Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 277: Let’s Be Friends

<p191" data-end="219">“You’re so beautiful… Xiyu.”

<p221" data-end="417">Chen Dafu stared at Gu Xiyu as she brought over the savory pancake, forcing out some sickeningly sweet words with a fake look of affection. After saying it, he even flicked at his overgrown bangs. <p419" data-end="551">Gu Xiyu caught the gesture and was instantly spooked. She instinctively took a step back, and the fear in her eyes was plain as day. <p553" data-end="616">How terrifying was it to get stuck with someone like Chen Dafu? <p618" data-end="642">No one could really say. <p644" data-end="836">But to Gu Xiyu, this man who came into the shop all the time for savory pancakes had officially been upgraded in her mind from “maybe something’s wrong with him” to “this guy’s a total creep.” <p838" data-end="947">Chen Dafu didn’t seem to notice any of this. His thought process ran a little differently from most people’s. <p949" data-end="1080">When he saw her take a step back, he realized that maybe he’d gone too far. After all, they’d only known each other for a few days. <p1082" data-end="1156">That kind of blunt compliment… didn’t match what Feng Qian had taught him. <p1158" data-end="1173">He’d rushed it. <p1175" data-end="1286">Fully aware of the importance of gradual progress, Chen Dafu quickly forced out an awkward smile and stammered, <p1288" data-end="1360">“Just joking—don’t take it seriously… Honestly, you’re not even pretty…” <p1362" data-end="1365">“…” <p1367" data-end="1477">Gu Xiyu stared blankly at him for a second, then bolted inside the shop, dashing in to hide behind Lan Yixian. <p1479" data-end="1552">Out front, Chen Dafu watched her retreating figure and sighed to himself. <p1554" data-end="1732">Last time when he asked Feng Qian for advice, what he’d said was totally different from Liu Changqing’s take. From what he’d gathered, women attracted by money weren’t real love. <p1734" data-end="1854">After cooling off, Chen Dafu thought it made sense, so he decided to start from familiarity, get close little by little. <p1856" data-end="2018">After a few days of effort, they were more familiar now—but whether it was just his imagination or not, he felt like he and Gu Xiyu were drifting further apart. <p2020" data-end="2080">Unable to figure it out, he silently ate his savory pancake. <p2082" data-end="2152">It tasted good… but just eating this made it a little hard to swallow. <p2154" data-end="2268">Realizing this, Chen Dafu quickly gulped down what was in his mouth, then raised his arm and called into the shop. <p2270" data-end="2305">“Boss, get me something with soup!” <p2307" data-end="2347">Inside, the two women heard him clearly. <p2349" data-end="2463">Gu Xiyu especially looked even more panicked. She tugged urgently on Lan Yixian’s sleeve, her voice full of worry. <p2465" data-end="2507">“Jie… what do we do, he’s starting again!” <p2509" data-end="2585">“Don’t be scared… I’ll go talk to him. I’ll tell him to stop bothering you.” <p2587" data-end="2777">Lan Yixian looked at Gu Xiyu’s frightened face, and her heart ached a little. The girl wasn’t much older than her own daughter—so thoughtful and kind. She didn’t want to see her this afraid. <p2779" data-end="2922">She did think the customer outside was a little off, but she’d met all kinds of weird people before. This didn’t count as anything too extreme. <p2924" data-end="3083">With that in mind, Lan Yixian scooped a bowl of wontons for him and brought it out. She placed the bowl down in front of Chen Dafu, whose mouth was still full. <p3085" data-end="3141">She paused a moment to organize her thoughts, then said: <p3143" data-end="3201">“Mister… could I ask you not to bother our staff anymore?” <p3203" data-end="3212">“Bother?” <p3214" data-end="3325">Chen Dafu froze for a moment after hearing that, then quickly snapped to attention and looked up at Lan Yixian. <p3327" data-end="3366">“I haven’t been bothering her, though?” <p3368" data-end="3466">“But… these past few days, you’ve come here every day, and you keep saying strange things to her…” <p3468" data-end="3471">“…” <p3473" data-end="3495">Chen Dafu fell silent. <p3497" data-end="3624">He averted his eyes from the boss in front of him and glanced toward Gu Xiyu, who was hiding inside, peeking nervously his way. <p3626" data-end="3687">Noticing his gaze, Gu Xiyu quickly ducked out of sight again. <p3689" data-end="3759">Chen Dafu saw it all, and a flicker of realization passed through him. <p3761" data-end="3830">Thinking back to the way Gu Xiyu had treated him these past few days… <p3832" data-end="3853">So that’s how it was. <p3855" data-end="3966">He withdrew his gaze and quietly took another bite of the savory pancake. But it didn’t taste the same anymore. <p3968" data-end="4012">Even the savory pancake had lost its flavor. <p4014" data-end="4170">Seeing he had nothing more to say, Lan Yixian stood by for a bit, then turned and went back inside. She was immediately met by Gu Xiyu, who had been hiding. <p4172" data-end="4221">Seeing her return, Gu Xiyu rushed over and asked: <p4223" data-end="4241">“What did he say?” <p4243" data-end="4268">“He didn’t say anything…” <p4270" data-end="4394">Lan Yixian glanced back at Chen Dafu, who was silently chewing his pancake, and suddenly found him looking a little pitiful. <p4396" data-end="4446">Turning back to Gu Xiyu, she hesitated, then said, <p4448" data-end="4559">“Actually… he doesn’t seem that bad. Sure, he says some weird things, but maybe don’t be too harsh with him.” <p4561" data-end="4623">“But… he keeps saying he’s rich. I don’t like people who lie.” <p4625" data-end="4730">“Really… lying is bad, no doubt. But young people always want to show off in front of someone they like…” <p4732" data-end="4748">“Check, please.” <p4750" data-end="4854">The voice from outside interrupted their conversation. Gu Xiyu looked toward the door—so did Lan Yixian. <p4856" data-end="4894">Lan Yixian nodded toward her and said: <p4896" data-end="4904">“Go on.” <p4906" data-end="4913">“Okay…” <p4915" data-end="4982">With that, Gu Xiyu mustered up a bit of courage and walked outside. <p4984" data-end="5052">She stopped in front of Chen Dafu and took the coins he handed over. <p5054" data-end="5138">Just as she was about to take the money, Chen Dafu looked at her seriously and said: <p5140" data-end="5257">“I won’t say those things to you anymore. Thinking back on it… yeah, I really went too far. I scared you. I’m sorry.” <p5259" data-end="5262">“…” <p5264" data-end="5292">Gu Xiyu’s hand froze midair. <p5294" data-end="5405">She looked at Chen Dafu—ordinary-looking, nothing special—but the words he’d just said felt incredibly sincere. <p5407" data-end="5518">Her hand slid under his, and when he opened his palm, the coins fell gently into hers with the pull of gravity. <p5520" data-end="5544">They were a little warm. <p5546" data-end="5723">She recalled that over these past few days, even though Chen Dafu always acted like a slacker and seemed like he had nothing better to do besides eating savory pancakes all day… <p5725" data-end="5788">Aside from saying weird stuff… he hadn’t done anything weird. <p5790" data-end="5842">Thinking carefully… he might actually be a good guy. <p5844" data-end="5931">As she watched him stand up to leave, Gu Xiyu didn’t even know why, but she called out: <p5933" data-end="5946">“Wait a sec!” <p5948" data-end="5994">Chen Dafu stopped mid-step, a little confused. <p5996" data-end="6067">Gu Xiyu thought for a second, then turned to him with a smile and said: <p6069" data-end="6284">“My grandpa told me not to brag all the time. You always say you’re rich, but come on—what kind of rich person eats savory pancakes every day? …I hope you don’t lie anymore. Work hard, and… we can still be friends!”

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