Madam, Please Behave

Chapter 36: Awkward Chat

Liu Changqing returned home with Liu Xiazhi.

As soon as they stepped inside, Liu Xiazhi let go of his hand and, as if embarrassed, darted into her room without saying a word.

Although eating too much fried chicken wasn’t good for one’s health, Liu Changqing couldn’t resist indulging his daughter’s love for the stuff.

Meanwhile, his son Liu Zhiyue had spent the entire day holed up in his room, presumably recovering from the added fifty squats he’d done during their morning workout.

Standing outside Liu Zhiyue’s door, Liu Changqing knocked lightly.

“Are you asleep?”

“Not yet…”

His son’s tired voice came from inside.

“Are you eating dinner tonight? I brought back some of the fried chicken your sister couldn’t finish.”

But after a brief pause, Liu Zhiyue added, “Actually, no. That stuff makes you gain weight.”

The resignation in his tone was palpable.

Liu Changqing nodded with satisfaction.

He hadn’t actually brought back fried chicken—it was a test of his son’s resolve. If Liu Zhiyue had given in, his training regimen would have been made even tougher tomorrow.

Liu Changqing muttered a silent cheer of encouragement to his son from outside the door.

“Alright, get some rest.”

With that, he headed to the bathroom to freshen up.

After completing his nightly routine, he returned to his room and sank onto the bed.

There was nothing quite as satisfying as lying down after a hot shower.

Picking up his phone, Liu Changqing suddenly remembered leaving his QQ number for the mysterious benefactor earlier that day.

I wonder if they’ve added me yet?

Opening the QQ app on his bar-style phone, Liu Changqing sighed. This era’s mobile technology couldn’t compare to the smartphones he remembered from his previous life.

The most advanced phones of the time came with a stylus tucked into the side, which users had to tap clumsily on the screen. The responsiveness was poor, and these phones were prohibitively expensive.

I miss the convenience of smartphones…

Shaking off his nostalgia, Liu Changqing focused on the QQ app.

Unlike the clean and intuitive interface of the desktop version, the app on his phone looked more like a basic text messaging app, with a few preset groups: My Net Friends, Classmates, Friends, and Family.

Noticing a new friend request, Liu Changqing opened it.

[Jun Zui Xiang Si] (Drunken in Longing).

The name felt very much of this era.

By contrast, Liu Changqing’s username was [Neighbor Old Liu] (Ge Bi Lao Liu).

He had initially considered more era-appropriate names like [Crystal Boy], [Wind-Chasing Youth], or [What Can You Do About Me, Bro?]

But after some thought, he decided these names were too cringe-worthy. Just imagining himself using one filled him with secondhand embarrassment.

Still, such names were wildly popular among the younger crowd at the time.

After accepting the request, he added the new contact to the My Net Friends group.

He typed out a message:

Hello, I’m the author of Battle Through the Heavens. My pen name is Lonely Sprout. Did you add me after seeing the QQ number I left for you?

Satisfied with the message, Liu Changqing sent it.

Liu Changqing was slightly excited as he typed. After all, the benefactor’s substantial rewards meant he’d receive 50% of the amount during the platform’s end-of-month settlement.

Although he felt a pang at losing over 50,000 yuan to the platform, he reminded himself that without it, he wouldn’t have earned the rest.

Should I suggest they transfer the money directly to my bank account?

The thought was tempting but dangerous. Liu Changqing shook his head to banish it.

I can’t be too greedy. If the benefactor thinks I’m just after money, won’t it ruin their high opinion of me?

Deciding to play it safe, Liu Changqing resolved to stick to his usual approach.

After sending his first message, he waited. When there was no immediate reply, he put his phone aside, intending to relax for a bit.

Just as he lay down, his phone buzzed.

Ding, ding!

Picking it up, he saw the message.

[Hello, yes.]

Liu Changqing frowned.

That’s it? So cold.

He quickly began typing again.

[Thank you so much for your generous support of my work! I’ll do my best to continue creating the best and most exciting content for you.]

The response came quickly, but it was just as brief.

[Got it.]

Liu Changqing froze.

How am I supposed to keep the conversation going?!

As if sensing the awkwardness, the benefactor sent another message.

[Keep up the good work!]

Isn’t that just as awkward? Liu Changqing thought, feeling his right eyelid twitch in frustration.

He decided to investigate further, opening their profile to browse their information.

The basic details were displayed:

Username: [Jun Zui Xiang Si] (Drunken in Longing)

Gender: Female

Age: 26

Status: Waiting for someone.

26 years old? Liu Changqing paused, noting the gender field.

A woman? Do women even like action-packed novels like Battle Through the Heavens?

Shaking off his doubts, Liu Changqing reminded himself that it didn’t matter. Rich benefactor or not, just hold on to the thigh and don’t let go.

He typed a new message.

[So you’re 26? That makes me older than you, haha!]

This time, the reply didn’t come as quickly. Liu Changqing sat holding his phone for a while, staring at the screen, before realizing how quiet the room had become.

If this keeps up, I might lose my chance to secure the benefactor’s goodwill.

Determined to salvage the conversation, he began typing again.

But before he could send anything, the benefactor’s message popped up.

[Yes, I’m a beautiful 26-year-old woman, and I absolutely did not lie about my age!!!]

The three exclamation marks practically screamed at him.

Liu Changqing blinked at the screen, perplexed.

Each word made sense on its own, but together, they were oddly confusing.

Lie about her age? Why would she do that?

Then, a sudden realization struck him.

Of course!

He remembered a philosophical saying: A woman’s age is like the rings of a tree—you’ll never know the truth unless you dig deeper.

It dawned on him that this was likely about the universal taboo of women’s ages.

She thinks I’m implying she’s older than she claims!

With a sly smile, Liu Changqing felt he had cracked the case. Confidently, he typed:

[Stop pretending, I already know the truth!]

On the other end, An Yuanyao was holding her face, too embarrassed to even look at her phone.

She felt like dying of shame.

But the ding ding of the incoming message drew her back. After hesitating for a moment, she picked up the phone and read it.

[You’re actually around 20, right? You deliberately changed it to 26, thinking you’d fool me, but I caught you!]

“…”

Her face returned to normal.

An Yuanyao stared at the screen, utterly dumbfounded.

What… what on earth is he thinking?!