Madam, Please Behave
Chapter 437: Family Members

The girl who was about to confess suddenly froze on the spot, and the other two girls who had accompanied her also looked shocked.

Perhaps unable to accept such a blow, the girl stared blankly at Liu Zhiyue, who hadn’t said a word in rebuttal. Then, with red eyes, she covered her mouth with her hand and quickly turned to flee from the classroom entrance.

The suddenness of the event left the two accompanying girls unable to react immediately. After snapping back to reality, they hurriedly called out her name and chased after her.

Most likely to comfort her.

Seeing that the matter was settling, the girl who had been smiling just moments ago immediately put away that expression.

The hand that had been linked with the other’s arm also dropped at that moment.

She said coldly,

“This is the third time this month.”

“You just saw it too, I didn’t say a single word to her.”

After responding to her, Liu Zhiyue took her hand firmly in his.

His previously cold face softened at that moment, and in his eyes directed at her was an unmistakable tenderness.

“Could it be... you’re jealous?”

“No.”

Zhou Shiyan glanced at Liu Zhiyue, who had asked the question, then simply responded with two short words before breaking free from his grip and striding ahead.

Seeing this, Liu Zhiyue didn’t linger at the door any longer and followed briskly.

He stepped close to her side and lowered his voice.

“Where shall we eat later?”

“...”

“Are you going home this week? My mom called a few days ago and kept saying she misses you.”

Suddenly, her steps halted, causing Liu Zhiyue, who was beside her, to stop as well.

Standing in the corridor where other classmates passed by, after a while, she finally asked,

“An... Auntie?”

“Mm.”

Upon hearing Liu Zhiyue’s reply, Zhou Shiyan thought carefully for a moment.

In the end, she nodded in response.

After doing this, Zhou Shiyan took another step forward, but this time she seemed a bit uncomfortable. Her normally straight back bent slightly.

She raised her hand and rubbed her shoulders twice, as if regretting something, then looked down at her prominent chest.

She sighed helplessly.

“My shoulders are so sore.”

————————————————

After evening self-study ended.

As other classmates chatted and laughed while leaving the classroom, Liu Xiazhi began packing the books she needed to bring home into her backpack.

After preparing everything and just as she was about to leave, she suddenly noticed the gaze from her deskmate beside her.

About to stand up, she reluctantly looked over at her.

“Do you need something?”

“Well...”

Hearing Liu Xiazhi initiate conversation, Chi Xiaoxiao felt unexpectedly flattered. For some reason, her entire face flushed slightly when Liu Xiazhi looked her way.

She opened her mouth and stammered out a few words.

“J-just... just...”

“What is it?”

“C-can I walk home with you...?”

Her voice grew lower and lower, so much so that if it weren’t for the close distance between them, Liu Xiazhi might not have heard her words.

However, upon hearing her deskmate say she wanted to walk home together, Liu Xiazhi looked a bit puzzled.

“Sorry, my family is coming to pick me up after school.”

“Oh... is that so...”

“Nothing else, I’ll go first.”

Without giving her a chance to reply, Liu Xiazhi grabbed her backpack and walked past her.

After leaving the classroom, Chi Xiaoxiao’s expression looked a little disappointed as she stared down at the desk in front of her.

She muttered to herself,

“As expected... just speaking, she gives off such a strong aura...”

Would a person like that... really be friends with me?

Outside the school.

Just after leaving the school gate, Liu Xiazhi approached a car, skillfully opened the rear door, and got in.

The driver was a woman, about twenty-four or twenty-five years old.

There was no conversation between the two as the car silently headed towards home.

Three years ago, Liu Xiazhi’s family had moved from their original residence to this place — a three-story luxury villa. Compared to the previous house, this home was much larger, but for some reason... Liu Xiazhi often dreamed of scenes from her childhood in her sleep.

Back then, it was just her, her older brother, and their father...

The three of them lived in a rather dilapidated house.

People always tend to be nostalgic about the past.

No matter how old they get, this remains true.

Upon arriving at the destination, Liu Xiazhi got out of the car and headed toward the front door, but before she could open it, she saw a familiar figure standing not far away in the yard by the entrance.

Her steps slowly came to a stop.

She was momentarily stunned but quickly recovered.

She called out toward the figure,

“Zhiyun, what are you looking at there?”

“The moon.”

That was the only response from the youngest boy in the Liu family, Liu Zhiyun.

Hearing her brother’s answer, Liu Xiazhi was a bit dumbfounded for a moment, but out of sisterly duty, she didn’t think much and walked over to take his small hand, then headed inside.

While walking, she said,

“It’s cold outside tonight. If you catch a cold, Mom will be upset.”

Held by his sister’s hand, Liu Zhiyun silently followed behind.

At four years old, he looked up at his sister and asked,

“Sister Xiazhi, do you read books?”

“No... of course I do, I read books often. Why do you ask?”

The words “don’t” almost slipped out, but realizing it was his little brother’s question, Liu Xiazhi hurriedly corrected herself.

She didn’t want to lose face in front of him.

Upon hearing her answer, a curious expression appeared on Liu Zhiyun’s face.

He asked,

“Then... is there really Chang’e on the moon?”

“...”

After a brief pause, Liu Xiazhi was about to answer but stopped herself.

Her youngest brother was still just a four-year-old child. If she told him there was nothing on the moon... would it shatter his innocence?

At that moment, her father’s words echoed in her mind.

“You are the older sister, you have to take care of your younger siblings.”

Entering the house, Liu Xiazhi released his hand.

She took a deep breath.

Then squatted down and placed her hands on Liu Zhiyun’s shoulders.

She gave him a gentle, sisterly smile.

“Of course! Sister Chang’e and the Moon Rabbit live on the moon. They’re very happy every day~!”

“...”

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiyun did not show the imagined smile on his face.

Instead, he looked a bit disdainful.

“Silly sister, you can’t breathe on the moon at all.”

“Huh?”

“I was just testing you. I didn’t expect you to be as dumb as Chunnuan. You’re both big fools!”

“W-what?”

“Nyah nyah nyah~”

“You... you!!”

Before Liu Xiazhi could say anything, Liu Zhiyun turned and ran inside.

Being insulted so directly by her little brother, how could she swallow that anger as a sister?

Without a word, she casually threw her backpack aside and chased after him.

Soon enough, she caught up with him.

There was an obvious height difference between them.

Compared to her brother, who was not even one meter tall, Liu Xiazhi, at 162 cm, easily caught up, especially since he wasn’t running steadily.

Grabbing him, Liu Xiazhi felt like she was about to explode with anger. Her mood was already sour after doing badly on today’s test, and now this brat was provoking her at home.

As his older sister, she had to assert her authority.

With that thought, she dragged Liu Zhiyun to the sofa and sat down.

Then she gave his butt a slap with her palm.

One slap.

“Smack!”

Two slaps.

“Smack!”

“Dare to tease me again!”

“Daddy!”

“Huh?”

Hearing her brother call out, thinking their dad was nearby, Liu Xiazhi turned her head in surprise.

But the moment she looked aside, Liu Zhiyun suddenly used his strength to flip off her leg and ran forward after adjusting his pants.

Realizing she had been tricked, Liu Xiazhi was stunned. She, a high school student, had just been fooled by a four-year-old brat?

Of course, she couldn’t let this go. She quickly got up and chased after him.

The noise of the siblings’ tussle downstairs reached Liu Changqing’s ears. He rubbed his slightly bruised forehead and pushed open the door to come out of the room.

Standing on the second floor, he looked down.

When he saw his daughter grabbing the collar of his son in a very rough manner, Liu Changqing, as their father, stepped forward and shouted downstairs,

“Xiazhi, stop bullying your brother!”

“I’m not bullying him!”

Hearing their father shout, Liu Xiazhi immediately retorted,

“He called me a fool first!”

“Is that so?”

Upon hearing his daughter’s words, Liu Changqing’s expression became serious as he looked at his son, whose collar was grabbed.

“Did you call your sister names?”

“I didn’t!”

“...”

After hearing his son’s reply, Liu Changqing didn’t hesitate and came down the stairs to stand before the siblings.

He reached out and pulled his son, whose collar was grabbed, toward himself.

With a serious face, he asked,

“You know the consequences of lying.”

“I...”

“Tell me, did you call her names or not?”

“...”

Liu Zhiyun lowered his head as he was questioned and remained silent for five or six seconds before finally nodding.

“Mm...”

“Apologize to your sister.”

“...”

Liu Changqing released his grip on his son’s collar, then straightened him up and faced his daughter.

The little guy still looked a bit unwilling and pouted in grievance.

“Sorry... I won’t dare to do it next time...”

“There will be a next time?”

“No next time, no next time!”

Hearing his father’s question from behind, Liu Zhiyun quickly waved his hands in denial.

After hearing his son admit his mistake, Liu Changqing’s stern expression softened slightly. He then reached out and patted his youngest son’s head, saying,

“Go to the bathroom and have your mom wash you.”

“Okay.”

Liu Zhiyun nodded and ran toward the bathroom, bypassing his father.

His short legs moved swiftly.

Seeing this, Liu Changqing couldn’t help but remind him,

“Don’t fall!”

This scene of the father educating his disobedient son was observed by Liu Xiazhi. When she accidentally noticed the bruise on her father’s forehead,

“Dad, what happened to your head?”

“Ah, this...”

Touching it, Liu Changqing turned to look at his daughter, who had already grown into a graceful young lady.

“This... was an accidental bump. Nothing serious, just a bruise.”

“Why so careless... didn’t you put any medicine on it?”

Seeing her father’s forehead and hand, Liu Xiazhi couldn’t help but feel a bit worried.

She reached out to touch it, but before she could, her father said,

“It’s just a small injury... By the way, I remember your mock exam results came out today, right? How did you do? Has the summer tutoring with Shuyan helped?”

“...”

“What’s wrong? Why does your face suddenly look so pale?”

Seeing her hand freeze halfway, Liu Changqing became suspicious.

Her previously normal expression switched to serious mode.

“You... didn’t mess it up again, did you?”

“N-no... no, no!”

“Then where’s the test paper? Let me see.”

Seeing her father’s hand stretched out in front of her, Liu Xiazhi suddenly felt stiff, and her lips trembled slightly.

She swallowed hard.

“It’s... in my backpack...”

“Give it to me.”

“Okay...”

Hearing her father’s command, Liu Xiazhi turned and walked toward the spot where she had thrown her backpack.

Her pace was neither fast nor slow, as if every step she took was on a knife’s edge.

Finally, she reached the backpack, picked it up, fumbled open the zipper, and pulled out the test paper folded twice.

Then she returned to her father’s side.

“Here...”

“...”

Seeing her like this, Liu Changqing already had a good idea.

He took the test paper, turned, and sat on the sofa. He opened the paper and carefully examined it.

Multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blanks, true or false, application questions...

He scanned through them one by one.

Meanwhile, his breathing gradually grew heavier.

Liu Xiazhi stood beside him, nervously fiddling with her hands.

Watching her father scrutinize the fake test paper, she felt like she would be found out at any second...

Every moment was an unimaginable torment for her now.

Her heart was in her throat.

“Phew...”

After finishing the entire paper, Liu Changqing let out a long breath and slammed the test paper onto the coffee table.

He suddenly turned his head toward his daughter.

The moment the paper was placed down was like a death sentence for Liu Xiazhi, and her body instinctively trembled.

It’s over, she’s been discovered!

Realizing this, she felt scared and shrank back her head.

“You!”

“Dad...”

“This test score of yours!!”

“I’m sorry!”

“Not bad at all!”

“...”

Just as Liu Xiazhi was about to admit her fault to her father, she was stunned by his words.

Could it be... Father didn’t notice? The teacher didn’t notify the parents about the grades?!

Liu Changqing was clearly happy.

His daughter was the biggest concern in the whole family.

She danced very well, but her academic performance was terrible. Even getting into No. 1 High School was something he forced through.

Not to mention university in the future...

Even as an art student, at least her academic subjects should be reliable, right?

Otherwise, no matter how well she danced, it was useless.

Seeing that she scored a full 86 on a 150-point math test was incredible progress!

Thinking this, Liu Changqing immediately stood up from the sofa and came to his daughter. He patted her shoulder.

“Well done, keep it up. You’re your father’s pride!”

“Uh...”

“But!”

His tone shifted. The previously smiling Liu Changqing suddenly turned serious again.

He continued,

“Remember to balance study with rest. Tomorrow is Saturday. Your brother called saying he’s coming back for a visit. Go to bed early tonight and dress nicely tomorrow, understood?”

“Mm...”

“By the way, have you eaten tonight? Are you hungry?”

“I... I’m on a diet lately...”

“That’s fine. You have been a bit chubby recently. Then have a glass of warm milk before bed.”

“Okay...”

“Oh... you really put my mind at ease. You’re all grown up now...”

Speaking these words of relief, Liu Changqing turned and picked up the test paper on the coffee table, looking at it with satisfaction. Then he took a step toward the bathroom.

He decided to share this joy with his wife.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiazhi stood there and breathed a sigh of relief.

She had managed to keep it a secret again...

But... this was not a permanent solution.

Just after relaxing for a short while, Liu Xiazhi soon fell into worry again.

A lie, once told, can only be painfully patched up.

What kind of scenes lie ahead on this road?

She... did not know.

Suddenly, the bathroom door opened, and two little ones dashed out, naked, running outside.

They bypassed Liu Changqing, who was holding the test paper, and headed straight toward Liu Xiazhi.

At the same time, they called out,

“Sister Xiazhi!”

The voices of the two children overlapped, immediately catching Liu Xiazhi’s attention. Before she could react, the two little ones tightly hugged her.

Their hair was still damp and unblown, but their bodies were clean and dry.

They were Liu Zhian and Liu Chunnuan, both five years old.

The boy had short hair, and the girl had a bob cut.

Looking at their appearances, they resembled An Yuanyao, with soft facial features.

Inside the bathroom, An Yuanyao poked her head out holding a hairdryer and shouted toward the children,

“You two come back and dry your hair!”

“No~ way~”

The children responded with giggles, holding Liu Xiazhi’s hands even tighter.

They clearly liked Liu Xiazhi very much.

However, this scene didn’t last long. Returning, Liu Changqing folded the test paper and put it into his pocket, then bent down and picked each child up with one arm.

At the same time, he scolded,

“If you’re naughty, you’ll get spanked tonight!”

“Hehe!”

“Hehe!”

“And you still have the nerve to smile? Running around naked without shame, especially you, Liu Zhian!!”