Two weeks passed, filled with corporate meetings, security audits, and—most importantly—Liang's relentless campaign of Operation: Flirting with the Firewell.
One afternoon, Xiao Mei, engrossed in debugging a complex network switch, jumped when a massive, glittery gift box was dropped onto her CSO desk.
"What is this, Hubby? I told you, no more gifts until the wedding!" she complained, setting down her thermal gun.
Liang, standing perfectly straight in his suit, simply pointed to the box. "The Chairman requires the CSO to test new office equipment. It's a mandatory, non-negotiable protocol."
Xiao Mei opened the box cautiously. Inside was a life-sized, incredibly handsome cardboard cutout of Liang himself, wearing nothing but a towel. Attached to its hand was a note: 'For mandatory stress relief during all-night coding sessions. Do not touch the real Chairman until the wedding.'
Xiao Mei burst into laughter, hitting her head lightly against her terminal. "You are utterly ridiculous!"
"And you are entirely mine," he replied, giving her a secret, victorious smile. "Now, off the clock. The wedding rehearsal is in two hours, and I have just one final request: no coding in your vows."The rehearsal was held at the magnificent seaside villa. The Justice of the Peace was a professional with a long history of handling high-profile, but conventional, weddings.
When it came time for the vow rehearsal, Xiao Mei insisted on reading her draft aloud.
"Justice of the Peace, I, Xiao Mei, vow to Liang: I promise to maintain all corporate secrets and never leave the company for rival startups, especially not Phoenix Tech. I vow to uphold the 100% Love Rating without the System's incentive. And most importantly, I vow to never, ever again cook anything requiring heat above 180°C."
The Justice of the Peace looked bewildered. "Mrs. Xiao Mei, those are... rather specific. They sound like terms of service."
Liang stepped in, sighing dramatically for the benefit of the small crowd. "It's a security measure, your honor. My wife is a genius who expresses love in binary. We're working on it."
He then pulled out his own draft, a list of absurd but heartfelt rules. "I, Liang, vow to Xiao Mei: I promise to always enter the 50th floor through the official front door unless it's a matter of life-or-death flirting. I promise to stock her CSO office with only the best quality sour gummy worms, and I promise to never, ever complain about the state of her beanbag chairs."
The Justice of the Peace simply shook his head and murmured, "I'm just going to stick to the standard 'In sickness and in health' on the day."The actual wedding day was sunshine and luxury. Xiao Mei, in a stunning white gown, looked nothing like the CSO and everything like the chaotic princess Liang adored.
When it came time for the ring exchange, a small, yet significant, disaster occurred. Xiao Mei was so nervous that as she reached for the ring box, she accidentally knocked it right out of the ring bearer's hands. The giant, emerald-cut diamond ring bounced off the stage and rolled toward the front row.
Liang immediately abandoned all decorum and dove off the stage after it. He caught the ring just before it vanished into a hedge. He stood up, triumphant, but in the process, knocked over a large vase of lilies.
Xiao Mei rushed off the stage to him. "Hubby! Are you okay? The ring!"
Liang, covered in water and lily petals, simply pulled her to him, right there in front of the stunned guests. He pressed a long, messy, incredibly sweet kiss onto her lips, smelling of sea salt, dirt, and expensive cologne.
"Found it," he murmured against her mouth, holding the recovered ring up between their eyes. "And I'm perfectly fine. Just needed an emergency dose of my CSO before the final protocol."
The guests, even the stiff Matriarch, burst into genuine laughter. It was the most illogical, yet most genuine, moment of the entire ceremonyWhen they returned to the stage, the Justice of the Peace, who had seen everything now, simply said, "Well, then. Now that all the required security breaches have been resolved, let's proceed."
After the ceremony, as the party raged on, Xiao Mei slipped away to the bridal suite. Liang followed her instantly.
"I need a full security report on that ring retrieval," she teased, trying to fix her damp hair.
"It was executed flawlessly," Liang insisted, pulling her into a tight, intimate hug. "Now, to the most important business."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a clean, crisp printout of the Webnovel Author Contract.
"Remember that final important security detail you mentioned at the altar?" he whispered, his eyes warm with pride. "The editor replied during the reception. The contract terms are excellent. The only thing missing is the CSO's final signature."
Xiao Mei looked at the contract—a culmination of the Love Rating game, the corporate war, and their unconventional love. She didn't hesitate. She found a pen and signed the contract with a flourish.
[Xiao Mei's Final System Notification (Hidden in her mind)]: Love Rating 100%. Corporate Rating 100%. Contract Signed. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.]
Liang took the signed contract, then his wife. "You won, my genius wife. You won every single game. Now, the real life begins."
He kissed her, and this final kiss, surrounded by the silence of their own private room, was perfect—a perfect end to the crazy story, and a perfect beginning to their illogical, brilliant, and deeply loving life together.