Wife, please behave yourself.

Chapter 63 Keep your voice down
I'm in my room, leaning against the headboard.

Liu Changcun held his phone, looking at the content displayed on the text message.

I can't sleep; I think I have insomnia.

01:23
In the early hours of the morning, An Zhaoran, who sent the text message, seemed unusually energetic.

Liu Changcun met the other party once at the station during the day. Before parting, he said that he would make sure the other party replied to his text message no matter what.

It seems this old classmate is quite obedient now, but the text message came way too late.

At other times, he would have been asleep long ago.

If it weren't for the special circumstances today, Liu Changcun might have only seen this text message in the morning.

Alone in my bedroom at home, I hesitated for a moment before finally deciding to reply.

Listening to soft music or counting sheep can help you fall asleep faster.

After sending the text message, Liu Changcun placed his phone on the bedside table.

Looking up at the bedroom light above him, he let out a soft sigh after what seemed like an eternity.

Liu Changcun took Ning Mengyao home.

In fact, this was not his own suggestion, but the result of the other party's repeated requests.

When Ning Mengyao left the rented room, she simply packed her luggage and let Liu Changcun take her around aimlessly after getting into the car.

Considering it was getting late, Liu Changcun suggested that they rent a room for the time being and move out once they found a new place to rent.

However, Ning Mengyao did not seem to agree with this suggestion.

She remained silent until she uttered those words.

"Let's go to your place."

To be honest, Liu Changcun initially thought that the other party was still up to no good and wanted to do something outrageous.

But when he saw Ning Mengyao's expression, his suspicions disappeared.

It's like a drowning person desperately trying to pull the person trying to save them.

Ning Mengyao doesn't want to leave Liu Changcun.

At least that's the case tonight.

Considering the great blow Ning Mengyao had suffered tonight, Liu Changcun was worried that she might do something foolish if she was alone.

After much hesitation, I brought it back anyway.

After returning home, the two washed up one after the other. Liu Changcun took a shower first, and then Ning Mengyao.

During this time, I tried to keep quiet as much as possible, for fear of waking my sleeping children.

Now, sitting in his bedroom, Liu Changcun gazed towards the doorway.

My gaze drifted down to the bed, landing on the makeshift bedding.

"We shouldn't have brought her back... What a mess this is."

"Squeak~"

The bedroom door was slowly pushed open, the old wooden door making a teeth-grinding sound as it opened.

The soles of the shoes were slightly damp, making a soft slapping sound as they stepped on the floor.

Ning Mengyao appeared at the door and gently closed the door behind her.

Looking at the bed in front of him, he slowly lowered his face after noticing that Liu Changcun was also watching him.

"I'll be tonight..."

"Dingling bell~"

The phone rang suddenly, interrupting Ning Mengyao's unfinished sentence.

Liu Changcun, who had been staring at the other person, immediately picked up his ringing phone and looked at the contact name on the screen.

It was An Zhaoran calling.

Nearly three minutes have passed since I replied to the text message.

He thought the matter was over, but unexpectedly, he received a call from the other party at 1 a.m.

Holding his ringing and vibrating phone, Liu Changcun, regaining his senses, gestured for the woman at the door to mute it.

Then press the answer button and place the receiver next to your ear.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

I can't sleep...

"..."

For a moment, Liu Changcun thought he had missed some information, and it wasn't until a few seconds later that he realized it.

"If you can't sleep, just count sheep. Why are you calling so late at night?"

I saw you replied to me, and I figured you weren't asleep either...

Liu Changcun regretted replying to that text message.

If he had known that the other party would call after he replied, he should have pretended not to see it.

"I'm about to go to sleep."

Let's chat for a bit.

"Let's talk another day, it's too late now."

You said it before... what couple doesn't call each other?

"..."

He did indeed say that.

However, this was just an example to show the other person how to disguise themselves so that their family wouldn't notice.

Besides, they're not even a couple, so there's no need for them to start calling each other at night.

So even if you're faking it, you have to make it convincing. My dad has a lot of free time; he's really capable of going through my phone...

Liu Changcun was on the phone in bed, and in the quiet room, the woman's voice could be faintly heard from the other end of the line.

Ning Mengyao stopped in front of the door, looking at the man whose attention was completely focused on the phone.

He opened his mouth several times, but no words came out.

He raised his hand and fumbled to turn off the light.

The bright room suddenly became dark, with only the faint light from the phone screen providing illumination.

Walking forward in the dark, Ning Mengyao tried her best to keep her movements as quiet as possible, and carefully made her way towards the bedding spread on the floor.

But it seemed like fate liked to play tricks on her.

Unknowingly veering off course, I accidentally kicked the bed leg as I stepped out with my left foot once more.

In an instant, a piercing pain swept through my entire body.

Make her open her mouth, since she wants to be quiet.

“Ah… it hurts…”

[Huh? Why is there a woman's voice?]

The slightly groaning cry of pain was successfully caught by An Zhaoran on the other end of the phone.

His previously somewhat languid tone suddenly became more energetic.

Liu Changcun also sat up abruptly.

I could vaguely see the figure bent over at the foot of the bed, one hand covering the microphone, the voice low. "Don't make a sound!"

Ning Mengyao bent down and pressed her left foot, which had been hit.

Nodding his head, he desperately tried to endure the pain.

He dragged his feet slowly and crawled to the bedding spread on the floor.

He curled up, clutching his injured toe.

Clenching my teeth, I made sure not a single sound escaped.

Liu Changcun, who was on the bed, felt a little relieved when he saw the other person lie down.

An Zhaoran already knew about Liu Changcun's divorce.

Now, the voices of other women can be heard coming from the room. If she finds out, things will get out of control.

He didn't want to be known as someone who liked to mess around.

No, you must have misheard.

I heard it clearly, something about how much it hurt... What hurts so much?

"It's probably static from the phone. This crappy phone should be replaced."

[No, I clearly heard it just now...]

"By the way, I'll be joining the film crew in a few days, so I'll probably be super busy then."

Oh... but that voice...

"It's getting late. I have things to do tomorrow, so let's leave it at that for now. We can chat again another day when we have time."

Hang up and toss the phone aside.

Liu Changcun looked at the still-lit screen of his phone and relaxed a little.

Fortunately, he hung up quickly enough; otherwise, it would have been really hard to explain.

Liu Changcun paused for a moment, then suddenly seemed lost in thought.

Anyway, their relationship isn't real, so why is he panicking?

Coming to his senses, Liu Changcun looked at the floor beside the bed again, at the figure still enduring on the bedding.

"Does it hurt that much?"

"Um……"

A soft murmur of response came through, but Ning Mengyao still dared not make any loud noise.

He only responded when Liu Changcun took the initiative to ask.

"I bumped my little finger...it hurts so much..."

Why did you turn off the light?

"Who sleeps with the lights on... It wastes electricity to leave the lights on..."

Ning Mengyao seems to be living in extreme poverty. It's not hard to tell from her response that she has probably tried every possible way to save money.

After a long while, the excruciating pain seemed to have finally subsided somewhat.

Finally able to rest in a supine position, she pulled the thin sheet beside her and covered herself with it.

Although her little finger was still a little swollen and painful, the pain was already within Ning Mengyao's tolerance range.

Staring at the pitch-black ceiling above my head.

I could hear the sound of the man turning over and lying down on the bed next to me.

"Thank you... bro."

"..."

The bedroom was dark when the lights were off, so dark that only the moonlight, which wasn't completely blocked by the curtains, shone through the gaps in the curtains.

The man on the bed did not respond. After a few seconds, Ning Mengyao's voice came again from the quiet bedroom.

"I've troubled you so many times..."

"Go to sleep now, you can get up tomorrow morning after my child goes to school."

"I know, brother."

"hiss……"

The figure on the bed, turned away, seemed to be unable to keep up the act any longer.

He suddenly rolled over, facing the makeshift bedding on the floor.

"Didn't you always call me Boss Liu before? Why are you calling me 'brother' now?"

Aren't you older than me?

"It sounds so awkward, this form of address."

"Then... I'll call you Brother Liu?"

"It sounds even worse, so let's not change it. Just keep shouting it the way it used to."

"Um……"

From the quiet room came the woman's voice of agreement.

As the last sentence ended, the bedroom became unusually quiet.

Ning Mengyao continued to stare at the unfamiliar ceiling in front of her.

The hand gripping the sheet tightened even more.

She thought she would be devastated after witnessing Li Mingche's infidelity, but although she was sad, it wasn't as painful as she had imagined.

Ning Mengyao simply couldn't accept that the other person was messing around in the house she had paid for.

I cannot accept his slanderous remarks about me.

Without realizing it, she no longer liked him as much.

Perhaps it started when he became unambitious and spent his days playing cards at the local gambling dens.

Or perhaps it's because I've been working hard to pay off my debts all these years...

Ning Mengyao used to harbor unrealistic fantasies.

She thought the other person could turn over a new leaf, or at least get back on their feet.

However, reality dealt her a heavy blow.

Li Mingche not only did not change, but also did even more despicable things.

Perhaps... just as Liu Changcun said.

Li Mingche has always been this kind of person.

He was just good at disguising himself in the past and never revealed his true nature.

Her gaze, which had been fixed on the ceiling, slowly returned, and she silently turned her face to look at the figure on the bed beside her.

Liu Changcun may really be exhausted.

In just a short while, it fell silent and drifted off to sleep.

Looking at the man lying on his side, she suddenly wanted to look more closely.

Take a few more glances at this person who is five years older than me.

A man who always helps her...

(End of this chapter)