Three weeks passed in blissful, illogical peace. The divorce papers filed by Li Wei were quickly annulled, and Liang's behavior shifted dramatically from 'possessive tyrant' to 'overly affectionate husband.' They were officially engaged, and wedding preparations had begun.
Xiao Mei had successfully archived her 'Cupid 5000' memories. With the System deactivated, she finally felt free to be the genuine, slightly chaotic person she was.
One morning at breakfast, Liang pushed a large, diamond-encrusted box across the table. "I hired the best wedding planner in the city, but you need the main accessory. The one I bought three months ago when I mistakenly thought you were a gold digger."
Xiao Mei opened the box. Inside was a colossal ring—a flawless, emerald-cut diamond.
"It's huge, Hubby," she murmured, genuinely touched.
"It suits the best wife," he replied, giving her a deep, genuine smile that could melt glaciers.
[System Warning: New Threat Detected. Subject's Company, 'Liang Group,' is under a critical cyber-attack. The threat originates from Li Wei's known associates. The Host's technical skill is required.]
Xiao Mei's internal programmer instincts immediately flared up, despite the system being deactivated. "What's wrong, Liang?"
"Nothing," he said, too quickly. "Just a minor technical glitch at the office. I have to go."
Liang left quickly, his previous cheerful demeanor replaced by a strained look of worry. Xiao Mei knew the 'glitch' was a massive problem. If the Liang Group's core data was compromised, the resulting chaos would destroy the company and potentially land Liang in jail.
She quickly donned her favorite black hoodie and thick-rimmed glasses—her programmer uniform—and called her old colleague, Zhang Min.
"Zhang Min! Forget the coffee shop. I need real collaboration. Liang Group servers. Emergency override. Now."
Zhang Min, used to her frantic orders, only asked, "Binary or Hex?"
"Both! Meet me at the Liang Group's auxiliary server room—the one they installed last year for backup power. Don't use the main entrance!"
She drove to the headquarters. Liang was in the main server room, yelling orders into his phone, his face pale. She ignored him and found the hidden auxiliary room, where Zhang Min was already waiting, setting up his gear.
"The attack is a zero-day exploit, Xiao Mei. It's targeting the financial security database. They aren't trying to steal money; they're trying to destroy the company's reputation by leaking client data."
"Li Wei is brilliant when she's evil," Xiao Mei muttered, plugging into the network. "We need to build a Mirror Firewell—a virtual wall that copies the data path and redirects the attacker to an empty loop. We can capture their IP without them knowing we intercepted the payload.
For the next four hours, Xiao Mei was not the flirty, chaotic wife. She was the Queen of Code. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, writing complex counter-algorithms while Zhang Min handled the physical network isolation.
Liang, having been unable to access the auxiliary room, finally managed to get the door open just as Xiao Mei typed the final command: EXECUTE_MIRROR_FIREWELL_DEPLOYMENT.
The room was filled with the soft glow of monitors. Xiao Mei, eyes blazing with intense focus, looked up, pushing her glasses up her nose.
"Hubby," she said, her voice strained. "Stay outside. This is a contaminated zone."
Liang stared at her—at the woman he had married for her absurd sweetness, now hunched over a terminal, protecting his trillion-dollar empire with lines of code. She wasn't an idiot; she was a genius.
"What are you doing, Xiao Mei?" he asked, his voice shaking with disbelief.
"I'm fixing your 'glitch,' Liang," she replied, not looking away from the screen. "It was a targeted attack on your reputation system. I've caught the source. Don't worry; they never even touched your actual data."
Zhang Min handed her a data chip. "Captured IP and credentials. Payload neutralized. Code, Queen."Liang watched as Xiao Mei pulled the chip and unplugged the wires. She stood up, suddenly appearing smaller and more vulnerable again. The adrenaline was fading.
"You… you did all this?" he whispered. "All the stupid things you did in the kitchen, the nonsense with the flirting... and you could do this?"
Xiao Mei smiled sadly. "The flirting was for the system. This—this is for my husband. I chose to stay in this crazy novel, Liang. I'm not just a pretty idiot. I am a programmer who loves you, and I won't let anyone destroy what's ours."
Liang crossed the room in two strides, pulling her into a fierce embrace, ignoring the cables and the technical jargon. He finally understood the true price of leveling up his love: he hadn't just gained a wife; he had gained a fiercely loyal partner who could defend his world.
"My genius wife," he murmured, pressing his lips to her forehead. "Never hide that side of you from me again. Never."