Xiao Mei was now a legend in the Liang Group. The gossip had shifted from "the flirty wife" to "the genius CSO who bankrupted her sister-in-law." But despite her power, her daily life was still beautifully chaotic.
She was engrossed in designing a massive, unhackable firewall for the Liang Group's new international branch, her feet propped up on her neon-pink beanbag chair. The door to her 50th-floor command center was coded with an advanced biometric lock, protecting her from corporate spies and, more importantly, The Chairman.
Suddenly, the lights flickered off, and the emergency red lights came on. A pre-recorded, deep voice echoed through the speaker system:
"WARNING: System Breach Detected. Initiating Emergency Lockdown Protocol. All Exits Sealed. CSO Xiao Mei, prepare for immediate intervention by the Chairman."
Xiao Mei sighed, rolling her eyes. "Seriously, Hubby? This is highly unprofessional."
She quickly typed a command sequence, but before the lights could stabilize, a disguised ventilation panel slid open near the ceiling, and Liang dropped down, landing perfectly on her desk amidst the cables and Cheetos bags.Security breach successful, CSO," Liang announced, his perfect suit now slightly dusted. "I believe I have bypassed your biometrics."
"You used the emergency power grid override and entered through the air ducts, Hubby," Xiao Mei retorted, trying not to laugh. "That's not bypassing biometrics; that's corporate vandalism."
"It's Operation: Hijack The CSO," he corrected, jumping off the desk and taking the massive bag of Cheetos from her hand. "The Chairman has deemed his Chief Security Officer overworked and requires immediate, mandatory R&R."
"I am on a deadline for the New York branch security schematic," she protested, attempting to pull her notebook back.
Liang simply held the notebook out of her reach with one hand. "The Chairman requires a security check of your personal emotional stability."
He leaned in, his lips finding hers in a sudden, sweet, and entirely illogical public kiss, right there amongst the glowing monitors and flashing error messages. It was a firm, possessive kiss that quickly cleared her mind of binary code.
"Emotional stability check passed," he announced, pulling back just enough to look into her dazed eyes. "But I detect a high level of stress remaining."Xiao Mei laughed, hitting his shoulder playfully. "You are abusing your power, Chairman."
"Guilty," he admitted. "Now, off the clock. We are going home. And tonight, you are teaching me how to make those burnt eggs."
"Wait, you want to cook?" Xiao Mei asked, following him to the sealed door.
"The board is worried about my focus. I need a new hobby that distracts me from corporate stress," he explained seriously. "If I spend two hours trying to figure out the protocol for boiling water, I can't worry about stock prices."
They arrived at the mansion, and Liang immediately ushered her into the massive, high-tech kitchen—the same kitchen where she had caused so much disaster for the sake of the Love Rating.
Liang, looking utterly out of place in his tailored suit, insisted on boiling the water for the pasta. He spent five minutes trying to understand the induction stove's touch controls, eventually jabbing the display in frustration.
"CSO Xiao Mei, this device is clearly a security threat. Its interface is non-intuitive and highly confusing," he declared, giving the stove a dark look.
Xiao Mei had tears in her eyes from laughing. She wrapped her arms around him from behind, pointing to the power button. "It's just a button, Hubby. Just press it."
As he finally pressed the button, he accidentally bumped the back of his head into hers, causing them to both stumble forward. His lips found her neck in a soft, ticklish, unexpected kiss, smelling faintly of expensive cologne and corporate chaos.
"Another accidental breach of personal space!" she gasped dramatically.Later, sitting on the counter while Liang attempted to stir the pasta (and splattered half the sauce onto his shirt), Xiao Mei realized something profound.
The original system had demanded absurd public flirting to raise a score. Now, without the score, the absurdity and the flirting were real. They were the natural language of their unconventional love.
"Hubby," she said, genuinely touched, watching him wrestle with a pasta strainer. "Thank you for the emergency intervention. It was very effective."
Liang put down the strainer, wiping sauce from his chin. "Of course. My CSO needs to be at her best. Especially since I've just started deploying my new internal virus."
"Your what?"
"Operation: Wedding Ring Logistics," he whispered, suddenly serious. "I've hacked your calendar and your email. We have a wedding date set, and all decisions—from the venue to the flowers—will now be sent directly to my CSO for immediate approval."
He then quickly grabbed her hand, pulled her close, and kissed her deeply, quickly, and messily—a final "accidental" kiss surrounded by boiling water, tomato sauce, and the perfect, illogical love of a CEO and his genius wife.