Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 179: Caught in the Act

The school day was almost over.

Read latest chapters at freёweɓnovel.com Only.

Liu Xiazhi drowsily felt someone shaking her shoulder. Slowly regaining consciousness, she rubbed her eyes and sat up, still groggy from her sleep.

As her vision cleared, she realized that her teacher was standing right in front of her.

The classroom was eerily silent. Still half-asleep, Liu Xiazhi took a moment to fully wake up.

Then, her eyes suddenly widened.

“L-… Teacher!”

“Liu Xiazhi, you’ve been sleeping for two whole periods. Is my class really that boring?”

“No! I… I just dropped my pen under the desk and was picking it up!”

“……”

Her homeroom teacher adjusted his glasses, staring at her with an unreadable expression. Speaking in a calm yet firm tone, he said,

“Stand for the rest of the period. And no more sleeping in class.”

After that, he returned to the podium and continued teaching.

Liu Xiazhi sighed in relief as she stood by her desk, secretly glancing at Feng Shuyan.

She whispered, “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Feng Shuyan didn’t respond verbally. Instead, she flipped to a blank page in her notebook, scribbled a short message, and pushed it toward Liu Xiazhi.

[I did. I’ve been calling you for ages.]

Liu Xiazhi stared at the note, confused.

She didn’t remember hearing anything.

She had barely slept the night before, staying up late to finish her homework. After taking a bath, she had played on her handheld console for a while, further cutting into her sleep. The morning classes were all taught by strict teachers, so she had forced herself to stay awake.

But by the time their homeroom teacher’s double period rolled around, she had finally let her guard down… and was promptly caught sleeping.

Yawning absentmindedly, she made a small noise.

The teacher suddenly stopped mid-lecture.

All eyes in the classroom turned toward her.

Realizing what had just happened, Liu Xiazhi immediately clapped her hands over her mouth, wishing she could disappear.

The teacher stared at her for a few seconds, then shook his head slightly before continuing the lesson.

—

After school.

Liu Changqing had been waiting outside for a while, scanning the crowd for his daughter.

When he finally spotted Feng Shuyan, she was alone.

That didn’t seem right.

Frowning slightly, he watched as the little girl walked up to him, her head held high.

“Where’s Xiazhi?” he asked.

“She was kept behind by the teacher.”

“Huh?”

The news caught him off guard. It took him a few seconds to process before he asked again,

“Why?”

“She fell asleep in class.”

Feng Shuyan paused before adding, “For two whole periods.”

“……”

Hearing the reason, Liu Changqing was momentarily speechless.

Looking at Feng Shuyan’s serious expression, he thought for a moment before making a decision.

“Let’s go. We’ll check in with your teacher.”

“Okay.”

Holding Feng Shuyan’s hand, Liu Changqing led her toward the school building.

—

When they reached the office, Liu Changqing didn’t knock immediately.

Instead, he peered through the window like a sneaky detective.

Inside, Liu Xiazhi stood before the teacher, head bowed, looking utterly pitiful as she received her scolding.

Seeing his daughter like that, Liu Changqing felt both sympathetic and impressed by the teacher’s dedication.

What a responsible teacher.

After watching for a moment, he finally knocked on the door.

“Come in,” the teacher called out.

Liu Changqing stepped inside alone, leaving Feng Shuyan outside.

Approaching his daughter, he reached out and gently patted her head, his voice carrying a mix of concern and apology.

“Don’t worry, Teacher. I’ll make sure to lecture her properly at home. Sleeping in class? That’s unacceptable!”

“There’s no need to scold her too much,” the teacher replied calmly. “We’ve already talked, and Liu Xiazhi has admitted her mistake.”

“You’re right,” Liu Changqing nodded.

“There’s no major issue, really.”

Pausing for a moment, the teacher then said,

“But… I’d like to have a private word with you.”

“Private?”

Liu Changqing blinked in surprise but quickly nodded. He told his daughter to wait outside with Feng Shuyan.

As Liu Xiazhi shuffled out, head hanging low, she closed the door behind her, leaving the office quiet.

The teacher gestured toward a chair.

“Please, have a seat.”

“Oh… okay.”

Dragging a chair over, Liu Changqing sat down.

Even though the teacher was younger than him, something about the atmosphere made Liu feel… oddly nervous.

Especially when the teacher adjusted his glasses—that small motion brought back memories of his own school days.

Breaking the silence, the teacher spoke.

“You’re Liu Xiazhi’s father. You and your wife divorced last semester, correct?”

“…Huh?”

The unexpected question caught Liu Changqing off guard.

Still, he nodded. “Yes… it’s been nearly five months.”

“I know this might not be my place to say, but I believe your divorce has played a role in Liu Xiazhi’s academic decline.”

Turning slightly, the teacher retrieved a file from the desk and flipped it open. Since they were sitting across from each other, Liu Changqing couldn’t see what was written inside.

After scanning the document, the teacher continued,

“In third grade, Liu Xiazhi’s academic ranking was average. But since the second semester of fourth grade, her performance has been dropping significantly…”

“I take responsibility for not keeping a closer eye on her education,” Liu Changqing admitted.

“That’s not the main issue. There are still two years before she enters middle school. If we focus on improving her grades now, she can still catch up.”

“You’re right.”

“The problem is… if her current trend continues, even if she reaches the average level by sixth grade, it won’t be enough for admission to a top middle school.”

Liu Changqing frowned slightly. He wasn’t sure where this conversation was heading.

Before he could ask, the teacher continued.

“Since first grade, Liu Xiazhi and… your ex-wife have participated in the city’s annual Children’s Performance Competition—a six-year event.”

“…What?”

Liu Changqing was completely baffled.

The teacher seemed equally surprised by his reaction.

“You weren’t aware?”

Every year on October 1st, the city held a Children’s Performance Competition. The top ten winners received bonus points for their middle school entrance exams. If a child participated all six years and consistently placed in the top ten, they would qualify for direct admission to a prestigious middle school.

The teacher’s voice grew softer as she observed Liu Changqing’s increasingly strange expression.

Leaning forward slightly, she asked in a hushed voice,

“…You really didn’t know?”

“Wait… hold on a second.”

Liu Changqing raised a hand to rub his temples, suddenly feeling a headache coming on.

This was a thing? Why do I have absolutely no memory of this?!