"I had originally thought that with a larger principal, the service fee I collected would also be greater," Feng Xuanxiang said regretfully. "I was hoping for a bit more for my marriage fund, but I didn't expect..."

Shi Man looked at the regretful Feng Xuanxiang and pinched his flesh. "Oh, you. But wasn't the money in Han Tao's account meant for purchasing goods for resale? How did half of it end up being used for stocks? If that’s the case..." Although the available funds weren't as much as she initially believed, Shi Man suddenly realized something: the pressure was actually greater because if they lost money, the resale business would be in jeopardy.

What Shi Man said brought Feng Xuanxiang’s relaxed heart right back up to his throat. "Heavens, my pressure just got heavier." If they actually suffered a loss, not only would Qiqi give him the cold shoulder, but his own woman wouldn't be pleased either, and neither would Juliana.

Seeing her man turn pale again, Shi Man moved closer to Feng Xuanxiang and kissed him. "It’s alright. In my heart, you are the best. And Qiqi often says that pressure is motivation. Whether we can finally settle down in New York in the future depends on you." The mere thought of one day living under the New York sky made Shi Man incredibly excited.

Feng Xuanxiang nodded, and looking at his girlfriend's exuberant expression, he vowed inwardly to buy a house in New York. "It’s getting late; let's go to sleep." These past few days had been a whirlwind—flying to the US, connecting flights, negotiating with the landlord, and then moving. "We still have to go shopping tomorrow for supplies; the task is not light."

Shi Man had initially wanted to say she wasn't tired and could stay up a bit longer, but upon hearing about the necessity of buying daily necessities the next day, she sighed. Recalling the list of items Qiqi had mentioned online made her head ache a little. She hadn't expected it to be her turn so soon. After all, Han Tao was only staying in the US for two months, but her man planned to live there permanently. Some things absolutely had to be procured, so she could only shut the computer, take a shower, and conserve her energy for the shopping trip tomorrow.

Even though Shi Man and Wang Qiqi were in the same country, they were in different time zones. While Shi Man and her partner were already asleep, Wang Qiqi and Jing Tao were still huddled on the sofa, busy with something. "Do you want some Jujube and Lotus Seed Soup?" After checking some information, Wang Qiqi saw the time and asked Han Tao, realizing it wasn't that early.

Jujube and Lotus Seed Soup? Han Tao wasn't very fond of it. It was fine for women, and although dates were supposed to enrich the blood, he genuinely disliked it. "I'm not having any. It's late, Qiqi, you should go to sleep first." Han Tao was accustomed to working overtime, but Qiqi clearly didn't seem to have more work left; she was purely staying up late to keep him company. "I'll go to sleep in a bit."

Wang Qiqi initially wanted to insist that she could wait, but her eyelids were getting heavier, and she realized she couldn't hold on any longer. "Then I'll go to sleep first. You sleep early too."

When Wang Qiqi heard the alarm, she immediately scrambled out of bed and found Han Tao fast asleep beside her. He was frowning deeply, apparently troubled by something in his dream. Wang Qiqi reached out and touched his forehead. "You really are a little old man; even in your sleep, you're all about work, work."

Wang Qiqi carefully got out of bed, went to the kitchen to start the congee, fried two eggs, poured the milk to warm naturally, and then tossed yesterday's change of clothes into the washing machine.

By the time the clothes were washed and the congee was nearly done, Wang Qiqi returned to the bedroom and found Han Tao sleeping soundly. "Han Tao, Han Tao, wake up, wake up!" She didn't know what colleague Han Tao had mentioned coming to pick him up, but getting up early was better than waking up late.

Han Tao rolled over and continued sleeping. Seeing her man acting so sluggishly in bed like a child, Wang Qiqi skipped into the living room, retrieved the camera from the bookshelf, rushed back to the bedroom, and started taking a rapid series of shots of Han Tao. Wang Qiqi thought that later, when they had children or when they were both old, sitting in rocking chairs, they could look through the photo album and say, "When you were young, you were such a hard person to wake up. I had to exert Herculean effort to get you moving."

Han Tao had initially hoped to finally enjoy some uninterrupted sleep, but moments later, the flash popped. In their home, there was only one person who would pull a stunt like this—his own wife. Han Tao struggled to prop himself up and predictably saw Wang Qiqi excitedly snapping pictures. Fine, take the photos; they were of him, after all, and wouldn't be spread around. But the problem was why his wife was making such shy, almost lewd sounds while photographing him, like a pervert capturing candid shots of a beautiful woman.

Wang Qiqi only intended to capture a few shots of the man lounging in bed, but she hadn't expected him to sit up. Especially since he wasn't wearing anything on his upper body; his eyes were hazy, and his hair was sticking up. Although it wasn't as overtly sexy as photoshoots with celebrities or models, in Wang Qiqi's eyes, he was still her man. Every unintentional pose he struck was stylish and utterly captivating. Worried that he might ruin the moment, Wang Qiqi urged, "Don't move! Let me take a few more." While she had seen him wake up before, he had always been up earlier than her, and she hadn't had a camera handy to observe closely. But this accidental display revealed a shocking scene—life truly wasn't lacking beauty; you just weren't looking closely enough.

Han Tao was startled by Wang Qiqi's sudden sharp voice and, at first, he really did comply. But he quickly snapped back to reality. Why should he be so obedient? Han Tao quickly pulled the quilt over himself, slowly shuffled to the edge of the bed, then moved to the wardrobe, picked out the clothes he needed for the day, and deliberately strolled into the bathroom to change.

Wang Qiqi kept pressing the shutter button the entire time, though some of the photos were undoubtedly blurry because, even wrapped in the quilt, the man moved quite quickly. "Ah, I should have used the video camera; that would have been better for capturing the effect," Wang Qiqi lamented, putting down the camera with regret. "I missed so many shots; what a pity..." She shook her head sadly as she spoke.

When Han Tao had finished dressing and entered the room holding the quilt, he was speechless upon hearing his wife's words. "Do you want me to strip completely?" Han Tao actually raised his hands in a gesture of starting to undress.

Strip completely? Wang Qiqi shook her head; that was going too far. "It's getting late; let's eat." Wang Qiqi worried Han Tao might snatch the film roll out to destroy it, so she hurried to the doorway, turned back, hugged the camera, and walked out.

Han Tao hadn't expected Wang Qiqi to turn back for the camera. To be honest, he truly wanted to destroy the photos; weren't they damaging to his image? But before he could act, Qiqi had already taken the camera. "You really don't trust me that much, do you?" Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable.

Wang Qiqi looked at Han Tao, who was glaring at her, and huffed a few times. "I know you well enough. You wouldn't not do it, would you?" She paused. "It's safer if I keep it. Don't worry, I'll take it back to the country myself for developing." Because Wang Qiqi loved photography and often interacted with the school's photography club, she could frequent darkrooms, even if she couldn't work independently, which saved her a considerable amount of money since she developed many of her own prints.

Han Tao shot Wang Qiqi a glare. His main concern wasn't where the photos would be developed; he knew this was a prime opportunity for Wang Qiqi to mock him later. Although he could sneak a few shots while she slept, he had no place to develop them. As for commercial developers, Han Tao absolutely did not trust them—what if they kept a copy? "Then be careful. Remember, your man's upper body is already in the picture."

Hearing Han Tao voice such concern, Wang Qiqi genuinely wanted to retort. What was the big deal about his upper body being bare? Who cares? In the summer, countless men went shirtless. But seeing the look in Han Tao's eyes, and remembering that he never went shirtless, even in the hottest weather—always wearing at least a tank top—meaning his 'two points' were rarely exposed, she relented. "I know, I know. Don't worry, I'll protect your nude photos. I'll be present for the entire developing process."

Now that sounded more like it. Since his wife had assured him, Han Tao decided against trying to snatch the camera. Judging by the expression she had when taking the pictures, he knew his wife was absolutely satisfied with his physique. If that was the case, why fight her for it? "Remember your words. My physique is only for your eyes," he said, throwing her a flirtatious wink and watching with satisfaction as Wang Qiqi's surprised look confirmed his charm before Han Tao turned to head to the bathroom.

Seeing Han Tao’s slightly arrogant display, and then looking down at the camera in her hand, Wang Qiqi suddenly wondered if he had ever intended to destroy the photos in the first place, perhaps just wanting her promise not to show them to outsiders. What a petty man.

"Wow, the congee smells delicious!" After washing up and packing his laptop into its case, Han Tao walked to the dining table. He inhaled deeply over the congee that had cooled slightly. Having a wife was truly wonderful.

"Eat as much as you like if you enjoy it." Wang Qiqi placed the milk and fried eggs to the side. "Oh, and remember to write down your company address and name later."

"You're really planning to deliver food?" Han Tao asked, swallowing the porridge. "It's too much trouble, really."

"I must, I must." Didn't she see how moved her man was by such a simple bowl of congee? "You are the pillar of this household; I must take good care of you."

Han Tao took the paper and pen, recorded the address and company name, and even drew a simple map. "Can you follow this?"

"If you can't find the way, just ask people!" Wang Qiqi took the map and studied it for a moment, thinking that without asking, she might genuinely get lost.

Hearing Wang Qiqi’s casual remark, Han Tao thought that asking for directions in that particular area might be an issue in itself, though it was possible they might encounter a passerby to ask. Han Tao decided not to voice his skepticism. (To be continued)