Madam, Please Behave

Chapter 68: Growing Bold

Dusk was approaching.

Liu Changqing parked the van steadily outside the residential neighborhood and glanced at An Yuanyao.

“We’re here.”

“Mm.”

She nodded softly, turning her head toward him. For a moment, time seemed to pause. She looked at his face intently, and the atmosphere grew perfectly still.

Liu Changqing met her gaze and smiled slightly.

“What are you staring at?”

“...”

“You’re home. Get out of the car. If the security guards spot me, they might chase me off.”

Her expression shifted as she grabbed her bag, opened the car door, and, mimicking Liu Changqing’s usual habit, slammed it shut with a loud bang. Standing outside, she looked at him through the window, her expression softening into a smile.

Waving, she said, “Bye-bye!”

Liu Changqing nodded, not saying much, and started the van. He drove away, glancing in the rearview mirror to see An Yuanyao still standing in place, watching as the van grew smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared from sight.

For some reason, Liu Changqing let out a long breath, feeling an odd sense of relief.

In the backseat, Liu Xiazhi was entirely absorbed in the handheld console she’d borrowed from Haohao. Her small hands gripped the device tightly, her eyes fixed on the screen as she muttered to herself.

“Die, die, die!”

Her fingers furiously mashed the buttons, her concentration unwavering. Liu Changqing glanced at her, his attention drawn by her voice.

“Xiazhi, is the console fun?”

“Ah! I died again!”

She didn’t answer right away, too focused on the game. After losing another round, she let out a loud cry of frustration and slumped forward. Moments later, she perked up again, diving back into the game.

Watching her, Liu Changqing finally understood why parents were so concerned about their kids getting addicted to video games.

And this was just a simple handheld console. If she got her hands on an immersive, flashy, pay-to-win game, it could spiral out of control—at best draining her pocket money, and at worst leading to financial ruin.

The hearts of game developers are truly black, he thought.

When they arrived home, Liu Changqing parked the van in an empty spot nearby, as there were no designated spaces in this area. He opened the back door, grabbed Xiazhi’s backpack, and helped her out of the car.

“Stop playing for now. You can play more at home.”

“Okay.”

She nodded but showed no signs of putting the console down, her fingers continuing to press random buttons.

Without saying more, Liu Changqing led her to the house. After unlocking the door, he let her in first before following behind.

Xiazhi kicked off her shoes and immediately headed for the sofa, plopping down with her console in hand. Meanwhile, Liu Changqing placed her backpack on a chair and knocked on his son’s bedroom door.

“Still studying?”

Inside, Liu Zhiyue’s voice came through the door. “I’m reviewing English vocabulary.”

Though he hadn’t been attending school for the past few days, the upcoming exam had motivated Liu Zhiyue to work hard. His foot injury had mostly healed, though his walk was still slightly uneven. It wasn’t enough to hinder his determination.

“Take a break. Come out and have some fried chicken.”

“Alright.”

Shortly after, Liu Zhiyue emerged, looking puzzled when he noticed his father’s empty hands.

“Where’s the chicken?”

“It’s on the table. Wash your hands and dig in.”

This time, Liu Changqing wasn’t testing his son’s resolve to lose weight. After all, he himself had eaten plenty earlier—being fair was important. Besides, with Zhiyue’s foot injury preventing him from exercising, forcing him to diet now seemed unnecessary.

Limping slightly, Zhiyue made his way to the dining table and grabbed a burger and a chicken leg.

“What’s Xiazhi playing with?” he asked, glancing at his sister on the sofa.

“A handheld console. That chubby kid from her class lent it to her. She’s been glued to it all day.”

“Is that the console that’s been popular recently?” Zhiyue squinted at the rectangular white device in his sister’s hands.

“It’s kind of like the old Tetris machines you used to play with, but it has cartridges for different games and can even save progress.”

“Wow, that’s fancy!”

Curiosity piqued, the fifteen-year-old boy edged closer to his sister while munching on his food.

“Is it fun?”

Without looking up, Xiazhi answered, “Yeah, but it’s hard. I’ve been stuck on this level forever—I keep dying.”

“Why?”

“There are bullets flying all over the screen. I can’t dodge them!”

Zhiyue leaned in to watch. Just as he did, Xiazhi’s character was hit and the screen flashed Game Over.

“Ughhh!” she groaned dramatically, flopping onto the sofa. Her small feet kicked at Zhiyue’s side as she whined, “It’s too hard!”

“Let me try,” Liu Changqing offered, walking over.

Both siblings turned to look at him, surprised. Especially Xiazhi, whose eyes filled with doubt.

She couldn’t recall ever seeing her father play a game before.

Sensing her disbelief, Liu Changqing puffed out his chest confidently.

“I’m a gaming master. There’s no game I can’t beat.”

He plopped down next to her, causing her to bounce slightly on the sofa. Taking the console from her hands, he examined the game.

The screen showed a colorful pixel-art level with a character firing bullets at enemies in a side-scrolling platformer. Onscreen was a flashing Game Over, with a small figure lying prone on the ground.

This? This is child’s play.

Feeling smug, Liu Changqing restarted the game.

Seconds turned into minutes as Zhiyue and Xiazhi watched their father intently.

Meanwhile, Liu Changqing’s confident expression gradually shifted—from disdainful, to serious, to outright panicked.

Game Over.

The screen flashed again.