Madam, Please Behave-Chapter 185: You’re Wrong

Why…

Why did it have to turn out like this?

Liu Changqing stood inside the city management bureau, looking at Lan Yixian, who was pushing the confiscated tricycle with her head lowered, her whole demeanor carrying a sense of quiet disappointment.

She hadn’t brought enough money with her, so he had paid the fine on her behalf.

For some reason, Liu Changqing felt like this woman had a strange ability to make him spend money on her.

Lan Yixian, on the other hand, was feeling incredibly guilty. Apart from their first encounter at the breakfast shop, which had been somewhat pleasant, every time they ran into each other afterward, she seemed to bring him trouble.

The guilt weighed on her.

Stopping in her tracks, she looked up at Liu Changqing, who remained expressionless, and spoke in an apologetic tone.

"I’m sorry…"

Hearing her take the blame again, Liu Changqing sighed helplessly.

"Stop apologizing all the time. This isn’t your fault."

"But… I made you pay for me…"

"Forget about that for now. What are you planning to do next? Looks like this side hustle isn’t going to work out."

"…"

His words made Lan Yixian glance at the tricycle beside her, her grip on the handlebars tightening slightly.

After a long silence, she finally spoke.

"I’ll sell it in a couple of days…"

"Will you be able to recover at least half of what you spent?"

"I don’t know…"

She shook her head.

Hearing this, Liu Changqing studied her expression. She looked lost.

He wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, he chose to stay quiet and simply started walking.

Seeing him suddenly leave, Lan Yixian quickly pushed the tricycle to follow him, increasing her pace to keep up.

Neither of them spoke during the entire walk.

As they stepped out of the city management bureau’s gate, Lan Yixian barely managed to catch up. It was then that she finally spoke again.

"I’ll pay you back tomorrow."

Liu Changqing’s footsteps paused slightly. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye and replied,

"There’s no rush…"

"I can’t do that. I already owe you so much."

"…"

Hearing those familiar words, Liu Changqing didn’t respond. His expression became unreadable.

He remained silent as they continued walking.

Soon, Liu Changqing reached his car.

Placing his hand on the door handle, he pulled it open.

But instead of getting in, he stood there for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Then, he turned his head and looked at Lan Yixian, who was still behind him, pushing the tricycle.

With a little more force than necessary, he shut the car door.

Bang!

The sudden noise startled Lan Yixian. Her body gave a small involuntary shudder, as if the sound had scared her.

Liu Changqing noticed it.

Something flickered in his eyes—something complicated.

He walked over to her.

"You don’t have to keep thinking about paying me back. I’m not in a rush."

He looked at Lan Yixian as he spoke.

He really didn’t understand what was going through her head. Why was she so obsessed with repaying him?

Liu Changqing rarely brought up the money she owed because he didn’t want to pressure her. But now, she was the one constantly mentioning it.

Hearing his words, Lan Yixian simply looked at him. After a long silence, she finally said,

"I don’t want to owe you."

Sigh…

Liu Changqing let out a deep breath, suddenly feeling a sense of helplessness. He shifted his gaze away from her face and onto the tricycle, a thought crossing his mind.

"And about that tricycle… That woman you bought it from, I think she scammed you. Just because someone seems nice to you on the surface doesn’t mean they actually have your best interests at heart."

It felt wrong to judge a stranger like this, but Liu Changqing couldn't help but suspect it.

Had that woman taken advantage of Lan Yixian’s kindness, thinking she was easy to fool?

Otherwise, why was it so convenient? Right when the city was cracking down on street vendors, she just happened to be moving back home, just happened to stop doing business, and just happened to sell the tricycle to Lan Yixian…

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Liu Changqing didn’t know much about Lan Yixian’s past. But from the short time they had interacted, he admired her attitude toward life.

Fate had been cruel to her, yet she still worked hard to keep going.

She was a kind woman.

Liu Changqing wanted to help her, but they weren’t close enough for him to just hand her money. Even if he found her a job, she might not accept it.

From what he knew about her, if he offered to help her find work, she would most likely refuse.

This woman—she seemed indecisive at times, but when it came to certain things, she was unbelievably stubborn.

Lan Yixian, however, didn’t agree with his viewpoint.

"You can’t just assume everyone has bad intentions. There are still a lot of good people in the world."

"Yeah? You bought that tricycle one day, and the very next—"

He stopped mid-sentence.

Liu Changqing suddenly felt there was no point in arguing.

So he changed the subject.

"You know how to ride this thing home, right?"

"Yeah."

"Alright… I’ve got something to take care of. I’ll be heading back first."

"Okay, drive safe."

Hearing her response, Liu Changqing turned, walked to his car, and opened the door.

Before getting in, he glanced in the rearview mirror at Lan Yixian, who was still standing there. His brows furrowed slightly before he finally started the engine and drove away.

Lan Yixian stood there in a daze, watching his car disappear down the street. After a long moment, she finally climbed onto the tricycle, started it up, and twisted the handle.

The vehicle moved forward at a steady pace.

As she rode, her mind was filled with thoughts.

She felt like Liu Changqing had been acting strangely today, saying things that were completely out of character.

He himself was a good person.

Back when she and her mother were struggling, he was the first to step up and help them.

So why was he always so quick to assume the worst about others now?

She thought about it the entire way home, but she just couldn’t figure it out.

By the time she arrived at her apartment building—after riding for over half an hour—she hadn’t even parked the tricycle yet when she spotted the woman who had sold it to her.

Seeing her at this time of night surprised Lan Yixian.

Before she could even ask, the woman, who had been waiting downstairs, hurried over with an apologetic expression.

"Miss, I’m giving you a refund. I can’t sell you this tricycle anymore."

"Huh?"

For a moment, Lan Yixian was completely stunned.

Seeing her confused expression, the woman quickly explained, afraid she might misunderstand.

"My husband told me the city’s cracking down on street vendors… If I sell this to you, I’d basically be scamming you."

"Big Sis…"

"I swear, I’m not lying! If I was trying to trick you, may I be struck down where I stand!"

"Don’t say things like that. But… didn’t you say you were heading back to your hometown this afternoon? It’s already dark—why are you still here?"

"Oh!"

The woman smacked her chest with her hand, looking guilty.

"The street food vendor next to my house—he sells jianbing—his stall got shut down. That’s when I realized the city was really cracking down. I came by your place earlier and knocked for ages, but no one was home…"

Lan Yixian listened to her, watching as she spoke.

The woman’s voice was loud, and there was obvious guilt in her tone.

Though she heard everything the woman was saying, Lan Yixian’s mind kept replaying Liu Changqing’s words from earlier.

Liu Changqing… you were wrong.

She wasn’t lying to me.

There are still more good people in this world than bad.