Madam, Please Behave

Chapter 75: Tying Hair

July 5th.

Today was the day Liu Xiazhi’s grades were released.

As was customary, after attending the final class meeting and paying tuition fees, summer vacation officially began.

Meanwhile, Liu Zhiyue’s three-day exams were still ongoing; today marked the second day.

After dropping his son off at the examination hall, Liu Changqing returned home and woke up the still-sleeping Liu Xiazhi.

Perhaps due to playing on her handheld console late into the night, Liu Xiazhi’s eyes looked drowsy, and her head drooped as she groggily followed behind Liu Changqing.

After brushing her teeth, Liu Changqing dampened a towel and wiped her face, which helped revive her spirits a bit.

Standing on her tiptoes, Liu Xiazhi stared at herself in the mirror, frowning as she fussed with her hair, repeatedly combing at it with her fingers.

“My hair is such a mess...”

“That’s what happens when you don’t use the hair dryer after your bath and just run off to your room,” Liu Changqing commented as he smoothed down a rebellious tuft of hair on her head.

“Lately, you’ve been staying up late.”

“No, I haven’t! Time just flies too fast!”

Puffing up her cheeks, Liu Xiazhi turned to glare at him.

“I barely played for a little while, and it was already so late.”

As she spoke, a thought seemed to cross her mind, and she grabbed Liu Changqing’s arm, looking at him with anticipation.

“So, um… when can I play Pocket Monsters like you mentioned?”

“It’ll still take some time. There’s a lot of prep work to do first.”

“Oh...”

Disappointed, she turned back to the mirror and resumed fiddling with her hair.

Liu Changqing stepped up to the sink, cupped some water in his hands, and applied it to Liu Xiazhi’s hair, trying to smooth down the unruly strands.

After some effort, he got her hair to lie flat and took out the hair dryer to give her hair a quick blow-dry.

When he finished, he put the dryer away and asked, “By the way, doesn’t your school have a summer camp this year?”

“I don’t know...”

Liu Xiazhi replied absentmindedly, grabbing an elastic band from the side of the mirror and attempting to tie her hair.

Feeling satisfied that she’d tied it securely, she let go, only for the elastic to snap off and hit Liu Changqing before falling to the ground.

She stared blankly for a moment before puffing her cheeks in frustration.

“Ugh!”

“Alright, don’t get mad,” Liu Changqing said as he picked up the elastic, looped it around his hand, and grabbed her hair. Starting from the back of her head, he gathered her hair upward until it was all in his grip.

He then looped the elastic around the hair, twisted it, looped it again, and repeated until it was secure.

When he finally let go, he examined the result.

“...”

“It’s... not bad, right?”

Liu Changqing’s tone was hesitant as he looked at his daughter in the mirror.

Her eyes were squinted, almost as if someone had pulled her temples upward, completely changing their shape.

They had become thin and narrow.

Liu Xiazhi stared at her reflection, seemingly unsure if the person in the mirror was herself.

After a moment, she sniffled.

“It’s... so ugly...”

Her voice trembled, startling Liu Changqing into quickly pulling the elastic out and frantically reassuring her.

“Don’t worry! I’m just out of practice. I promise to tie the cutest hairstyle for you!”

Liu Xiazhi sniffled again, looking at Liu Changqing’s determined expression.

...Fine, I’ll trust him one more time.

---

An Yuanyao had just washed her face and hadn’t yet applied any skincare products when her phone rang.

Slowly, she pulled out her phone and glanced at the caller ID.

[Big Fool]

She froze, staring blankly at the screen.

The contact [Big Fool] was none other than Liu Changqing’s number.

Since the last time Liu Changqing had told her not to call him again, An Yuanyao had obediently complied.

She hadn’t called him even once, and whenever she wanted to see him, she relied on chance encounters.

For instance, when the bookstore was closed a few days ago, she’d gone looking for him and left disappointed.

Seeing his name on the screen now made her inexplicably happy—along with a small sense of triumph.

“You told me not to call, but here you are calling me first!”

“Hmph, this guy...”

Clearing her throat, she raised the phone to her ear and answered.

“Hello~”

“An Yuanyao, I need to ask you something.”

“Ah?”

Liu Changqing’s anxious tone came through the phone, accompanied by the faint sound of a little girl crying.

An Yuanyao immediately tensed up.

“W-What happened? Is everything okay?”

“I’m facing a tough problem. Do you know how to solve it?”

“Tell me! I’ll do my best to help!”

Clenching her fists, An Yuanyao felt her heart race. Was something wrong? Why could she hear Xiazhi crying?

Her heart pounded in her chest as anxiety rose.

“How do you tie twin ponytails?”

“...”

An Yuanyao froze.

After a moment, she thought she must have misheard.

“What did you say?”

“Twin ponytails. My daughter wants that hairstyle because her friend has it. Now she wants it too.”

“Twin ponytails...”

“So, you don’t know either?”

“I do, but... that’s pretty simple...”

“It might be simple, but my attempt didn’t turn out well...”

“Listen, grab the hair on the left side and loop the elastic twice. Then do the same for the right side. That’s all there is to it.”

“...”

“Easy for you to say...”

Liu Changqing’s voice came through the phone after a brief silence.

“Hmm, let me think...”

Realizing it was hard to explain over the phone, An Yuanyao frowned.

As she thought about how to give clearer instructions, an idea came to her, and a sly smile crept onto her face.

“Ahem!”

“What? Did you think of a good solution?”

“Actually, it’s very simple, but it’s hard to explain in a few words over the phone. Why does Xiazhi suddenly want her hair tied up? She usually leaves it down.”

“She’s getting her grades today, and there’s a parent meeting. She wants to look pretty.”

“I see. Well, it’s understandable for a girl to want to look her best.”

“I thought it would be easy...”

“Well, you’re a guy! Of course, you’re heavy-handed and can’t get the tension right...”

“...”

“Here’s the solution: come pick me up. I’ll tie Xiazhi’s hair for her!”