When it came time to eat and clean up, Wang sprawled against the back of his chair, lying there like a “dead fish” frozen in an arched pose.
Once a person’s full, they really don’t want to move. That special post‑meal laziness is practically on par with “spring drowsiness and autumn fatigue” — just another famous type of chronic sloth.
“Stupid woman, I leave the sacred duty of washing dishes to you!”
You could hardly call it division of labor. Between Wang and Cai, it just happened that one cooked and the other handled cleanup afterward.
This kind of task split was pure accident.
“Okay, leave it all to me. Please enjoy that post‑meal laziness to your heart’s content!”
Before Cai agreed to do the dishes, Wang had been watching her closely.
The boy had tried to read any unnaturalness in the girl’s reactions.
In Wang’s eyes, today Cai just looked like she’d taken the wrong meds, which was why her personality felt a bit off compared to the last few days.
But when Cai actively volunteered to wash dishes, he suddenly relaxed, all his taut nerves loosening at once.
Because what she had just shown was still that hardworking side of hers.
At least on the surface, she was still that diligent girl who happily monopolized all the housework.
So Wang let his guard down and surrendered his body to the chair, pressing his back into the inward‑curved support.
His lazy posture made him look completely at ease.
That quiet little happiness lasted right up until a sharp sound rang out.
Clang!
Judging from the sound, it was like some fragile object had suddenly shattered to pieces, that crisp noise coming from the kitchen with no warning at all.
“Don’t tell me that was…”
In just an instant, a certain guess flashed through Wang’s mind and pulled on every last nerve in his head.
“No, no way. That thought’s way too ridiculous.”
He reconsidered and rejected his own wild guess.
The reason was obvious:
“That’s the woman whose housework skills are second only to mine. Except for cooking, she’s already at expert level. There’s no way she can’t even wash a few bowls. Hmph, hmph, hmph!”
Wang let out a mechanical laugh, a completely useless attempt at self‑comfort.
Not long after the vibration in his throat stopped, footsteps came from the kitchen, “thump, thump,” at a steady pace.
On reflex, Wang shut his eyes.
It was like he’d already predicted what was about to happen and was taking preemptive defensive measures.
Too bad his preparations still weren’t enough.
Even with his eyes tightly shut, he couldn’t exactly plug his ears.
“I’m sorry. Just now in the kitchen, I accidentally dropped the bowls on the floor…”
There was no dodging it. In the end, no amount of human effort managed to avert the inevitable.
Wang spoke in a tone that was half a sigh.
“Which bowl did you break?”
“That’s the wrong question. You should be asking which bowl I didn’t break.”
“I… fine, have it your way. Which bowl didn’t you break?”
“Every bowl broke. All the dishes I carried into the kitchen just now, from bowls to chopsticks to cups, not a single one survived.”
Honestly, up until today, Wang had been seriously considering stripping Cai naked and hanging her up in the room.
Whether Cai’s luck was good or bad, who knew. In any case, even though Wang’s “rage meter” was completely full, he still hadn’t let that gunpowder‑loaded emotion explode.
After more than ten deep breaths in a row, the one who’d been on the verge of blowing his top let a smile take over his face with whiplash speed.
He stood up, turned in place, and stepped toward the girl head‑on.
Cai was looking forward to her wish coming true soon: getting a harsh lecture from him, and if possible, even some physical punishment.
Wang walked up, reached out, and patted her hair, rubbing it together with her head in his palm.
Going by the last few days, once the “head‑pat” finished, what came next was always a disciplinary flick to the forehead.
To let her forehead relive that unforgettable sensation, Cai went a bit overboard, rising eagerly on tiptoe to close their height gap.
The main benefit of that move was to let those knuckles, which might drop at any moment, hit their target all the sooner.
But the next beat of the “story” turned out rather disappointing.
After he finished ruffling her head, Wang pulled his hand back.
Cai just stood there in a daze, waiting for a long time, but that final step never came.
She had no choice but to remind him herself.
“Aren’t you forgetting something?”
She tapped the space above her brows with the back of her raised hand, throwing out the most blatant hint right to his face.
“Forget? Nope. I’ve done everything I should do.”
“No, no, there’s absolutely one more thing you have to do. Let me remind you: it’s really easy, and it’s only two syllables…”
Even without her hint, Wang already knew exactly what he hadn’t done.
Inside, his heart surged with tidal waves. He wondered if this stupid woman had actually turned stupid after waking up this morning.
What was with her inching her forehead closer, swaying it just a little like that? Was she provoking him on the very edge of “going too far,” acting all fearless?
Wang even started to suspect:
Had this stupid woman picked up on subtle details and seen the change in his mood?
Did she know he was going to play the gentle guy today, so she was brazenly shoving herself into his presence over and over?
Wang had to admit it.
His patience was on the brink of collapse, and the only reason he could still smile right now was because he’d burned through every last bit of his lifetime’s worth of good temper all in a single day.
