Wang Qiqi headed straight for the shower upon returning home. As for Han Tao and Dai Lijun trailing behind her, she didn't spare them a glance. "I'm tired, I'm going to sleep. If you two are hungry, cook something for yourselves."

Actually, Wang Qiqi wasn't that angry anymore during the journey back, but seeing Dai Lijun slyly wink at her made her snort inwardly. Did this guy want to see her make a fool of herself? Although she hadn't discussed the situation with Han Tao, she knew he wouldn't side with Dai Lijun.

Dai Lijun wanted to see her embarrassed, so why should she bother cooking for him? Moreover, Wang Qiqi planned to take Han Tao out for a stroll later when the sun wasn't so harsh. For dinner, Wang Qiqi decided they would just eat out, and as for the man who wanted to see a spectacle, she felt it necessary to teach him a lesson about knowing one's place when under someone else's roof.

"It won't do for you not to eat anything." Dai Lijun panicked when he heard Wang Qiqi was just planning to sleep instead of eating. Although Han Tao could cook, in Dai Lijun's estimation, his culinary skills were truly lacking.

"Go rest, I'll just make some noodles," Han Tao thought. He wants to see me make a fool of myself again, and he wants Qiqi to cook? He dreams too much. Besides, Qiqi sounds completely spent when she says that. And we have bread at home.

Wang Qiqi ignored the two as they slipped into the bedroom. Dai Lijun watched the cook retire and saw Han Tao's dismissive attitude, feeling utterly miserable. He was the one suffering the consequences when Qiqi was actually mad at Han Tao.

"If you don't like my noodles, you can choose to cook for yourself," Han Tao said, turning to head to the bathroom to shower. His clothes clinging to him were truly uncomfortable.

Cook for himself? Dai Lijun had only managed to learn a few simple dishes through a crash course fueled by provoking Wang Qiqi back home, but after a whole morning's hustle, he had neither the energy nor the inclination to cook. "I'm going down to shower. Noodles are fine." Worried that Han Tao might stop him and force him to cook, Dai Lijun quickly went downstairs, knowing that only by getting out of Han Tao's line of sight could he secure his lunch.

After Dai Lijun left, Han Tao returned to the room. "Qiqi, are we still going out this afternoon?" he asked softly. "I'll cover the expenses this afternoon. It can come out of my allowance."

Wang Qiqi rolled over and hummed an affirmation. "It was going to be you spending the money anyway; why else would you have an allowance? Eat well, then take a nap." One must be tender with one's own man.

"Mmm." Han Tao tucked the blanket in, picked up the air conditioner remote, and checked the setting. "You set the temperature too low. I'll raise it to twenty-five degrees."

Dai Lijun finished his shower, changed, and came back upstairs, only to find Han Tao already standing at the stove preparing the noodles. Familiar with the routine, he grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge and sat at the dining table. "Tao, you really are a devoted man, a model husband for the new century—earning money and handling housework."

"No choice, I have to cook, or else what will we have for lunch?" Han Tao thought, This guy has some nerve. "How about you whip up a couple of cold dishes? Didn't you say last time that your smashed cucumber salad was pretty good?" Han Tao had noticed cucumbers and tomatoes in the fridge earlier. "Make some sweet tomatoes too." There was no reason he should be the only one cooking.

"All vegetarian?" Dai Lijun sounded displeased. "That won't fill a man up." How was a man supposed to sustain himself without meat?

"There's the braised beef Qiqi made. Two vegetarian sides can balance it out." Han Tao mused that this guy's demands were quite high.

After lunch, Han Tao commanded rather imperiously, "Remember to wash the dishes," before turning and heading to the room to sleep. He needed an hour or so of rest to have the energy to go out later, right?

"I wash the dishes?" Dai Lijun called out behind him. "Brother, you cooked the noodles, and I made two cold dishes!" I wasn't just eating and doing nothing; I clearly contributed, yet Han Tao is being this terrible.

Han Tao completely ignored Dai Lijun's complaints, returned to the room, closed the door, set his alarm, and settled in. He knew that once he and Qiqi were asleep, the guy outside would head down for a nap after washing the dishes anyway.

Dai Lijun finished the dishes, sat on the sofa, browsed the internet for a while, and tried chatting with people to pass the time. Finding neither Lu Qiaowei nor Shi Man online, he grew bored, shut down the computer, and wandered downstairs, ready for a nice long sleep.

When Wang Qiqi heard the alarm, her first instinct was to get up and prepare breakfast, as well as pack lunch boxes for Han Tao and Dai Lijun. But as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and got out of bed, she noticed the sun blazing outside. Only then did she realize it was the weekend, and she should have been taking an afternoon nap. "Damn it, who sets an alarm when they have nothing better to do? Don't they know that can scare a person to death?"

"I did," Han Tao mumbled, slowly climbing out of bed beside her. "I was worried we'd oversleep. I'll go check if Dai Lijun is outside." If he was out, they could go back to sleep; if not, they could prepare to leave soon.

Wang Qiqi murmured "Oh," and opened the closet to select their going-out clothes. Han Tao opened the door and looked around, noticing Dai Lijun's laptop left open on the coffee table, but the man himself was gone. He assumed Dai Lijun, bored, had gone back to his own room to sleep. "Qiqi, should we go now or wait a bit longer?"

"Let's go now," Wang Qiqi said, checking the time—it was past three in the afternoon. Although the sun was still quite strong, she worried that if Dai Lijun woke up, he would definitely tag along. Even though he had earlier claimed he didn't want to go out, Wang Qiqi was sure he had changed his mind by now.

The two quickly changed their clothes, then carefully went downstairs and quietly unlocked the car, slowly pushing the vehicle out of the yard. "O-yeah, full speed ahead!" Wang Qiqi shouted excitedly once they reached a safe spot. "Oh, I forgot to leave a note for Dai Lijun!" At that moment, Wang Qiqi remembered she had forgotten one crucial task: since they wouldn't be back for dinner, they absolutely had to notify the man so he wouldn't be waiting foolishly at home. When someone is hungry, their temper can be quite foul.

"I left one," Han Tao caught up, saying. "I even told him we'd bring something back for him." Han Tao had actually written this note before going to sleep. When closing the door, he had taped the note to it, fully anticipating the look of fury Dai Lijun would wear when he woke up, saw the note, and prepared to play on his computer.

A note was left? Wang Qiqi felt relieved of the burden. Although, even if Han Tao had forgotten the note, Wang Qiqi wouldn't have bothered going back to leave one herself.

Not long after Wang Qiqi and Han Tao left the house, Dai Lijun woke up. However, he didn't hear any footsteps from upstairs. "Looks like they're still sleeping." Since Qiqi was asleep too, he turned over and went back to sleep.

When he woke up again, there was still no sound from upstairs, not even the slightest footfall. He grew suspicious. "Could they possibly still be asleep?"

At this point, Dai Lijun sensed something was amiss. A sudden thought struck him: Could they have gone out? Damn it, they tricked him! But Qiqi was too lenient with Han Tao; if it were him, he'd have certainly tortured the guy a bit first. Hmph, she's so fierce when educating Weiwei, but why isn't she as fierce toward Han Tao, who clearly opposed her wishes?

Of course, Dai Lijun still held onto the possibility that they were truly sleeping, but when he walked upstairs and saw the note on the door—"Oh my God, did the two of them really just abandon me?"—it was too much. Dai Lijun took the key Han Tao had left by the door before heading out, opened it, and was immediately hit by a blast of heat. "Looks like they left a long time ago."

Alas, it seemed they had planned this all along. Qiqi was genuinely tired and went to sleep right away. Han Tao, wanting to get rid of him, pretended he was going to sleep too. Since there was no one to talk to, Dai Lijun naturally felt bored and went back to sleep. It seemed Han Tao woke Wang Qiqi up as soon as he heard the door close, and then they left. What a miscalculation, Dai Lijun analyzed.

Thinking this through, Dai Lijun suddenly considered another possibility: Maybe they had a fight earlier and were deliberately putting on a show for him? At this thought, Dai Lijun realized they might have been testing his character, and his performance hadn't met their requirements—for example, his attempt to sow discord between them. Ah, that was too much! "My life is going to be hard from now on. Han Tao is truly terrible; he didn't even help me out, just watched me jump into a trap."

"It looks like next time I see them squabbling, I must unconditionally side with Wang Qiqi," he decided internally about Han Tao, whom he now deemed an untrustworthy fellow male.

Once online, Dai Lijun found Shi Man logged in and, like finding a lifeline, immediately recounted everything that had happened today. Shi Man, of course, was merciless and had a good laugh at his expense. Dai Lijun had only been looking for comfort, but instead of finding solace, he found more agitation.

"Aargh! My luck is terrible today. First, I was played by that couple, and then Shi Man mocked me. I'm utterly tragic!" Dai Lijun tugged at his hair, shouting, "Hmph, dinner is just bread tonight. I am too miserable!" Although Han Tao had mentioned bringing food back, he figured the couple wouldn't return until very late. The thought of dinner being only bread made Dai Lijun want to cry. "Wife, wife, I miss you."

Dai Lijun yelled, but it was just shouting; cooking for himself was out of the question. Right now, Dai Lijun was filled with regret. Why hadn't he asked where the market was? Otherwise, he could have cycled over, no matter how hard it was. But now, having been too trusting, it was a costly mistake.

While Dai Lijun sat on the sofa, continuously complaining about how he fell for the trick and repeatedly denouncing Han Tao for neglecting brotherhood, Han Tao and Wang Qiqi had already devoured a good amount of food. If one looked closely, one could see a sheen of oil around their mouths.

Wang Qiqi gnawed on a skewer of meat, filled with envy. "Next time we come, we have to bring a plastic mat too." Along the way, many families or entire clans had come out together; the scene was lively in every way, with children running around, eating food bought from home or on the spot. Wang Qiqi and Han Tao had only brought wallets and tissues—nothing else. They clearly looked like novices with zero experience.

Han Tao surveyed the surrounding stalls. "Do you want me to buy a plastic mat?" His wife must be tired from walking; as a qualified boyfriend, he needed to perform well.

Wang Qiqi shook her head. "Don't buy one. We'll be heading back soon anyway. I need to go back and simmer a big pot of something porridge." A lot of the food was deep-fried; after eating too much, it just felt heavy. Wang Qiqi felt greasy inside. If she didn't drink something to cut the grease, she worried her weight would jump up by five or six pounds, and then how could she live? Of course, even if she gained ten pounds, standing among Americans, she would still be considered absolutely slim, but that wasn't a reason for her to indulge recklessly.

Head back now? Han Tao looked up at the still-lively crowd. "No rush, let's sit a bit longer. Besides, didn't you say you wanted to teach Dai Lijun a lesson?" Han Tao hadn't felt a shred of guilt when he betrayed Dai Lijun on the way here. His reward, however, was good: his wife praised Han Tao for his excellent performance and didn't make things difficult for him afterward or throw a small tantrum. For this, Han Tao felt that even though Dai Lijun mocked him and gave him some bad advice, he should actually be grateful to him. Without Dai Lijun, he wouldn't have emerged from the observation period so smoothly.

Wang Qiqi looked at Han Tao, amused. What did Dai Lijun say to Han Tao today that made him hold such a grudge? But it had nothing to do with her; it was their internal affair. It was better for them to be mutually annoyed than for both of them to gang up against her. "Fine, I'll buy one eventually anyway." The quality here wasn't much different from what supermarkets sold, but compared to a second-hand market, this one was probably quite a bit more expensive.

When Wang Qiqi learned the price Han Tao paid for the mat, she regretted it. She recalled attending a second-hand market transaction recently where a mat even bigger than this one, although not as thick, had only cost one-third of this price. This made Wang Qiqi resolve to examine things more carefully at the second-hand market in the future; things she didn't need now wouldn't be useful later either.

"Don't worry about such a small amount of money when we're out having fun." Han Tao noticed Wang Qiqi’s face crumple when he announced the price. He knew the old Wang Qiqi wouldn't have cared about such a small amount. All this calculating started when they discussed buying a house in the US. He knew that to save money, if he and Dai Lijun worked overtime in the evening, Qiqi would go to the supermarket around nine because that’s when items were marked down for clearance. Sometimes she also helped out at a nearby elderly couple's small vegetable patch in exchange for fresh, cheap vegetables. "Qiqi, it's fine. If we're short on money for the house, we'll get a loan. I asked JOHN; he said that even though I haven't officially transferred yet, since I signed a contract and have a monthly income, getting a bank loan might have minor issues, but it's not impossible to secure."

"It's not that I begrudge the money; it's just that I feel we shouldn't spend unnecessarily," Wang Qiqi said, noticing Han Tao incessantly plucking the grass on the lawn. Connecting that to why he said that, and recalling the couple of times she came home late from snagging cheap groceries only to see a flicker of embarrassment on Han Tao's face, she continued, "You know my personality. I like to enjoy life; I won't deprive myself for such a small amount of money." The same things bought later would just go into the fridge anyway, so clearance deals didn't mean much to Wang Qiqi.

"As for me visiting the uncle and aunt to chat sometimes, it's because I find staying home boring. They welcome me over for company. So, Han Tao, please don't feel burdened at all." The daytime house was too quiet, so quiet that Wang Qiqi felt she'd go crazy sooner or later. She wasn't familiar with the neighbors, and even if she were, would they welcome her? Only that elderly couple was genuinely happy to see her. Initially, Wang Qiqi hadn't expected any perks, but she hadn't anticipated them being so warm.

Wang Qiqi spoke with complete sincerity, without a hint of distress. Han Tao stared at her for a long moment. "Rest assured, I won't force myself." Wang Qiqi assured him again.

Han Tao hummed, stopping his destruction of the innocent grass. "Are you thirsty? Should I go buy a drink?" There was an ice cream stall not far away. "Or should I get an ice cream?"

Although the sun had set, the temperature was still high. Wang Qiqi watched the ice cream being advertised, licked her lips, and swallowed a few times. "I won't have any." That many calories would definitely make her gain weight. After eating so much fried food, even though she had exercised quite a bit today, Wang Qiqi estimated the calories burned wouldn't offset the unrestrained eating and drinking tonight.

"Really not eating?" Han Tao calculated mentally. "Your period is still a while away, right?" It wasn't like her period was imminent; why was Qiqi so tense?

"High calories," Wang Qiqi thought. Men just didn't understand women. If Manman were here, she would immediately grasp why she wasn't eating ice cream. "I'll just have bottled mineral water. Oh, and if you see any french fries, get me some of those too." Although eating too many fries also leads to weight gain, Qiqi simply loved potatoes; she could eat them every meal.

"Okay." Before getting up, Han Tao leaned in and whispered close to Wang Qiqi's ear, "You're actually not fat at all. There's no need to deny yourself things you like just to lose weight."

Wang Qiqi gestured towards the meat skewer in her hand. "If I were trying to lose weight, I wouldn't be eating meat skewers." Of the fattening options, Wang Qiqi preferred meat. Moreover, excessive consumption of cold items like ice cream could negatively affect health. She remembered reading in a traditional Chinese medicine book in her past life that consuming too many cold things had quite an impact, especially since Wang Qiqi often suffered from menstrual cramps, indicating her uterus was cold and needed more care.

After Han Tao left, Wang Qiqi munched on her meat skewer, glancing left and right. As she looked around, a little girl, perhaps three years old, with skin as fair and pink as lotus roots, walked by. The little girl pointed at the meat skewer in Wang Qiqi's hand. Wang Qiqi waved the skewer at her, and the little girl took a step closer. As Wang Qiqi kept waving it, the toddler was only two steps away.

Seeing such an initiative-taking child, Wang Qiqi felt quite puzzled. How could such a young child wander around so freely without an adult watching? That was quite irresponsible. "Little one, where are your mommy and daddy?" Wang Qiqi asked first. If the child was truly lost, she needed to take her to the police.

The little girl pointed behind her and called out toward the next spot, "Mommy, over there."

Wang Qiqi looked in the direction the girl indicated and saw a woman in her thirties waving at the girl while simultaneously tending to a child who looked about a year old. However, the woman kept looking over. Wang Qiqi thought, That makes sense; otherwise, it would be very strange. "And what is your name, little friend?"

"Nancy," the little girl replied, her voice incredibly melodious. Listening to it, Wang Qiqi felt the way the book described—like hearing the sound of flowers blooming. "Hello, Nancy, I am Angel."

The little girl stumbled sharply and plopped down onto the grass. Wang Qiqi was startled, worried the little thing might cry, and wondered how she would comfort her. Wang Qiqi was utterly helpless against a child's tears, as reasoning or sweet-talking them never worked.

But the little girl simply smiled widely at Wang Qiqi, a toothless grin. Afterward, the toddler sat on the grass and chatted non-stop with Wang Qiqi. However, Wang Qiqi suspected she didn't possess such captivating charm; the little girl was probably set on the meat skewer in her hand. Wang Qiqi felt a pang of regret, because no matter how desperately the child longed for that skewer, Wang Qiqi couldn't give it to her, or it would cause trouble. Even if the little girl suffered no adverse physical reaction after eating it, in the eyes of her parents, it would still be a major issue.

After chatting with Wang Qiqi for quite a while, the little girl realized that this auntie showed absolutely no inclination to share any of the food. With an immediate pivot, she quickly scooted back toward her mother. As the little thing crawled away, she kept glancing back, checking to see if Wang Qiqi was making any move to call her back. This amused Wang Qiqi immensely; the little sprite was truly entertaining. In fact, there was something Wang Qiqi had wanted to do for a long time but hadn't quite dared: pinch the chubby girl's cheek. Back home in China, a gentle touch, provided you didn't squeeze too hard, usually wouldn't draw much of a reaction from parents who were easygoing enough. But here in the US, that simple act could escalate into a major or minor issue, potentially leading straight to the police station or court.