In this day and age, there were still plenty of people who ignored traffic rules. If anything happened to An Yuanyao—any kind of accident—it’d be too late for regrets. < p5746" data-end="5914"> Being extra cautious, Liu Changqing made sure she was settled before jogging toward the crosswalk about 200 meters away. While waiting at the red light, his phone rang. < p5916" data-end="6038"> He glanced up at the timer—still over 40 seconds left—so he took out his phone, answered the call, and held it to his ear. < p6040" data-end="6077"> He didn’t even check who was calling. < p6079" data-end="6409"> “Mr. Liu, I’ve completed the investigation. The woman Li Chongming’s been involved with is named Chu Fang. She’s 24 years old, comes from a family of three. She has a terminally ill younger sister and a mother with mental health issues. She’s been working at Li Chongming’s company for less than a year in the finance department.”