Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 156: Picking You Up Tomorrow Morning

The reason Charmander was considered hard mode was that, in this version of the game, most early-game NPCs had a type advantage over it.

As a result, most newbie players who picked Charmander would eventually be forced to catch another Pokémon to carry them through the early battles.

Liu Changqing didn’t warn his son.

Liu Zhiyue had always been capable, easily overcoming any challenge thrown at him. As a father, Liu Changqing felt it was necessary to humble him a little.

A child who never faces setbacks won’t grow properly. Sometimes, obstacles don’t crush confidence—they build resilience.

Watching his father smirk for no apparent reason, Liu Zhiyue was confused but didn’t overthink it. Instead, he casually commented,

“…The lack of an opening cutscene makes the start feel a bit rough. Also, I can’t name my character?”

“All of that is planned. This is just a beta version, so those features aren’t in yet.”

“Got it.”

Hearing his father’s explanation, Liu Zhiyue didn’t ask further.

Instead, he focused back on the game.

Sitting nearby, Liu Changqing glanced at his daughter, who was practically glued to her brother’s side, staring intently at the handheld console.

After a moment of thought, he decided to take a quick shower.

By the time Liu Changqing finished drying his hair and came back, the two kids were still in the exact same position on the couch.

Walking over, he asked, “How far did you get?”

“Just beat the first Gym.”

“…Wait, you already beat the first Gym?”

“Yeah.”

Seeing his son nod so casually, Liu Changqing was a little stunned.

He clearly remembered—the first Gym was Rock-type, which completely countered Charmander.

And yet, in just one short shower, Liu Zhiyue had already won?

Liu Xiazhi, full of admiration, hugged her brother’s arm and excitedly reported,

“Gege is amazing! He bought a bunch of potions and used a Grass-type he caught to beat it!”

“…Oh, so you didn’t use Charmander, huh?”

Staring at his son’s expressionless face, Liu Changqing sighed.

He recalled how, back in his past life, when he first played this game, he had been a reckless newbie.

After repeatedly getting crushed by the first Gym, he rage-leveled his Charmander to level 30 and brute-forced his way through.

Clearly, his son was built different.

Liu Changqing played games with brute force.

Liu Zhiyue played games with strategy.

This kid…

Just then, Liu Zhiyue suddenly spoke.

“This is actually pretty interesting.”

Liu Changqing blinked in surprise. Before he could ask, his son continued,

“The type matchups, the variety of Pokémon, and the fact that learning new moves at different levels allows for so much customization—the gameplay is really deep.”

“…That so?”

“It’s just that the trainers are a bit too weak. The difficulty is kind of low.”

“……”

Liu Changqing stared at his son in silence.

Can you be human for once?!

“Dad!”

Liu Xiazhi suddenly called out, clenching her tiny fists.

Her big round eyes locked onto Liu Changqing as she asked,

“Where’s Pikachu?”

“It’s in the forest. Have your brother catch one for you.”

After saying this, Liu Changqing added another warning.

“Zhiyue, don’t play too late. And don’t let your sister play. If she gets started, she won’t sleep all night.”

“Got it.”

Liu Zhiyue nodded.

Hearing this, Liu Xiazhi froze, then immediately puffed up her cheeks.

“I won’t!”

“When the full version is out, you can play. This beta still has some missing features.”

With that, Liu Changqing sent her off to shower and returned to his room.

Lying in bed, propped up against the headboard, Liu Changqing opened QQ Messenger on his phone.

Earlier today, he had discovered An Yuanyao’s secret identity.

At the time, he had been too distracted to think much about it.

But now that he was home, the realization finally sank in.

After pondering for a moment, a sly smile appeared on his face.

He typed a message to Jun Zui Xiang Si.

[Thanks to your advice about paying attention to the people around me, I just realized how popular I am. Turns out, I’ve already found my other half. Appreciate the reminder.]

After sending the message, he waited.

One minute.

Two minutes.

Still no reply.

Liu Changqing stared at the screen for a moment, then shrugged and turned to his computer to start writing.

At that moment, An Yuanyao had just finished blow-drying her hair.

She stood in front of the mirror, absentmindedly touching the jade pendant around her neck.

The one Liu Changqing had put on her.

Thinking about how he had fumbled with it earlier, she nearly burst out laughing.

She had never seen Liu Changqing make that kind of expression before.

It was… kind of cute.

After running a hand through her hair, she grabbed her phone and returned to her room.

Earlier, in the car, Liu Changqing had scolded her for always keeping her phone on silent mode and told her to never do it again.

It was only because of his reminder that she checked her phone—only to find seven or eight missed calls.

Lying in bed, she saw a new notification from QQ Messenger.

She clicked on it and saw the message from “Neighbor Liu.”

Her smile instantly vanished.

Reading his words, her face fell.

A sense of unease crept over her.

Suddenly, a name flashed through her mind—Lan Yixian.

Back when she visited Liu Changqing’s house, she had clearly noticed that Lan Yixian felt something special for him.

Could it be…?

A wave of panic hit her.

She gripped her phone tightly, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

But she didn’t know what to type.

She sniffled softly, forcing herself to stay calm.

After taking a deep breath, she finally replied.

[I was joking last time. Don’t take it seriously.]

His reply came almost immediately.

[But I’ve already made up my mind. I’m calling her soon to tell her how I feel.]

“……”

An Yuanyao froze.

Her face went pale.

She tried to type something—anything—but her hands wouldn’t move.

Her grip on the phone loosened, and it slipped from her fingers onto the bed.

What do I do?

What should I do now?!

Just then—

Her phone started ringing.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

The sudden sound shocked her back to reality.

Staring blankly at the screen, she didn’t even check the caller ID before answering.

Her voice was weak.

“…Hello?”

[Stop playing dumb. I already know it’s you.]

That familiar voice echoed through the receiver.

An Yuanyao’s eyes widened.

She pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at the caller ID.

Her eyes lit up.

“…Liu Changqing?!”

[Still claiming you’re 26? Still pretending to be ‘Jun Zui Xiang Si’? ‘I have a friend,’ huh? ‘Pay attention to the people around you,’ huh?]

“…You knew?!”

[Otherwise, why would I be calling you?]

She could hear the suppressed laughter in his voice.

Then, his tone softened.

[Go to sleep early. I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning.]

Her cheeks flushed red, but she couldn’t hide her joy.

She nodded eagerly.

“…Mm!”