Madam, Please Behave

Heavy breathing echoed in the room.

Even the most composed and shrewd person will eventually show cracks when they’re alone…

Li Wanran was no exception.

After throwing the wedding photo with Li Chongming onto the floor, she felt her long-tense nerves finally relax.

Her body suddenly felt drained of all energy as she slowly collapsed to the floor, completely devoid of her usual arrogance and poise.

But that state didn’t last long.

Suddenly, the ringtone of her phone rang out.

It came from the purse she had tossed onto the bed earlier.

The sound caught her attention. Sitting slumped on the floor, she lifted her head and looked toward the bed… at her purse…

At the bedside, she reached out, picked up her purse—

And pulled out the phone that had been ringing non-stop.

On the screen was her mother’s name.

She didn’t answer right away. She let the ringtone echo beside her as she took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions.

Then she pressed the answer button.

“Hello.”

【Are you out of your mind?!】

Ye Rong’s voice burst through the phone, completely different from her usual composed tone.

The volume was so loud that it made Li Wanran’s ear ache, and she instinctively pulled the phone away.

Even so, she could still clearly hear her mother’s voice.

【What are you thinking? Why are you divorcing Li Chongming?!】

“……”

【Do you have any idea what I went through just to get the two of you together, I—】

“He cheated on me.”

A calm sentence came from Li Wanran’s mouth, instantly silencing Ye Rong, who had been rambling nonstop on the other end.

【……】

Complete silence.

Li Wanran didn’t care. She continued speaking.

“In the house you arranged for him, he was with a younger woman.”

【That might just be a misunderstanding…】

“I saw it with my own eyes!!”

Her voice rose sharply. Li Wanran shouted at her mother over the phone.

“I saw them, just out of bed, being all lovey-dovey in the kitchen!!”

【Wanran, calm down first. Chongming isn’t the type of person who—】

“Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down right now? I’m your daughter. Why do you never believe me? I saw it with my own eyes! The two of them, together!!”

She couldn’t suppress it anymore.

Out in public, Li Wanran could always keep her emotions in check. But now, in this room, speaking to her mother—

She exploded.

Years of resentment and frustration, all of it burst out at once without the slightest filter. For the first time, she shouted at her mother over the phone, not caring about how she looked or sounded.

“You’ve always told me Dad was wrong, that men are nothing but tools to use. I’ve known something was off for a long time, but every time, you told me he wouldn’t do that. Now I’ve seen it for myself—he cheated—and you’re still defending him. Is he your child, or am I?!”

【Wanran…】

“What more is there to say? Are you still going to defend him? Are you going to ask me to forgive him? Forgive him for cheating? Let me tell you—no way! I’m divorcing him tomorrow, and he’s not getting a single cent!”

【Please don’t be impulsive… What you need most right now is to calm down. Don’t go anywhere. Take your time, think it through before making a decision.】

“……”

Her hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

There was a trace of disappointment in Li Wanran’s eyes.

She heard her mother’s words clearly. The facts were already right there, and yet as her mother… she was still trying to stop her.

At that moment,

a childhood memory flashed through her mind.

A memory with her father…

Her emotions slowly began to settle.

On the other end, Ye Rong was still talking.

【In any case, you can’t divorce him right now. Chongming is sharp—he wouldn’t betray you like that. Tell me where you are, I’ll come to you. We’ll talk face to face…】

“……”

Li Wanran’s face turned cold again.

She returned to her usual calm, composed expression.

It was as if the crazed, hysterical version of her just now had never existed. She always knew how to present the perfect image.

But even if she could hide it on the outside, she couldn’t hide what was inside.

In that moment, hearing her mother’s words, a deep disappointment took root in her heart… disappointment in her mother.

At the same time, she suddenly remembered something her father had once said to her:

【Your mother… she’s naive and foolish. Everything she’s done over the years—I’ve always known. As your father, all I ask is that you don’t trust her too much.】

Naive and foolish…

The truth was right in front of her.

Even now, her mother was still making excuses for the cheating Li Chongming.

A mother like that…

“Dad was right after all.”

The words slipped out of her mouth as she spoke to Ye Rong on the other end of the line.

“There’s nothing to discuss. I know exactly what I want.”

With that, Li Wanran ended the call without a moment’s hesitation.

Phone still in hand, she walked slowly toward the bed and stood there in a daze.

After a while, she finally turned and sat down.

Her eyes gazed around the room she had once shared with Li Chongming…

Memories of their early marriage flashed in her mind, and how she had felt back then…

She had thought that was the happiness she wanted.

To be with someone she loved…

But now…

She leaned back.

Li Wanran lay down on the soft bed, arms spread, staring blankly at the ceiling.

There was no one else in the room.

For some reason, her son’s face suddenly popped into her mind. Then came the image of her daughter always clinging to her.

In that moment, it felt like she understood something.

And yet… it also felt like she didn’t.

A family of four…

She once had that too.

But now… the one who cherished her so dearly was beside An Yuanyao.

The two of them had already registered their marriage.

They were legally husband and wife now.

An Yuanyao… had taken her place…

She had become the mother of her children.