Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 313: Believing You in That Moment

Clearly, Liu Zhiyue’s unusual behavior caught everyone’s attention. Even Liu Changqing, who had been chopping vegetables in the kitchen, put down his knife and came out when he heard the commotion.

Seeing his son acting strangely, Liu Changqing walked over and took the stuff out of his hands, asking with a puzzled tone,

“What’s the rush?”

“……”

“Did Big Brother get chased by Ah Huang downstairs?”

Liu Xiazhi chimed in on the father-son conversation, clearly having come up with a seemingly reasonable explanation for her brother’s odd behavior.

But Liu Zhiyue didn’t respond to her.

Right after, hurried footsteps echoed up the stairs from outside the door. A few seconds later, the sound of someone pounding on the security door filled the room.

The moment that knocking began, Liu Zhiyue’s expression changed ever so slightly. Standing at the entrance, he made no move to open the door.

Liu Changqing noticed.

“Who’s outside?”

As he spoke, Liu Changqing walked over, ignoring the silent plea in his son’s eyes and opened the door. The moment it swung open, he saw a familiar young girl he’d met once or twice before—memorable enough to recognize.

She looked completely out of breath, chest rising and falling rapidly. When she saw it was Liu Changqing who answered the door, she snapped back to herself quickly.

“Hello, Uncle… I’m here to see Liu Zhiyue…”

Maybe it was because she was too winded, but Zhang Yunjing’s voice wasn’t loud—it came out a bit shaky, like she was gasping for air.

Seeing it was her at the door, Liu Changqing was clearly a little surprised too.

After a moment of stunned silence, he glanced at Zhang Yunjing standing outside, then turned to look at his son beside him.

Thinking for a second, he said,

“Come on in.”

“Thank you, Uncle!”

After that, Zhang Yunjing stepped inside. Her eyes quickly scanned the room and landed on the four people sitting on the couch—including Zhou Shiyan.

Zhang Yunjing was visibly surprised.

She hadn’t expected so many people to be at Liu Zhiyue’s house. And with Zhou Shiyan here too, her original plan to ask if she could stay over became something she couldn’t bring herself to say.

Lan Yixian, seeing Zhang Yunjing arrive, leaned slightly toward An Yuanyao and asked in a low voice,

“Who’s that girl?”

“Seems like she’s Zhiyue’s classmate… I’ve seen her once before.”

Also whispering back, An Yuanyao clearly remembered this girl who always wore a baseball cap. After all, the first time they met at the amusement park, she’d been shocked by her bold declaration…

But what An Yuanyao didn’t understand was—why did this girl show up at their house? And judging by Liu Zhiyue’s expression…

Was he avoiding her?

Her gaze shifted between Liu Zhiyue and Zhang Yunjing. After watching a bunch of dramas recently, her mind was filled with all kinds of random plotlines.

Her eyes widened slightly, and her mouth parted in a little “oh” of shock, sneaking a look at Zhou Shiyan, who was sitting next to Lan Yixian with an unreadable face.

An Yuanyao lifted her hand to cover her mouth.

She… she might have figured something out!

Unaware of what everyone else was thinking, Zhang Yunjing noticed their cotton slippers and quickly realized she should probably change shoes before entering the house.

She turned to the head of the household and asked politely,

“Uncle… should I change into slippers?”

“No need, it’s fine. Oh—have you eaten?”

It was a casual, polite question. But to his surprise, Zhang Yunjing shook her head without a moment of hesitation.

“Not yet!”

“I… I see. Then stay and eat here.”

“Thank you, Uncle!”

Smiling warmly at her answer, Liu Changqing turned around, carrying the stuff his son had brought home, and headed for the kitchen.

His brows furrowed slightly as he thought to himself.

Why is it that every girl this kid brings home—except Zhou Shiyan—lacks any social sense?

He paused and turned to glance at his son.

This kid…

Next to him, Zhang Yunjing stood, while Liu Zhiyue had clearly given up on trying to communicate with her. He couldn’t figure out her thought process at all.

This girl… What the h**l is going on in her head? Just shows up at someone’s house out of the blue, and it’s not like the two of them are even close…

Zhang Yunjing, unaware of Liu Zhiyue’s thoughts, glanced toward An Yuanyao on the couch.

She’d had a strong impression of the beautiful woman since seeing her at the amusement park. Hoping to get closer, she walked over to An Yuanyao in just a few quick steps and politely greeted her.

Still standing at the entrance, Liu Zhiyue looked in their direction and met Zhou Shiyan’s gaze—there was a hint of question in her eyes.

Not knowing how to explain anything, Liu Zhiyue gave Zhou Shiyan a quick look, then turned and walked toward his room.

Sitting at the edge of the couch, Zhou Shiyan saw him go. After glancing at Zhang Yunjing chatting with An Yuanyao, she stood up and followed him into his room.

Lan Yixian clearly noticed her daughter’s move. Watching as she walked into Liu Zhiyue’s room, she stared for a moment… then turned away.

Her expression was a bit odd.

Inside the room.

Zhou Shiyan entered and shut the door behind her. Then she turned to him and asked,

“Why is she here?”

“I don’t know either… I saw her crying when I went out to buy stuff. I didn’t plan on getting involved, but when the light turned red, she suddenly bolted into traffic like she wanted to die. I yanked her back, and then she said she had nowhere to go and wanted to come with me.”

“……”

Zhou Shiyan listened quietly to his explanation, face still completely blank. Because of the height difference, she had to tilt her head up to look at Liu Zhiyue.

Which meant he could clearly see her face.

And for some reason, it made him anxious.

“I didn’t lie to you!”

“Mhm.”

She nodded slightly, sounding like she accepted his explanation. Then the two just stood there, holding that posture, staring at each other.

A few seconds passed before Zhou Shiyan finally said,

“Then I’ll go.”

She turned away right after, saying nothing else, eyes leaving Liu Zhiyue’s face. She reached out and grabbed the doorknob.

But she didn’t open the door. Instead, she paused for a few seconds like she was deep in thought, then pulled her hand back.

She turned and jogged over to Liu Zhiyue.

And hugged him.

The sudden move left Liu Zhiyue completely stunned. His mind blanked out, and almost by reflex, he opened his arms and caught Zhou Shiyan in his embrace.

Feeling her in his arms—it was the first time he’d ever hugged her. Though she was built similarly to his little sister… for some reason, this felt completely different.

His arms tightened.

Zhou Shiyan’s ear pressed against his chest, and she could clearly hear the pounding of his heart, speeding up.

And where he couldn’t see, a small smile formed on her lips.

“I always believed in you.”

Then she returned to her usual expression, let go of him, opened the door, and walked out without even a backward glance.

Leaving Liu Zhiyue standing there alone.