Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 164: Be More Mindful

Zhao Xuanwen felt a dull ache in her chest.

She wasn’t sure what was wrong with her or why she felt this way after noticing Liu Zhiyue becoming somewhat distant.

When she first entered middle school, she saw Liu Zhiyue sitting by the window in class. He gave her a sense of familiarity, but she couldn’t quite place why.

Then, as the homeroom teacher had everyone introduce themselves, the moment she heard his name, a flood of memories surged through her mind.

She remembered it clearly—back in third grade, she had gone to an amusement park. While her mom went to buy her ice cream, she had caught sight of a costumed performer walking by.

Dazed, she had followed along.

After playing with the performer for a while, she suddenly realized the surroundings had become unfamiliar.

Back then, Zhao Xuanwen was a timid child. She spoke softly, barely above a whisper, and never dared to look people in the eye. At that moment, she was overwhelmed with fear.

The amusement park was crowded with people coming and going, yet she stood there alone, helplessly scanning her surroundings.

Just when she didn’t know what to do, a young voice called out to her.

"You're Zhao Xuanwen, right?"

"Hm?"

Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at the boy standing before her. He had delicate features and a gentle expression.

She didn’t recognize him, but she found it strange that he knew her name. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but the words wouldn’t come out.

"I just heard your name on the park's announcement. They were looking for a girl in denim overalls and a white shirt… That’s you, isn’t it?"

Hearing this, Zhao Xuanwen stared blankly at him.

"You… how did you find me?"

"It wasn’t hard to figure out."

The boy scratched his head, looking slightly sheepish.

"Since you weren’t kidnapped, the most likely reason for a kid your age to wander off is getting distracted by something. Was it that person in the bear costume just now?"

"How did you know?"

Zhao Xuanwen looked at him in surprise, her wide eyes full of curiosity.

He was clearly around her age…

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"Just a lucky guess. I was coming out of the restroom when I heard the announcement. I only walked a little bit before spotting you."

He pointed to a staff member standing near one of the rides.

"Go talk to her and have her contact your parents. You were just standing here frozen when there were park staff nearby the whole time."

"I… I was scared…"

"What’s there to be scared of? You mean talking to strangers?"

She nodded.

Seeing her reaction, the boy fell silent for a moment, then suddenly thought of something.

"Personality can be trained, you know. Try smiling when you talk to people from now on. There's a saying—no one hits a smiling face. If you greet people with a smile, they won’t treat you badly."

Zhao Xuanwen had never heard anything like this before. She hesitated, then cautiously asked,

"Will that… really work?"

"No idea. But trying is better than doing nothing."

After saying that, he continued,

"Go to that staff member and wait for your family. I need to go find my dad now."

That sentence startled Zhao Xuanwen.

She asked hesitantly, "You… you got lost too?"

"I didn’t get lost. My dad’s the one who wandered off somewhere. He’s probably the one who got lost. Anyway, I gotta go. Bye!"

With that, he turned and walked away.

Everything happened so quickly that Zhao Xuanwen didn’t even have time to react. When she finally did, she called after him.

"Your… your name!"

His footsteps paused for a moment before resuming.

But his voice still reached her ears.

"Liu Zhiyue. ‘Zhi’ for knowledge, ‘Yue’ for leap."

As she watched his figure disappear into the distance, Zhao Xuanwen committed his name to memory.

That was why… she always greeted people with a smile.

The air was stifling.

Zhao Xuanwen walked quickly, rubbing her eyes with her wrist before lowering her head and continuing forward.

Behind her, hurried footsteps approached.

"Wait a second!"

"…"

Hearing Liu Zhiyue’s voice, Zhao Xuanwen didn’t stop. She kept her head down and walked even faster than before.

Liu Zhiyue stood still, watching her retreating figure like she was throwing a tantrum.

With a sigh, he called out, "You're going the wrong way. Your house is this way!"

His voice was loud and clear.

Zhao Xuanwen halted in place, stood frozen for a few seconds, then turned and walked back in the direction she had come from.

As she passed by Liu Zhiyue, she didn’t stop or acknowledge him.

Seeing her sulky expression, Liu Zhiyue didn’t say much—he just followed behind her.

Noticing this, Zhao Xuanwen stopped again, lifted her head slightly, and looked at him with reddened eyes.

"Stop following me!"

"I'm not following you. I’m just heading to the supermarket. You go your way, I’ll go mine."

"…"

She didn’t reply. She just looked at him—he was much taller now, no longer the round-faced boy she remembered.

Liu Zhiyue scratched his cheek, sounding a little helpless.

"I don’t have as much belly fat now. Besides, you’re a girl—grabbing other people’s stomachs all the time isn’t really appropriate. And my dad was home just now… It’s not a good look."

"Ugh!"

Zhao Xuanwen puffed out her cheeks, looking annoyed.

"Of course, I don’t mean that it’d be fine if my dad weren’t home. What I mean is, we’ve been deskmates for two years. That makes us friends, doesn’t it?"

"…"

Before Zhao Xuanwen could respond, Liu Zhiyue continued,

"Let’s go. I’ll walk you home."

She said nothing more and simply turned back around, continuing to walk.

Liu Zhiyue followed.

Their figures gradually disappeared around the corner.

At a window overlooking the street, Liu Changqing watched them leave, his expression tinged with worry.

He wasn’t sure if his son could handle this situation.

Even though Liu Zhiyue acted mature, he was still just a middle schooler. When it came to matters of the heart, he certainly didn’t have the same experience as an adult.

Some things, at Liu Zhiyue’s age, weren’t so easy to see through. A single misstep could cause deep harm to another person.

With a sigh, almost as if talking to himself, Liu Changqing murmured,

"Be more mindful…"