Madam, Please Behave
Chapter 442: A Mind as Clear as a Mirror

It had been a long time since the whole family had sat together like this, gathered around the table sharing a meal.

An Yuanyao and Zhou Shiyan had prepared a large spread of delicious food. Unlike before, Liu Changqing rarely visited the kitchen these days; most of the time, it was An Yuanyao who took charge of cooking.

The passage of time hadn’t changed him much.

For example... his poor tolerance for alcohol remained unchanged.

Chen Dafu was clearly better at drinking. Because he couldn’t have a son and was deeply afraid of his father, he escaped from home and came to Liu Changqing’s house to freeload food and drink.

To ease the frustration inside him, he planned to drink a little with Liu Changqing. However, as expected, Liu Changqing, who hadn’t touched alcohol for a long time, refused him outright.

This made Chen Dafu, who was already somewhat down, even more depressed.

After drinking alone a few sips, he suddenly realized that he wasn’t the only one in Liu Changqing’s home who could drink. Didn’t his eldest son, who had recently returned from out of town, fit the bill perfectly?

At that moment, for some reason, Chen Dafu’s memories flashed back several years.

A young boy had mercilessly knocked him to the ground with a brick.

Although he was barely considered an elder at the time, he didn’t make a fuss, but he certainly couldn’t ignore it. Come to think of it, at 26 years old, he was beaten by a 15-year-old boy...

It was utterly humiliating.

As the saying goes, old grudges and new grudges all count. Chen Dafu immediately started demanding to drink with his big nephew to reconnect, which stunned Liu Zhiyue, who was quietly eating.

After snapping out of it, Liu Zhiyue quickly waved his hand to refuse.

“I’m not good at drinking; my tolerance is quite low.”

“No problem, just a sip!”

“Uncle...”

“It’s been so long since we last met. Come on... Big nephew! Drink two cups with your uncle! I promise, just two cups!”

After a few refusals, unaware of Chen Dafu’s inner thoughts, Liu Zhiyue reluctantly poured some white liquor into his glass.

An hour later.

“Snore~ Snore~ Snore~”

Chen Dafu lay on the sofa with a flushed face, in a very unpleasant posture, eyes tightly shut, snoring loudly.

Meanwhile, Liu Changqing and the others, having eaten and drunk their fill, gathered around him watching.

Seeing Chen Dafu’s drunken state, Liu Changqing sighed helplessly and prepared to move him from the sofa to the guest room. Unfortunately, he seriously underestimated how drunk Chen Dafu was.

Even he couldn’t easily move him, so he just shifted his body a bit to make him somewhat comfortable on the sofa.

After the three children finished eating, they ran out to play in the yard. Liu Xiazhi and An Yuanyao pulled Zhou Shiyan aside to talk, leaving only Liu Changqing and his son with the snoring Chen Dafu lying on the sofa in the large house.

After handling Chen Dafu, Liu Changqing turned and headed toward the study on the second floor, calling his son along the way.

Hearing his father’s call, Liu Zhiyue didn’t think much and followed him upstairs.

The study wasn’t lavishly decorated; rather, it was somewhat plain.

Arriving by the window, Liu Changqing opened it and gazed out at the scenery.

After a long moment, he finally spoke.

“Are you two living together?”

“Yeah.”

Liu Zhiyue answered directly without hiding anything when his father asked.

Hearing his son’s reply, Liu Changqing’s face, which was turned away, showed an expression of “I thought so.”

Ever since the kids started university, he had anticipated this kind of situation.

After all... he had watched these two children grow up.

From their acquaintance in middle school to their interactions in high school...

Though many things happened, the final outcome was quite satisfactory.

Now, hearing the answer, he wasn’t particularly surprised.

Lowering his head slightly, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Liu Changqing’s mouth, but when he turned back, the smile faded.

Looking at his son behind him.

Seeing his somewhat flushed face...

“What are your plans for the future?”

“...”

After a moment of silence, Liu Zhiyue finally nodded.

“I plan to get married after graduation. That’s when we’ll be just the right age to register our marriage.”

“Is that so? You’ve thought that far ahead already.”

“Since the moment I made up my mind, this idea has been in my head.”

“You’re quite faithful when it comes to relationships...”

Saying this, Liu Changqing walked to the side, pulled out the chair in front of the desk, and sat down. He seemed a bit tired as he leaned back.

He slightly raised his head, looking at his son.

“I saw the news online a few days ago. You helped an elderly man who had a sudden illness on the subway, and someone took a photo of you that went viral... Many netizens also complimented your looks.”

“I didn’t pay much attention to that. The situation was special at the time...”

“What are your plans now? After graduation, will you come work at the company, or will you follow the usual route and work in a hospital?”

“Dad...”

Hearing his father’s question, Liu Zhiyue, who was slightly tipsy after drinking with Chen Dafu, suddenly sobered up a bit.

Looking into his father’s eyes, he was filled with confusion.

Seeing his son’s gaze, Liu Changqing didn’t beat around the bush but directly spoke his mind.

“Your younger brother and sister are still little. Xiazhi is only in high school... You’re smart and capable; I’ve known that for a long time... Your mother and I have been married for years. Although we agreed to take a good trip once you all settled down, we haven’t found a good chance yet...”

“...”

“You suddenly changed your mind to study medicine during your college entrance exam—I know how that happened... But some things, once happened, can’t be changed. Even if she now...”

Before finishing, Liu Changqing suddenly stopped talking, seemingly unwilling to mention that person.

After a moment of blankness, Liu Changqing closed his eyes and sighed.

“Forget it... You decide for yourself. I don’t want to control your choices too much... Just know what’s best for you.”

“Dad...”

“That’s enough for now... When are you going back tomorrow?”

“After breakfast.”

“So early... Well, weekends don’t leave much time anyway.”

He spoke to himself, then waved his hand, signaling his son to leave the study.

“Go out and talk with your mom. She misses you.”

“Okay.”

Liu Zhiyue didn’t stay longer. After he left, only Liu Changqing remained, sitting in the chair.

Watching his son’s retreating figure, Liu Changqing remained silent for a long time.

For some reason, no words came out.

——————————————————

After leaving the study, Liu Zhiyue turned and headed to his sister’s room. When he pushed open the door, sure enough, Zhou Shiyan and the others were chatting.

Startled by Liu Zhiyue’s sudden arrival, the three of them stopped talking and all turned their gaze toward him.

At that moment, An Yuanyao, the mother, spoke first.

“You drank so much just now. Do you want to go back to your room and rest first?”

“No need...”

“I’ll see you back to your room to rest.”

Before Liu Zhiyue could finish, Zhou Shiyan said this.

She stepped forward and linked arms with Liu Zhiyue, facing An Yuanyao and her daughter with a gentle smile.

“Auntie, then the two of us will go back to the room.”

“Okay, go ahead.”

After exchanging greetings, Zhou Shiyan led Liu Zhiyue toward his original room.

After they left, Liu Xiazhi, who witnessed everything, curiously spoke up.

“I just feel... Something’s off about the relationship between brother and her!”

“...”

Hearing her daughter’s words, An Yuanyao was momentarily stunned.

After regaining composure, she shifted her gaze toward her daughter.

This kid... hadn’t noticed all along?

Unaware of her mother’s thoughts, Liu Xiazhi, as if possessed by a detective spirit, began wildly speculating just from the two’s intimate behavior moments ago.

Her expression turned serious.

Soon, she suddenly understood and jumped up from the bedside, eyes wide with shock, looking at An Yuanyao.

She voiced her suspicion.

“Mom, could it be that brother and Zhou Shiyan are dating?!!”

“...”

“Very likely. When we were eating just now, I thought something was wrong. Why did Zhou Shiyan feed brother the leftover food? He wouldn’t even eat my leftovers before...”

Hmm? Did this kid leave leftovers before?

Seeing her daughter’s surprised expression, An Yuanyao was clearly baffled.

Not knowing what her mother was thinking, Liu Xiazhi, feeling like she had caught her brother in the act, gradually grew excited.

A gleam of interest flashed in her eyes. As if talking to herself, she continued.

“Now that I think about it, when Zhou Shiyan stayed at our house before, they must have been secretly together, pretending to study but always in the same room.”

“...”

“So that means... she’s going to be my sister-in-law?”

“Xiazhi...”

“When they have kids, will I be an aunt? I’m only in high school now... Is it too early to be an aunt? Wait... Chun Nuan is only five. If brother has kids, their ages won’t be too different...”

“Xiazhi... Are you overthinking this?”

“Mom, you’re going to be a grandma!”

Just as An Yuanyao was about to tell her daughter not to think too much, she was stunned by this sentence from her.

Several seconds passed before she reacted.

Thinking carefully... that really made sense.

Me... becoming a grandma?

Looking at her daughter’s excited face, An Yuanyao felt somewhat lost.

A grandma...

A eldest grandson...

It actually sounded... pretty nice.