After the dramatic family dinner, Xiao Mei was granted the autonomous authority she demanded. She immediately deployed her old partner, Zhang Min, and his team to begin a full-scale sweep of the entire Liang Group network. The goal: find and neutralize every single sleeper bot Li Wei had ever planted.
Liang stayed by her side in the auxiliary server room, now fully converted into her command center. He wasn't giving orders; he was fetching her coffee and watching, utterly fascinated by her ruthless efficiency.
"The main vulnerability wasn't the external access," Xiao Mei explained, her eyes fixed on seven blinking screens. "Li Wei created a backdoor worm that exploits the internal email encryption protocol. It lies dormant until a critical financial transaction is initiated."
"So she was listening in on every board decision?" Liang asked, horrified.
"Worse. She was planning to hijack future transactions, diverting them to 'Phoenix Tech' without our knowledge," Xiao Mei confirmed, typing a sequence of complex polymorphic code. "I'm deploying a permanent, self-updating defensive shield. This code will auto-patch every vulnerability Li Wei ever knew about."Three days later, exhausted but victorious, Xiao Mei finally leaned back in her chair.
"Mission complete," she announced, stretching her arms. "The network is cleaner than a baby's conscience. We captured five dormant worms and secured all major financial pathways. We have enough evidence to bury Li Wei for a decade."
Liang approached the command center, looking more rested and confident than he had in months. "The stock market rebounded immediately after the press conference. Your credibility saved us, Xiao Mei. The board is now officially silenced."
"Good," she replied. "Because now I need a real office. This basement is depressing."
Liang laughed, a deep, genuine sound that was rare before the 100% Love Rating. "You'll get the entire 50th floor, my CSO. And your own personal chef. No more burnt eggs."
Later that afternoon, Liang's private secretary, Ms. Chen, delivered a formal, leather-bound folder to Xiao Mei's temporary desk.
"Mrs. Liang," Ms. Chen said, her respect now absolute. "This is the Official CSO Contract for the Liang Group. It includes your salary, benefits, and a generous stock option package."
Xiao Mei opened the folder. The salary was astronomical, and the stock options were enough to make her $100 Million system reward look like pocket change. She had successfully transitioned from novel protagonist to corporate genius in the real world.As she signed her name on the executive contract, a familiar, faint notification flashed in her mind—an echo from the deactivated system.
[Word Count Status: 12,000 words reached! Contract Application requirement fulfilled!]
Xiao Mei smiled. She had done it. She stood up and walked over to Liang's desk.
"Hubby," she said, holding out the heavy leather folder containing her Liang Group contract. "I need your help with one last official task."
"Anything, my genius wife," he replied, taking the folder.
She walked over to his computer, opened the Inkstone writing platform, and navigated to the Author Center.
"We just hit 12,000 words," she informed him. "The editor requires us to manually submit the contract application to guarantee the deal. You are my partner in everything, so you hit the button."
Liang looked from the corporate CSO contract in his hand to the simple blue 'Apply for Contract' button on the screen. He understood that both contracts represented her choice to stay with him and his choice to trust her completely.
He pressed the button.
[Webnovel System Notification: Contract Application Successfully Submitted! The editor will reply within 48 hours.]Xiao Mei hugged him tightly. "The game is over, Liang. We won."
"We did," he whispered. "And now that the company is secure and the family is subdued, how about we actually focus on that wedding you accepted?"
Xiao Mei looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with a combination of hacker logic and genuine affection. "I think the only person I want to hack into for the rest of my life is you, CEO Liang."
Liang laughed, pulling her closer. "Try me, my love. But be warned: you might find the code too complicated to ever leave."