Madam, Please Behave

Chapter 127: Taken Away

Li Wanran stood at the doorway, her gaze sweeping past the unfamiliar woman in front of her to scan the living room. Liu Changqing was nowhere to be seen.

With a poised and tall figure, her long, jet-black hair fell freely over her shoulders. She held her bag with both hands in front of her, her head slightly raised. Compared to Lan Yixian, who stood before her, she was noticeably taller.

Failing to spot Liu Changqing, Li Wanran’s eyes flickered toward the bewildered woman blocking the entrance.

“Where is Liu Changqing?” she asked.

“He’s at work… Are you here to see him?” Lan Yixian replied hesitantly.

“Mm.” Li Wanran gave a faint acknowledgment and said no more. She stepped into the house uninvited, brushing past Lan Yixian and heading straight to the living room.

Seeing her enter in high heels, Lan Yixian quickly followed.

“I’ll get you some slippers to change into. You shouldn’t—”

“No need.” Li Wanran curtly interrupted, her sharp eyes scanning the living room until they landed on Liu Xiazhi, who was lying on the sofa.

Spotting her daughter, Li Wanran made her way over without hesitation.

Hearing the commotion, Liu Xiazhi slowly moved her hands away from her face, rolling her eyes as she looked up at the figure standing beside her. She froze briefly before suddenly sitting up straight.

“Mom!”

“Mm?” Lan Yixian was taken aback by Liu Xiazhi’s call. This was the first time she had seen Liu Changqing’s ex-wife. Though she had heard from her daughter that Liu Changqing came from a divorced family with a son and a daughter, she had never met or heard much about his ex-wife.

Now that she saw her, it was clear—Li Wanran was a stunningly beautiful woman. Her tall, graceful figure was complemented by an undeniable aura of elegance.

For a moment, Lan Yixian stood there, unsure of what to do.

Meanwhile, Liu Xiazhi scrambled off the sofa. After over a month of not seeing her mother, she was overwhelmed with excitement. Barefooted, she ran directly into Li Wanran’s arms, hugging her tightly.

“Did you come to see me?”

“Of course.”

At that moment, the cold, expressionless mask Li Wanran wore melted away. Among her two children, Liu Xiazhi had always been her favorite. She raised a hand to gently stroke her daughter’s head.

“Are you hungry?”

“Yes!” Liu Xiazhi exclaimed with unrestrained joy.

Li Wanran smiled briefly before shifting her expression back to neutral. Turning toward Lan Yixian, who was still standing nearby, she narrowed her eyes slightly.

“What is your relationship with Liu Changqing?”

“I…” Lan Yixian opened her mouth but couldn’t find the right words.

“He moves fast, doesn’t he?” Li Wanran commented, cutting off the need for an answer.

Her gaze drifted downwards, briefly lingering on Lan Yixian’s chest. Her expression changed momentarily before returning to her usual composure. She looked back at Liu Xiazhi.

“Let’s go eat.”

“Okay!” Liu Xiazhi nodded eagerly, her face glowing with happiness. But as she processed her mother’s words, her smile faded slightly. Her expression turned hesitant as she gripped Li Wanran’s hand lightly.

“Will it… be like last time?”

“What do you mean?” Li Wanran asked, momentarily caught off guard.

“I mean… after we eat, will you send me back again?” Liu Xiazhi asked, her head tilted upward as she stared at her mother intently.

For a moment, Li Wanran was at a loss for words. Her left hand clenched briefly before relaxing as she lied,

“Of course.”

“Really?” Liu Xiazhi beamed again, her trust in her mother’s promise rekindled.

Releasing her mother’s hand, she turned to Lan Yixian and said,

“When my brother gets back, tell him I went to eat with Mom and will be back this afternoon!”

“Isn’t this a bit…” Lan Yixian hesitated, responding carefully,

“Maybe I should call Liu Changqing and ask first…”

“And who are you to him? As their mother, do I need his permission to take my daughter out for a meal?” Li Wanran’s face turned icy as she spoke.

Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed Liu Xiazhi’s hand and walked toward the door.

“Wait a moment!” Lan Yixian hurried after them, reaching out to stop them.

Slap!

Li Wanran turned sharply, slapping Lan Yixian’s hand away. The force stung, and Lan Yixian instinctively clutched her aching hand with her other one. She looked up at Li Wanran in shock.

Li Wanran stared down at her with a condescending expression and said coldly,

“I’ll bring her back this afternoon. There’s no need for unnecessary words. Do you understand?”

“…”

Once Liu Xiazhi put on her shoes, Li Wanran opened the door and left with her daughter.

As the two disappeared from view, Lan Yixian stood frozen in place, the sound of a pot lid rattling on the stove echoing from the kitchen. She didn’t move.

Lan Yixian only knew that Liu Changqing was divorced and raising two children alone. She knew nothing of why the divorce happened or the relationship between him and his ex-wife.

Faced with this sudden situation, she panicked.

Snapping out of it, she ran to the window, watching as Li Wanran and Liu Xiazhi climbed into a black sedan and drove off.

Forgetting about the food on the stove, she rushed into the mother and daughter’s room, grabbed the phone from the bedside table, and called Liu Changqing.

Pressing the phone to her ear, her anxious face tightened as she heard the dial tone.

“Pick up… please pick up…”

---

Liu Zhiyue carried three pounds of rice in his left hand and a pack of toilet paper in his right. Walking beside him, Zhou Shiyan held a bottle of soy sauce. The two moved in silence, maintaining a small distance of about two fists between them.

Liu Zhiyue glanced sideways at Zhou Shiyan. Every time he looked, he had to lower his gaze slightly to see her face.

There was no denying Zhou Shiyan had inherited Lan Yixian’s beauty. Though petite and childlike in build, her face made up for every shortcoming.

If only she smiled more often… She would look even prettier.

These thoughts played in his mind as they reached the street corner. A black sedan turned the corner and drove past them.

Ordinarily, he wouldn’t have paid it any attention.

But as the car passed, he faintly heard his younger sister’s voice from within.

He stopped in his tracks, turning to watch the car disappear into the distance.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Shiyan asked, noticing his pause.

“Nothing…” Liu Zhiyue replied, though his face grew somber. He glanced toward the direction of their home, a sense of unease creeping into his heart.

He quickened his pace.