Madam, Please Behave
Chapter 425: Uncle Dafu

"Dad!"

The voice of his daughter calling from outside the bathroom door made Liu Changqing, who was currently engaged in battle on the toilet, jolt in surprise. His gaze reflexively turned toward the bathroom entrance.

When he saw the shadow visible through the frosted glass, a long sigh escaped his lips.

His tone was full of resignation as he responded weakly,

"What is it now?"

"It's so hot outside—I want a bottle of cola!"

"Didn't you just have one earlier? Why do you want another?"

"But... my finger really hurts, and only cola can make the pain go away... Please, Dad? Just one last bottle, I promise!"

"......"

His daughter's voice was dripping with the kind of sweet pleading that no father could resist. Even though she stood outside the door, Liu Changqing could easily imagine the pitiful, puppy-eyed expression she must be wearing right now.

Sure, too much soda wasn’t great for her health, but...

Would one extra bottle really hurt?

After a long internal debate, Liu Changqing finally relented.

"Fine, but this is the last one today. Next time you beg me, I won’t let you have any."

"Yay! Thanks, Dad! You're the best!"

Outside the bathroom, Liu Xiazhi’s gloomy expression instantly transformed into a beaming smile the moment she got her father’s approval. Without hesitation, she turned and dashed toward the kitchen in her comfy slippers.

Once inside, she made a beeline for the fridge, skillfully retrieving a bottle of cola that had frozen solid in the freezer. Her tiny hands struggled to twist open the cap, putting in considerable effort before finally succeeding.

Immediately, she pressed the bottle to her lips, greedily trying to suck out the delicious soda.

But since the drink had frozen completely solid, no matter how hard she tried, not a single drop came out. After a long struggle, she finally realized the issue and turned the bottle upside down, shaking it vigorously—but still, not a single drop escaped.

Her little face fell in disappointment.

Clutching the icy bottle in both hands, she trudged out of the kitchen, intending to seek her father’s help in solving this crisis. But before she could even reach the bathroom, the doorbell rang.

*"Ding-dong, ding-dong, ding-dong~"*

Three rapid chimes startled Liu Xiazhi, freezing her in place. A second later, Liu Changqing’s voice called out from the bathroom.

"Xiazhi, get the door!"

"Okay!"

She responded and hurried to the front door, still holding the cola bottle. Swinging the door open, she found herself face-to-face with a visitor she hadn’t seen in a while—Chen Dafu.

Liu Xiazhi had a fairly strong impression of this somewhat goofy Uncle Chen, given that he often played with her whenever he visited. Recognizing him, she immediately turned her head and shouted toward the bathroom.

"Dad! Uncle Dafu is here!"

"Dafu?"

Liu Changqing’s voice echoed from the bathroom. Two seconds later, the sound of a flushing toilet followed. After some rustling, the bathroom door opened, and Liu Changqing emerged, still adjusting his pants.

Spotting Chen Dafu, who had just stepped inside after closing the door, Liu Changqing couldn’t help but look surprised.

"Didn’t you go back home? What brings you here again?"

"Wow, way to sound unwelcoming."

"That’s not what I meant."

"Relax, just kidding. I was in the neighborhood, so I thought I’d drop by."

With that, Chen Dafu handed a bag of treats to Liu Xiazhi, his ordinary face stretching into what he thought was a kindly smile—though to a child’s eyes, it came off as slightly creepy.

Bending down, he patted Liu Xiazhi’s head with his other hand.

"Got you some snacks. Quick, take them to your room and hide them before your dad steals any!"

"Mhm!"

The moment Liu Xiazhi saw the bag full of snacks, her eyes practically sparkled. Nodding eagerly, she grabbed the bag and dashed to her room like a gust of wind.

Watching Chen Dafu tease his daughter like this, Liu Changqing—now with his belt properly fastened—could only sigh in resignation.

"Next time, don’t bring her snacks. Just yesterday, she pestered her grandma into buying her a huge bag from the supermarket."

"What, worried she won’t eat proper meals if she snacks too much?"

"Not really. Unlike most kids, she can wolf down two full bowls of rice even after stuffing herself with snacks. I don’t mind it now since she’s growing, but I’m afraid she’ll keep this habit when she’s older and end up chubby..."

"Hahaha, if you and your dad managed to lose weight back then, why worry about her not slimming down later?"

"It’s not the same! Boys can afford to be a little chubby. Besides, when my dad and I were losing weight, it was *exhausting*. If this kid gets fat, she’ll probably refuse to diet—her willpower’s weak, and she caves to temptation easily. Plus... chubby girls don’t look great, you know?"

Chen Dafu chuckled at Liu Changqing’s words before abruptly changing the subject.

"By the way, is it just you and your daughter at home? Where’s your mom and wife?"

"My wife’s taking a nap. My mother-in-law went out for a walk—she gets bored staying home all day."

"No wonder..."

Replying vaguely, Chen Dafu took the slippers Liu Changqing handed him, leaving his shoes at the entrance before following him to the living room.

Since Liu Xiazhi had been watching TV earlier, a rerun of *Pokémon* was still playing on the cartoon channel. Liu Changqing grabbed the remote from the couch and turned off the TV with a click. The screen flickered to black.

Chen Dafu sat down beside him. The cheerful expression he’d worn when entering had vanished, replaced by a troubled frown.

Liu Changqing noticed immediately. He had been about to chat casually, but seeing his friend’s mood, he hesitated before asking bluntly:

"What’s wrong? You look like death warmed over."

"Ah... it’s nothing."

"Oh."

"......"

With that single-word response, silence fell over the living room.

One second. Two. Three...

Chen Dafu, who had been trying to brood dramatically, couldn’t take it anymore. He turned to Liu Changqing, looking utterly bewildered.

"That’s it? Just *oh*?"

"Yep. That’s it."

"You’re supposed to ask again! You gave up after *one* try?"

"I don’t like forcing people. If you don’t wanna talk, fine."

"You—ugh, whatever."

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