Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 190: Happy Birthday

September 9th, Monday.

Five days passed in the blink of an eye. Over the weekend, Liu Changqing left his daughter with An Yuanyao and took some time to visit Chen Dafu.

The new company was officially established, confirming that Chen Dafu had completed the preliminary preparations and assembled a team of developers to begin working on the NDS console.

Simultaneously, production on the second generation of Pokémon games had kicked off. Unlike his previous life, where Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen were the first to release, the timeline here had shifted entirely. The second generation would be titled Pokémon Gold and Silver, expanding the roster from 151 to 251 Pokémon.

An additional hundred Pokémon meant a massive increase in workload. However, thanks to the success of the first-generation Pokémon, Liu Changqing’s company was well-funded and fully staffed, freeing him from having to draw everything himself.

The designs for the Pokémon were beginning to diverge from those of his past life. Without a photographic memory, Liu Changqing could only ensure familiar Pokémon stayed true to their original forms. The rest, whose names he could barely recall, were left to the creative team’s imagination.

Meanwhile, Wu Yu’s girlfriend, Qi Hang, had illustrated the first chapter of the manga based on Liu Changqing’s script. He personally reached out to a domestic manga magazine editor and successfully established a partnership with the renowned weekly magazine Passion Comics.

Before finalizing the deal, Liu Changqing specifically checked with Qi Hang to ensure she could keep up with a weekly release schedule. She confidently assured him that she could.

Serializing her manga in a famous magazine was a dream come true for Qi Hang, something she had never dared to imagine before. Although she only handled the artwork while Liu Changqing provided the story, the opportunity alone filled her with joy.

Seeing his girlfriend’s dream realized, Wu Yu felt deeply grateful to Liu Changqing. His appreciation turned into action—he voluntarily worked overtime for the past four or five days, something that didn’t escape Liu Changqing’s notice.

Liu Changqing planned to reward Wu Yu with a bonus in next month’s paycheck.

As work picked up, his time with An Yuanyao grew shorter. Between managing Chen Dafu and Feng Qian’s projects, he was constantly on the move, while An Yuanyao spent most of her days in the dance studio, rehearsing with her teacher for an upcoming performance.

But today was Monday, and with their daughter at school, An Yuanyao had a rare free day. Still, her energy seemed noticeably drained, her mind likely preoccupied with the upcoming performance on October 1st.

To make it up to her, Liu Changqing decided to take her out for a meal. The reservation was already set.

The midday sun was blazing. After parking the car, Liu Changqing stepped out to see An Yuanyao standing before him, shielding herself with a parasol. She extended the umbrella toward him.

“Wanna share some shade?” she offered.

Liu Changqing shook his head, declining the offer to squeeze under the same umbrella. Instead, he led her directly into the restaurant.

The place was bustling, but since he had booked in advance, the staff quickly guided them to a private dining room.

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Once inside, Liu Changqing called for the dishes to be served.

Plates arrived one after another, but the centerpiece—a whole roast suckling pig—stole the spotlight.

The golden, crispy skin glistened under the light, and the rich aroma filled the air. The pig’s head, positioned front and center, added a dramatic flair, making the surrounding dishes pale in comparison.

The awe on An Yuanyao’s face told Liu Changqing she had never tried roast suckling pig before. Grinning, he leaned toward her, a playful sparkle in his eyes.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” he teased.

Her wide-eyed gaze broke from the roast pig to meet his. She nodded earnestly.

“I’ve never had... pork like this before.”

Her honest reaction pleased him. Without hesitation, Liu Changqing peeled off the plastic wrap from their utensils, rinsed the bowls and chopsticks with hot tea from the kettle, and placed the clean set before An Yuanyao.

Seeing his gesture, An Yuanyao hesitated briefly before trying to mimic his actions. But before she could finish, Liu Changqing swapped their utensils, offering her the clean set he had just prepared.

A small, delighted smile flickered across her lips. She adjusted the place settings while sneaking glances at him, warmth pooling in her chest.

“We can’t possibly finish all this,” she said softly.

“We’re not supposed to,” Liu Changqing replied nonchalantly, rinsing his chopsticks.

“I was supposed to have a business meeting here today, but the other party had to cancel last minute. Too late to cancel the room, so I figured—why not treat you instead?”

He drained the water from his bowl and arranged his utensils neatly before flashing her a warm smile.

“You’ve been working hard lately. Thought you deserved a good meal.”

“But there’s so much... it feels wasteful with just the two of us.”

“We’ll just pack up the leftovers. Should be enough to feed us for days,” he reassured her.

With that, Liu Changqing picked up a slice of the roast pig and placed it in her bowl before serving himself.

“The owner says this is their signature dish. Supposed to be top-notch.”

“Really? Guess I’ll give it a try. I’ve never had this kind before...”

An Yuanyao lifted the piece with her chopsticks, took a small bite, and chewed thoughtfully. Her expression soon turned... conflicted.

“It’s... kind of greasy,” she admitted, a slight grimace on her face.

“Greasy?” Liu Changqing echoed, raising a brow. Curious, he sampled his own piece.

The texture was far from the crispy, melt-in-your-mouth experience he had expected. Instead, it felt... heavy, oily, and cloying.

D** it,* he cursed internally. Totally scammed.

Exhaling in disappointment, Liu Changqing glanced over the spread of dishes and made a quick decision.

“Forget the pig. Probably not made right. Try the other dishes first.”

“Mm, okay,” she agreed.

Just as Liu Changqing was about to call for the server, his shout brought more than he expected.

The door swung open, and in came two servers—one pushing a cart bearing a large cream cake and the other carrying a bouquet of roses.

Liu Changqing froze, chopsticks halfway to his bowl, his mind suddenly blank.

An Yuanyao, who had just placed a piece of food into his bowl, turned her head at the commotion.

Her eyes widened in shock, and her chopsticks slipped from her fingers. Covering her mouth with both hands, she stared at the scene, her face flooded with surprise and joy.

The three servers, young and smiling, broke into song—

“Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday, dear—

Happy birthday to you~”

The cake-pushing server clapped first, quickly followed by the one holding the roses, who stepped forward and presented the bouquet to An Yuanyao.

Tears shimmered in her eyes as she reached out, her fingers trembling slightly as she accepted the roses. She then turned to Liu Changqing, who sat there, jaw slack and utterly dumbfounded.

His mind raced, trying to piece together what had just unfolded.

What... the hell?

Whose birthday was it today?