Madam, Please Behave

Liu Zhiyue finally managed to shake off Zhang Yunjing.

Only after getting on the bus did he let out a long sigh of relief. Sitting beside him with a lollipop in her mouth, Liu Xiazhi clearly didn’t understand what her brother was doing.

From her seat, she asked curiously,

“Where are we going now?”

“To buy something.”

After answering his little sister, Liu Zhiyue slumped into the seat like a deflated balloon. He really couldn’t figure out what was going on in Zhang Yunjing’s head.

They hadn’t interacted much at all—throughout the entire semester, they’d barely even spoken a few words. And yet somehow, she’d managed to drag him into some weird and inexplicable “connection”...

He exhaled slowly, and the rapid heartbeat caused by his earlier sprint began to settle with time.

Once they arrived at their stop, Liu Zhiyue stood up, grabbed his sister’s hand, and got off the bus. Since the New Year was approaching, this bus route’s last stop was the train station.

Standing to the side, they watched as the previously near-empty bus suddenly became packed in no time.

Liu Zhiyue subconsciously tightened his grip on his sister’s hand.

He lowered his head slightly and glanced at the girl next to him, then said softly,

“Let’s go.”

“Come with me, please~!”

Sitting in the front passenger seat, Chu Fang put on a coy, spoiled act, trying to convince Li Chongming, who was driving, to come along with her.

“You can just go by yourself. I don’t want to go into a place like that.”

Li Chongming hesitated for a moment but eventually replied.

To him, he really didn’t like going to crowded places like this. The only reason he came was because Chu Fang had suggested it.

She said she wanted to decorate her place a bit.

Said that with the New Year coming, the house didn’t feel festive at all, and insisted on dragging him out to buy some stuff—Spring Festival couplets, window decorations, things like that.

Over time, Li Chongming had started to feel less resistant toward this woman named Chu Fang. In fact, during the time they’d spent together...

He felt something he hadn’t felt in a long while—relaxed.

Because he’d been promoted into the company directly by Ye Rong, he would often hear weird gossip from others.

So, to prove himself, Li Chongming started working extremely hard.

Also, after that last time he couldn't reach Li Wanran, he realized that continuing to keep things hidden wasn’t an option, so he took the initiative to talk to Ye Rong.

He explained the reason behind it all.

When Ye Rong heard that Li Chongming had barely communicated with Li Wanran because of work, she didn’t take her daughter’s side. Instead, she comforted her son-in-law.

Her attitude made it clear—she wanted to pull him into her camp. And... groom him for something greater.

The moment Li Chongming caught on to that signal, he couldn’t help but feel ecstatic. But outwardly, he promised that he’d make it up to his wife in the future and be a good son-in-law.

Ye Rong, who had already been quite satisfied with Li Chongming, was very pleased to hear this. She even offered to explain things to Li Wanran herself so that her daughter wouldn’t be angry at him.

With the issue resolved, Li Chongming’s suspicions were only further confirmed.

The Li family... was far easier to use than the An family.

If Li Zhengmao were still alive, he never would’ve made it to this position. Let’s just say, that woman Ye Rong...

Was an idiot.

Back in the car, when Chu Fang heard his rejection, her expression dimmed.

But Li Chongming just smiled and said a few sweet nothings, then urged her to go shop quickly and come back soon.

After Chu Fang got out of the car and walked off...

Li Chongming, sitting alone in the driver’s seat, let his smile fade. His mind began planning the road ahead.

Meanwhile, Chu Fang—who had just stepped out—also dropped the soft, gentle act she’d put on earlier. She stood there, turned back to glance at Li Chongming in the car...

Then walked away.

Both of them had their own agendas, and both of them were... moving toward their respective goals.

With their purchases in hand, Liu Zhiyue and his sister had stopped by specifically to buy some clear tape. Originally, he had thought about getting glue or paste.

But then he realized that cleaning it up afterward would be a hassle. Glue and paste were messy.

Tape, on the other hand, was much easier to handle. You could just rip off a strip, stick both ends together, and get a makeshift double-sided tape. And it would be way easier to clean up later too.

Left hand carrying the bags, right hand holding his sister’s hand.

Just as Liu Zhiyue was about to head for the bus stop to go home, he suddenly felt his little sister stop in her tracks. Realizing this, he turned back to look at her.

Following her gaze, he saw a small cart. Inside the glass case were traditional candied hawthorns, as well as skewers made of tangerines, grapes, and other fruits.

Obviously, his little sister wanted one.

As her big brother, he’d gotten to know her personality pretty well over the years. If he didn’t buy one for her, she might be grumpy the whole way back.

To avoid unnecessary drama, Liu Zhiyue softly asked,

“Want one?”

Hearing his question, Liu Xiazhi’s eyes lit up. She nodded eagerly and responded as she did.

“I want one! No—two!”

“Just one. Can’t have too many sweets.”

“Hmm... okay…”

Liu Xiazhi didn’t argue. She knew that if she pushed any further...

Her brother wouldn’t spoil her the way their dad would.

But...

She jogged over to the candy cart and stared at the treats inside. Compared to the traditional hawthorn skewers coated in sugar, she preferred the ones made with little tangerines, grapes, and cherry tomatoes—drizzled with syrup.

Those tasted way better than the sour hawthorn ones!

She quickly found her target.

Pointing at one of the mixed fruit skewers, she said,

“I want that one!”

“Coming right up!”

The vendor responded, opened the glass case, and took out the skewer she’d pointed at. After a quick bit of wrapping, he handed it to her.

Liu Xiazhi grabbed it immediately and took a big bite—sweetness bursting in her mouth.

Watching from the side, Liu Zhiyue just smiled, then pulled out a five-yuan note from his pocket and handed it over.

After taking the change and putting it away, he heard his sister mutter happily,

“So sweet!”

Hearing that, Liu Zhiyue reached out and patted her head. He was just about to take her hand and head toward the bus stop...

When he looked up...

He froze.

His eyes locked on the man who had just stepped out of a car and closed the door.

Liu Zhiyue recognized him.