Madam, Please Behave

Chapter 123: Departure

An Yuanyao’s mother walked into the room.

At a glance, she saw her grandson sleeping soundly on the bed and her son sitting at the bedside, back turned to the doorway. She walked forward, stopping by the bed, and leaned in to look at the little boy with his tiny hands clenched into fists resting above his head. Her face couldn’t hide the joy.

"My grandson is just so adorable..." she murmured in a low voice, as if talking to herself. Then, as if remembering something, Su Yan shifted her gaze away from the child and looked around. An Yuanyao was nowhere to be seen.

She called out to An Qianxun, "Qianxun, where’s your sister?"

"Huh?" An Qianxun, who had been sitting with his back to Su Yan, turned around with a slightly awkward expression. He instinctively glanced to the side.

"She went to the bathroom."

"The bathroom?"

"Yeah, she just left not long ago..."

After answering, An Qianxun suddenly seemed curious. "By the way, Mom!"

"What did my sister do wrong? Why are you and Dad restricting her freedom?"

"Your sister didn’t do anything wrong."

"Then that’s weird. If she didn’t do anything wrong, why are you and Dad keeping her locked up?"

"..." Su Yan paused, remembering the agreement she’d made with her daughter not to tell anyone about their conversation. But... since her husband already knew, it wouldn’t hurt for her son to know too, right?

Sitting on the bed, she said to her son, "Your sister divorced this time because she fell for someone else!"

"Huh?"

The news hit An Qianxun like a ton of bricks, and he couldn’t help but exclaim loudly.

The sudden noise startled the little boy sleeping on the bed, causing him to shudder. Seeing this, Su Yan quickly reached out to gently pat the child’s chest. After a moment, the boy, who had almost woken up, gradually settled back into sleep.

Both of them sighed in relief.

An Qianxun scooted closer to his mother and lowered his voice. "What do you mean? Wasn’t the divorce because that guy named Li was with Li Wanran?"

Hearing his question, Su Yan also lowered her voice and cupped her hand by her mouth.

"That’s part of it. The other part is that your sister met someone better who treats her quite well."

"Seriously?"

An Qianxun was wide-eyed with surprise. His sister hadn’t mentioned this at all earlier!

He clearly remembered her saying:

"Mom and Dad are afraid I won’t move on from my failed marriage, so they’re keeping me locked up. But... the more they do this, the worse I feel. I want to see the scenery, visit other cities, and relax for a few days. Please help me, Qianxun... I promise I’ll come back in just a few days!"

The image of his sister earnestly making that promise was still fresh in his mind.

Did she lie to him?

Snapping back to reality, An Qianxun looked at his mother. "Are you saying my sister doesn’t actually want to go on a short trip?"

"Trip? What trip?"

Su Yan froze, confused by her son’s words, but quickly pieced things together. "Where is your sister?"

"She... she went to the bathroom..."

"Tell me the truth."

Having raised her son, Su Yan instantly spotted the telltale signs of lying—his stammering, his wandering gaze, and his unwillingness to meet her eyes. Her expression darkened.

Noticing the change in his mother’s demeanor, An Qianxun started to panic.

"She should’ve... might’ve gone to the bathroom..."

"An Qianxun, tell me the truth!"

The stern tone made him straighten up instinctively. Years of maternal discipline kicked in as he sat upright and confessed.

"Alright, Mom. My sister asked me to cover for her. She slipped out through the back door ten minutes ago. I suggest you go after her right away; you might still catch her!"

With a serious expression, he avoided looking at his mother as he added, "Based on her plan, she might first head back to grab some things and then try to escape. Hurry! You won’t catch her if you’re too slow!"

Su Yan looked at him, astonished. She reached out and flicked his forehead with her finger. "How can you still fall for your sister’s tricks? Hasn’t she lied to you enough growing up?"

"I..."

"When did she leave?"

"Ten minutes ago!"

Hearing this, Su Yan’s expression grew darker. She stood up and muttered, "That’s long enough for her to have gotten far. I need to tell your dad."

With that, she opened the door and walked out.

An Qianxun maintained his upright posture for a moment longer before flopping onto the bed like a deflated balloon. Staring at the ceiling, he eventually rolled over and looked at his son’s chubby little face.

Muttering to himself, he said, "Son... your dad’s doomed..."

A bag, a key, and a phone.

An Yuanyao rushed to the bus station and boarded a coach. Finding her seat, she sat down, her heart bubbling with excitement.

"They’ll never guess I took the bus!"

Although it was the slowest mode of transport, it was also the least expected.

Sitting by the window, she watched the scene outside. People bustled about—some pulling suitcases, others carrying large bags of unknown items. The novelty of it all fascinated her.

She had never taken such a bus before, making it a fresh experience.

It didn’t take long for the bus to fill up, and someone—a slightly older person—sat beside her.

As the bus started moving, the atmosphere became quiet, though it didn’t last long. Before long, passengers began chatting out of boredom.

Their topics drifted into her ears:

"Are you married?"

"Where’s your hometown? How many kids do you have?"

"Where are you working this year?"

The lively exchanges intrigued her, and she closed her eyes while half-listening to the conversations around her. Yet, her mind wandered elsewhere.

As the bus traveled further, the chatter gradually subsided. An Yuanyao opened her eyes and gazed at the scenery flashing by outside.

Her thoughts drifted.

What are you doing now?