Madam, Please Behave
Chapter 355: Ye Rong’s Slap

Liu Changqing had just finished washing up.

As he was drying his face with a towel, he heard his daughter speaking outside the bathroom door.

After wiping his face, he hung the towel on the hook and looked toward the doorway—what he saw was his wife, An Yuanyao, standing there holding hands with their daughter, Liu Xiazhi, who wore a smug expression.

Staring at the mother and daughter expressionlessly, Liu Changqing scanned their faces, then looked toward An Yuanyao and asked quietly,

“She went and complained to you?”

“Xiazhi was crying really hard just now. How could you take away all of her red envelope money…”

“I didn’t take it—I’m keeping it safe for her,”

Liu Changqing clarified.

“Between your parents, they gave her over ten thousand yuan. I don’t feel comfortable letting a ten-year-old walk around with that much money.”

Hearing Liu Changqing’s explanation, An Yuanyao didn’t know what to say for a moment.

It was true—the elders had been overly generous.

Back at home, Liu Changqing had always made a clear financial plan for their two kids’ daily expenses:

Liu Zhiyue, now in middle school, got fifteen yuan a day for meals. Liu Xiazhi, in elementary school, got ten. A fair and reasonable allocation—enough to spend wisely and still save a little.

But...

Thinking of that, An Yuanyao looked at Liu Xiazhi standing beside her, her face full of hopeful anticipation.

Being stared at like that by her daughter, it was hard for her to support her husband’s reasoning out loud.

After a short pause in thought...

“Well... even so, you shouldn’t take all of it... You should at least let her keep some...”

The moment An Yuanyao said that, Liu Changqing immediately replied,

“Didn’t I let her keep a hundred?”

“That’s way too little!”

Just as Liu Changqing’s words fell, Liu Xiazhi, now confident with backup, raised her voice.

“Besides, big brother got a ton of red envelopes too. Why are you only taking mine!”

“……”

After a brief silence, Liu Changqing walked out of the bathroom.

He stood in front of the mother and daughter, rolled up his sleeves.

“Thanks for reminding me. Where’s your brother?”

“In his room!”

Liu Xiazhi was stunned at first, but quickly caught on and answered eagerly.

Then she let go of An Yuanyao’s hand, gave a quick sprint to her dad’s side, grabbed his hand like a trusty guide.

She even added helpfully,

“Big brother hid his money—I saw him stuff it in his socks!”

With that, Liu Xiazhi completely forgot about being mad over her own money being taken. Instead, she was now excitedly leading her dad to “harvest” her brother’s red envelopes.

Watching the two walk off, An Yuanyao stood silently by the bathroom door, mouth slightly open, staring at their backs.

She… could never figure out what was going on in her daughter’s head.

---

The First Day of the Lunar New Year.

It should’ve been a day of family reunion, but for Li Wanran and her mother, it felt cold and distant.

In the large room, Li Wanran lay sideways on the sofa in silk pajamas, holding a wine glass. Her eyes were locked on the drink, as if her mother sitting not far away didn’t even exist.

Ye Rong took in her daughter’s appearance, and her brows furrowed tightly.

“You dress like this at home?”

“This is my home… And if you came here to talk me out of divorcing Li Chongming, you can just leave now. I’m not changing my mind.”

“……”

Faced with her daughter’s rude reply, a flicker of disappointment crossed Ye Rong’s face. It lasted only a moment, but it was undeniably there.

After thinking carefully for a moment, her tone softened—it wasn’t as forceful as before.

“Wanran… I didn’t come to stop you from divorcing him. On the contrary, I fully support your decision.”

Li Wanran blinked, her eyes finally lifting from her glass to look at her mother for the first time since she arrived.

Her mother’s unexpected attitude—it was a complete shift from the one she'd had just days ago.

Slowly sitting up, Li Wanran set her glass down on the side table. Her voice carried a trace of doubt.

“Then why are you here…”

“I’ve already looked into it—Li Chongming did cheat. At first, I was fooled by the lies he used to tell me... That’s why I kept making excuses for him when we talked on the phone the other day.”

“Mom…”

“But there’s no need to rush. I already had someone draft up the divorce agreement for you. Once the holiday ends, go to the civil affairs office and get it done.”

With a faint smile, Ye Rong pulled the papers out of her bag and placed them gently in front of her daughter.

She said,

“Put your fingerprint here.”

“……”

Staring at the divorce papers on the table, Li Wanran picked them up and started reading.

As she went on, her already chilly expression grew even colder.

Then—smack—she flung the agreement onto the floor. Her eyes blazed with anger as she glared at her mother.

“What is this supposed to mean? Why is the joint marital property being split 50/50?!”

“That money means nothing to our family. Just let him have it.”

“No way! I already told him—not a single f***ing cent!”

“Can’t you be more mature? You’re not a teenager who can afford to act on impulse anymore!”

“Are you serious right now? He’s the one who cheated, and I’m the one being forced to eat sh*t and lose face?”

“Li Wanran!!”

The mother and daughter began shouting.

What started as a conversation escalated—by the time Ye Rong called out her daughter’s name, she was practically roaring.

She stood up, face turning dark.

Gritting her teeth, she growled each word.

“He has dirt on the company. If it leaks, both of us are screwed!”

“So now my feelings don’t matter at all?!”

Li Wanran felt chilled to the bone.

She had truly believed that once her mother knew the truth, she’d take her side.

But…

Looking at the stern woman before her, Li Wanran continued,

“Besides, you know about the stuff he’s done too. We have leverage on him as well. Why are we the ones being blackmailed?”

“That’s not the same.”

“How is it not the same?!”

“You—!”

Ye Rong’s disappointment deepened.

It was the first time her daughter had ever talked back like this. From the time she was a child, she’d never dared speak this way.

Now, rage surged through Ye Rong.

Her chest heaved violently as she stomped toward her daughter.

When she got close enough—she raised her hand and slapped her.

“SMACK!!”

The sharp sound rang out.

Li Wanran’s face was knocked to the side. Her eyes widened. After a moment, she slowly turned her head and stared at her mother, who was breathing heavily in front of her…

Ye Rong’s hand trembled slightly.

Her voice rang out like an order:

“I will not allow you to defy me like this!”

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