Madam, Please Behave

January 21st.

Lunar Calendar, 25th day.

More and more people had begun their journey home, and the festive atmosphere of the New Year was growing stronger by the day. Whether on the streets or in supermarkets, signs of holiday sales could already be seen everywhere.

Liu Changqing had also done a round of shopping.

This would be his first New Year in this world, and he had planned to spend it at the An family's home. After all, it had already been agreed upon during the last visit from An Yuanyao’s family.

But before heading over to their house, Liu Changqing intended to make a trip back to his hometown.

Back when his son had that high fever and was taken to the hospital, a middle-aged man who claimed to be from Liu Changqing’s hometown had borrowed 20,000 yuan from him. The man had also mentioned that every year, it was Liu Changqing’s uncle’s family who went to the cemetery to pay respects to his parents.

Whatever the reason, Liu Changqing felt he should still show his share of filial piety—whether it was on his own behalf or on behalf of the original Liu Changqing.

He also planned to visit some relatives. He had it all worked out in his head: on the 28th, he’d drive An Yuanyao and their two children over to the An family’s home first.

That way, he could still catch the Spring Festival Gala.

He loved the Spring Festival Gala.

As he thought about it, Liu Changqing suddenly felt a little nervous for some reason. After all, interacting with the relatives would probably be another tricky situation.

But it shouldn’t be a big problem. The original Liu Changqing wasn’t much of a talker anyway. If he just ate more and spoke less, he figured he could probably avoid any suspicion.

Carrying the gifts he’d prepared for his relatives, Liu Changqing took the elevator back to his front door. He set the items down on the floor first, then pulled out his keys and opened the door.

As the door opened, Liu Changqing picked the items back up and called out as he entered.

“Wifey, look what I got you—”

Before he could finish his sentence or take off his shoes and change into slippers, his eyes landed on an unfamiliar pair of women's shoes.

He could tell just from the style—they weren’t anyone he knew.

He froze on the spot, then looked up toward the living room.

There, he saw that girl named Zhang Yunjing staring at his son, who sat on the couch.

At the moment, Liu Zhiyue had a lifeless look on his face, staring blankly at the black TV screen that wasn’t even turned on.

An Yuanyao sat nearby, visibly concerned.

Since she was nearly four months pregnant, she was wearing very loose-fitting clothes and was also watching the two kids near the couch.

Noticing the sound at the door, Zhang Yunjing immediately turned toward Liu Changqing, raising her arm and cheerfully calling out:

“Uncle! Long time no see!”

“Mm, long time no see,” Liu Changqing responded.

He changed into cotton slippers.

Zhiyue had finished all his exams two days ago and was now officially on winter break. As for what was going on between these two kids, Liu Changqing didn’t really want to get involved.

He wasn’t an idiot—he could clearly see that Zhang Yunjing had a thing for his son.

He was already familiar with Zhao Xuanwen and Zhou Shiyan, but he had no idea why this Zhang Yunjing girl was joining in on the mess too.

Other than that time she kissed his son on the cheek, she hadn’t shown up again. Even after they moved, she still managed to find their place…

This whole thing just felt like a headache.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Liu Changqing perked himself up and called out to his son.

“By the way… Zhiyue, go out and buy a few Spring Festival couplets. We’ll stick them on the doors later.”

“Okay.”

Relieved to finally have an excuse to escape, Liu Zhiyue quickly responded and got up to leave.

He changed his shoes and headed straight out the door without looking back.

Realizing Zhiyue had slipped away, Zhang Yunjing quickly said a hurried goodbye to Liu Changqing and chased after him.

Once the two kids had left, Liu Changqing shut the front door and set the bags down temporarily next to the TV.

Standing back up, he muttered quietly,

“Zhiyue’s totally got main character energy…”

“What?” An Yuanyao didn’t quite understand why her husband would say something like that about their son.

It was hard to explain, so Liu Changqing paused for a second and decided to skip the topic entirely. Not seeing their daughter around, he asked,

“Where’s Xiazhi? She’s not home?”

“She went downstairs to play… just at the neighborhood park. She only left a little while ago.”

As she said that, An Yuanyao suddenly remembered something. When Liu Changqing came in earlier, hadn’t he called out to her saying he bought something…?

That thought sparked a bit of anticipation in her heart.

“Did you get me a present?”

Hearing her ask, Liu Changqing finally remembered. He snapped his fingers to get her attention.

Then he rummaged through the items he had brought in and pulled out a large bag. From it, he yanked out a bright red set of embroidered cotton pajamas and held it up for her to see.

He even pitched it enthusiastically:

“Isn’t it nice? Bright red for the festive mood! Super stretchy—you won’t feel any tightness at all. Warm and cozy even in the coldest winter. Specially made for moms!”

“……”

Looking at the cotton pajamas in Liu Changqing’s hands, An Yuanyao thought...

Her husband’s taste was… questionable at best.

Downstairs.

As the elevator doors opened, Liu Zhiyue walked straight out without even glancing back. Zhang Yunjing followed closely behind, like a stubborn shadow—no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake her.

There was a not-too-close, not-too-far distance between them. Neither had spoken a word.

The weird tension was getting on Liu Zhiyue’s nerves. He stopped in his tracks, turned around, and looked directly at her.

“What exactly do you want?”

“……”

Zhang Yunjing didn’t respond. Instead, she looked away, both hands behind her back, pretending to admire the scenery.

As if… she hadn’t even heard his question.

Seeing her act like that, Liu Zhiyue stared at her for a second, then simply turned back around and kept walking. When she saw him leave, she immediately followed.

This time, Liu Zhiyue picked up his pace and even broke into a run. Not to be outdone, Zhang Yunjing started running too, keeping close behind.

Hearing the hurried footsteps behind him, Liu Zhiyue looked back—and saw that Zhang Yunjing was actually keeping up.

After thinking for a brief moment, he sped up again. As his pace quickened, Zhang Yunjing started to fall behind a bit…

But she still grit her teeth and chased after him with determination.

The two of them, one in front and one behind, sprinted past an elderly couple with white hair who had been out for a stroll. The pair stopped mid-conversation to look at them.

Watching the young figures disappear into the distance, a glimmer of nostalgia lit up the old man’s eyes. He turned to his wife, grinning as he spoke in a raspy voice,

“Those youngsters remind me of us back in the day… I still remember when I stole cabbages from your family’s field and you chased me with a stick…”

Also watching the kids, the old woman’s eyes were filled with memories as well. She replied,

“Yeah… If I hadn’t broken your leg and couldn’t afford the compensation, I wouldn’t have had to marry you.”

After that, the elderly couple fell silent.

As if they’d both drifted back to those sweet, distant years.