Madam, Please Behave
Chapter 362: False Alarm

[I wish I could tell you that, but unfortunately he’s not dead. He’s just in a coma at the hospital.]

An Yancheng paused briefly before finishing his sentence.

“……”

Liu Changqing heard those words and felt like he’d just been taken on a rollercoaster—his emotions rising and plummeting in an instant.

He took a deep breath, then followed up with another question.

“What happened exactly? What’s going on?”

[It’s not that complicated. A woman shouted from a balcony in the neighborhood that Li Chongming was trying to kill her. Someone nearby heard and called the police. By the time they arrived, Li Chongming was already lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs. Apparently, he and the woman got into a scuffle over a voice recorder, and she accidentally pushed him down the stairs.]

“A woman…”

Liu Changqing muttered to himself, and the image of Chu Fang appeared in his mind.

Hearing the question, An Yancheng chuckled softly, like he was about to share something amusing.

[Funny thing actually—the woman, Chu Fang, was part of the family affected by the crash Li Chongming caused last year. She went undercover, willingly became his mistress, and used reverse psychology to provoke him into confessing that he had someone else take the fall. Everything was going well until she got too cocky… and told him to his face that she had it all recorded.]

“She get hurt?”

[Not really. Aside from a few bruises from the struggle, she’s fine.]

“She was too reckless…”

Hearing that Chu Fang was mostly unharmed, Liu Changqing muttered to himself again.

His voice was soft, but An Yancheng caught the words and paused for a moment before asking curiously,

[You know this Chu Fang?]

“Nope. I just think she shouldn’t have gotten ahead of herself. She should’ve handed the evidence straight to the cops, that’s all.”

[Fair point…]

After that, An Yancheng’s tone eased, and he casually shifted the topic to small talk.

[By the way, how’s my sister doing? When’s the baby due?]

“Based on the calculations, probably around June. She’s almost four months in—still got half a year to go…”

Liu Changqing was on the balcony, talking animatedly.

Unbeknownst to him, his voice had gotten loud enough to catch An Yuanyao’s attention as she sat at the table sipping her chicken soup.

Curious, she put down her spoon and—like a mischievous girl—tiptoed toward the balcony.

She quietly slid the glass door open just a crack, revealing half her face.

Eyes wide, ears perked—she stared straight at Liu Changqing’s back, eavesdropping.

Still clueless, Liu Changqing was pouring his heart out, talking fondly about his wife’s pregnancy with a soft, indulgent smile on his face.

He was practically gushing to An Yancheng on the phone.

“I’m telling you, you have no idea how funny your sister is now that she’s pregnant. She keeps saying she’s getting fat—but she’s not gaining an ounce. I’m the one putting on weight eating all her leftovers! And don’t even get me started on the chicken soup—if nobody drinks it, it’s a waste, right?”

[Women are usually more concerned about their figure.]

“Yeah, and ever since she got pregnant, she hasn’t been able to do any heavy lifting at all…

That means she’s barely getting any exercise. Just yesterday we went for a walk at the park downstairs—barely ten meters in, and she was already complaining she needed a break.

Hahaha, I’m honestly afraid that after the baby’s born, she’ll turn int—”

“Ahem!”

A sudden cough behind him cut him off.

Liu Changqing instantly wiped the grin off his face and stiffened up.

He cleared his throat and immediately said in a serious tone:

“But… I love her. No matter how she turns out, I’ll still love her.”

[…]

This abrupt change in tone left An Yancheng momentarily speechless.

But being a cop with sharp instincts, he immediately pieced it together.

Lowering his voice, he asked,

[She’s there, isn’t she?]

“Yup. Anyway, take care of yourself. Don’t worry about your sister—I’ll take good care of her. Let’s wrap this up for now. Call me when you’re free—we’ll arrange a dinner, get both families together. I’m still eating here, so I’ll hang up. Talk later.”

Before An Yancheng could say another word, Liu Changqing ended the call, exhaled deeply, and took a moment to collect himself.

Then, pretending it was all totally normal, he turned around.

As soon as he saw An Yuanyao standing behind him, he played up his surprise.

He took a step back, raised his hand, and patted his chest.

“You scared the h*ll out of me! When did you get here?”

“Who were you talking to?”

Having been with him for so long, An Yuanyao could already read Liu Changqing like a book.

This over-the-top reaction? Pure acting.

But she didn’t call him out. Instead, she asked calmly who he’d been on the phone with.

Liu Changqing replied,

“Your cousin.”

He paused for a beat.

“He called to ask how you’re doing. He couldn’t make it home for New Year’s and said he missed you.”

“Yancheng? How’s he doing? Still super busy?”

“Doing alright. He’s managing…”

Then he glanced toward the dining table and noticed his son was still silently eating.

Liu Changqing turned back to An Yuanyao, suddenly serious.

“You finished your chicken soup?”

Hearing that, An Yuanyao’s confidence wilted a bit.

Guiltily, she averted her eyes.

“Um… I couldn’t finish it. Kinda too rich…”

She quickly waved her hands, worried Liu Changqing would think she didn’t like his cooking.

She explained quickly,

“Too rich doesn’t mean it’s not tasty—my appetite’s just been weird lately. After a few sips, I don’t want any more…”

“……”

Liu Changqing looked at her face and sighed.

“So… you’re making me clean up after you again?”

“Can’t we just save it for dinner?”

“……”

That comeback hit so cleanly that Liu Changqing couldn’t even retort.

When he finally came to his senses, he looked mildly flustered.

“Fine. After you’re done eating, take a break. I’ll take you downstairs for a walk.”

“Ugh~”

An Yuanyao hated walks these days.

She’d gotten used to relaxing on the couch after meals.

The thought of wandering around downstairs for over half an hour…

She walked up and took Liu Changqing’s hand, gently swinging it back and forth.

In a cutesy, whiny tone, she said,

“The babies said they want to rest. No exercise!”

“……”

Liu Changqing looked at her, speechless.

He couldn’t help but wonder—

Where did my sweet, gentle, thoughtful wife go?

The one who never argued with me, who always listened?

Where did she go?!