Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 415: Li Zhengmao

An Yancheng arrived at the villa with his people.

When he saw the clear palm print on Ye Rong’s face, he paused for a brief moment, but quickly pretended not to notice and took her away.

That phone call Liu Changqing made earlier was to send all the evidence they had gathered to An Yancheng—and to the police.

With solid proof in hand, someone would naturally take care of it. Over the past year alone, Ye Rong had committed more than enough idiotic crimes.

She had been an accomplice to Li Chongming, committed bribery, and…

In short, enough to keep her in prison for a long time.

With Ye Rong taken away, only Liu Changqing and Li Quanzhang were left in the room.

It felt as though everything had finally come to an end.

The atmosphere grew heavy.

Neither of them spoke. freewebnoveℓ.com

Until—

“I won’t let the kids inherit Li Zhengmao’s fortune.”

Liu Changqing broke the silence. He looked at Li Quanzhang, who was staring back at him, then continued after a short pause.

“Zhiyue and Xiazhi both carry the Liu surname… they’re my children, Liu family children. I don’t want them—nor will I allow them—to take a cent of the Li family’s money. Not to mention… Li Zhengmao already has a daughter. There's no reason to skip a generation.”

“You’re saying you want to give it all up? Give it up on behalf of your children?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have that right. That’s a decision they should make when they come of age.”

“But they’re not of age yet. As their legal guardian, I have the authority to decide this.”

“……”

Li Quanzhang stared at Liu Changqing without expression.

They held eye contact for a long while. Then, the ever-serious Li Quanzhang suddenly broke into a small smile, raised his hands, and clapped.

Once. Twice. Three times.

Then he stopped.

“You really have changed. If I hadn’t been keeping an eye on you, I’d think you were someone else. Looks like… marrying Li Wanran brought about your transformation.”

“……”

“Before I respond to that, I want to show you something.”

Li Quanzhang turned and walked over to the bookshelf. He pulled out a thick book, but when he opened it, Liu Changqing realized—it wasn’t a book at all.

It was made to look like one.

Inside were three discs.

Li Quanzhang stared at them, then took out the one on the bottom. He closed the case and set it on the desk, disc in hand.

He walked over to the TV in the study, squatted down, opened the DVD player, and inserted the disc.

The screen flickered.

The next second, Li Zhengmao’s face appeared on the screen.

Then, he began speaking.

“I’m sorry, Liu Changqing.”

“……”

Seeing Li Zhengmao’s face, Liu Changqing was momentarily stunned. From the video, it was obvious this had been recorded shortly before he was hospitalized. He looked pale and clearly in poor health.

“If you're seeing this, you probably already know everything. I want to sincerely apologize for making you the subject of that bet with my wife… Honestly, I didn’t feel good about it even while recording this.”

“I recorded three videos in total… The first one is a blessing for you and my daughter to move forward in life together, along with some business advice. The second is praise for my wife Ye Rong if she wins, and my concession. The third… this one—is my apology to you.”

Liu Changqing paused in surprise, instinctively glancing at Li Quanzhang beside him, only to see the man staring intently at the screen.

Like this wasn’t his first time watching.

What did that mean? Why would there be a video praising Ye Rong for winning?

Could it be that…

“This was the last contest between me and my wife. This time, I made a bet I was guaranteed to lose… I’ve known all along that she’s hated me her whole life. And though it may hurt to hear this… I didn’t believe you could bounce back in a year to the same level I once funded you to reach. Not that it was all that impressive to begin with…”

Onscreen, Li Zhengmao let out a bitter smile. His eyes were already dull and empty, filled with self-mockery.

“From the day Wanran brought you home, I knew… you weren’t the type of guy who could achieve much. To put it bluntly, you don’t have the guts. You’re not ruthless enough to make big moves. That’s why I didn’t bring you into the company and instead gave you a factory. It didn’t earn much, but enough to support your family…”

“By the time you’re seeing this, I’ll probably be dead. Everyone dies eventually, but when it’s actually happening to you… it’s kind of scary. I always thought I wasn’t afraid of dying—after all, I’ve seen everything in my life. But now that it’s really coming, I do feel some regret… Dying before my wife, even.”

“Off-topic again.”

A voice off-screen—Li Quanzhang—reminded him. Li Zhengmao chuckled.

“Right, right… Off-topic. Anyway… Liu Changqing, by the time you’re seeing this, you and the kids probably won’t have any money left. I don’t know how you’re living, but it probably hasn’t been easy… So, I left you a bit of compensation. Hualei—that’s my way of repaying you. After all, those two kids are my grandkids too. I don’t want them to be too miserable…”

He sighed deeply after saying that.

His already aged face looked even more weary.

“She’s a pitiful woman too. The things I did to her when we were young messed her up inside. I imagine… after I’m gone, she’ll try to get back at me. Maybe smear my name… Sure, I’ll be dead by then, but the thought of her sleeping with other men still…”

“Off-topic again.”

“Sigh… My mind’s a mess. I don’t even know what I’m saying anymore. But Quanzhang—if she does cheat on me, don’t touch her. I deserve it. Think of it as my way of atoning.”

After saying this to the cameraman—Li Quanzhang—he slumped in his chair like he was about to collapse.

Panting heavily.

“Changqing… I really am sorry. I’ve never apologized to anyone in my life, but I did these things… Sigh, it’s also my fault for not raising Wanran right. Her mother ruined her. She used to be such a sweet little girl when she was young… she…”

“You’re rambling again. Should we redo it?”

“No… leave it. I’m too tired to record another take…”

He looked utterly drained. As he finished, he sagged into his seat.

Mouth open, panting hoarsely.

After resting a while, his breathing steadied slightly. But he clearly had no more energy to keep going.

He waved toward the camera.

“That’s enough… stop filming…”

Just as Li Quanzhang moved to turn it off, the camera shook briefly—then paused again.

“Wait, maybe just a few more words…”

Quanzhang kept the camera rolling.

“The internet… remember that. Maybe it doesn’t seem like much now, but in the future it’ll grow fast. The industries of Meisheng will become more diversified… Work in that area. Seize the opportunities. Don’t be stupid like before…”

He paused again.

“If… my wife loses it one day, don’t hate her too much. Let her go. That woman will burn through everything I left behind—it’s only a matter of time. She’s the kind of person that people take advantage of easily…”

“What else… Let me think… Oh, right. If possible, once the kids grow up, maybe burn a few photos for me—actually, scratch that, sounds unlucky… That’s it. Quanzhang, cut it. I’m done.”

As Li Zhengmao finished, the screen went dark.

Liu Changqing stood there, head spinning slightly from everything he’d heard.

Li Quanzhang stepped forward, ejected the disc, and quietly returned it to the faux-book case. Then, he slid the case back onto the bookshelf.

Liu Changqing stared at his back, mouth slightly open, but said nothing in the end.

So…

“Ye Rong’s punishment might’ve been too light.”

Li Quanzhang turned around and smiled faintly.

“She gave the old man so many horns… Even though he told me not to lay a hand on her, he forgot—he still had you.”

“So those pieces of evidence…”

“I thought you’d act sooner. Who knew it’d take this long?”

He stepped up to Liu Changqing.

“Zhengmao got it wrong this time. That’s why he didn’t leave a video congratulating you. I didn’t expect it either, but…”

He patted Liu Changqing on the shoulder.

“Live your life well, Liu Changqing.”

That sentence echoed in his ears.

Liu Changqing stared at the face in front of him, then slowly lowered his gaze—

To the hand resting on his shoulder.

The day’s exams were finally over.

Liu Zhiyue and Zhou Shiyan waited outside the testing site for a while, but when they didn’t see their father coming to pick them up, they caught a taxi home.

After dropping off Zhou Shiyan, Zhiyue headed home.

As soon as he walked in, Su Yan and An Yuanyao asked how the test went. His reply was pretty neutral—just a simple:

“Not bad.”

Then Su Yan went to prepare dinner, and An Yuanyao returned to the bedroom.

Zhiyue went to put his things in his room. Just as he stepped out to get a glass of water, the front door opened—his father had returned.

Seeing him, Zhiyue raised the cup, about to ask why he hadn’t picked them up—but before he could speak, his dad rushed into the bedroom and shut the door.

Confused, Zhiyue stared after him.

Inside the room, Liu Changqing opened the door and stepped in. An Yuanyao, who was bent over the crib checking on the baby, turned around when she heard him and whispered:

“Keep it down—the baby’s sleeping…”

Before she could finish, she froze.

She felt her husband suddenly wrap his arms around her.

For a moment… she didn’t know what was happening.

Her hands hovered awkwardly in the air. It took her a few seconds before she slowly wrapped them around his waist.

Her voice was puzzled.

“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly hugging me like this…”

“It’s over…”

“What? What do you mean?”

“Wife.”

Liu Changqing pulled back and stood straight.

He cupped her face in his hands.

Right now, his eyes held only the woman before him.

His wife.

The mother of his child.

Looking at her confused expression, he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss.

Before An Yuanyao could react, he spoke again.

“When the baby’s older… let’s go on a honeymoon.”

“Huh?”

She froze.

That was all she could say.

Then he wrapped his arms around her again, pulling her in tightly—like he wanted to melt her into himself.

She could hear his deep breaths in her ear…

As if he was memorizing her scent.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Just as she was wondering what was going on, he whispered softly in her ear:

“Your hair’s a little greasy… the smell is kinda…”

“……”

“Ow! Don’t hit me! It smells good! I swear!”

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