Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 289: Feeling Wronged

Seeing how frightened Liu Xiazhi was, An Yuanyao quickly comforted her. After a while, Liu Xiazhi finally calmed down.

After handing her the homework notebooks, An Yuanyao also gave her the fruit she had packed earlier that morning.

She reminded her firmly, “Be sure to eat this after lunch.”

Liu Xiazhi nodded obediently. Only when class was about to start did An Yuanyao gently urge her to hurry back to the classroom.

With homework in hand and fruit in the other, Liu Xiazhi paused at the classroom door to give one last deep glance at An Yuanyao and Liu Changqing standing not far away. Then she sniffled and walked into the class.

Seeing that, a soft smile appeared on An Yuanyao’s face.

Liu Changqing, after thinking for a moment, commented,

“Xiazhi’s… even more afraid of teachers than I thought.”

“You’ve got some nerve saying that!”

Hearing Liu Changqing’s words, An Yuanyao raised her hand and smacked his arm, sounding a little angry as she said,

“You actually came up with the idea of taking the kid’s homework?! What if the teacher really did scold her?”

“Uh…”

“Don’t do that again… If Xiazhi doesn’t call me ‘Mom,’ then so be it. As long as she doesn’t hate me, that’s enough.”

“……”

Hearing that, Liu Changqing fell silent.

Even though she said that, it was obvious to Liu Changqing how happy An Yuanyao had been when Xiazhi called her “Mom.”

But compared to achieving it through some scheme… she’d rather avoid seeing Xiazhi hurt or upset.

Thinking of that, a smile tugged at the corner of Liu Changqing’s mouth. He reached out and gently held her hand.

“You’re right… From now on, I’ll listen to you.”

In the classroom.

Liu Xiazhi returned to her seat with her head held high, chest puffed up, and handed her homework to the group leader like she had just survived a major battle.

She let out a long breath.

The little girl sitting behind her watched all this, then reached out and poked Liu Xiazhi’s back curiously.

“Who was that just now? She’s so pretty!”

Hearing the question, Liu Xiazhi turned her head and glanced toward the window.

Even though An Yuanyao and Liu Changqing were already gone, the image of An Yuanyao showing up with her homework when she was about to fall apart was seared into her mind.

It wouldn’t go away.

Lifting her chin with a hint of pride in her voice, Liu Xiazhi answered the girl behind her.

“That’s my mom!”

On the drive back home.

Liu Changqing glanced at An Yuanyao sitting beside him and said,

“I talked to the doctor last time—he said you need to get lots of rest right now, no staying up late, keep your folic acid intake up. Once the early pregnancy stage passes, you can start walking a bit, getting some light exercise. That’ll help make labor smoother when the time comes.”

“……”

Hearing that, An Yuanyao fell into thought. Her hand unconsciously moved to her belly. Realizing what she was doing, she asked,

“Hubby… does giving birth hurt?”

“I’m sorry, babe… I’ve never experienced it myself.”

Maybe it’s a question most women wonder about. First-time mom-to-be An Yuanyao was no exception. After the joy of being pregnant started to fade a bit, her anxieties crept in.

Would giving birth be painful?

Would she be able to deliver the baby safely?

And… she wasn’t exactly in her prime childbearing years anymore. Would that cause problems later?

“But don’t worry,” Liu Changqing reassured her. “I’ll help you stay fit before the baby comes. Everything’s gonna be fine. Besides, even though medicine’s not super advanced these days, this sort of thing isn’t hard to handle.”

“……”

His words gave her a little peace of mind—but that unknown, that fear of what she hadn’t experienced, still lingered.

In all those TV dramas… childbirth always looked excruciating. Just thinking about it sent An Yuanyao’s thoughts spiraling.

Liu Changqing caught her side glance and instantly knew what was on her mind.

It was inevitable.

Every woman goes through wild thoughts at some point during their first pregnancy. And during this most emotional and vulnerable stage, a husband’s role becomes crystal clear.

He had to protect the household, yes—but more than that, he had to care for every little need of his wife and future child.

Liu Changqing hadn’t been to the company in a while. A lot of decisions still needed to be made, and Feng Qian had to come over in person often to get approvals.

The early stage of pregnancy was the most fragile. Once they made it past that safely, and the baby inside grew stronger, she could start doing light exercises. That was what the doctor had told him.

Bzzzz! Bzzzz!

The phone buzzed, catching An Yuanyao’s attention.

Hearing the sound from Liu Changqing’s pocket, she reached over and pulled the phone out.

It was an unknown number without a name. She looked over at Liu Changqing and asked,

“No name saved… Should I answer it?”

“If there’s no name, just hang up. It’s probably spam or telemarketing.”

“Okay.”

She nodded and ended the call.

Since Liu Changqing was driving, she didn’t hand the phone back right away. Instead, she just tucked it into her purse.

They made it home safely.

After helping An Yuanyao upstairs, they returned to their apartment. Liu Changqing got her settled on the sofa first, then retrieved his phone, using the excuse of needing the bathroom.

Once inside, he closed the door and opened his contacts. He found the same number that had just called.

Looking at the digits, he confirmed something in his mind.

But he didn’t call back—instead, he sent a text message. After waiting a moment, he received a reply.

He opened it and began to read.

As he read, the frown on his face slowly faded away. It seemed things weren’t far off from what he expected.

The message was about some information on Chu Fang. Once he finished skimming it, Liu Changqing deleted the text.

Seeing the words “Deleted Successfully” pop up on screen, he tucked the phone back in his pocket, ran the water for a symbolic hand wash, dried his hands, and stepped out of the bathroom.

Gently closing the door, Liu Changqing looked toward the sofa, where An Yuanyao was watching TV. Meanwhile, thoughts were spinning in his mind.

Back when he worked at the bookstore, he once stood at the street corner and watched Feng Qian take his daughter on a spontaneous road trip.

That day, the idea of exploring the world together had planted itself in his heart…

But now, his dream had changed.

Back then, he wanted to take his two kids.

Now… he wanted all five of them to go.

Him, his son, his daughter, An Yuanyao, and the unborn baby growing inside her.

Once everything was finally taken care of…

That’s what Liu Changqing was thinking.

He stepped forward and walked over to An Yuanyao. Sitting beside her, he quietly reached out and pulled her into his arms.

Their eyes met in that moment.

Gazing into her eyes, Liu Changqing’s expression softened. Seizing the moment, he wanted to say something sweet and romantic.

“Babe, I…”

But he didn’t get to finish.

An Yuanyao quickly pulled away, tugging at her clothes with a flustered look. She scooted slightly away and reminded him,

“The doctor said… no sex during this stage. You—you have to hold back…”

“……”

Liu Changqing was speechless.

He raised his hands and covered his face.

Looking utterly wronged… like a kid who’d just been falsely accused.