Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 171: The Heartbeat at the Stairwell (5)

This meal was truly baffling.

Others might not have noticed, but Liu Changqing definitely felt that way.

Although An Yuanyao wasn’t exactly getting in the way, the way she stood to the side and carefully observed his cooking made Liu Changqing feel a little uneasy.

Especially those eyes…

Every time Liu Changqing turned his head, he would always meet her gaze. To keep himself from getting distracted, he eventually decided not to turn around at all, focusing solely on the cutting board in front of him.

When An Yuanyao set the table and Liu Changqing placed the dishes one by one, Liu Xiazhi was already armed with chopsticks, ready to devour everything.

Ever since the stash of snacks she had hidden in her room was discovered and confiscated by Liu Changqing, she had stopped running back to her room, wailing in protest.

She even behaved properly during meals.

Dinner passed quickly.

After eating, An Yuanyao stayed and played with Liu Xiazhi for the entire afternoon. By the time they realized, the sky had already turned dark.

Liu Changqing stood by the window, gazing at the descending night. After a moment of thought, he decided to walk An Yuanyao home.

He glanced over at the sofa, where An Yuanyao was sitting with perfect posture, while Liu Xiazhi lay sprawled across her lap, watching TV.

Pausing briefly, he then spoke.

“It’s getting late. I’ll walk you home.”

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“Okay.”

An Yuanyao gently adjusted Liu Xiazhi, who was lying on her lap, helping her sit up straight before standing up herself. She grabbed her purse from the side of the sofa and waved toward Liu Xiazhi.

“Xiazhi, bye-bye! I’m heading home now.”

“Aunt An, you have to come and play again next time!”

“Of course!”

Since Liu Xiazhi’s school was starting tomorrow, aside from weekends, it would be hard for her to see An Yuanyao often.

This summer, the bond between An Yuanyao and Liu Xiazhi had grown tremendously.

Liu Xiazhi had always liked An Yuanyao, but after spending time together, she had completely fallen for her gentle personality. Their relationship was now incredibly close!

Standing at the doorway, Liu Changqing gripped the handle and instructed the person inside.

“No matter who knocks, don’t open the door. Dad has the keys, and your brother is at evening study. No matter who comes, do not open the door. Got it?”

“I got it!”

“Good.”

With that, Liu Changqing locked the security door and headed downstairs, with An Yuanyao following closely behind.

After descending a few steps, she casually remarked, “You’re quite security-conscious, huh?”

“This isn’t even security awareness…”

Hearing her intentionally trying to start a conversation, Liu Changqing responded with mild exasperation.

Somehow, his reply amused An Yuanyao, and she let out a giggle.

“Hehehe.”

“If you keep laughing, I’ll sew your mouth shut, you little giggle monster.”

“If you don’t want me to laugh, I’ll laugh even more!”

An Yuanyao paused slightly at his words before suddenly acting like a stubborn child.

“Hehehe!”

“Enough already!”

Liu Changqing abruptly stopped in his tracks and spun around.

Caught off guard, An Yuanyao was startled and misstepped, her foot missing the stair.

Losing her balance, she fell forward.

Seeing her about to fall, Liu Changqing instinctively reached out, his hands slipping past her waist, catching her just in time.

Feeling the full weight of her body pressing against him, he quickly stabilized himself, ensuring neither of them tumbled down the stairs.

When faced with danger, humans instinctively cling to something—just like how a drowning person will desperately grab onto their rescuer.

At this moment, An Yuanyao was no different.

Shocked, she clung tightly to Liu Changqing, arms wrapped securely around his neck, her eyes shut as she let out a startled cry.

“Ah!”

…

A few seconds passed.

As she regained her senses, she slightly pulled her head back and slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Liu Changqing’s face—so close it was almost unreal.

It was the first time she had been this close to him.

Compared to two months ago, Liu Changqing had lost quite a bit of weight. His once slightly chubby face had become more defined, his jawline sharper.

There was a faint shadow on his upper lip from freshly shaved stubble.

Unlike most people’s brownish pupils, his eyes were a much deeper shade.

As she felt his warm breath against her skin, her arms unconsciously tightened around his neck.

A strange sensation stirred in her chest.

In the quiet stairwell, she could almost hear her own heartbeat pounding.

For some reason, her face began moving closer to his…

“What are you doing?”

Liu Changqing’s sudden voice jolted An Yuanyao back to reality.

She froze, then felt her face rapidly heat up.

Before she could respond, she suddenly found herself being lifted.

Liu Changqing picked her up and set her down at the stairwell landing.

Once her feet were firmly on the ground, he looked at her and said, “Can you let go now? You’re kind of choking me.”

“S-Sorry!”

Flustered, An Yuanyao quickly pulled her arms back.

As she did, her purse accidentally brushed against Liu Changqing’s earlobe.

Instantly, he sucked in a sharp breath, his head shrinking back as he covered his ear, his face contorted in pain.

Liu Changqing’s neck and ears were his weak spots—extremely sensitive.

Realizing she had hurt him, An Yuanyao clenched her purse tighter, stepping forward with a worried expression. She hesitantly reached out and apologized.

“I’m so sorry…”

“It’s fine. I think the metal ring on your bag scraped me.”

Gently pushing her hand away, Liu Changqing removed his own from his ear.

Only then did An Yuanyao notice—the tip of his ear had turned completely red.

Like someone at a loss for what to do, she stood frozen after being pushed away, unsure of her next move.

Seeing her tense expression, Liu Changqing suddenly chuckled and said, “It’s fine, don’t look so guilty.”

After standing still for another few seconds, he then stepped past her, heading further down the stairs.

“Come on, what are you waiting for?”

Hearing his words, An Yuanyao finally snapped out of her daze and hurried to follow.

“Wait for me!”