Madam, Please Behave

Chapter 69: Pokémon?

“This can’t be real. Is this even a game for humans?”

Liu Changqing stared at the screen, his face full of disbelief.

The overwhelming barrage of bullets felt impossible to dodge—surely no ordinary person could beat this level. He refused to believe anyone could pass it!

Next to him, Liu Zhiyue quietly finished his burger, placing the bitten chicken leg on a napkin and wiping his hands clean. Then, he turned to his father.

“Dad, let me try.”

“You? Have you even played games before?”

“Of course! Didn’t you buy me one of those Tetris consoles when I was a kid?”

“This is completely different—it’s way harder.”

“Let me just try. It looks fun watching you all play.”

After a brief hesitation, Liu Changqing handed the console to him.

Zhiyue took it, pressed restart, and prepared to play.

Xiazhi scooted closer, kneeling on the sofa as she watched her brother intently.

“Go, big brother!”

“Don’t laugh if I mess up.”

“I promise I won’t!” Xiazhi nodded earnestly, her expression serious.

Zhiyue chuckled but didn’t say more, focusing on the game. Liu Changqing leaned in to watch, curious to see how his son would do.

Within thirty seconds, Zhiyue’s character was obliterated by a low-level enemy’s bullet.

Liu Changqing almost burst out laughing.

So his son’s skills weren’t much better.

“Just give up and let your sister play.”

“Wait a second, let me get used to it,” Zhiyue replied, his gaze fixed on the screen, fingers poised to try again.

Seeing his son’s determined expression, Liu Changqing decided this might be a good opportunity to teach a life lesson: some things aren’t achievable just because you want them to be.

Satisfied with the lesson forming in his mind, Liu Changqing glanced back to see if Zhiyue had failed yet.

To his surprise, Zhiyue’s fingers were flying across the buttons with incredible speed, his eyes locked on the screen, unblinking.

His character weaved through the storm of bullets like it was scripted, expertly dodging while firing precise shots at the boss.

What the hell?!

Liu Changqing was stunned.

Beside him, Xiazhi was equally amazed, her cheeks flushed with excitement as she watched her brother’s character navigate the chaos. She was so focused she barely breathed.

Finally, the screen froze as the boss exploded, signaling victory. Zhiyue’s character stood triumphantly, and the words Game Cleared flashed on the screen.

The entire game was completed.

It turned out the console had been on the final level when Haohao lent it to Xiazhi. No wonder it was so difficult.

Zhiyue exhaled deeply, blinking rapidly as he handed the console back to Xiazhi.

“Here, it’s definitely challenging.”

“Wow! Big brother, you’re amazing!” Xiazhi squealed, lunging forward to hug Zhiyue around the neck.

“Teach me! Teach me how to play!”

“Uh… I’m not sure how to teach…” Zhiyue replied awkwardly, noticing Liu Changqing’s complex expression as he stared at him.

“What’s wrong, Dad? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Nothing…” Liu Changqing muttered, brushing it off. Inside, however, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t quite right.

Xiazhi took the console back, releasing her brother and flopping onto the sofa.

“Actually, this game isn’t all that fun after a while…”

Liu Changqing raised an eyebrow.

Not fun? You’ve been glued to it since the exams ended. This is "not fun"?

Zhiyue shrugged. “It’s alright. Not too hard. Just a way to kill time.”

His casual remark hit Liu Changqing like a slap in the face.

This brat!

Meanwhile, Xiazhi stared at the ceiling, imagining something entirely different.

“I wish there was a game where you could raise pets… Oh! And battle with them too. That would be awesome!”

“That kind of game doesn’t exist. Stop dreaming,” Zhiyue said, smirking.

“Who knows? Maybe it’ll come out soon!” Xiazhi pouted, clearly unconvinced.

Neither sibling noticed Liu Changqing’s sudden dazed expression. After a moment, he snapped out of it, excitement evident in his voice.

“Xiazhi, what did you just say?”

“Huh? What did I say?”

“About raising pets and battling?”

Tilting her head, Xiazhi thought for a moment. “I just said it’d be cool if there was a game where you could raise lots of pets and battle with them. That would be so fun!”

“That’s it!”

Liu Changqing clapped his hands, startling both kids. They stared at him, confused.

What’s gotten into Dad?

Liu Changqing’s mind raced. The idea was simple yet brilliant. Memories from his past life flooded in—of the game’s global popularity, its dedicated fanbase spanning decades, and its incredible profitability.

He looked at Xiazhi, his excitement barely contained.

“Xiazhi, what if there was a game where you could catch tons of pets while playing, and then battle them against other people? You could carry six pets at a time, each with unique skills. How does that sound?”

“Is that real?” Xiazhi’s eyes widened with interest as she imagined the possibilities.

Her little hands clapped eagerly. “That sounds so fun!”

“Of course it’s real! There would be cute pets, cool pets, even powerful and rare ones. Some would be legendary—so strong they’d take three or more regular pets to beat!”

“I want to play! I want to play!” Xiazhi cheered, jumping off the sofa and tugging at Liu Changqing’s shirt. Her previous obsession with the handheld console was forgotten.

“What’s it called?”

Liu Changqing’s face flushed with excitement as countless images and memories swirled in his mind. Smiling, he enunciated each word clearly:

“Pokémon!”

Then, as an afterthought, he added, “Or maybe… Pocket Monsters!”