Madam, Please Behave

Clang!!

The LCD television screen shattered as it was struck by a heavy object, and the image that had been playing instantly dissolved into static.

Still holding the motion from the throw, Li Wanran panted heavily, as though she had finally lost all restraint.

She had suspected it.

Back at the hospital, she had already warned Li Chongming to behave himself.

She thought, given his personality, that he wouldn’t dare betray her.

Why… why!!!

That cold, aloof expression she always wore had completely vanished.

Li Wanran’s eyes were fixed on the broken TV screen.

Wanting to clear her mind, she had decided to take this time before the New Year to relax alone.

She drove herself—

Went to several cities.

Watched movies by herself, got beauty treatments alone, stayed in hotels alone...

She had thought that by doing this, Li Chongming would treasure her more once she returned.

Instead, after calling her for two days, he stopped completely.

Even her mother had called and scolded her, saying he was working hard for the company and she shouldn’t act like a spoiled child.

She had naively believed that Li Chongming was truly busy, which was why he hadn’t come home.

But Liu Changqing’s words just now were like a recording—

They kept replaying in her head, looping over and over.

Again and again, she thought about them.

Again and again, she reflected.

And she realized—

She’d been avoiding it all along.

Avoiding reality.

Avoiding... the truth she had probably known all along.

Just like Liu Changqing had said—

A man who had cheated once…

If he could betray An Yuanyao back then, there was no reason he couldn’t do the same to her now.

Clenching her teeth, Li Wanran got up from the sofa.

Her bare feet touched the soft carpet.

She stood still for a moment.

It was as if something had suddenly clicked in her mind.

Then her legs began to move—

Step by step toward the wardrobe.

She slipped off the bathrobe wrapped around her and picked out an outfit from the closet.

After changing clothes and tidying herself up briefly, she strode quickly toward the landline phone in the room.

She picked up the handset with one hand and, with the other, hit the redial button.

The line rang a few times before someone picked up.

Hearing the voice on the other end, Li Wanran spoke sharply:

“Book me a flight home—now!”

The next morning.

Lunar calendar: 29th.

Still asleep, Liu Changqing felt someone shaking him.

In the haze of sleep, he vaguely heard a little girl calling him over and over.

“Uncle… Uncle… time to get up…”

With the external nudging, Liu Changqing slowly emerged from his deep sleep.

Curled up on his side, he tugged the blanket down from over his mouth.

His head poked out.

His eyes blinked open groggily. After a few blinks, he saw clearly—it was his little niece waking him up.

As his mind cleared, Liu Changqing remembered he was still at his uncle’s house.

He struggled a bit to sit up in bed.

The moment the blanket slid off, a wave of bone-deep cold swept through his body.

He quickly grabbed the blanket and threw it over his shoulders.

Watching him wake up, Liu Fang gave him a shy smile.

Facing him politely, the soft-spoken girl asked:

“Uncle… breakfast is ready. Do you want me to bring you some hot water to wash your face?”

“No need… I’ll take care of it in a bit.”

“Okay.”

She nodded and remained standing where she was.

Liu Changqing sat dazed for a while, then turned to glance at her still standing by the bedside.

One adult and one child, locked in eye contact—

It was a bit awkward.

Even though he hadn’t taken off all his clothes, getting dressed in front of a child like this still felt... embarrassing.

Thinking that, Liu Changqing said to her:

“Er’ya… go on out first. I’ll get dressed and come out soon.”

“Alright.”

Hearing him, Liu Fang turned and left the room.

As she left, she gently shut the door behind her.

For someone her age, she was incredibly thoughtful.

Once his niece left, Liu Changqing didn’t linger in bed either.

He threw off the blanket, and a chill instantly hit him—

His body shivered involuntarily, and his teeth chattered from the cold.

Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the clothes from beside him and dressed quickly.

Then he picked up the socks from yesterday and slipped them on.

Once his shoes and coat were on, he stepped outside.

Compared to the city, the air back home was different—

Fresh, but tinged with a faint smell of manure.

After all, there were chickens and ducks in the yard, and pigs in the pen…

When Liu Yuan saw Liu Changqing come out, he was brushing his teeth.

He immediately started rushing—

After a quick, sloppy brush, he raised his enamel mug, rinsed a few times, and spat on the ground.

Then he left in a hurry.

Clearly, he was still a little afraid of Liu Changqing.

Even though Liu Changqing had already told his niece she didn’t need to prepare hot water for him, she still knelt beside the basin and added some cold water to balance the temperature.

Once it was just right, she looked up and said:

“Uncle, here’s your wash water.”

“Mm.”

After washing up, everyone had breakfast.

Just some porridge, a few small pickled vegetables, and homemade steamed buns.

Liu Changqing didn’t eat much.

After a few bites, he told his uncle Liu Jiannong he was going to visit his parents’ graves.

Hearing that, Liu Jiannong immediately agreed.

He even suggested sending Liu Yuan along, but Liu Changqing declined.

Originally planning to go alone, Liu Changqing saw Liu Fang quietly watching him with her bowl of porridge in hand.

After a moment of thought, he decided to bring her along.

They left the house and walked down the muddy road.

When they reached the car he’d parked last night, Liu Fang’s eyes lit up.

It was clear she didn’t ride in cars often.

Even though it wasn’t a fancy vehicle, sitting inside it felt like a new experience for her.

With his niece, Liu Changqing drove into town to buy offerings and other things needed for the visit.

Then he drove toward the place where his parents were buried.

The car stopped.

Mounds of yellow soil dotted the field, each marked by a stone headstone.

They had arrived.

After parking, Liu Changqing opened the trunk and grabbed the supplies.

He and Liu Fang walked into the field.

Standing before the gravestone—

Looking at the names of his body’s parents carved on the stone—

Liu Changqing fell silent.

He placed the items aside, then slowly crouched down.

Reaching out, he began clearing away the weeds and debris by hand.

Liu Fang watched him quietly.

After a while, she crouched beside him and helped clean too.

No one knew how much time passed.

Eventually, Liu Changqing stopped.

His breath came out in clouds in the cold air.

He stood up again, staring at the tombstone—

In his eyes were emotions hard to define.

Then he spoke softly.

“You three… rest in peace.”

The words were quiet.

But Liu Fang heard them.

She looked at her cousin-uncle with a puzzled expression.

She didn’t understand—

There were clearly only two people buried here…

Why had he said “you three”…?

But Liu Changqing didn’t seem to notice.

He bent down and unwrapped the long string of firecrackers he’d brought, laying them out on the ground.

Then he pulled out a lighter and lit the fuse.

Crack-crack-crack!!!

The firecrackers exploded loudly.

Liu Changqing turned and ran.

His little niece had already hidden far away the moment he went to light them.

He ran behind Liu Fang, then reached out and gently covered her ears with his hands.

The firecrackers boomed in the open field.

With his hands over her ears, Liu Changqing kept his eyes fixed on the exploding firecrackers.

He just stared.

And Liu Fang, her ears covered, turned to look at the cousin-uncle behind her.

Her big eyes filled with curiosity.

She clearly saw—

On his face…

There was a trace of faint sorrow.

The winter wind was biting cold.

But—

His hands… were warm.