Wife, please behave yourself.

Chapter 111 The Clever An Zhaoran
The dining table, which should have been cozy, was now eerily quiet.

An Junan looked at her daughter sitting opposite her and noticed that the child's face was lowered and even the hand holding the spoon to drink soup was trembling slightly.

The pain from my wife slapping my arm is still there.

"Ran Ran?"

"I heard that, Dad. Where did you get this rumor from?"

Putting down the soup spoon, An Zhaoran tried her best to appear calm and composed.

However, An Junan, the father, saw through his shifty gaze.

He had only asked the question casually and hadn't really taken it to heart at first.

However, An Zhaoran's sudden unnatural reaction only confirmed the rumors he had heard.

With a "smack," the hand landed on the dining table.

An Junan frowned; the former head of the family had returned.

"Does Xiao Liu really have a child?"

"Impossible! It must be a rumor!"

"Then why do I hear people at the station saying that?"

"Who spread this!"

An Zhaoran raised the soup spoon in her hand, looking as if she was determined to fight the culprit who spread the rumors.

"Dad, tell me who said that, I'm going to the station tomorrow to settle the score with them!"

“I don’t know who it is.”

"See...it's all just rumors. Maybe they're saying Liu Changcun has shoes. The person spreading the rumor has a strong accent, so maybe others misheard..."

"What nonsense! How could someone who works at the station have such terrible Mandarin?"

An Junan couldn't believe that there were employees in the TV station he led who couldn't speak Mandarin properly.

His daughter's explanation did indeed alleviate some of his concerns.

After all, ever since his daughter brought her future son-in-law home, he has been mentioning Liu Changcun at the station, making it clear that "The Temptation to Go Home" was made by his own family. Otherwise, a drama with no big names would not have been able to be moved to prime time.

Of course, this is also due to the excellence of the series itself; if it had been poorly made, it wouldn't have achieved such great success.

Liu Changcun is good-looking and his height is satisfactory.

His parents died early, and he suffered a lot when he was young.

The success of this drama proves that the other party is capable, but lacked opportunities and connections in the past, which is why there has been no good development for so long.

Those who are valued by the station director will definitely attract the attention of others.

In addition, everyone who has met Liu Changcun has a deep impression of him. Living in the same city, it is not unusual to run into him occasionally.

The rumor that Anju Nan heard was the one that had recently been circulating.

It is said that a while ago, when some people from the station went to the amusement park, they saw a little girl chasing after Liu Changcun and calling him "Dad".

Liu Changcun is in his thirties, and a little girl who is about ten years old calls him Dad.

The rumors were so detailed and convincing that they left a deep impression on An Junan, so much so that she asked about them at the dinner table not long ago.

An Junan's furrowed brows relaxed as he observed his daughter's strange expression across from him.

After taking a quick look, I immediately dispelled my concerns.

"Just treat it as a rumor. Stop making that weird face of yours, you're never serious."

"Oh..." "Slap slap."

Realizing she had lost her composure again, An Zhaoran quickly put down her spoon and gently patted her cheek.

"If you two really have a child, won't I become a grandfather by the time you get married?"

An Junan muttered something jokingly, but his eyes drifted intentionally or unintentionally towards his own child.

After all, the children have been dating for several months, but Liu Changcun hasn't come over to discuss marriage matters.

Ranran is already thirty-three this year, and in another seven years she'll be forty.

As the station director, which of his peers hasn't had a grandchild yet? His family is so small that if his daughter hadn't moved back home, he would just be staring at Guo Yan, who is at home, all the time after get off work.

Anju Nan was so bored with life that she wanted to get a dog.

Her father's casual remark stirred up inappropriate thoughts in An Zhaoran, who had just managed to control her expression.

After secretly watching An Junan drink two more sips of chicken soup, An Zhaoran, who had been hesitating for a while, suddenly mustered up her courage and cautiously asked.

"Dad, do you want to be a grandfather?"

"Nonsense, don't you even know how old you are?"

If the rumors come true... would you be happy or angry?

"What rumors?"

"Regarding what you just said about Liu Changcun having a child..."

With her hands resting on the dining table, An Zhaoran craned her neck to get closer, trying to observe her father's expression carefully.

"Does he really have a child?"

"No no."

An Zhaoran hurriedly raised her hand, her hands almost gesturing wildly.

There is no one child, but there are two.

Although he played word games with his father, this answer cannot be considered a lie in the strict sense.

Therefore, An Zhaoran's expression was normal at this moment, unlike when her parents would see through her lies at a glance.

Hearing his daughter's rebuttal, An Junan calmed down.

He didn't respond for a long time.

"Anyway, our family doesn't take in sons-in-law who live with us, so even if you have a child, it will take the man's surname."

"Then you mean..."

"Absolutely not! This is your first marriage!"

"..."

Like riding a roller coaster, An Zhaoran felt that perhaps her father had been the station director for too long and could no longer give simple and straightforward truths.

Fortunately, she was quick-witted and didn't fall for it.

I almost revealed the truth.

"Your mother and I are quite satisfied with Xiao Liu, but if he has really been married and has children, you two should break up as soon as possible."

"What's the point of dividing it... He doesn't have any children."

"Anyway, this is your first marriage, and you understand this yourself."

"understood……"

Responding to her father, An Zhaoran pursed her lips somewhat displeased.

Seeing that her father said no more, she dared to observe him again after a long while.

He looked up and met the gaze of his mother, who had been watching him intently even though she hadn't said a word.

An Zhaoran immediately lowered her head guiltily.

He kept shoveling chicken soup into his hands.

----------

He slammed the door shut behind him and then carefully locked it from the inside.

After turning the doorknob to make sure it wouldn't be opened easily, An Zhaoran hurriedly took out her phone and dialed the number.

She went to the bedside, pounced on it, quickly took off her slippers, and lifted her legs to get fully onto the bed.

He rolled over on the soft, comfortable bed before pulling a pillow into his arms.

Hearing the call connect from the phone, he immediately lowered his voice and spoke.

"We almost got exposed!"

What does this reveal?

Liu Changcun's answer came through the receiver. An Zhaoran blinked and stared at the area at the top illuminated by the light.

"Of course it's about you having a child. My dad seems to have heard a rumor."

What rumor?

"I don't know the specifics either, but just be careful lately."

【Row. 】

"..."

Why don't you ask me how I solved it?

Seeing that the man on the other end of the receiver only responded with a simple word, An Zhaoran, who had been silent for several seconds, finally couldn't hold back anymore.

The pillow I was holding was wrinkled from the force of my arm.

It's like it's embedded in front of you, forming a close-fitting curve.

A few seconds later, a somewhat strange response came from the man in the receiver.

I really want to know... how did you manage to get away with it so cleverly?

"Hehe, I had a heated argument with my dad, and then I convinced him. How about that? Pretty impressive, right?"

【sharp.】

"Gone?"

[Ms. An, how much more do you want me to praise you? Shall I put up a banner for you?]

"It's not that exaggerated, just give me more compliments and that'll be enough~"

【…】

"Hey, why aren't you talking?"

An Zhaoran rolled over, hugged the pillow, and used her waist to sit on the comfortable and soft bed.

My attention was entirely focused on the phone I was using to make a call.

Although there was a phone between them, An Zhaoran, who was in the room, could imagine the scene of Liu Changcun making a phone call.

He was definitely trying not to laugh.

Although the noise on the phone was very low, it was clear that the other person had just laughed when they spoke.

In the store.

Liu Changcun had no idea what An Zhaoran was thinking during the call, and he covered the microphone, trying to suppress the urge to laugh out loud.

He suppressed his joy and replied with feigned seriousness.

"The signal was a bit weak just now. What did you say in your last sentence?"

[Please praise me more~]

"Okay, okay, I'll praise you, I must praise you, I'll praise you as much as I can."

【Hey~】

"As a reward for your clever handling of your parents' questioning, I've decided to give you a free milk tea. Just come to the store and mention my name before the end of this year to receive it."

The reward is too stingy; the milk tea... I can buy it myself.

"Being too greedy will mean losing even the free milk tea."

The man's eyes were smiling as he tapped the table in the shop with his free hand.

Tap tap, tap tap...

The noise reached Ning Mengyao's ears. She stopped what she was doing and looked up the moment she heard the man's voice.

Seeing Liu Changcun's happy expression, her gaze slowly lowered.

Ning Mengyao shifted her gaze back and continued wiping the already clean countertop.

The rag wiped the countertop, and the grip tightened even more.

"Dad...when are we going home?"

Perhaps feeling a bit bored in the store, Liu Wanqiu, who had spent the whole day reading comic books, was resting with her eyes closed.

Wearing sandals that revealed her five distinct toes, she occasionally raised her calves, passing the time in a somewhat tedious manner.

Looking at her father, who was all smiles while making a phone call, Liu Wanqiu saw that he was so engrossed in the conversation that he hadn't heard her question at all, so she couldn't help but ask again.

Fortunately, the father finally responded the second time.

"Soon, wait for your brother to get out of school."

"My brother is so grown up... he can walk home by himself..."

"Really? The program was approved so quickly?"

Upon hearing the response from her father, the young Liu Wanqiu instantly realized that he wasn't talking to her.

Its cheeks puffed out, a silent protest.

She remained in that position until her father hung up the phone, only then noticing her unusual behavior.

Before the smile on Liu Changcun's face had faded, he raised his hand and poked Liu Wanqiu's puffed-up cheeks down.

"Blow air out with your mouth, or you'll end up with a round face."

Will my face get bigger?

Don't you think your face looks bigger than before?

"..."

Liu Wanqiu's eyes widened, and she hurriedly raised her little hands to touch her face haphazardly.

It would have been better if her father hadn't mentioned it, because once he did, she did feel that her face had gotten a bit bigger.

Realizing this, the young Liu Wanqiu immediately looked miserable.

"No... a big face isn't pretty..."

"Then stop making those weird faces and stop copying your Aunt An's bad habits."

"But Aunt An is very pretty!"

"It's just not her time yet. She'll become ugly when she's over a hundred years old."

"what!"

Liu Wanqiu was quite frightened. She didn't want to become ugly when she was over a hundred years old, otherwise her father wouldn't like her anymore.

With this in mind, the little girl immediately set a goal for herself.

You must listen to your father. You will never hold a grudge again, and you will never blow air into your cheeks carelessly.

She wants to be a quiet, well-behaved, cute, pretty, and generous young lady.

Seeing his daughter deep in thought, Liu Changcun gave up the idea of ​​teasing her any further.

He then looked up at Ning Mengyao, who was still wiping something with a rag, and saw her gloomy and dejected appearance.

He paused for a moment before speaking.

"Given your hard work these past few days, I'm going to prepare a gift for you."

"..."

The wiping motion on the countertop abruptly stopped, and Ning Mengyao slowly raised her face a second or two later.

"A gift? Boss...you're giving me a gift?"

"Feeling motivated now? Keep up the good work, and there will be plenty of gifts like this in the future."

"What gift is it?"

"I can't reveal it yet, so look forward to it tomorrow morning."

"..."

The flame of hope was rekindled, and Ning Mengyao inexplicably gained fighting spirit because of this unknown gift.

The gloomy expression on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a smug look of satisfaction as he lowered his head.

I continued wiping the clean countertop, which was now almost reflective.

Evening self-study at No. 16 Middle School has finally ended.

Large numbers of students poured out of the school gates.

Within two days of opening, Mixue Ice Cream has already made a name for itself.

The relatively reasonable pricing makes it affordable for most students.

Nowadays, the store's peak hours are almost always when students get out of school, around noon and in the evening.

Early morning reading is not included, since people are usually quite resentful when they first wake up.

I wasn't really in the mood to enjoy the delicious milk tea.

After seeing off the last customer, Liu Changcun, who was at the cashier, finally noticed his son's belated arrival.

Ning Mengyao was tidying up; she would close the door soon.

Looking at his son who had come to the front of the stage, and seeing his rather handsome face.

Liu Changcun asked with a smile.

"So, how are things going? Have you been getting along well with your classmates since becoming class monitor?"

"They've already become one big family."

"You two are that close?"

"No."

Shaking his head slightly, the boy named Liu Songyan silently raised his fist.

“I’ve already beaten a few of the unruly ones into submission.”

"..."

So that's how they became friends.

Liu Changcun carefully observed the boy standing in front of him and saw that the boy's complexion was rosy and radiant, not like he had just finished a fight.

"several?"

"Three, one of them is Li Yan."

"Li Yan?"

The name sounded familiar, but Liu Changcun couldn't quite place where he had heard it before.

Seeing that his father couldn't remember the other person, Liu Songyan decided to remind him.

"The ringleader who forced Chi Jinhe to steal books last semester."

"I remember now, that kid."

After being reminded by his son, Liu Changcun finally remembered who this so-called Li Yan was.

Back when he was still running the bookstore, he was the leader of a group of hooligans. It was that group of people who got Koike to do the book hoarding thing.

Looking back, Liu Changcun's expression at that moment was unusually serious.

She hurriedly came out from inside the stage and checked her child from all angles.

"Dad, I'm sorry, I already..."

"You're not hurt, are you?"

Without listening to his son's remorseful apology, Liu Changcun checked his son but found no obvious external injuries.

Looking at Liu Songyan, who seemed completely unaffected, he continued to ask with concern.

"I only care about this; I don't care about anything else."

"..."

Feeling a warmth in his heart, Liu Songyan looked at his father in front of him.

Although he maintained a calm demeanor from the moment he entered the store, he ultimately couldn't keep up the pretense after genuinely hearing his father's concern.

Feeling the action of checking the injury, Liu Songyan responded softly with a shy expression.

"I'm fine, they didn't touch me."

"Stop bragging, there are three of them!"

"real."

Liu Songyan raised his forearm and showed it to his father in front of him.

"I lifted dumbbells every day during the summer vacation, and I am stronger than before."

"Where did we get these dumbbells from?"

"It's the pair I bought at the square. I saw you hadn't used them, and I thought it would be a waste to leave them unused, so I practiced with them myself."

"..."

I remember.

I forgot the dumbbells I left at my senior's stall and didn't bring them home, but inexplicably my son took them home.

Liu Changcun only practiced once and forgot about it after joining the film crew.

(End of this chapter)