The wedding was the event of the century, but it was not a spectacle for the public. It was a private ceremony held in the garden of the lakeside house Mo had described. The guests were few: Silas, who gave her away with gruff emotion; Liam Kane, the best man; Yun Ming, beaming with avuncular pride; and a handful of others who had stood with them in the darkest hours.
Ye Xia wore not a white gown, but a deep crimson qipao, the color of the phoenix, reborn from ashes. Mo wore a traditional dark silk suit. They exchanged vows not under a religious figure, but under the ancient oak tree.
"I was a calculator of compassion," Mo said, his voice clear and strong. "You were a waster of wealth. Together, we found something neither of our systems could quantify. We found us. I pledge my shadow to your light, for all the days that remain."
Tears welled in Ye Xia's eyes. "I was born from betrayal and lived for revenge," she said. "You taught me that the future is not something to be taken from the past, but built in the present. I pledge my light to your shadow, until the last star fades."
As they sealed their vows, a gentle rain began to fall, glistening in the sunlight—a sun shower that felt like a blessing from the cosmos itself. In that moment, a final notification, soft and warm, echoed in Ye Xia's mind.
[Ding! Host has achieved ultimate balance. The core paradox of the Money Wasting System has been resolved. True Wealth has been identified. System integration complete. Final Evolution: The System of Harmonious Creation.]
The constant pressure of the wasting quota vanished. The drive for power melted away. The system was no longer a separate entity but a seamless part of her, a tool for building, not just consuming. She felt a peace she had never known in either of her lives.