Madam, Please Behave

An Quancheng sat on the sofa, staring straight ahead with a serious expression. As the head of the An family, his imposing image was deeply ingrained in everyone's mind.

He could hear the mother and daughter whispering nearby.

Although he really wanted to join in the conversation, An Quancheng still held himself back.

Su Yan was sitting beside An Yuanyao, her face full of happiness. From the moment she stepped into this house, the smile on her face had never faded.

Even though she had already asked many times, she still couldn't help asking again:

"Is it a boy or a girl?"

"Mom... I told you so many times already, you can't tell yet!"

"I forgot again, look at my memory!"

Su Yan laughed as she responded, and then muttered like talking to herself:

"If it's a boy, that would be great... a boy..."

"Hmph!"

Before Su Yan could finish speaking, An Quancheng, sitting alone in the middle of the sofa, snorted coldly, immediately drawing the mother and daughter's attention.

The smile that had just lit up Su Yan's face instantly disappeared after hearing her husband’s snort.

An Quancheng caught this out of the corner of his eye and immediately stiffened his body a little before speaking up:

"Hmph, why don't you stay in the villa I prepared for you?"

Hearing her father's words, An Yuanyao looked a bit helpless.

"Dad... I already said I don't like such a big house. This home is perfect. Even though it’s not big, it feels warm and cozy."

"Exactly, let the child live wherever she feels comfortable! You always like arranging things that the kids don't want!"

After saying this, Su Yan grabbed her daughter’s hand and was about to walk toward the bedroom.

"Come on, let me see the room you're staying in."

As the mother and daughter disappeared into the bedroom, An Quancheng sat on the sofa maintaining his serious expression for a little while longer, until finally, he let out a long sigh.

"Hoo..."

With that breath, the stern look on An Quancheng’s face vanished without a trace, and his previously straight back slumped slightly.

At this time, Liu Changqing had gone to pick up his daughter from school.

An Yuanyao’s younger brother, An Qianxun, and his wife had gone out to buy groceries for the meal they would prepare later, leaving their child sleeping peacefully in a stroller nearby.

In the house, only An Quancheng and his grandson were left.

Sitting on the sofa, An Quancheng stared blankly ahead.

After a while, as if tired of sitting, he stood up, moving quietly with muffled steps, taking a slow walk around the living room.

But he didn’t wander for long.

Standing with his hands behind his back, frowning, An Quancheng seemed deep in thought.

After a moment, he suddenly turned and walked slowly toward the bedroom.

He stepped lightly, almost noiselessly.

He crept quietly to the bedroom door where the mother and daughter had gone in, tilted his head, grabbed the doorframe with one hand, and pressed his ear against the door.

In a very comical manner, he was eavesdropping.

Faintly, he seemed to hear bits of conversation from inside...

"Have you two... recently..."

"Mom, what are you saying?!"

"I’m telling you, you’re carrying twins right now. Even if he wants to, you mustn’t..."

"I said nothing happened!"

The voices were broken up and not very clear.

An Quancheng adjusted his position a little.

This time, without noticing, he accidentally bumped into the door, causing a moderate "thud" sound.

He froze immediately.

"Who’s outside?"

Hearing his wife's voice from inside, An Quancheng quickly bolted back to where he had been sitting, his posture rigid and his back straight.

Click.

The bedroom door opened, and Su Yan poked her head out, scanning the living room before instantly locking onto her husband.

She knew him too well.

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she questioned the husband sitting so stiffly on the sofa:

"Was that you just now?"

"Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve been sitting right here the whole time, haven’t moved a muscle!"

"Is that so..."

At that moment, An Yuanyao stepped out.

She grabbed her mother and said,

"Dad wouldn’t do something like that... you must have misheard."

Then she pulled her mother back into the bedroom.

As the door shut again, An Quancheng visibly relaxed.

But this time, he didn’t sneak back to the bedroom door. He stayed seated on the sofa, absentmindedly staring at the stroller nearby.

Time ticked by.

It seemed like whenever women gathered, they could talk endlessly. Clearly, Su Yan and An Yuanyao were no exception.

An Quancheng sat there spacing out, until he heard the front door open. Only then did he pull his gaze away from the stroller.

He saw Liu Changqing and his daughter entering.

An Quancheng’s eyes lingered on Liu Xiazhi’s small face for a moment, and a subtle change flickered across his expression.

He recognized her at a glance.

Because... Liu Xiazhi looked a lot like Li Wanran when she was little.

Memories... seemed to flood back again.

Being stared at by this fierce-looking old man she had never met before, Liu Xiazhi instinctively felt scared.

She clutched her father’s clothes and hid timidly behind him, only revealing half of her small face.

Liu Changqing noticed his daughter’s reaction.

He gently patted her head, then turned and greeted An Quancheng with a smile.

"Dad, why are you alone in the living room?"

"Your mom and Yaoyao are chatting in the bedroom."

After saying this, An Quancheng shifted his gaze away from them, his face showing no change from beginning to end.

Just as he finished speaking, Su Yan and An Yuanyao, hearing the commotion, opened the bedroom door and came out.

Su Yan, walking at the front, immediately spotted Liu Xiazhi peeking out from behind Liu Changqing.

Her eyes, widened with curiosity, made Su Yan beam even more.

"So this is Xiazhi, right? She’s absolutely adorable!"

She leaned in, bent slightly, and gently patted Liu Xiazhi’s head.

Seeing his mother-in-law’s warm gesture, Liu Changqing felt the last bit of worry in his heart disappear.

He turned and softly said to his daughter hiding behind him:

"Say hi to Grandma."

At her father’s prompt, Liu Xiazhi hesitated a moment but then stepped out from behind him, bowed deeply, and said,

"Hello, Grandma!"

After that, she turned toward An Quancheng, who was sitting on the sofa, and bowed again.

"Hello, Grandpa!"

Seeing Liu Xiazhi’s actions, the corners of An Quancheng’s mouth lifted into a nearly imperceptible smile—brief, but undeniably there.

He then nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

Meanwhile, hearing Liu Xiazhi’s sweet greeting, Su Yan was overjoyed.

While saying "Good girl," she seemed to remember something. She went to her bag, pulled out a beautifully wrapped box, and came back over.

Handing the gift to Liu Xiazhi, she smiled warmly.

At first, Liu Xiazhi didn’t dare accept it.

But after seeing her father Liu Changqing and mother An Yuanyao nod in encouragement, she finally reached out her little hands and took it.

Opening the box...

When she saw what was inside, Liu Xiazhi’s face immediately lit up with surprise.