The drive home from the restaurant was silent. Liang's grip on Xiao Mei's arm was iron, and his fury was palpable. Once they arrived, Liang went straight to the spare guest bedroom, pointedly ignoring her in the master bedroom.
For the next two days, Liang treated Xiao Mei like a piece of invisible furniture. He passed her in the hallways without a glance, ate alone, and spent his evenings working relentlessly in his office. He had successfully frozen her out.
"Cupid 5000, his Love Rating is stagnant at 70%. Your recommendation?" Xiao Mei whispered to the System.
[Cupid 5000: Warning! Subject's emotional state is 'Extreme Frigidity'. The last public approach was too aggressive. Recommended approach: Intimacy that challenges his personal space while appearing non-confrontational. New Quest Activated.]
[New Quest: Nighttime Affection. Goal: Raise Love Rating to 80%. Task: Kiss the sleeping subject and confess the attempt the following morning. Reward: 100 Million Dollars. Penalty: Host must publicly compliment Li Wei to the subject for one week.]
Xiao Mei shuddered at the penalty. "Compliment Li Wei? That's inhumane! My soul will rot! I must succeed!"
"But how do I approach a man who is actively avoiding me, and who is now sleeping in a separate room? He's practically a wild animal waiting for an ambush."
[Cupid 5000: Access his schedule. He has an early morning flight tomorrow. He will be in a deep, stress-induced sleep from 1 AM to 4 AM. Window of opportunity: 2 AM.]
At 1:55 AM, Xiao Mei, dressed in all-black pajamas like a ninja—or rather, a cowardly bandit—crept toward the guest room. She slipped inside. The room was dark, lit only by the pale moonlight filtering through the curtains.
Liang was deeply asleep. Even in sleep, his jaw was clenched, clearly still furious.
Xiao Mei's heart hammered against her ribs. "I can do this. It's just a simple data input," she muttered, taking a slow, shaky breath.
She tiptoed to the bedside and leaned over. Her hands, however, were shaking violently. This was far more nerve-wracking than facing angry executives.
She lowered her face, aiming for his forehead. Slight contact with the subject's facial region required.
Just as her lips were millimeters away from his skin, Liang's hand shot out like a steel trap and grabbed her wrist. His eyes snapped open, blazing fiercely in the dark.
"Who is it?! Get out!" he roared, still half-asleep and assuming it was an intruder.
"A-A-Aiya! Hubby, it's just me! Error! Emergency shutdown!" Xiao Mei shrieked, struggling to pull free.
Liang blinked, the realization dawning slowly. He turned on the bedside lamp. Xiao Mei was kneeling beside the bed, still dressed in black, trembling violently, her face a mixture of fear and embarrassment.
"Xiao Mei? What in the world are you doing in my room at two in the morning, dressed like a criminal?" he demanded, still gripping her wrist.
Xiao Mei burst into tears—genuine, panicked tears. "I didn't mean to wake you! I just... I needed to check if you were breathing! You were so angry, I thought you might stop breathing!"
Liang looked skeptical, but his fierce grip softened slightly. "You came to check my breathing... at two AM?"
[Cupid 5000: Warning! Lie detected. Immediate confession required to avoid total rejection. Confess the intended task!]
"No! It's a lie!" Xiao Mei wailed, collapsing onto the carpet. "I—I was going to kiss you! The System told me I had to kiss you while you were sleeping! If I didn't, I have to compliment Li Wei for a whole week, and I can't do that, Liang! That's torture!"
The room went silent. Liang stared at the woman sobbing on the floor, confessing that she was forced to kiss him to avoid complimenting her sister. His anger slowly turned to stunned bewilderment.
"You... were going to kiss me... because you didn't want to compliment Li Wei?" he asked, rubbing his temples.
[Love Rating: 80%]
The jump was instantaneous. The sheer absurdity of the situation, combined with her utterly transparent fear of the penalty, shattered his residual anger.
"Yes! I'm sorry, Hubby! I'll never try to kiss you in your sleep again!" she cried, looking up hopefully.
Liang sighed, a long, weary sound. He released her wrist. "Get back to your own room, Xiao Mei. And stop creeping around the house like a ghost. I'll see you at breakfast."
[Cupid 5000: Quest Complete. Love Rating at 80%. Reward: 100 Million Dollars credited.]
Xiao Mei instantly stopped crying, wiped her tears, and stood up, giving a triumphant salute. "Understood, Hubby! Good night!"
She quickly darted out of the room, leaving Liang staring at the spot where she had been, wondering if his marriage was the most absurd comedy show on the planet.