Madam, Please Behave

Chapter 105: Staying at Your Place

For a moment, Zhou Shiyan's words left Liu Changqing unsure of how to respond.

Comforting words, when repeated too often, lose their meaning.

Indeed, the mess Zhou Quan left behind had caused significant trouble for the mother and daughter.

Liu Changqing closed his mouth and said nothing more.

As the car approached Zhou Shiyan’s neighborhood, Liu Changqing stopped the vehicle, glancing at the group standing by their front door.

“Looks like you can’t go back home either,” he remarked, shifted gears, and turned the car around, driving away from the area again.

The group from earlier was also visible to the mother and daughter sitting in the backseat. They fell silent, their gazes turning despondent.

Liu Changqing glanced at the rearview mirror, noting the expressions of the two. Though he felt a bit weighed down, it wasn’t his family matter, and there wasn’t much he could do.

Driving in silence, Liu Changqing headed toward Feng Qian’s company.

Once they arrived at the office building, Liu Changqing parked the car, removed his seatbelt, and turned to think for a moment.

“What’s your plan?”

The mother and daughter lifted their heads at his question, their eyes filled with uncertainty.

At this point, they truly had nowhere to go.

Seeing their reaction, Liu Changqing sighed and said, “Wait in the car for a bit. We’ll discuss this when I return.”

“Alright,” Lan Yixian replied, looking at him. “Sorry to trouble you…”

“No trouble at all. In that situation, how could I not help?”

With that, Liu Changqing gathered his things and got out of the car.

As the car door shut, only Lan Yixian and Zhou Shiyan remained inside.

Lan Yixian gazed out of the window, watching Liu Changqing’s figure disappear into the parking lot.

“Mom…”

Zhou Shiyan’s soft call brought Lan Yixian back to reality. She looked at her daughter, her eyes full of pain.

Memories of the past years surfaced in her mind. She noticed her daughter’s disheveled hair, tugged during the earlier commotion, and reached out to smooth it down.

Her eyes brimmed with tears.

Hugging her daughter tightly, she muttered, “I’m sorry… Mommy is useless…”

“This isn’t your fault, Mom,” Zhou Shiyan replied, leaning into her mother’s embrace.

Her heart felt a little lighter. She had almost grown accustomed to days like these, where debt collectors came knocking every so often.

Closing her eyes, Zhou Shiyan fell silent.

---

Liu Changqing didn’t have trouble finding the place, having been there before.

When he saw Feng Qian again, only a few days had passed, but it was obvious the man had been running on fumes.

Clearly, he hadn’t been sleeping much.

Next to him, Liu Changqing spotted Feng Shuyan obediently working on her summer homework at the desk.

Liu Changqing felt a pang of envy.

Feng Shuyan noticed Liu Changqing too. A subtle, almost imperceptible smile appeared on her previously expressionless face.

She quickly hopped off her tall chair, running over to him and tilting her head up.

“Uncle Fatty! Why are you here?”

“I came to see you,” Liu Changqing replied with a grin, pressing his hand lightly on her head.

“It’s been a while!”

“Yeah, yeah!” Feng Shuyan nodded eagerly, her young age making her oblivious to the tension in Liu Changqing’s tone.

Liu Changqing didn’t keep teasing her and instead approached Feng Qian, tossing a stack of sketches onto the desk.

Looking at Feng Qian, who was still hammering away at the keyboard, Liu Changqing asked, “Here’s everything I’ve done. How’s your side going?”

Feng Qian paused his typing, turned, and replied, “Everything’s progressing smoothly.”

“Good. In a few days, you can start packing things up. I’ve cleaned up the two storefronts; they should be fine for now.”

“Got it.”

Liu Changqing glanced at Feng Shuyan, who had followed him closely. His expression turned a bit odd.

“Don’t tell me you and your daughter have been living in the office all this time?”

“No, not exactly… We just stayed over last night,” Feng Qian replied.

“Make sure to get some rest,” Liu Changqing advised.

“Rest isn’t a luxury I can afford right now…” Feng Qian said with a wry smile.

True enough. At his age, if he didn’t give it his all now…

Liu Changqing fell silent, his gaze shifting to the obedient Feng Shuyan beside him.

Parents’ hard work… wasn’t it all for their children’s better future?

He looked out the window, his eyes drifting to the taller buildings beyond.

---

The original Pokémon lineup had 151 species.

That was no small task.

Each night, Liu Changqing drew four to five illustrations. After days of effort, he had only managed to finish one-fifth of the work.

Additionally, the game’s plot framework, dialogues, character designs, and abilities weren’t things he could complete alone.

The sheer volume of work required more manpower.

Though the earnings from "Battle Through the Heavens" had solved the immediate financial issues, Liu Changqing couldn’t help worrying that the game might not perform as he’d imagined after release.

After all, this was a completely different world—not the one he remembered.

He opened the car door and got in.

Lan Yixian and Zhou Shiyan, seeing his return, sat up stiffly in the backseat, their posture unnaturally proper.

Liu Changqing glanced back casually and was momentarily stunned by their behavior.

Fastening his seatbelt, he asked with a mix of amusement and exasperation, “What’s with you two? Sitting there like students afraid of being called on by the teacher.”

He turned the key, starting the engine.

Just as he was about to drive off, Lan Yixian’s hesitant voice stopped him.

“Could we… stay at your place for a few days?”

Her tone was filled with uncertainty.

Liu Changqing turned off the engine, looking back at the awkward-looking Lan Yixian and the emotionless Zhou Shiyan.

“Did I hear that right?”

“Well… it’s just…”

Lan Yixian stammered, clearly embarrassed by her bold request.

But Zhou Shiyan, in contrast, grabbed Liu Changqing’s arm and declared loudly, “Let us stay at your place for now!”