Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 228: Trouble

“Big brother’s back!”

Liu Xiazhi suddenly shouted from the sofa before hopping off and dashing toward the door, greeting Liu Zhiyue just as he opened it.

Seeing his little sister standing at the entrance waiting for him, Liu Zhiyue was slightly surprised.

She had always been clingy, but not to the point of standing at the door as soon as he walked in.

After pulling out the key and slipping it into his pocket, he entered the house, locked the door, and changed into his indoor slippers.

“What’s with the special welcome today?” he asked.

Hearing her brother’s question, Liu Xiazhi glanced at An Yuanyao, who was sitting on the sofa, then cupped her hands around her mouth and whispered,

“Aunt An got hurt!”

“Huh? What happened?”

Liu Zhiyue froze for a moment, then instinctively looked at An Yuanyao, especially her left foot.

Quickly stepping forward, he stood beside her and, after a brief moment of contemplation, asked,

“How did you get injured?”

An Yuanyao smiled sheepishly, feeling a little embarrassed to admit that she had sprained her foot while cleaning.

“I just twisted my ankle… Your dad already took me to the hospital, so it’s nothing serious.”

“That’s good.”

“By the way… are you hungry? Your dad saved you some food.”

“I’m okay. Where is he?”

“In the shower…”

Just as An Yuanyao finished speaking, Liu Xiazhi grabbed her brother’s wrist and pulled him toward her, trying to get his attention.

Both Liu Zhiyue and An Yuanyao looked at her in confusion.

With a big grin, Liu Xiazhi turned to An Yuanyao and said,

“Auntie, you can watch TV for a bit! I need to ask my brother about schoolwork!”

“Okay.”

After getting a response, Liu Xiazhi quickly pulled Liu Zhiyue toward her room.

Feeling utterly confused by his sister’s odd behavior, Liu Zhiyue couldn’t shake the feeling that she was up to something.

Once inside her room, Liu Xiazhi sneakily peeked into the living room, ensuring no one was paying attention, before carefully closing the door.

Turning on the light, she ran past Liu Zhiyue and jumped onto her bed. Then, she lifted the blanket and pulled something out.

Liu Zhiyue stood there for a moment, baffled, before stepping closer.

“What are you doing?”

“Blow up this balloon for me!”

“Huh? A balloon?”

“Yeah!”

Nodding enthusiastically, Liu Xiazhi held up a strip of square-shaped packages, all connected in a row.

She expertly tore one off, ripped open the small square packet, and pulled out a transparent, round balloon.

It felt strangely oily.

After squeezing it a few times, she held it out to Liu Zhiyue.

“Here! Blow it up for me! I tried so many times, but I just can’t do it!”

“Why does this balloon even have packaging?”

Liu Zhiyue frowned, finding the shape and texture a bit odd. Nonetheless, he took the item from his sister’s hands.

The moment he touched it, he noticed how slippery it was—like it had been soaked in oil.

“Hurry up and blow it!”

Before he could examine it further, his sister urged him impatiently. Without thinking too much, Liu Zhiyue brought it to his lips and started blowing.

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t inflate it.

And… this balloon really did look strange.

After several attempts, he gave up. It was impossible to blow up.

Because… it was leaking air.

“Did you poke a hole in it or something? It won’t inflate at all.”

“Is it broken?”

Liu Xiazhi blinked in surprise, then tilted her head in thought.

Come to think of it… she had poked it with something earlier.

Back when it was still in its packaging, she hadn’t known there was a balloon inside.

Suddenly realizing her mistake, she pouted in disappointment.

“I thought I was just too weak to blow it up… Turns out it was broken all along.”

“Where did you even get this?”

Liu Zhiyue tossed the so-called balloon into the trash, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

Something about the taste had seemed off.

“From Dad’s room.”

“…What?”

“When I got home from school, I went to his room to find a pen for my homework. I found them in his drawer.”

“You should put them back right now. If Dad finds out you were rummaging through his stuff, he’s definitely going to scold you.”

“Really?”

Liu Xiazhi thought for a moment and realized that, indeed, their dad had scolded her before for going through his things without permission.

The color drained from her face as she realized she had messed up.

Grabbing the remaining “balloons,” she looked nervously at her brother.

“Then… promise me you won’t tell Dad!”

“I won’t say anything…”

“Swear it!”

“Fine, fine.”

Seeing how anxious she was, Liu Zhiyue sighed and reluctantly raised his hand, making a half-hearted oath.

Only after hearing him swear did Liu Xiazhi finally relax. She quickly grabbed the packages and crept out of the room.

Liu Zhiyue followed after her.

After closing his sister’s door, he rubbed his hands together, feeling the lingering oily residue, and decided to wash his hands.

As he turned toward the bathroom, he caught sight of his sister sneaking into their father’s room.

A few moments later, she tiptoed back out, mission accomplished.

Liu Zhiyue glanced at the sofa where An Yuanyao sat, but she hadn’t noticed anything.

Just as he reached the bathroom door, Liu Changqing walked out.

The moment he saw his son standing there, he jumped in surprise and instinctively took a step back.

“What are you doing standing outside the bathroom?”

“Washing my hands.”

“Then hurry up. I’ll heat up your food.”

“Mm.”

Their brief conversation ended as Liu Changqing left, and Liu Zhiyue stepped inside to wash his hands.

Just as his father was about to leave, Liu Zhiyue suddenly called out,

“By the way, Dad, are you busy next week? My school’s holding a sports meet.”

“A sports meet? You’re competing?”

“Yeah, in three events.”

Liu Changqing thought about it, but then remembered that An Yuanyao had injured her foot. After a moment of hesitation, he shook his head.

“I won’t go. Your Aunt An sprained her ankle, so I don’t want to leave her alone.”

“Oh… okay.”

Their voices weren’t exactly quiet.

At the very least, An Yuanyao—sitting on the sofa—heard everything clearly.

Hearing Liu Changqing’s response, she couldn’t help but feel a warmth spread through her heart.

The corners of her eyes crinkled into crescent moons as she smiled at the TV screen.

“You should go,” she said softly. “The sports meet only happens once a year. It would be a shame to miss it. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine on my own.”

“How can I leave you alone?” Liu Changqing frowned, walking over to sit beside her.

An Yuanyao glanced toward the bathroom, then at Liu Xiazhi, who had just snuck out of his room, looking guilty as ever.

She chuckled and whispered,

“Kids won’t say it out loud, but deep down, they want you to be there.”

“But you’ll be home alone…”

“I’m not completely immobile—I still have one good foot. Besides, I’m not a child. I’ll be fine.”

Looking at her reassuring smile, Liu Changqing hesitated.

Then, as she leaned into his embrace, she murmured,

“Don’t let him down…”

—

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Liu Zhiyue, fresh from washing his hands, casually glanced toward the living room.

He saw his father and An Yuanyao cuddled up on the sofa.

After staring for a moment, he sighed and turned toward the kitchen.

He didn’t really want to admit it, but deep down, he knew the truth.

His dad… was completely smitten.