Madam, Please Behave
Chapter 441: The Gap

At the stairwell, aside from the sound of breathing from the two people, there was no other noise.

Chi Xiaoxiao remained still for a long while before silently shifting to the side and stepping onto the stairs.

One step after another.

Soon, she walked past the woman.

As she passed by, Chi Xiaoxiao, as if driven by curiosity, secretly glanced sideways. However, due to her lowered head and the woman's hair obscuring her face, she couldn't make out the other's features.

From the woman's attire alone, she felt a vague sense of familiarity.

As if... she had seen her somewhere before.

Before long, Chi Xiaoxiao moved past the woman, turned a corner, and continued upward, her footsteps gradually fading.

Until... they disappeared completely.

But this silence didn't last long. Soon, the vanished footsteps suddenly returned, and Chi Xiaoxiao reappeared moments later.

Though she wanted to pretend she hadn't noticed...

"Are you okay?"

Holding a bag of snacks, she approached the woman and set the bag down on the steps before placing both hands on the woman's shoulders.

Perhaps due to this action, the woman, who had been keeping her head lowered, slowly raised it.

It was only when their eyes met that Chi Xiaoxiao realized why this person seemed familiar.

She lived in the apartment above hers.

They had crossed paths a few times by chance but never spoken.

The woman’s long black hair cascaded down, and her face looked haggard. Without makeup to conceal it, her exhaustion was evident.

Her complexion was unusually pale.

And when their gazes locked, Chi Xiaoxiao noticed something unsettling in the woman’s eyes—

They seemed lifeless.

"......"

Her question went unanswered, leaving Chi Xiaoxiao momentarily stunned before she asked again.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"......"

The woman remained silent, merely staring at Chi Xiaoxiao for a long moment before finally nodding faintly.

Her lips parted, and she spoke in a weak voice.

"My head... feels dizzy..."

"Let me help you upstairs."

"Mm..."

The woman didn’t refuse. It was clear that in her current state, she wouldn’t be able to make it home alone.

Accepting Chi Xiaoxiao’s kindness, she allowed herself to be assisted.

Once she got a response, Chi Xiaoxiao immediately hooked an arm under hers. However, being a girl who rarely exercised, her strength was limited. Combined with the woman’s frailty, she failed to lift her from the steps on the first try.

After several attempts, she finally succeeded.

Even so, she didn’t forget the bag of snacks she had set aside earlier.

Grabbing it, she awkwardly supported the woman as they painstakingly ascended the stairs.

What should have been a quick trip took several times longer. When they finally reached the door, Chi Xiaoxiao watched as the woman fumbled through her bag for the key.

Once the door was unlocked, Chi Xiaoxiao prepared to leave.

"Well... I’ll head home now..."

Before she could finish, the woman suddenly swayed and slumped against the doorframe. Startled, Chi Xiaoxiao quickly caught her.

Thankfully, her reflexes were sharp enough to prevent any harm.

Now, Chi Xiaoxiao couldn’t bring herself to leave. Supporting the woman, she spoke with concern.

"Let me help you inside first."

"Okay... thank you..."

"Don’t mention it."

With that, she guided the woman into the apartment.

As she stepped inside, her eyes instinctively scanned the surroundings.

An ordinary home—not much different from her own.

She didn’t linger on the details, instead carefully leading the woman toward the bedroom. After some effort, she finally managed to settle her onto the bed.

The moment her body met the mattress, the woman exhaled deeply, as if finally finding relief.

Standing nearby, Chi Xiaoxiao clutched her bag of snacks, about to announce her departure. But seeing the woman’s labored breathing and evident discomfort...

The words died in her throat.

Instead, she offered:

"I’ll get you some water."

With that, she left the bedroom.

But after searching most of the apartment, she found no trace of a kettle. It seemed this person didn’t drink much hot water.

Growing anxious after failing to locate any, Chi Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered the drink she had bought along with her snacks—

[Master Li’s Jasmine Tea]

Though it had cost her three yuan...

Gritting her teeth, she hesitated only briefly before pulling the bottle from her plastic bag.

Returning to the bedroom, she unscrewed the cap, helped the woman sit up, and tilted the bottle to her lips.

Clearly parched, the woman didn’t stop after the first sip. Instead, she gulped down nearly half the bottle in one go.

When she finally lowered it, only a small amount remained.

Taking the nearly empty bottle back, Chi Xiaoxiao glanced at the nightstand and moved to set it down.

But as she reached over, her gaze landed on a photograph placed there.

A family portrait—four people.

Yet... something felt off.

Unlike the smiling faces of the others, the woman in the photo stood out.

She didn’t look... happy at all.

Of course, Chi Xiaoxiao recognized her instantly—she was the same woman now lying on the bed.

The one who lived upstairs.

"Thank you..."

The quiet gratitude snapped Chi Xiaoxiao out of her thoughts.

She turned to see the woman now sitting upright.

Smiling, she replied:

"No need to thank me."

"About... the drink..."

"This? Don’t worry about it! I have more at home!"

Chi Xiaoxiao waved it off, her plain face brightening with a radiant smile.

"If you’re still feeling unwell, you should see a doctor. It might be low blood sugar—I get dizzy sometimes if I crouch for too long."

"Is that so..."

"Yeah. So... if there’s nothing else, I should get going?"

"Mm..."

"Alright, take care..."

Noticing the woman’s sudden silence, Chi Xiaoxiao turned and headed for the door.

But after only a few steps, she paused, as if sensing something, and glanced back at the photo on the nightstand.

Her eyes fixed on the little girl in the picture.

A slight frown creased her brow.

For some reason... the child looked familiar, as if she had seen her somewhere.

Where... had she seen her before?

After a long moment of fruitless searching through her memories, Chi Xiaoxiao gave up and left.

With the sound of the closing door, the apartment fell silent once more.

Seated on the edge of the bed, the woman stared blankly ahead.

After what felt like an eternity, her gaze shifted.

To the photograph on the nightstand.

To the two children frozen in time within it...

And to...

The husband who had once loved her deeply.

She said nothing for a very long time.