Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 315: The Reason

Liu Changqing still remembered the first time he met Zhang Yunjing.

That time at school, when she stopped him and his son, saying a bunch of strange and baffling things to Zhiyue—yeah, that scene was burned into his memory.

From that moment on, he’d thought this girl wasn’t exactly normal. Then came the second encounter, when he wrongly accused her of stealing and ended up getting entangled with her for half a day.

Although he had no idea what happened between her and his son after they were placed in the same class, Liu Changqing still felt the weight of his responsibility as a father.

When your kid’s in their teenage years, still fumbling and clueless about the world, you’re supposed to guide and protect them.

Sure, on the surface, he might seem more partial to his daughter in day-to-day life—but that was just appearances. Deep down, his love for both kids was absolutely equal.

Fifteen years old wasn’t exactly young.

Back in ancient times, a kid that age might already be married with a job. But in today’s world, fifteen was still firmly “just a kid.”

He stepped out of the house.

On the way to Zhang Yunjing’s family’s mini-mart, Liu Changqing could feel the weather growing colder. He tugged his coat tighter around him. When he reached the store, what greeted him was the sound of a full-blown shouting match.

That caught him off guard.

He had only just barely prepped himself with what to say, and was hoping to speak calmly—but now, with things already blowing up inside, he had no choice but to step in.

As he entered the store, the first thing he saw was a man and a woman in a fierce argument. The woman was holding a little boy’s hand.

The man had his back turned to Liu Changqing.

Nearby, a store employee stood looking totally spooked.

Neither of them noticed Liu Changqing walking in, and their yelling only grew more intense. Just from listening, he could feel a strange sense of… familiarity.

Ah yes—those classic Chinese curse words. He hadn’t heard that kind of straight-up ancestral-level verbal sparring in ages. After all, his wife’s insult skills were, well, famously terrible.

Thanks to An Yuanyao’s quiet influence over the years, the once-foul-mouthed Liu Changqing had slowly transformed into a gentleman with polished manners.

Though the curses had a nostalgic ring to them, hearing too much of it did start to grate on the ears. And now, it was escalating—they looked like they might actually come to blows.

The little boy the woman was holding looked adorably clueless. Even as his parents were about to throw hands, he was tilting his head and watching like it was some kind of show.

Liu Changqing figured it was time to step in.

“Ahem.”

That intentional cough drew the attention of all four people in the store. The couple, the child, and the staff member all turned to look at him at once.

His sudden appearance cut off the yelling. Though they stopped, they assumed he was just a customer, and in their anger, didn’t want to make a scene.

The man quickly pulled himself together, adjusting his tone and saying politely,

“Just take what you need.”

“I’m not here to buy anything.”

That line hit the male store owner clearly. Before he could respond, Liu Changqing followed up with,

“You two are Zhang Yunjing’s parents, right?”

At the mention of that name, the man—whose face had been scowling—suddenly froze. He quickly stepped up to Liu Changqing.

“You know where my daughter is?”

“Looks like I found the right place after all…”

As he spoke, Liu Changqing glanced at the woman holding the child, then returned his gaze to the man standing in front of him.

“Let’s talk outside. Your daughter showed up at my house around noon.”

The moment those words left Liu Changqing’s mouth, the man visibly relaxed, letting out a deep breath. Clearly, he cared a lot about his daughter’s safety.

That reaction didn’t go unnoticed.

Liu Changqing was a little surprised. On the way over, he had imagined all sorts of family issues—maybe the parents were divorced, or there were serious conflicts at home, and that’s what made the girl run away.

After all, among the families he knew, only Chen Dafu’s was relatively healthy—most others had their share of issues.

But… judging from what he was seeing now, that might not be the case here.

As soon as Zhang Yunjing’s mom realized where her daughter was, the tension in her posture eased too. But right after letting out that breath, she went stiff again, like she had something to prove.

“You’re spoiling her too much—this’ll end badly someday!”

“Oh, shut the h**l up!”

At that, her husband’s temper reignited. He turned and shouted at her. His whole stance looked like he was about to storm over and continue the shouting match.

Liu Changqing quickly reached out and grabbed the guy’s arm to keep things from escalating again.

“Let’s just talk outside. No good comes from family yelling at each other like this.”

“……”

The man didn’t reply, but it was clear he didn’t want to argue anymore.

As a man, you cared about saving face. Meanwhile, the store clerk nearby was doing their best impression of a corpse, not saying a word or giving him an out…

So earlier, he’d had no choice but to fight back against his wife.

But now that Liu Changqing had given him a graceful exit, he took it. On the surface, it looked like he was agreeing to a chat—when really, he was just glad for a way to walk away.

As they stepped out, he even shot a threatening look at his wife, then let Liu Changqing pull him out of the store.

They walked about seven or eight meters before Liu Changqing let go of his arm and turned to face him.

“I live nearby. My son and your daughter are in the same class. When I sent my kid out to buy something at noon, he saw your girl crying by the roadside. He was worried something might happen, so he brought her home for a meal. She’s still at our place.”

“……”

The man didn’t respond immediately. He stood in silence for a moment, then pulled out a pack of cigarettes and offered Liu Changqing one.

But Liu Changqing had been off cigarettes for a few days now—he wasn’t about to fall into that trap.

He declined right away.

The man didn’t push, just lit one for himself, took a deep drag, and exhaled into the cold air.

Liu Changqing instinctively stepped back a bit.

This was the most dangerous moment for someone who just quit smoking—being around someone who’s lighting up right in front of you. That smell, that sight—it could easily break your resolve.

You could relapse in seconds.

As he battled the temptation, Liu Changqing studied the man’s grim face. A few seconds later, the guy finally spoke.

“…Thank you.”

“No need.”

Liu Changqing nodded slightly, then hesitated before asking,

“I know it’s not really my place, but… can I ask what you two were arguing about just now?”