Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 216: An Yuanyao and Li Wanran (1)

Liu Xiazhi held a fan in her hand, moving gracefully as she performed the dance she had practiced with An Yuanyao for the past month, flawlessly showcasing it to everyone present.

Ever since Liu Xiazhi could remember, she had always felt that her family was different from others.

As a child, she didn’t understand why her father always acted so submissive when facing her mother and grandmother.

On the day she started elementary school, she saw other children being walked into class hand in hand by both parents. But for her, only her father was there.

She felt afraid, surrounded by a group of kids her age, but because her father was holding her hand, she wasn’t as scared as she could have been.

Still… she wished her mother had been there too, standing beside her like the other parents.

As she grew older, she often heard her grandmother speaking to her mother in front of her.

“Liu Changqing is just useless trash. A man like him will never amount to anything.”

Whenever her grandmother said this, her mother remained emotionless, showing no intention of arguing back.

To Liu Xiazhi, her father clearly loved her, so why did her grandmother say such things?

She still remembered the words her grandmother had once told her.

“Xiazhi, remember this: your father shouldn’t be like this. Understand… men are just tools. A man without value is nothing more than garbage.”

Liu Xiazhi didn’t understand what that meant.

She only followed her mother’s lead, treating her father with cold indifference. From then on, she never called Liu Changqing "Dad" again.

This continued until… the day her mother left without saying a word.

As if abandoning her, her mother ignored her desperate cries, coldly pushed her away, and left the home she had always known.

Liu Xiazhi watched as her mother got into a black car and disappeared into the distance. She didn’t know what had happened. She didn’t understand why her mother had left so suddenly.

Why… why didn’t she want her anymore?

At that time, her father had already been drowning in despair for days, locking himself in his room. The air was thick with the stench of alcohol.

Whenever she ran to him, crying and asking why her mother had left, he remained blank-eyed, silently drinking his liquor.

Until one day…

After staying locked in his room for so long, her father finally opened the door. He walked out, stood at the entrance to her room, and stared at her blankly.

Looking at her, as if she were a stranger, he muttered deliriously,

"Where did this little brat come from?"

She hated him.

That was what Liu Xiazhi thought at the time.

He was filthy, reeked of alcohol, and always rambled nonsense to her and her brother.

"Who are you two? I haven’t even gotten married, how could I have kids?"

"I must still be dreaming."

"Damn, who’s that ugly ghost in the mirror?!"

Then, he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious.

When he finally woke up, he rubbed his head, looked at her and her brother with a complicated expression, and after a long silence, he said,

"I don’t know what’s going on, but… from today on, I’m your dad."

After that, her father gradually returned to normal. He slowly became the father she remembered, yet… somehow, something about him felt different.

Then, her grandmother came to their house.

Her father told her to go back to her room, but she overheard their conversation loud and clear.

That was when she realized things weren’t as she had imagined.

Later, her mother returned, ignoring Aunt Lan’s protests, saying she wanted to take Liu Xiazhi out to play.

But when she saw the mother she had always longed for tell her to call another man "Dad"—

That longing shattered completely.

At that moment, memories surfaced.

Liu Xiazhi finally realized that the one who had always been there for her, who had always protected her—

It had never been her mother.

It had always been her father.

Liu Changqing.

She opened her eyes and moved her arms, following the routine she had tirelessly practiced for a month under Aunt An’s careful guidance, presenting it to the audience before her.

And also… to the father and brother sitting in the audience.

Balancing on one foot, arms extending upward, she faced the crowd, preparing to execute the most stunning and challenging move of the performance.

She wanted her father and brother to see her.

To see her shining on stage.

Liu Xiazhi leaped into the final pose, her feet leaving the ground. She looked towards the audience, searching for her father and brother’s faces.

But at that moment, her gaze locked onto a figure that should not have been there.

Her mind went blank.

"Crash!"

An accident.

It seemed like a misstep, but in reality, Liu Xiazhi had failed the move completely, falling awkwardly onto the stage.

The crowd erupted in shock.

"Xiazhi!"

Liu Changqing shouted.

The moment his daughter fell, he abandoned his applause mid-motion, leaping up from his seat.

Ignoring the people around him, he pushed through the crowd and rushed toward the stage.

An Yuanyao’s accompaniment came to an abrupt halt.

Seeing Liu Xiazhi fall in the center of the stage, she quickly set her instrument aside, stood up, lifted the sides of her dress, and hurried over.

Kneeling beside her, An Yuanyao gently touched Liu Xiazhi’s face, speaking softly.

"Are you hurt anywhere?"

"I…"

Liu Xiazhi was in shock.

She couldn’t believe she had made such a basic mistake. Supporting herself with her hands, she didn’t dare turn her head toward the audience.

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She hadn’t imagined it.

She really saw…

"Did you get hurt?"

A worried voice broke through her daze.

An Yuanyao looked up to see Liu Changqing gripping the edge of the stage. In one swift movement, he pulled himself up and rushed toward them.

Lifting his daughter up, he saw the fear in her eyes. He said nothing, just picked her up in his arms and turned to An Yuanyao.

"Let’s take her backstage and check."

"Alright."

Nodding in agreement, An Yuanyao quickly followed behind as Liu Changqing carried Liu Xiazhi offstage.

The unexpected incident left the audience in stunned silence, watching as the three of them hurried off.

Fortunately, the organizers reacted quickly.

The host immediately stepped in to ease the situation, and within moments, stagehands cleared away the props from the previous performance.

As the host spoke, the next contestant prepared to take the stage.

Li Wanran watched.

Seeing the performance return to normal, she sat in silence for a long time before finally standing up—

And heading toward the place where the three had disappeared.