Order and Chaos:

They were so startled by the barrage of doorbell chimes that An Mei fell on the bed from her secure perch on top of Li Wei. The couple sat up and looked at each other as the doorbell continued to ring with alarming urgency.

"What is it, Weiwei?" An Mei asked, her voice laced with worry.

"I don't know," Li Wei replied. Just as he was about to get off the bed, the front door clicked open, and two very familiar voices filled the apartment.

The first was soft but firm and currently extremely mortified. "You can't ring the doorbell like a madwoman, Xiao-Jing! They might still be sleeping." It was Li Na, the CFO of the Wu Long Group.

The second voice was more melodic and distinct. It was voice recognized all over the country, and it was very, very drunk. "Nonsense Na-jie. How else will they know that we are here?" There was a brief pause. "Where are we anyway?" It was Li Jing, the Chief Brand Officer of the Wu Long Group and the face of the conglomerate as its top model.

Li Wei and An Mei shared a look of relief and sank back into their pillows.

"We are at Weiwei and Meimei's house, Li Jing. Come on, get up, don't sit on the floor." Li Na sounded exasperated.

Inside the bedroom the peace that was demolished by the frantic ringing of the doorbell was slowly being restored.

"Why are they here?" Li Wei asked his wife. "And why does Jing-jie sound so drunk?"

"She had to attend a big movie industry party last night. I heard her mention it a couple of days ago. She must have dragged Na-jie along with her to the party. The venue is just a few blocks away. I guess they decided to crash here instead of going all the way to their homes."

While the bedroom was turning peaceful, the living room was anything but. "Weiwei?!" Li Jing mulled over the name. "You know. I have a... little brother by that name. He is... such a... very, very... precious, sweet boy. He is so small, like a tiny baby goat."

"I know. He is my brother too. Please stop eating the paper."

Hearing his sister compare him to a baby goat, Li Wei's face turned beet red. His profound mortification was only heightened by his wife's suppressed laughter.

Li Jing continued, completely oblivious to her brother's embarrassment. "He is twenty-two years old. But he is so terrible with women. How will he ever get a girlfriend? ... My poor baby."

"He is already married, Xiao-Jing. His wife is An Mei, remember? We are at their house. Now sit right here. Let me see if there is any food."

"An Mei?!" Li Jing's alcohol-addled mind took some time to process the name. "Ohh! Meimei. She is wonderful. She'd be purrfect for Weiwei. But she is a famous writer, and my Didi doesn't even have a job. How will he impress her? Li Na... Na-jie... Nana, what will he do? Can you give him a job? Please, please, please."

"Xiao-Jing! Let go of my hand! Weiwei already has a job. He is a university professor. Now be quiet."

"Waaah! My Baobei is never going to get married. What do we do?! Waaah!"

Li Wei wished that the ground would swallow him up whole so that he did not have to face his wife or the world again. Denied that mercy, he had to settle for burying his face in the pillows.

The bedroom door slowly opened, and Li Na's kind face peeked in. "Really sorry for disturbing you guys, but do you happen to have any food left?"

Meanwhile, Li Jing's wailing continued uninterrupted. "Waaah! I am never going to be an aunt. Waaah!...Waaah!"

An Mei smiled warmly at her sister-in-law. "Of course, Na-jie. We have some leftovers from last night's dinner in the fridge. Just heat it up in the microwave. There is plenty for both of you."

Li Na's face flooded with relief. "Thank you so much, Meimei. I was afraid that I would have to drag a drunk and cranky Xiao-Jing around to some restaurant." Her attention turned to her little brother, who was still refusing to lift his head out of the pillows. "Sorry, Wei'er. We will be out of your hair soon, alright. Sleep tight, you two." Li Wei nodded his head while still lying face down.

After that, except for one or two of Li Jing's loud comments and the beeping of the microwave, the sounds from outside largely subsided.

"Are you not planning on coming out of your pillow fortress, Professor Baby Goat?" An Mei teased.

"Don't you start as well," Li Wei grumbled, finally turning around to face his wife. "My enthusiasm for a tickle fight has not yet fully subsided, you know."

"Forgive me, Professor Li," An Mei said mischievously. "I will be your good little girl. Please don't punish me." She puffed up her cheeks in exaggerated innocence, leaving Li Wei with no other option but to give her a deep and loving kiss.

"By the way, how come there are leftovers? We never have leftovers." Li Wei asked curiously.

"Well, when Jing-jie mentioned that the party was nearby, I guessed something like this might happen. So I made a little extra rice and stir-fried beef, just in case."

Li Wei gazed into her eyes, his heart swelling with admiration for An Mei, and whispered words of quiet appreciation. "Thank you, Meimei. For putting up with my crazy family."

An Mei cupped his cheek and kissed him. "They are my family too, Laogong."

They did not hear the sound of Li Na and Li Jing leaving, as pretty soon Li Wei and An Mei were both in the land of dreams, comfortably wrapped around each other.

Equilibrium:

A long time later Li Wei was woken up by the discreet buzz of a text message. He reached for his phone, careful not to disturb An Mei, who was sleeping peacefully with her arms tightly enveloped around his body.

The message was from his sister-in-law, An Jing.

An Jing: Wei-ge. I'm coming over to pick up that physics problem set you promised.

Li Wei: No problem. But please don't ring the bell. Your sister is still sleeping.

An Jing: 👍

Li Wei looked at the time and then at his wife.

Li Wei: Jingjing, can you get your sister and me some lunch from the university cafeteria? I will send you the money. And... if you see Jing-jie in the apartment, can you please take her with you? She was really drunk.

One online transfer later, the reply came immediately.

An Jing: Don't worry, Jie-fu. You just go cuddle with my sister. I'll handle everything.

Li Wei placed the phone back on the nightstand and turned his full attention to his wife. He observed her for a while, the gentle cadence of her breathing, her soft and delicate features, and the smile that always graced her lips while she slept. He leaned in and placed a ghost of a kiss on her forehead, careful not to disturb her rest. Then silently wrapping his arms around her, he succumbed to their shared peaceful repose.

Afternoon:

When the pair drifted back to consciousness, the ambience of the room had completely changed. Gone was the lazy morning sunlight. Instead, they faced the energetic rays of the midday sun as it streamed through the windows.

An Mei stretched like a lazy kitten after a well-earned rest. "I think...we should probably get up for real this time," she mumbled.

Li Wei nodded in agreement, even though he would have been completely content to just stay in the bed with her forever.

She scooted closer to him, leaning against his frame as he sat upright. "Should we order something for lunch?"

Li Wei kissed her hands and replied, "No need. Your sister already brought us food."

An Mei's face lit up with a brilliant smile that made his heart flutter. She cupped his cheeks and gave him a long and appreciative kiss. "You thought of everything! Professor Li."

"Well," he murmured against her lips, "I had a very good teacher."

She chuckled while wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her cheek against his. "You are too adorable, my love."

Giving her one last kiss, Li Wei untangled himself from his wife's embrace and got off the bed. He looked down at his beloved and in one smooth motion scooped her up into his arms.

An Mei let out a startled gasp, which quickly gave way to delightful giggling. "What are you doing...Weiwei?" she purred.

"Carrying my wonderful wife," he beamed, his voice full of affection. "We are going to take a bath together... and it's going to be very, very long."

*     *     *

Glossary:

Laogong = Husband.

Li Jiaoshou = Professor Li.

Wei'er = (Given name ' er) is a highly affectionate term used by someone older to refer to someone younger. It is usually used by mothers to refer to their children.