Wang Qiqi fought to suppress the tremor brought on by someone's handsy attempts, pushing him away with effort, and snorted a few times. "Miss me? Yes, you really missed me. This house is a pigsty—dishes aren't washed, clothes aren't cleaned, and the bedding isn't even folded." Did he really think this place was a restaurant, a hotel, and a dry cleaner rolled into one?

The thought that she had just gotten home from a long journey, hadn't even had a sip of water or rested for a moment before starting to clean the house, only to sit down for a short while before her stomach began to rumble—and just as she got the porridge simmering, this person showed up—how could Wang Qiqi not be angry? This was too much; he was nowhere to be found while she was working, but he appeared just as she was getting ready to eat.

When Han Tao was deeply moved, this push from Wang Qiqi stunned him. He looked at her, puzzled. Hadn't they been apart for so long? Shouldn't she have responded with enthusiasm? Even if she was tired, she wouldn't act like this. Moreover, Han Tao was sure he had felt Qiqi stirring earlier. How could his wife’s expression change in the blink of an eye? But hearing her words and seeing how clean the house was now, he understood she must have started cleaning immediately after getting off the plane. "I..."

Wang Qiqi sighed. Even her greatest anger softened when she saw Han Tao looking utterly exhausted. What else could she say? "I know you’re tired, too, but you could have at least thrown your clothes in the washer or put the dishes in the sink."

Han Tao sighed. He knew all that. Honestly, it was just a few dishes and a few pieces of laundry; he didn't intend to leave them lying around. "After you left, I was working overtime, and then more overtime, constantly. When I got home on those few nights, it was just enough time for a shower." He was utterly exhausted, yet his colleagues' and superiors' satisfaction with Han Tao was rising, which meant Han Tao was getting involved in more and more things, with increasing difficulty. This left Han Tao genuinely struggling; some things were truly beyond his current scope of understanding. But backing down wasn't his nature. Fortunately, his colleagues were helpful and offered some guidance, but most of it relied on Han Tao himself, which was the primary reason he had been so busy lately.

"Are you hungry?" Wang Qiqi asked, looking at the noticeably older Han Tao with concern. "I brewed some porridge. We don't have much else in the house." Water, and only water. As for the vegetables she had bought earlier, they were still in the fridge, but looking at the printed sticker, they were clearly bought before she left. Although they still looked fresh and showed no signs of spoiling, Wang Qiqi couldn't bring herself to eat them after seeing the purchase date, so she had tossed them. Fortunately, there were two packets of preserved mustard greens left. "We still have a couple of eggs; how about I make you preserved egg and century egg porridge?"

"Good." Han Tao hadn't wanted to make such a fuss, but after days of nothing but burgers and hot dogs, his stomach was staging a protest. He kissed Wang Qiqi. "Wife, without you here, everything really descends into chaos." Having the house clean felt wonderful. Han Tao sincerely didn't want to recall how disheveled he felt the few times he entered this home recently.

After saying this, Han Tao sat down at the dining table and turned on his computer, occasionally chatting a few sentences with Wang Qiqi. At first, his replies were quite coherent. But later, his responses became completely off-topic. Wang Qiqi found it strange. When Han Tao was busy programming before, this never happened. Why was he like this now? He clearly had his entire mind focused on the computer. Had he run into a major problem?

Wang Qiqi walked over to Han Tao curiously, peered over his shoulder, and realized it was stuff she didn't understand—it was pure gibberish to her. Wang Qiqi shrugged and returned to the balcony to hang the laundry she had just washed.

Although Han Tao had been working around the clock for days and his body was nearly spent, now that his wife was finally home, no matter how tired he was, it was time to pay the "tribute," wasn't it? Han Tao’s original plan was to chat intimately with Qiqi after the fact and perhaps wake up a little later the next day. After all, everyone was swamped these days; being a little late occasionally didn't matter. Besides, the workload was fixed; finish early, and you rest early; start late, and you wait for overtime. But Han Tao found that his already fatigued body, after a bout of activity, succumbed even more powerfully to the allure of the Land of Dreams. After only a few words with Qiqi, he fell silent and was quickly embraced by Morpheus.

Wang Qiqi was also very tired, but since Han Tao was keeping her chatting, she had to fight off the drowsiness and converse with him sporadically. But unexpectedly, the young man stopped talking altogether, replaced by snoring. Snoring—that was very abnormal. In all the times they had shared a bed, this was the first time Wang Qiqi had heard him snore. It meant the man was truly exhausted. Wang Qiqi turned on the bedside lamp and saw Han Tao’s brow furrowed, his expression exhausted yet thoughtful. Wang Qiqi leaned down and kissed him, hoping to give him sweet dreams, dreams without a pile of code or so much pressure.

Wang Qiqi knew that while she strived to become a woman worthy of Han Tao, she must also have placed considerable pressure on the man beside her. Coupled with the inheritance left by her deceased parents, their different starting points meant their rates of ascent were different. "I love you, Han Tao." After saying this, Wang Qiqi turned off the light and curled up, pulling Han Tao close as she drifted into dreamland.

Han Tao woke up to find someone nestled beside him. He drowsily opened his eyes, realizing he was home. But hadn't Qiqi been traveling? Then it hit him—oh, Qiqi had returned last night. He rolled over and kissed Wang Qiqi. "Qiqi, it's so good to have you back." It seemed his dream last night where Qiqi said she loved him wasn't a dream; it must have been something she actually said.

Thanks to his dear one's return and the healthy activity they had shared, Han Tao felt the air this morning was exceptionally crisp, and his spirits were soaring. Han Tao checked the time; it was not yet eight o'clock. He pondered for a moment. He still had some time. Sam had said he was tired from continuous overtime and would arrive a bit later today, probably waiting for him at the intersection around nine. Thinking of this, Han Tao kissed Wang Qiqi again, rolled out of bed, and set out to surprise her.

Wang Qiqi rolled over again to find the side of the bed empty. She squinted, realizing Han Tao was already gone, and the sun outside was high in the sky. Had she overslept? Wang Qiqi grabbed the alarm clock next to the bed and saw it was already past eight. "Poor Han Tao; he really works from dawn till dusk." But this was his own choice. He used to say that foreigners clearly separated work and leisure time—clock out when the time hits. But in the time Wang Qiqi had spent in the US, she didn't know about other companies, but Han Tao's colleagues certainly deserved national labor model awards; they truly lived by the motto of making the company their home.

Wang Qiqi figured Han Tao must have already gone to work and thought about going back to sleep. Just then, she heard the sound of pots clanking from the kitchen. That sound meant someone was still home. Could Han Tao not have gone to work yet? Had he taken the day off because she was back? Wang Qiqi shook her head; she knew Han Tao wasn't that type of person. Did the boss give them the day off? She hadn't heard Han Tao mention it yesterday. Could he have overslept, and since the driver wasn't waiting up for him, he decided to leave later?

Wang Qiqi turned over, found her clothes by the bedside, dressed, and walked out of the bedroom to see a certain man in only his underwear bustling about in the kitchen, seemingly in a good mood, even humming a tune. Wang Qiqi leaned against the bedroom doorframe, watching him work. Having a man cook breakfast for you first thing in the morning—never mind the quality of the cooking—that gesture alone was wonderful. Not to mention the man's physique; Wang Qiqi felt her mouth go dry. Ah, this breakfast truly promised to be a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

Although Han Tao was humming while cooking, he heard the bedroom door open. He expected Qiqi to head to the bathroom or walk over to him for a long kiss. But after waiting for a while and hearing no footsteps, he turned and saw her leaning against the doorframe. Han Tao beckoned to Wang Qiqi. "I brewed some porridge. Go freshen up, and we'll eat together." Although Han Tao’s original script had him bringing the breakfast to bed, kissing her awake, and then feeding her, having Qiqi up so they could eat face-to-face felt pretty nice too.

Wang Qiqi murmured, "You’re not working today?"

Han Tao hummed affirmatively, picking up bowls and chopsticks to set the table. "I leave at nine. Sam is coming in late today, so I'll be late too. Oh, and I still have overtime tonight," Han Tao called out.

Wang Qiqi responded, "I’ll bring you lunch." Fine, she was back to being the cook, but Wang Qiqi wasn't as resistant to this role anymore. She had to admit, taking a trip felt wonderful. "Tell me what dishes you want. I’ll go buy the ingredients shortly."

Han Tao hadn't expected such a generous bonus today—even being able to order dishes! Previously, it was whatever Qiqi cooked, he ate. In Wang Qiqi's words, she wasn't running a restaurant, so she didn't take orders. "Qiqi, I adore you! I want to eat..." Han Tao began listing the dishes he craved.

Han Tao enthusiastically listed everything he wanted that Wang Qiqi cooked well, growing happier as he spoke. Meanwhile, Wang Qiqi, washing up in the bathroom, had only one thought: Haven't I spoiled him too much, letting him get this cocky? "Are you sure you can eat all that in one day? And do I have the stamina to cook all that?" She reminded herself how tired she was just yesterday.

Han Tao heard the displeasure in Wang Qiqi’s words and thought he shouldn't push it further, or he might lose this favor altogether. But he was equally unwilling to give up completely. So, he began muttering softly about how hard he had been working lately, ensuring Wang Qiqi could still hear him.

Hearing these words from the bathroom, Wang Qiqi’s face darkened. "Fine. The dishes you want, I will cook for you slowly." A man had worked hard; he deserved to be rewarded. In the end, Wang Qiqi’s soft heart won out, ending the discussion with her concession.