Wang Qiqi awoke to find it was already past nine. After tossing and turning for a while, she had no choice but to drag herself out of the warm duvet. It wasn't that she didn't want to sleep, but the state of their apartment upon her return yesterday—filthy and chaotic—had nearly made her faint. Fortunately, the sink wasn't piled high with dishes, and while there were mountains of unwashed clothes in the bathroom, the sheets hadn't been changed. Newspapers and magazines were strewn carelessly on the sofa, the dining table hadn't been wiped down, and the bathtub was coated in grime. Yesterday, Wang Qiqi simply hadn't had the energy to clean; but if she didn't tackle it today, she wouldn't be able to stand living there anymore.

As Wang Qiqi stepped out of her room and saw the milk glass and breakfast plate left on the dining table, she let out a deep sigh. "How can anyone live without a woman around? Han Tao is really something; that Fatty has corrupted him." Han Tao wasn't exactly a paragon of diligence, but he certainly wouldn't let the place descend into such squalor. This mess was definitely Fatty's fault for having a bad influence on her man.

Wang Qiqi ignored the mess for the moment and first cooked herself a delicious meal, indulging in a satisfying breakfast. No matter what task lay ahead, one shouldn't work on an empty stomach. Moreover, looking at the situation, Wang Qiqi deeply doubted she’d even make it to work tomorrow, because she discovered that Fatty had thrown his own sheets into the washing machine. Wang Qiqi felt like spitting blood. The items were already in the machine; couldn't he just press a few buttons to start it?

No matter how helpless she felt, Wang Qiqi had to start with Fatty’s sheets first. At that moment, she noticed a piece of paper pressed on top of the washing machine. It read: Qiqi, I’ve tidied up my personal belongings in my room. Please help clean up. Thanks, Fatty.

"This guy," Wang Qiqi had initially 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 would leave a note asking for her help! As for why he placed the note on the washing machine, it was clearly so she couldn't claim ignorance. "Clever devil."

JOHN emerged from his office with a yawn, about to head to the kitchenette for coffee to resume work, only to find Han Tao also stepping out of his office. "You're heading back?"

Han Tao nodded and closed his office door. "I'm leaving. You carry on with the overtime." Han Tao knew JOHN had been locked in negotiations and crunching numbers constantly in the office these past few days; it hadn't been any easier for him. At this moment, Han Tao was grateful to have JOHN as a partner; otherwise, dealing with all this paperwork would have absolutely worn him out. He much preferred the monotony of computer programming to face-to-face negotiations.

JOHN found it quite strange. Tao hadn't left the company for days; why was he clocking out so early today? Then he saw TOM also leaving his office. With both of them leaving, something was definitely up. "Angel is back?" John considered the possibilities and concluded this was the only explanation. Otherwise, neither of them would leave, as eating fast food at the office was more convenient.

Han Tao had no intention of hiding things from Qiqi. She had planned to start work tomorrow anyway; today, she was just at home adjusting to the time difference and catching up on the cleaning. Given how filthy the apartment was, Han Tao worried Qiqi might just spend all day tomorrow glued to the bed. "Yeah, she got back yesterday. She has a lot to deal with this trip; she'll probably need two days to rest."

Two days of rest? JOHN immediately exploded. "Tell her she needs to be in the office tomorrow! I'm the CEO, and she's a shareholder too! Can't she let me suffer alone looking at all these data? And are you guys not worried I'll sell you out?" They all put in the capital, yet they completely washed their hands of any major issues, acting as if all they cared about was waiting for dividends. JOHN had initially found this great—no one breathing down his neck, only getting pointers from those who actually understood the business. But JOHN hated being bossed around by people who knew nothing. Now, he regretted it deeply; these partners were just too irresponsible. He had finally managed to recruit a non-technical shareholder, but she was slippery too. Plus, he paid her so little that JOHN felt bad about exploiting Angel too much. But this time, JOHN was desperately busy.

If JOHN had said that to Han Tao when he first arrived in the States, Han Tao might have worried. But now? "What are the lawyers and accountants for?" Even if Han Tao couldn't see the details himself, didn't they have a responsibility to safeguard his investment now that they had taken their money?

Fatty had been walking over but stopped when he saw JOHN blocking Han Tao. Without needing to ask, he knew JOHN was trying to rope Han Tao into getting Qiqi to pitch in. Fatty felt awkward stepping into that conversation. As a shareholder, he felt it was Qiqi's time to step up. Didn't she major in economics? It would be a waste of that expensive tuition not to use it. But Fatty dared not say anything. Aside from how Qiqi might retaliate, Han Tao—who had clearly forgotten his bros now that he had a woman—would never let him off the hook either.

Han Tao had expected Fatty to approach him once he left the office, allowing him an easy exit. He hadn't anticipated the damn Fatty just standing by his office door. "TOM, are you done? Let's go back." Forget it; despite the rudeness, he genuinely wanted no part in this drama. "You can tell Angel yourself."

With that, Han Tao bolted immediately. JOHN stood there, stunned. Tell Angel himself? It wasn't like he hadn't spoken to her before, but she always adopted an attitude of someone completely uninvolved in these matters. What could he do? Fine, he'd ask Angel tomorrow.

As Han Tao and Fatty stepped inside the apartment, Fatty’s nose started sniffing rapidly. "Hey, why isn't there any smell of food?" It was almost seven o'clock. Qiqi had been home all day; why hadn't she cooked? This was very strange; he was starving.

Han Tao also noticed something amiss, but he worried something might be wrong with Qiqi—perhaps she wasn't feeling well. Otherwise, Qiqi would never skip cooking. Han Tao kicked off his shoes and walked in, finding the living room empty of Qiqi. He checked the study next, still nothing. Was she sleeping? Han Tao found this highly unusual, as Qiqi rarely napped, and even if she did, she should be awake by now.

Han Tao approached the bedroom door and gently pushed it open, discovering Wang Qiqi fast asleep in bed, even snoring. Han Tao knew Qiqi must have been utterly exhausted today; otherwise, she would never snore.

Fatty searched the kitchen relentlessly for a while, only to find that aside from washed and chopped vegetables and meat, there wasn't a single cooked dish. He instantly regretted his decision to come home expecting dinner today. Could it be that Qiqi was upset because he had asked her to clean the rooms earlier?

Fatty considered that a strong possibility and felt a sudden pang of guilt. Before Qiqi arrived, Weiwei had never helped Han Tao clean his room either; Han Tao always handled his own space. Why had he suddenly lost his mind and asked Qiqi to clean? Thinking of his stomach, Fatty decided he should go apologize to Qiqi.

After setting down his bag, Fatty noticed Han Tao standing motionless by his own bedroom door. He thought, Could Qiqi really be angry, and Han Tao is trying to placate her? "Qiqi, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have asked you to clean my room..." Fatty pushed Han Tao aside without even glancing inside Han Tao's room and immediately launched into his apology. After rambling on for a while, Fatty finally opened his eyes, only to realize he had just done something monumentally stupid. Qiqi was sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes, looking utterly bewildered.

Crap, Qiqi was sleeping in her own room. Fatty instantly regretted not looking inside first. Now, not only had he sold himself out to Qiqi, but he also felt a gaze fixed on his back—Fatty knew Han Tao must be furious.

Han Tao had initially assumed Wang Qiqi was just jet-lagged and tired from housework. He hadn't realized Fatty had burdened her with so much. He glanced at the living room and dining room and saw the floor so polished it reflected their images—Qiqi hadn't managed that with just one or two swipes. "Fatty, I can overlook you letting Qiqi wash all the clothes, but you even got her to clean your room?" Although Fatty and Qiqi were close, shouldn't he have some sense of boundaries? He wouldn't treat his own wife this way.

Fatty immediately bowed his head in admission, keeping quiet, ready to endure Han Tao's lecture.

Seeing his sheepish demeanor, Han Tao felt both annoyed and amused. "You, you... Don't tell me you thought since Qiqi gained a little weight, she could just do more chores? Qiqi, she was busy for a year in England; her foundation must be a bit shaky." Others might not know, but Han Tao knew Qiqi sometimes suffered from headaches so severe at night she couldn't sleep—a lingering effect of overworking her brain. Otherwise, why would Qiqi settle for being a clerk at the company? One reason was that intense pressure, especially when coupled with being busy, always triggered a headache.

Wang Qiqi was starting to wake up. She had intended to have a stern word with Fatty, but seeing her own man lecturing him, she decided to hold back. She figured Han Tao had lectured him enough. "We're having hotpot tonight. As for the bowls and chopsticks..."

"I'll wash them," Fatty immediately blurted out. He finally understood why Qiqi hadn't cooked; it was for hotpot. Eating hotpot in this weather would be perfectly warming. "Qiqi, I'm sorry."

"It’s fine." After a long sleep, whatever resentment she had toward Fatty had mostly dissipated. "Oh, tell JOHN tomorrow that I'm taking another day off." Wang Qiqi realized that even after sleeping, she felt utterly drained. Age truly caught up; recovery abilities were far inferior now.

Han Tao wouldn't mention to JOHN at the company that he was waiting for Qiqi to return to help. With his wife this exhausted, even if Qiqi hadn't brought it up herself, he wouldn't let her go into the office.