Shen Ying watched the approaching police officer and couldn't shake the feeling that something was off—like the uniform didn’t belong on him at all. There was an inexplicable sense that it sullied the dignity of a public servant, yet at the same time, it was oddly thrilling.

The man had snow-white skin and a pair of emerald-green eyes that gleamed like top-tier precious gems. But the brilliance of those gems wasn’t noble or pure; instead, they carried a hint of mischief, as if he were some kind of bandit.

True to his demeanor, the officer barked out an order the moment he arrived: "Turn around, hands above your head, and press them against the wall."

Shen Ying didn’t move. The shop owner, who had personally delivered the goods, sighed and interjected, "Officer! These are just daily necessities. My shop is fully licensed, the goods are legally sourced, and this is a high-end residential area. There’s no need for such strict measures, is there?"

As he spoke, the owner made a show of raising his hands, signaling his cooperation with the investigation.

But the officer shoved him aside in disgust. "Who the hell said I was checking you? Get lost. Everyone knows your face—you’re the one peddling shameless toys."

Then he turned his attention to Shen Ying. "I’m questioning her."

His gaze locked onto her. "You’re not from around here, are you? I don’t recognize you."

"The owner of this house is someone I know, and there’s no mistress living here."

"This neighborhood donates a hefty sum to the police department every year. We take the safety and property of every resident seriously."

"Who are you? What kind of shady deal are you making at someone else’s doorstep?"

Shen Ying smiled. "Well, that’s reassuring. It’s good to know the neighborhood has such a diligent officer."

"Starting today, I’m someone you’ll need to prioritize protecting too. I married the owner of this house—I’m the lady of the household now."

The rogue cop froze for a moment, then looked incredulous. "You married that guy?"

"How could you possibly marry him? What’s so great about him?"

Shen ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‍Ying’s eyes flickered with amusement. "Oh? It seems the officer knows me quite well."

"Then tell me, why shouldn’t I have married him?"

To her surprise, his expression shifted to confusion, and he muttered under his breath, "How should I know?"

Then, as if embarrassed by his own reaction, he snapped, "You claim to be the lady of the house? Got proof? I don’t recall any wedding happening yesterday."

Shen Ying really didn’t have any evidence. There were plenty of photos of the two of them at home, but given her amnesia, she couldn’t even locate their marriage certificate right now.

If asked about yesterday’s wedding—where it was held, how it went—she wouldn’t be able to answer.

Her hesitation only fueled the cop’s suspicion.

He stepped closer, roughly pinning her against the wall. "Cut the crap. I knew you were shady."

Shen Ying thought to herself, We’re still outside the house—is this where the ‘search and frisk’ scene starts?

The toy shop owner was still standing right there. The setting, the dialogue, the number of people involved—it was all a bit too spicy.

Didn’t the system claim they’ve been cracking down on this stuff lately? Is this really the world I’m supposed to be in?

Fortunately, her imagination didn’t become reality. After restraining her, the officer ordered the shop owner to open the box.

With a resigned sigh, the owner complied, revealing an assortment of toys that were… decidedly not meant for public viewing.

The variety and quantity were staggering—as if the entire shop’s inventory had been hauled over.

Even the cop, who knew exactly what the owner sold, flushed at the sight. His voice wavered slightly. "T-this many… Could I even handle it?"

The shop owner shot him a look like he was an idiot. "What’s it got to do with you?"

The officer snapped back to reality. "Slip of the tongue. Of course it’s none of my business."

His face burned with embarrassment. He didn’t know why, but the moment he saw all those items, he’d instinctively felt like he was about to suffer.

But that didn’t make sense. He didn’t even know this woman, yet the second he saw her, he’d felt like she was out to get him.

So he’d taken the initiative, determined to uncover her secrets.

Now, he pressed on stubbornly. "What’s all this for? What are you planning?"

"Tell me the truth, or I’ll have grounds to suspect you’re conducting illegal activities in this neighborhood."

Shen Ying was almost amused by his persistence—and weirdly charmed by his aggressive posturing.

With a meaningful smile, she replied, "Newlyweds, Officer. Things get… experimental. I’m sure you understand."

The cop’s frown deepened, a surge of jealousy flashing through him.

"Cut the jokes," he growled. "I’m not messing around."

Shen Ying tilted her head. "Neither am I. I’m cooperating with your investigation, aren’t I?"

"My explanation is perfectly reasonable, don’t you think?"

His expression darkened further. "So now you’re mocking law enforcement?"

"Fine. You’re coming with me to the station."

Shen Ying: "…"

Then he turned to the shop owner and barked, "You too. Bring that box of indecent crap. You’re both coming in."

The owner muttered, "They’re just products. I’m running a business."

The cop cut him off. "Shut it."

When the emperor received word that Shen Ying had been taken to the police station, he was momentarily stunned.

He’d only been gone for what—not even half a day?

Had he underestimated this woman’s talent for stirring up trouble?

No, this person was always good at stirring up trouble. It's just that before, she was the one setting the rules, which masked this particular trait.

Just think of all the "good deeds" she pulled off in the airborne prison.

The Emperor sighed in exasperation as he drove to the police station. The moment he arrived, the police chief spotted him and personally escorted him to the interrogation room.

Initially, he had assumed it was just a minor issue—he’d confirm Shen Ying’s identity, take her home, and that would be the end of it.

But the moment he stepped inside, he saw that idiot Lien lounging on the table in front of Shen Ying, holding an object so indecent it would’ve been censored on TV.

He was pressing her with questions, one after another. The Emperor nearly exploded on the spot.

What the hell was this moron doing here? Where had things gone wrong?

This was his simulation world, built from entirely new code he’d had specially written—a world that should have had no connection to these people.

So why was this fool here?

But that wasn’t even the worst of it. His gaze swept the room, only to land on Lu Yu sitting idly in the corner.

Lien, that imbecile, had completely ignored Lu Yu, even blocking him from view, which was why the Emperor hadn’t noticed him at first.

Did they think his simulation world was a public restroom? Just waltzing in whenever they pleased?

Fury darkened the Emperor’s vision. He strode over to Shen Ying, placed a firm hand on her shoulder, and glared at Lien. "Has my wife done anything wrong? If not, what right do you have to bring her here?"

Lien’s smirk faded at the sight of him, his mood visibly souring.

With a scoff, he said, "So she really is your wife?"

The Emperor’s eyes dropped to the toy in Lien’s hand, his face darkening like ink.

"What the hell are you waving in front of my wife? Just this alone is enough for me to sue you for sexual harassment."

Lien carelessly tossed the object behind him. "Don’t get the wrong idea. This was just something your wife bought for you."

"I only found the quantity suspicious, so I asked her to explain your relationship. But she couldn’t answer a single question."

"Is that really too much to ask?"

The Emperor’s attention immediately locked onto the words "bought for you."

His heart skipped a beat, followed by a surge of embarrassment—hadn’t she just this morning—?

And she was already planning for the future?

Despite his irritation, a smug satisfaction welled up inside him.

Seems his approach was working. She was attracted to him. All he had to do was wait for her to fall completely.

But right now, the real problem was Lien and Lu Yu.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, another person was brought into the station—

"Officer Lien," an officer announced, "I’ve brought the milkman. He confirmed he was indeed the first person she saw this morning."

The Emperor turned and nearly choked at the sight of Niu Xi, dressed in his milkman uniform, looking utterly clueless.

Niu Xi blinked in confusion. "What’s the matter? The lady’s a kind person. Why are you interrogating her like this?"

Shen Ying waved at him. "Sorry for dragging you here. Did you finish your deliveries today?"

Niu Xi grinned dopily. "All done! I’m heading back to the farm this afternoon to help out. You should come visit sometime, ma’am."

Though farms weren’t her thing, Shen Ying had a feeling this one might be interesting.

She nodded. "Sure."

The Emperor stepped between them and pulled her to her feet. "Let’s go. You don’t need to put up with this nonsense."

Lien looked reluctant but didn’t stop them, only scowling as they left.

Then Lu Yu suddenly spoke up. "I’ve got other business to attend to. Mind taking your wife’s order home yourself, sir?"

He gestured cheerfully at three large boxes nearby.

The Emperor walked out of the police station carrying those boxes, humiliated beyond words.

The only silver lining was that this was just a virtual world. If this had happened in reality, he’d never be able to show his face as Emperor again.

On the way back, he couldn’t hold back any longer. "Why did you buy so much of this stuff?"

Shen Ying shrugged. "Gotta try them all. How else would I know what suits you best?"

The Emperor flushed. "Why the hell should I adapt to those things?"

"Can’t you think of anything else when you’re with me?"

Even as he said it, he remembered how, when he’d lost his memory in the simulation world, he’d been just as consumed by desire for the person he "loved."

So her interest in him wasn’t a bad thing.

Before Shen Ying could reply, he abruptly changed the subject. "How did you even run into those three?"

Shen Ying raised a brow. "Those three? You mean Officer Lien, Shopkeeper Lu, and the milkman?"

"Is there something special about them?"

The Emperor frowned. So they hadn’t revealed anything? Now that he thought about it, their behavior had been off.

At the very least, if it had been the real Lien, he’d never have let them leave so easily.

He would’ve made a scene, delighted to expose the Emperor’s lies.

Then these three individuals weren’t like the situation where he and Lu Yu had entered the fusion simulation world before—they were merely character projections.

So the question arose: how could his royal court coder have possibly brought these three’s image projections into the system?

And why did they appear around her?

Just as the emperor was puzzling over this, the coder in a nearby star sector suddenly said to Lu Yu and Niu Xi, "Speaking of which, didn’t you two ask me to lock in the Warden’s simulation world projection code during the encoding process?"

"That day, you, Niu Xi, and Lien—who joined in on the fun—all set up NPC characters in the virtual world based on yourselves, binding them to that code."

Lu Yu nodded, recalling the incident. There was a reason the coder had been imprisoned, a reason he’d been locked up in the sky prison.

His abilities were too dangerous. For instance, he had once locked onto the Warden’s character projection code in the virtual world and then bound NPCs modeled after their appearances and personalities.

As a result, no matter which simulation world the Warden entered, these three NPCs would appear around her.

It was an incredibly annoying tactic, but Lien and Niu Xi had been thoroughly amused.

Lu Yu asked, "That did happen. What about it?"

The coder replied, "Right now, your three NPC codes seem to have been triggered and activated. Which means… the Warden might have entered a simulation world."

Lu Yu’s heart skipped a beat. "Wasn’t she in the palace? Why—"

Mid-sentence, he fell into deep thought. He seemed to have figured something out.

"So that’s how it is. Our esteemed emperor is really—"

Then he turned to the coder and asked, "Is there any way to send our consciousness projections in?"

The coder shook his head. "Probably not. The royal coders aren’t pushovers. Besides, without the code for that specific simulation world, it’s nearly impossible for me to do anything."

Lu Yu pressed, "So if we had the code, it’d be doable?"

The coder said, "You could say that."

Without hesitation, Lu Yu ordered, "Niu Xi, contact Lien."

As Niu Xi dialed the terminal, he gave Lu Yu a strange look. "You always seem so eager about this. Even though you keep saying you’re not interested in the Warden’s affairs."

The smile on Lu Yu’s face stiffened.