Madam, Please Behave

Chapter 56: The Attack on Liu Zhiyue

Friday.

After evening classes, at Zhou Shiyan’s doorstep.

“See you next week,” Liu Zhiyue said as he turned to leave.

Standing by her door, Zhou Shiyan watched his retreating figure, her lips slightly parted.

“Be... careful on the way,” she murmured.

Liu Zhiyue paused briefly on the steps but then waved casually without looking back.

“I’m a guy—what’s there to be careful about? You go inside,” he replied.

Under the cover of night, his figure gradually disappeared from Zhou Shiyan’s sight. She lingered by the door for a long time before finally turning to step inside.

The road was quiet, the surroundings dim.

This area lacked streetlights, making the entire street appear eerily dark and gloomy.

Liu Zhiyue quickened his pace. This was the third day he’d walked Zhou Shiyan home.

He didn’t quite understand what Zhou Shiyan was afraid of. To him, it was simply a matter of her house being in a slightly remote area with poor lighting. Over the past three days, he hadn’t noticed anything particularly scary.

Maybe it’s just because she’s a girl?

His thoughts drifted to the first day he escorted her. As he was about to leave, she had grabbed his shirt, her face showing a rare, frightened expression.

The memory made Liu Zhiyue chuckle a little.

It was amusing to see an expression other than her usual stoic demeanor.

Still, considering her home’s surroundings, he understood why she always wore her school uniform. Her living conditions seemed even more meager than his own.

The sound of his footsteps echoed along the deserted street.

Suddenly, he felt the rhythm of his steps change. The sound seemed to grow chaotic, as if someone else had joined him.

He stopped in his tracks, and the noise ceased immediately.

Turning his head, he scanned the empty street. Aside from the pitch-black buildings on either side, there was nothing but silence.

Shaking his head, he dismissed the unsettling thoughts and resumed walking.

It’s just your imagination, he told himself.

Step by step...

After walking a few dozen paces, he noticed something off with his right shoe—it had come untied.

Bending down, Liu Zhiyue crouched to tie his shoelaces.

Before he could start, he heard hurried footsteps rushing toward him from behind.

An ominous feeling surged through him. Acting on instinct, Liu Zhiyue dodged to the side.

“Clang!”

The sound of metal striking the ground rang out beside him.

His eyes darted toward the source, landing on a rusty iron rod lying on the pavement.

He quickly looked up to see a man holding the rod, still in the motion of swinging it. The figure was slender, and from his crouched angle, Liu Zhiyue couldn’t discern his height. The man wore a baseball cap and had his face wrapped tightly, leaving only his eyes visible.

Liu Zhiyue didn’t have time to tie his shoelaces. His mind raced.

He didn’t know why this person had attacked him, but one thing was clear—if that rod had connected, he wouldn’t have escaped unscathed.

Without hesitation, Liu Zhiyue lunged forward with all his strength, ramming into the man.

Compared to his own sturdy frame, the assailant’s slender build couldn’t withstand the impact. The man was knocked to the ground, rolling over once before coming to a stop.

Liu Zhiyue didn’t waste a moment. He turned and ran as fast as he could.

Glancing back, he saw the man quickly getting up, gripping the rod in one hand, and chasing after him with alarming speed.

The loose shoelace on his right foot slowed him down significantly.

The gap between them closed rapidly until a sharp pain shot through his back—the iron rod had struck him squarely.

The searing pain made him stumble, nearly falling to the ground. Desperate, he steadied himself and spun around, trying to grab the rod before the man could strike again.

But before he could act, the man was already upon him.

A swift kick landed in Liu Zhiyue’s stomach, knocking him onto the ground.

He sat there, his eyes locked on the man’s face.

The man’s narrow, crazed eyes stared back, filled with unhinged intensity.

The attacker bent down to retrieve the rod and glanced around to ensure no one was watching. Satisfied, he began walking toward Liu Zhiyue with the weapon raised.

Pain coursing through his body and his heart pounding like a drum, Liu Zhiyue’s hand groped around the ground in desperation until it grasped a handful of dirt.

With all his strength, he flung the dirt at the man’s face.

Caught off guard, the dirt struck the man’s exposed eyes, causing him to cry out in pain and cover his face.

Not stopping to look back, Liu Zhiyue forced himself to his feet and ran, ignoring the sharp pain of gravel digging into his shoeless foot.

---

Meanwhile, Liu Changqing sat at home, repeatedly reading the bank notification on his phone.

His gaze fixated on the string of numbers.

The royalties and rewards from his novel had just been deposited.

After taxes and platform deductions, the leaderboard’s top reward alone brought him nearly 80,000 yuan.

In just ten days since the book’s launch, Liu Changqing had posted over 100 paid chapters. With each chapter priced at three cents and a cut taken by the platform, he still managed to earn 210,000 yuan.

After various expenses, Liu Changqing now had a substantial amount in his bank account—far removed from the 3,000 yuan he had when he first arrived in this world.

Earlier that day, a publisher had even approached him about releasing a physical edition of his novel. Though the details were yet to be discussed, Liu Changqing felt optimistic about his future.

Lost in thoughts of his improving life, a sudden, frantic knocking broke his reverie.

He quickly got up and opened the door.

“Zhiyue? Why are you knocking so hard?” he called out as he opened the door.

What greeted him was a disheveled Liu Zhiyue, gasping for air. One foot still had a shoe, while the other wore only a sock. Sweat dripped from his pale, round face, and his clothes were covered in dirt.

The moment Liu Zhiyue saw his father, the tension in his body seemed to release. His lips moved weakly.

“Dad...”

And then he collapsed forward.

Liu Changqing instinctively caught him, his momentary shock replaced by panic.

“Son!!”