Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 232: People Change

During class, Liu Zhiyue noticed a peculiar gaze directed at him. It made him a little uncomfortable, but he chose not to look around.

He didn’t even need to think—he already knew who it was.

That strange girl who, for some inexplicable reason, harbored hostility toward him.

Zhang Yunjing.

Ever since they ended up in the same class, this girl—who had cornered him and his father last semester to say some incomprehensible things—had been like a persistent ghost, constantly appearing just to pick a fight with him.

Liu Zhiyue didn’t like her.

As the bell rang for the end of class, the teacher didn’t hold them back. After finishing the final explanation on the blackboard, they gathered their lesson plans and left the room.

The class remained quiet, not becoming rowdy just because the teacher was gone.

Zhou Shiyan pulled out her study materials, flipped them open, and gripped her pen, immediately starting on her work with a focused expression.

Liu Zhiyue simply sat there, watching.

Looking at the girl before him…

Her hair falling over her shoulders, her long eyelashes blinking occasionally, and her habit of slightly opening her mouth and mumbling to herself while solving math problems.

Her lips…

Suddenly, a hand reached in from the window and poked Liu Zhiyue on the neck.

The odd thoughts in his mind vanished instantly, and he turned his head in a panic toward the window.

Seeing who it was, he froze for a moment.

Then, realizing what was happening, he sighed in exasperation.

Zhao Xuanwen grinned at him.

They were no longer in the same class—Liu Zhiyue was in the Rocket Class, while Zhao Xuanwen remained in the Regular Class.

Since the semester had started, they had seen each other less and less, and Liu Zhiyue hadn’t made any effort to seek him out.

But Zhao Xuanwen, on the other hand, would often run over between classes to find him.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Before Liu Zhiyue could say anything, Zhao Xuanwen cheerfully spoke while fishing around in his pocket. After a moment, he pulled out a handful of Big Fat Bunny milk candies.

He extended his hand through the window and placed the candies on Liu Zhiyue’s desk with a wide grin.

“Here, have some candy! My mom bought a whole bunch!”

“……”

Liu Zhiyue didn’t respond immediately. He just gazed at Zhao Xuanwen standing at the window before shifting his eyes to the candies on his desk.

Back then… she had often brought him this kind of candy.

It was sweet and creamy.

But ever since he started losing weight, he hadn’t eaten candy in a long time.

Liu Zhiyue lifted his head. Zhao Xuanwen was still beaming, her cheerful face peeking in from outside the window.

Noticing his gaze, Zhao Xuanwen suddenly thought of something and rummaged through her pocket again, pulling out a few more candies.

She called out softly, “Zhou Shiyan, do you want some too?”

“No thanks, I don’t like sweets.”

Without stopping her work, Zhou Shiyan briefly looked up at Zhao Xuanwen outside the window.

Then, she shifted her gaze to Liu Zhiyue beside her.

After glancing at the two of them, she lowered her head again and continued solving problems.

The atmosphere turned slightly awkward.

Zhao Xuanwen hesitated, then, as if embarrassed, placed all the remaining candies from her pocket onto Liu Zhiyue’s desk.

Now, a small pile had formed.

She reached into her pocket again, still searching.

“I’ll give you more. You said before that you really liked these…”

“I haven’t eaten candy in a long time.”

“……”

Her hand froze in her pocket, and she stared at Liu Zhiyue, momentarily speechless.

She slowly looked at him.

The Liu Zhiyue in front of her wasn’t the same round-faced, chubby boy from before.

He had lost a lot of weight, his face was sharper, and he looked… better, in a way.

But… Zhao Xuanwen still preferred the old him.

The one who used to sit beside her.

After a moment of silence, she withdrew her hand from her pocket and looked away, slightly embarrassed.

“…You don’t like candy anymore?”

“People change.”

“…I see.”

She muttered under her breath, lowering her head.

When she lifted it again, she was smiling as brightly as ever.

“You should’ve told me sooner! If I knew, I wouldn’t have brought you candy. What about crispy noodles? You used to love those too—”

“I don’t eat snacks anymore.”

“……”

As silence settled between them, memories of their past interactions surfaced in Liu Zhiyue’s mind.

Back then, he had only talked to her to keep her from being bullied.

But helping her once didn’t mean he could protect her forever.

Liu Zhiyue understood that very well.

When they were in the same class, he could still look out for her.

But now, they weren’t.

From the beginning… he had only ever pitied her.

Zhou Shiyan, who had been writing in her notebook, sneaked a glance at Zhao Xuanwen standing outside the window.

Then, she stretched out her foot and kicked Liu Zhiyue.

She didn’t hold back either.

Liu Zhiyue, who had been calm and expressionless, immediately gasped in pain. He instinctively turned to look at Zhou Shiyan, who was acting as if nothing had happened.

Zhao Xuanwen lifted her head and glanced at the two of them.

A smile returned to her face.

“Class is starting soon. I should get back.”

“Mm. Study hard.”

Hearing her words, Liu Zhiyue turned back to the window and looked at her smiling face. He spoke softly.

Zhao Xuanwen’s eyes lit up.

“I study seriously even when you’re not around!”

“…Is that so?”

“My notes are complete for every subject!”

With that, Zhao Xuanwen turned around, glancing back at Liu Zhiyue one last time as their eyes met.

She smiled.

“Well, I’m heading back now!”

Then, without hesitation, she ran off, disappearing from Liu Zhiyue’s sight.

Liu Zhiyue turned back to his desk.

He picked up the candies and stuffed them into the compartment under his desk before pulling out the books for the next class.

Only after Zhao Xuanwen had left did Zhou Shiyan finally stop writing.

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She glanced at Liu Zhiyue.

Sensing her gaze, Liu Zhiyue naturally looked back.

Before he could ask, he felt another sharp kick to his leg.

This time, it was even harder than before.

“Hiss—! Why are you kicking me?!”

“No reason.”

Zhou Shiyan replied indifferently, eyes fixed on her notebook, refusing to say anything more.