Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 180: Trust Me
Liu Changqing listened in a daze as the teacher explained, slowly piecing everything together.
To summarize: When Liu Xiazhi had just entered first grade, Li Wanran had signed her up for this competition. Over the past four years, mother and daughter had participated annually, never ranking in the top three but always making it into the top ten.
If this trend continued, even if Liu Xiazhi’s academic scores were terrible by the time she took her middle school entrance exams, she could still qualify for the city's prestigious middle school as a special talent—similar to an arts or sports student.
Liu Zhiyue had never attended a prestigious middle school.
Back then, his grades hadn’t been good enough, which must have embarrassed Li Wanran. That was probably why she had turned her focus toward their daughter, determined to get at least one of their children into a top school.
But the old Liu Changqing had never known about this.
Li Wanran had never told him.
Thinking back, every October 1st, mother and daughter would always go out for the day…
This revelation hit Liu Changqing hard. Even after leaving the office, he was still deep in thought.
—
After picking up the kids, he drove back to the company.
Feng Qian had been waiting outside for a while. Seeing Liu Changqing’s troubled expression, he hesitated to ask what was wrong and simply nodded before taking Feng Shuyan home.
Liu Changqing, on the other hand, brought Wu Yu into the office, handing him a copy of the script he had drafted that afternoon.
Once everything was settled, he planned to drive An Yuanyao home.
—
Sitting in the passenger seat, An Yuanyao noticed his gloomy expression.
Unable to hold back, she finally asked, “What happened? You’ve been looking troubled ever since you picked up Xiazhi from school.”
“It’s nothing…”
Not wanting to dwell on it, Liu Changqing pushed the thoughts aside and focused on driving.
Seeing that he didn’t want to talk, An Yuanyao didn’t press further.
Just as they were about to reach her apartment, Liu Xiazhi suddenly complained from the backseat, “Dad, my stomach hurts! I need to go to the bathroom!”
Liu Changqing glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
“Can you hold it until we get home?”
“I can’t! I’m gonna burst!”
“……”
The way she said it was so blunt and unfiltered.
Liu Xiazhi was clutching her stomach, legs pressed tightly together. He had no idea what she had eaten for lunch, but she clearly wasn’t going to last the ride home.
With no other choice, he pulled into An Yuanyao’s apartment complex.
Taking the elevator up, they arrived at her place.
As soon as they entered, An Yuanyao handed Liu Xiazhi a pair of slippers. The girl barely took a second to switch into them before bolting toward the bathroom.
The door slammed shut, followed by the sound of the lock clicking into place.
Liu Changqing and An Yuanyao exchanged glances.
An Yuanyao took out a new pair of men’s slippers and placed them in front of Liu Changqing.
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Changing into them, Liu Changqing walked over to the sofa and sat down.
She’s gonna take a while…
With some time to spare, Liu Changqing took the opportunity to look around An Yuanyao’s apartment.
Compared to his own place… there was no comparison.
The flooring, the chandeliers… everything here was leagues ahead.
Before long, An Yuanyao set a glass of water down in front of him.
Snapping out of his thoughts, Liu Changqing quickly sat up straight and thanked her softly.
“Thanks.”
“Xiazhi is in the bathroom now—she can’t hear us. So… do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”
An Yuanyao sat beside him.
They were only a fist’s width apart.
Turning slightly, Liu Changqing met her gaze.
Up close, he could catch the faint scent of her perfume.
After a long pause, he finally sighed.
“Xiazhi got caught sleeping in class today. She was kept after school, and when I went to pick her up, the teacher had a talk with me…”
“What did they say?”
“It’s about the October 1st Children’s Performance Competition. The top ten winners get extra points for their middle school entrance exams. If a student participates all six years and consistently places in the top ten, they’re guaranteed admission to a top school. Xiazhi has already been in the top ten for four years…”
“That’s great, isn’t it?”
“It is… but for the past four years, Li Wanran was the one who participated with her.”
At the mention of Li Wanran’s name, An Yuanyao’s expression changed slightly.
Her hands clenched for a moment before she slowly relaxed.
After a brief silence, she looked at Liu Changqing again.
“What did Xiazhi perform in the past?”
“Dance. I don’t know much about it. If it were singing, I might be able to help, but dance… that’s completely outside my expertise.”
“What about Li Wanran?”
“She played the accompaniment. Xiazhi danced, and Li Wanran provided the music—it was a parent-child performance.”
As he spoke, Liu Changqing suddenly felt a sense of relief.
It’s just a middle school.
Yes, he wanted to provide a good learning environment for his daughter, but in the end, she had her own path to walk.
His son hadn’t attended a top middle school, yet his grades weren’t bad at all.
Thinking of this, Liu Changqing felt like he had made up his mind.
“I think… maybe we shouldn’t do it. Whether she goes to a top school or not doesn’t really matter…”
“She should do it.”
An Yuanyao’s voice was firm.
Liu Changqing blinked, caught off guard by her sudden decisiveness.
“You want her to participate? What, you expect me to be her accompanist? I don’t play any instruments. The best I can do is whistle.”
“I’ll do it.”
“……”
For a moment, Liu Changqing thought he had misheard.
He turned to look at her, seeing the completely serious expression on her face.
“…How?” he asked, his voice slightly hesitant.
“I’ll perform with Xiazhi.”
“Can you?”
“Of course. There’s still a month left—plenty of time to choreograph a new routine.”
“You know how to dance?”
“Yes.”
She nodded without hesitation.
She wasn’t lying. Unlike Li Wanran, she had studied traditional Chinese dance and music.
The guzheng, for example…
She hadn’t played in years, but skills like that didn’t just disappear. A little practice was all it would take.
Liu Changqing frowned slightly.
“…Wait. Weren’t you an art teacher before? Since when did you know how to dance?”
“I performed back in high school. You never saw?”
“Uh…”
Now that she mentioned it, Liu Changqing vaguely recalled something.
Yes, An Yuanyao had performed in high school.
But back then, his mind had been entirely focused on Li Wanran’s upcoming performance, so he hadn’t paid any attention…
Lost in thought, he suddenly felt his hand being grasped.
Snapping back to reality, he looked down at their joined hands, then up at An Yuanyao.
Her expression was serious, her voice steady as she spoke.
“Trust me.”
