Standing Up for Himself

Gu Yue and Tang Wulin greeted Yue Zhengyu and Xu Xiaoyan, exchanged a few pleasantries, then tactfully took their leave, leaving the space to the lovers immersed in their world of two.

Once they left the clothing store, even the heavily air-conditioned mall air seemed a little fresher than before—at least to Tang Wulin. He had successfully redirected Gu Yue's attention and seemed to have reached some sort of nighttime agreement.

On the drive home, Tang Wulin was in an excellent mood, humming a tuneless little song as he held the steering wheel especially steadily. Gu Yue, meanwhile, looked somewhat listless. Every now and then, she glanced at the overly cheerful back of the man's head beside her. The subtle imbalance in her heart had been diluted by their flirting, but something still felt off, and she could not quite put her finger on why.

It was not until the car pulled into their garage that Gu Yue got out first, carrying the groceries they had picked up at the supermarket on the way. Fresh vegetables and meat bumped softly inside the bags. She kicked off her sneakers, changed into comfortable slippers, walked straight into the living room, and set the shopping bags down on the polished dining table with a thud.

"Whew—I'm exhausted." Gu Yue stretched and began unbuttoning the thin cardigan she wore, casually tossing it over the back of the sofa to reveal the fitted knit top underneath. She looked around, her gaze landing on the slightly dusty floor. Her brows drew together as she turned to Tang Wulin, who had followed close behind and was preparing to collapse onto the sofa.

"Hey, Tang Wulin, don't play dead just yet." Gu Yue pointed decisively. "See that? The floor needs mopping."

Tang Wulin, who had been about to unleash his signature Ge You Slouch, froze. He looked up, and the praise-seeking smile he had prepared stiffened briefly before turning into an innocent yet entirely self-righteous expression.

"Huh? Mop the floor?" Not only did he not move, he shrank deeper into the sofa, stretched out his long legs, and made it abundantly clear that he had no intention of getting up. "Honey, I'm tired. Look at this old back of mine. I walked tens of thousands of steps around the mall with you today. I urgently need to rest."

Gu Yue could hardly believe her ears. Her delicate brows shot up at once. "Say that again? What are you?"

"I'm your husband, and the man of this house." Tang Wulin blinked those harmless-looking eyes, his tone perfectly matter-of-fact. "But according to our previous discussion on dividing household responsibilities—you swore that you'd handle the kids in the future, while I'd earn money to support the family, didn't you? So shouldn't housework count as part of the benefits attached to my job of 'supporting the family'? After all, I need to keep my energy up to build my career so I can give you a better life."

Gu Yue was left speechless by his twisted logic, unable to find a rebuttal for a moment. She really had said something like that one night while discussing their future plans, boldly thumping her chest to display the spirit of a modern independent woman. But who could have imagined that this guy would remember it so clearly—no, scratch that—and even learn to put it to use as a shield for slacking off now?

"You... don't use that as an excuse!" Gu Yue finally snapped out of it. Stomping her foot in frustration, she rushed to the sofa in a few strides and reached for Tang Wulin's arm. "Get up! If you don't mop the floor, we won't be able to walk tomorrow! Making money is important, but keeping the house clean isn't?"

Tang Wulin seemed rooted to the sofa and did not budge. Instead, he took the opportunity to grab the hand Gu Yue was using to pull him, wearing that infuriating, knowing smile. "Tsk, tsk, honey, are you staging a rebellion? Not only do you want me to work, you want to overthrow the 'strategic policy' we made together? No, no. A person has to keep their word."

"Who's keeping their word with you? That was a contingency plan for the future, not an excuse for you to be lazy now!" Gu Yue tugged harder, but Tang Wulin used her pull against her and drew her closer instead.

Seeing that words were useless, Gu Yue's eyes widened. She raised her free hand high, pretending she was about to hit him. "Tang Wulin! Get up this instant!"

"Hey, hey, a gentleman uses words, not fists!" Tang Wulin shielded his head while still running his mouth. "If you enforce the law with violence like this, be careful or I'll apply for family arbitration! If they rule that you've violated the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, tonight's 'reward' will be canceled!"

At the mention of the "reward," Gu Yue's hand paused, and her cheeks warmed slightly. But what rose even more strongly was the anger stirred by his shameless behavior. Her eyes shifted as an idea came to her. The force in her hand suddenly vanished, and her voice turned cold, carrying unquestionable resolve.

"Fine. Very good. Tang Wulin, you've successfully made me angry."

Seeing her let go, Tang Wulin thought he had won and grinned smugly. "I knew my wife loved me most..."

Before he could finish, Gu Yue coldly threw out, "Since you insist so strongly on your 'division of household responsibilities,' then let me make my position clear too—tonight, you sleep on the sofa by yourself! Sleep wherever you want, but don't even think about entering the bedroom!"

Tang Wulin's smile instantly froze, as though someone had hit pause. He sprang upright from the sofa, grabbed Gu Yue's wrist, and even his voice changed pitch. "Honey! No! We can talk this out! Even if the deal falls through, friendship remains!"

"I'm not feeling friendly." Gu Yue shook off his hand and turned toward the bedroom. "Take your time mopping the floor. I think you're planning to sleep hugging that mop tonight."

"No, no, no! I'll do it! I'll do it, all right?" The instant Tang Wulin heard the word "sofa," he caved. His previous lazy, defiant attitude vanished completely. He practically rolled off the sofa, snatched up the mop Gu Yue had set down at some point, and moved so fast he stirred up a gust of wind.

As he clumsily poured bottled water over the mop head, he muttered, "Ah, yes, the floor really should be mopped. I can already smell the dust—it's bad for our respiratory health... Honey, your eye is so sharp. You discovered and corrected my mistaken way of thinking in time..."

With her arms folded, Gu Yue leaned against the wall and watched him fumble around. She was both annoyed and amused. Having finally won a round, the lingering gloom in her heart faded considerably, though her words remained unforgiving. "Now you know how to work? Weren't you so good at talking just now? All that nonsense about how hard it is to earn money and how childcare should be divided—I think you just wanted to slack off!"

"I've been wronged! Heaven and earth can bear witness!" Tang Wulin dragged the dripping mop across the floor, leaving a wet streak as he declared solemnly, "I was just livening up the family atmosphere and engaging in some necessary romantic interaction! See? Didn't that successfully stir up Madam Wife's enthusiasm for labor? Of course, the main thing is that Madam Wife is mighty and wise. Didn't I respond to your call immediately?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Mop it properly! If I find even one strand of hair left behind, you really will be sleeping on the sofa tonight!" Gu Yue snorted, turned, and headed for the kitchen to sort through the groceries.

Seeing that the crisis had passed, Tang Wulin immediately became full of drive. He hummed as he began mopping, though his posture sometimes looked like he was dancing the waltz and sometimes like he was practicing tai chi. Rather than cleaning, it looked more like he was putting on a performance art show.

Every so often, Gu Yue poked her head out of the kitchen and watched him "paint grandly" across the living room, shaking her head helplessly. This guy really could always achieve his goals in the most shameless way possible, whether it was avoiding work or... demanding a "reward."

As for tonight's "reward"... Gu Yue lowered her head and skillfully cleaned a sea bass. Her ears reddened slightly, but her gaze grew firmer.

In the living room, Tang Wulin finished mopping the last floor tile, straightened up, and let out a long breath. Looking at the spotless floor and then at the busy figure in the kitchen, a satisfied, foxlike smile appeared on his face.

It looked like tonight's "reward" had a very good chance of being successfully claimed. Of course, that was assuming he remembered to prepare that damned "little mushroom umbrella."