Wang Qiqi woke up to find it was already past nine. After tossing and turning for a while, she finally had to drag herself out of the warm embrace of her duvet. It wasn't that she wanted to sleep in, but the state of her home upon her return yesterday had nearly knocked her out. Thankfully, the sink wasn't piled high with dishes, and while there was a mountain of laundry, the sheets hadn't been changed. Newspapers and magazines were strewn haphazardly on the sofa, the dining table hadn't been wiped down, and the bathtub was layered with grime. Yesterday, Qiqi simply didn't have the strength to clean, but if she didn't tackle it today, she wouldn't be able to live there another day.

When Wang Qiqi stepped out of her room and saw the milk glass and breakfast plate still sitting on the dining table, she let out a deep sigh. "How can a house be run without a woman? Han Tao is really something; Fatty must have corrupted him." Han Tao wasn't exactly a paragon of diligence, but he certainly wouldn't let the place become this filthy. The current state of the apartment was absolutely Fatty's fault for leading her man astray.

Wang Qiqi ignored the mess and first set about cooking something delicious, then ate her fill. No matter the task ahead, one shouldn't work on an empty stomach. Besides, looking at the situation, Qiqi deeply doubted if she would even be able to go to work tomorrow because she discovered Fatty had thrown his own bedsheets into the washing machine too. Wang Qiqi felt like spitting blood. The items were already in the machine; couldn't he press a few buttons to start it?

No matter how resigned she felt, Wang Qiqi could only start with Fatty's sheets first. As she did, she noticed a piece of paper weighed down on top of the washing machine. It read: Qiqi, I've put away all my personal belongings in my room. Please help clean up. Thanks, Fatty.

"This guy." Wang Qiqi had originally planned only to clean her and Han Tao's rooms, the common areas, and the study. She certainly wasn't going to clean Fatty's room. To think he'd leave a note asking for her help! As for why he placed the paper on the washing machine, it was clearly to ensure she couldn't claim she hadn't seen it. "So cunning."

John yawned as he walked out of his office. Just as he was heading to the breakroom for a coffee to continue working, he spotted Han Tao emerging from his own office. "You're heading out?"

Han Tao nodded, closing his office door. "I'm going home. You keep burning the midnight oil." Han Tao knew John had been non-stop negotiating and calculating for days; it wasn't any easier for him here. At this moment, Han Tao felt grateful to have John as a partner; otherwise, handling all this work would absolutely exhaust him. He much preferred the monotonous world of computer programming to haggling with people.

John found it odd. Tao hadn't left the company early these past few days, always staying late. Why was he leaving so early today? Then he noticed Tom also walking out of his office. With both of them leaving, something must be up. "Angel is back?" John mulled over the possibilities; this was the only plausible reason. Otherwise, they'd just stay and eat takeout, which was definitely worse than going home.

Han Tao didn't want to hide anything from Qiqi. Since she was planning to return to work tomorrow, he figured today was her day to recover from jet lag and knock out the house cleaning. Given how filthy the place was, Han Tao worried Qiqi might just end up sleeping through the entire next day. "Yeah, she got back yesterday. She has a lot going on this time; she'll probably need two days to rest."

What? Two whole days off? John immediately bristled. "Tell her she has to come in tomorrow! I'm the boss, and she’s a shareholder too. She can't leave me alone to drown in these numbers! And aren't you worried I might sell you out?" They had all invested money, yet they acted like they were just waiting for dividends, never getting involved in anything substantial. John used to find this appealing—no one breathing down his neck or offering unsolicited advice from inexperience. But now, he regretted it. These partners were far too irresponsible. He had finally landed one non-technical shareholder, but she was slippery, and the salary he offered was so low that John felt sheepish about exploiting Angel even more. But right now, John was utterly swamped.

If John had said this to Han Tao when he first arrived in the States, Tao might have worried. But not now. "What are the lawyers and accountants for?" Even if he couldn't decipher everything himself, didn't they have a duty to vet things for those who invested their money?

Fatty had been about to walk over, but seeing John block Han Tao, he immediately knew the confrontation was aimed at getting Han Tao to persuade Qiqi to pitch in. Fatty felt awkward interfering here. As a fellow shareholder, he figured this was Qiqi's moment to step up. Didn't she major in economics? It would be a waste of all that tuition money if she didn't contribute! But Fatty dared not say it out loud. Besides what Qiqi might do to him, Han Tao—who clearly prioritized his woman over his buddies—would never let him off the hook either.

Han Tao had expected Fatty to come find him once he left the office, giving Tao an easy out. He hadn't anticipated the fatty planting himself right at his doorway. "Tom, are you done? Let's go home." To hell with propriety; he genuinely didn't want to be involved in this mess. "You can tell Angel yourself."

With that, Han Tao swiftly slipped away. John stood there stunned. Tell Angel himself? He had spoken with her before, but she always responded with an air of someone completely uninvolved in business matters. What could he do? Fine, he’d just ask Angel tomorrow.

The moment Han Tao and Fatty stepped inside, Fatty's nose started twitching. "Hey, why isn't there a smell of cooking?" It was already nearly seven. Qiqi had been home all day; why wasn't there any food cooking? Something was definitely wrong; he was starving.

Han Tao also noticed the strangeness, but his concern was for Qiqi. Was she feeling unwell? Qiqi would never skip cooking unless something was wrong. He changed his shoes and walked in, finding no sign of Qiqi in the living room. He checked the study next—still no Qiqi. Was she sleeping? Han Tao found this highly unusual; Qiqi rarely napped, and even if she did, she should have been up by now.

Han Tao approached her bedroom door and gently pushed it open. He found Wang Qiqi asleep in bed, even snoring. Han Tao knew Qiqi must have been completely exhausted today; otherwise, she never snored.

Fatty searched the kitchen fruitlessly for a long time, only to discover that aside from pre-washed and chopped vegetables and meat, there wasn't a single cooked dish. He instantly felt that coming home to eat tonight had been a massive mistake. Could it be that Qiqi was upset because he had asked her to clean the rooms earlier?

Fatty considered this a distinct possibility and immediately felt a wave of guilt. Before Qiqi arrived, Weiwei had never helped Han Tao clean his room; Han Tao always managed his own space. How could he have been so scatterbrained as to ask Qiqi for help? After some thought, and prioritizing his stomach, Fatty decided he needed to apologize to Qiqi.

After setting down his bag, Fatty noticed Han Tao standing motionless by his doorway. No way, she must be really mad, and Han Tao is trying to placate her, he thought. "Qiqi, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have asked you to clean the rooms..." Fatty squeezed past Han Tao, not even glancing into the room, and launched into his apology. After a long confession, he finally opened his eyes, only to realize he had done something monumentally stupid. Qiqi was sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes, looking utterly confused about the situation.

Crap. Qiqi was actually sleeping in her own room. Fatty instantly regretted not checking inside first. Now, not only would Qiqi likely tattle on him, but he had effectively sold himself out. And from behind him, a gaze was fixed intently on him; Fatty knew Han Tao must be furious.

Han Tao had initially assumed Wang Qiqi was struggling with jet lag compounded by doing housework. He hadn't realized Fatty had burdened her with so much. He glanced at the living room and dining area, noting the floors were so clean they reflected light—proof that Qiqi hadn't just wiped them down once or twice. "Fatty, I can overlook you having Qiqi wash all the clothes, but still making her clean the house too?" Even if Fatty and Qiqi were close, weren't there lines he shouldn't cross? It seemed like if it wasn't his own wife, he’d push her to the breaking point.

Fatty immediately hung his head, admitting fault, silent and resembling a student awaiting his teacher's lecture.

Seeing his pathetic demeanor, Han Tao felt both exasperated and amused. "You, you... Don't tell me you saw Qiqi put on a little weight and decided she needed to do more chores, huh? Qiqi, she worked non-stop for a year in the UK; her foundation is bound to be weaker." Others might not know, but Han Tao was aware that sometimes Qiqi would get severe headaches at night, sleepless from overexertion—a lingering effect of too much mental strain. That was partly why she chose a simple administrative role at the company; when her stress mounted or she became too busy, the headaches would flare up.

Wang Qiqi was starting to wake up now. She had intended to give Fatty a piece of her mind, but seeing her own man lecturing Fatty, she decided to let it go. She figured Han Tao had scolded him enough. "We're having hot pot tonight. Later, the dishes..."

"I'll clean them," Fatty blurted out immediately. He finally understood why Qiqi hadn't cooked: they were having hot pot. It was a good, warming meal for this weather. "Qiqi, I'm sorry."

"It's fine." After a long sleep, any lingering resentment toward Fatty had mostly dissipated. "Oh, tell John tomorrow that I'm extending my leave." Wang Qiqi realized that even after sleeping, she still felt utterly drained. Age was catching up; her recovery speed was nowhere near what it used to be.

Han Tao would never mention to John back at the company that they expected Qiqi to come in and help. Now that his wife was this exhausted, even if Qiqi herself didn't bring it up, he wouldn't let her return to work.

P.S.: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, RP