Wang Qiqi awoke to find it was already past nine. After rolling over and lying there for a while, she finally had no choice but to drag herself out of the warm duvet. It wasn't that she wanted to sleep; it was that the state of her home upon her return yesterday—a scene of utter squalor—had nearly made her pass out. Fortunately, the sink wasn't overflowing with dirty dishes, and while there was a pile of unwashed clothes in the bathroom, the bedsheets hadn't been changed. Newspapers and magazines were strewn haphazardly across the sofa, the dining table hadn't been wiped down, and the bathtub was coated in grime. Yesterday, Wang Qiqi simply lacked the strength to clean, but if she didn't tackle it today, she wouldn't be able to bear living there any longer.

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 breath. "How can one live without a woman in the house? Han Tao is really something, getting led astray by Fatty." Han Tao wasn't exactly diligent, but he certainly wouldn't let the house descend into such chaos. This mess was entirely Fatty’s fault for corrupting her man.

Wang Qiqi ignored the mess for the time being and went straight to prepare a delicious meal, savoring every bite. No matter what task lay ahead, one couldn't work on an empty stomach. Moreover, looking at the laundry situation, Wang Qiqi seriously doubted she’d make it to work tomorrow, because she discovered Fatty had thrown his own sheets and bedding into the washing machine. Wang Qiqi nearly choked; the clothes were already in the machine—couldn't he just press a few buttons to start it?

However helpless she felt, Wang Qiqi had to start with Fatty’s bedding. As she did, she noticed a piece of paper resting atop the machine. It read: Qiqi, I’ve organized all my personal belongings in my room. Please help with the clean-up. Thanks, Fatty.

"This guy," Wang Qiqi muttered. She had only intended to clean her and Han Tao's rooms, the common areas, and the study. She certainly wasn't planning on cleaning Fatty’s room. To think he’d leave a note asking for her help! As for why he placed the note on the washing machine? It was so she couldn't claim she hadn't seen it. "He's really cunning."

JOHN yawned as he walked out of his office. Just as he was heading to the kitchenette for a much-needed coffee to continue working, he saw Han Tao emerging from his own office. "You’re heading out?"

Han Tao nodded and closed his office door. "I'm leaving. You stay and work overtime." Han Tao knew JOHN had been relentlessly negotiating and scribbling figures in the office these past few days; it wasn't any easier for him. At this moment, Han Tao felt thankful for having JOHN as a partner; otherwise, handling all this paperwork would have killed him. He much preferred the monotony of coding to negotiating with people.

JOHN found it highly unusual. Tao hadn't left the company early in days, always staying late to work. Seeing TOM also exit his office, with both of them leaving at the same time, something was definitely up. "Angel is back?" John considered the possibilities and concluded this was the only logical reason; otherwise, they would stay at the office, preferring company work to grabbing fast food outside.

Han Tao had no intention of hiding anything from Qiqi. She was already planning to start work tomorrow, and today was supposed to be for adjusting to the time difference while cleaning up the house. Given how filthy it was, Han Tao worried she might just stay in bed all day tomorrow. "Yeah, she got back yesterday. She has a lot on her plate this trip; she'll probably need two days to recover."

What? Two more days? JOHN immediately bristled. "Tell her to come in tomorrow! I'm the boss, and she’s a shareholder too. Can’t I rely on this poor soul to stare at these figures alone? And aren't you two worried I might sell you out?" They had all invested capital, yet they seemed content to just wait for dividends while ignoring anything major. JOHN had initially enjoyed this setup—no one breathing down his neck or offering unsolicited advice from the ignorant. But now, he regretted it. These partners were too irresponsible. He had finally landed a non-technical shareholder, but she was slippery, and the salary he offered Angel was so low he felt ashamed to exploit her further. But this time, JOHN was genuinely swamped.

If JOHN had said this 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 whole picture, hadn't they taken his money? Shouldn't they be auditing things for him?

Fatty had been about to walk over but stopped when he saw JOHN intercepting Han Tao. Without asking, he knew JOHN was trying to pressure Han Tao into making Qiqi pitch in. Fatty felt awkward inserting himself into that situation. As a shareholder, Fatty believed it was Qiqi’s turn to contribute; didn't she have an economics degree? It would be a waste of her expensive education to let it go unused. But Fatty dared not voice this. Besides the certain retribution from Qiqi, Han Tao, who had forgotten his brothers since getting a woman, wouldn't let him off either.

Han Tao had expected Fatty to come find him after leaving the office, giving him an easy exit. He hadn't anticipated the damned Fatty just loitering by his doorway. "TOM, are you done? Let's go home." To hell with it; even if it was rude, he truly didn't want to get involved in this drama. "You can tell Angel yourself."

With that, Han Tao immediately slipped away. JOHN stared after him, momentarily stunned. Tell Angel himself? He had tried talking to her, but she always adopted an attitude as if she hadn't been involved in the business side of things. What could he do? Fine. He'd ask Angel tomorrow.

The moment Han Tao and Fatty stepped inside, Fatty's nose started sniffing frantically. "Hey, why no smell of dinner?" It was nearly seven o’clock. Qiqi had been home all day—how come no cooking? This was wrong; he was starving.

Han Tao also noticed something amiss, but his first thought was concern for Qiqi. Could she be feeling unwell? Qiqi would never skip cooking unless something was truly wrong. Han Tao slipped off his shoes and walked in, finding no sign of Qiqi in the living room. He checked the study next—still empty. Was she sleeping? Han Tao found this strange, as Qiqi rarely napped, and even if she did, she’d be awake by this hour.

Han Tao approached their bedroom door and gently pushed it open. He found Wang Qiqi asleep in bed, even snoring. Han Tao understood then that Qiqi must have been completely exhausted today; otherwise, she would never snore.

Fatty fruitlessly searched the kitchen for a while, only to discover that aside from pre-washed and cut vegetables and meat, there wasn't a single cooked dish. He immediately realized coming home for dinner was a terrible mistake. Did Qiqi get upset because he’d asked her to clean the rooms earlier?

Fatty considered this a strong possibility and instantly felt a pang of guilt. Before Qiqi arrived, Weiwei had never helped Han Tao clean his room either; Han Tao always managed his own space. Why did he suddenly lose his mind and ask Qiqi to do it? Thinking of his stomach, Fatty decided he needed to apologize to Qiqi.

After setting down his bag, Fatty saw Han Tao standing motionlessly in the doorway. He assumed Qiqi must be genuinely angry and Han Tao was busy placating her. "Qiqi, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have asked you to clean the rooms..." Fatty squeezed past Han Tao, not even glancing inside the room, and launched into his apology. After rattling off a whole speech, he finally opened his eyes and realized he had just done something monumentally stupid. Qiqi was sitting up in bed, rubbing her eyes, looking utterly bewildered.

Damn it. Qiqi had been sleeping in the room the whole time! Fatty regretted not checking the room first. Now, not only had he sold himself out by confessing so loudly, but he also noticed a gaze fixed on him from behind—Fatty knew Han Tao must be furious.

Han Tao had initially suspected Qiqi was worn out from adjusting to the time difference and doing some housework, but he hadn't realized Fatty had dumped so much labor on her. He glanced at the living room and dining area; the floor was so polished you could see reflections. Qiqi hadn't just wiped things down once or twice to achieve that gleam. "Fatty, you—it’s one thing to let Qiqi wash all the clothes, but you let her clean your room too?" Although Fatty and Qiqi were friends, didn't he know some lines shouldn't be crossed? If she wasn't his wife, he wouldn't bother abusing her effort like this.

Fatty immediately lowered his head in admission, silently accepting Han Tao’s impending lecture.

Han Tao looked at his friend’s pathetic demeanor, feeling both annoyed and amused. "You, honestly. Don't tell me you noticed Qiqi put on a little weight and figured she should just do more housework? Qiqi spent a year working relentlessly in England; her physical foundation can't be great." Others might not know, but Han Tao knew Qiqi sometimes suffered debilitating headaches late at night—a lingering effect of overworking her brain. That was part of the reason she settled for being a clerk; whenever the stress built up, especially during busy periods, the headaches struck hard.

Wang Qiqi was awake now. She had planned to give Fatty a serious talking-to, but seeing her man lecturing Fatty, she decided to hold back, figuring Han Tao had covered enough ground. "We're having hot pot tonight. The dishes..."

"I'll clean them," Fatty immediately volunteered. He finally understood why Qiqi hadn't cooked; it was hot pot, which was perfect for the cool weather. "Qiqi, I’m sorry."

"It’s fine." After a good sleep, most of her resentment toward Fatty had evaporated. "Right, tell JOHN tomorrow that I need another day off." Wang Qiqi realized that even after sleeping, she felt utterly drained. Age, it seemed, meant her recovery speed had plummeted.

Han Tao wouldn't tell JOHN that Qiqi was needed back at the office to help; his wife was exhausted, and even if she hadn't mentioned it, he wouldn't let her go back to work.