CHAPTER 4: Persona Collapse: 4%

◎Collapse again, pay again◎

Today was the second anniversary of the Dream Amusement Park’s grand opening.

The park had been running promotional events for several days now to increase visibility.

On the last day of the event, Ji Jingxiu finally found time to come inspect the park in person.

Besides checking on the operations, there was another reason for his visit—this month alone, the park had received ten complaints.

Almost all of them were about a certain cat.

Visitors reported being attacked by a stray cat while playing in the children’s zone. Though there were no serious injuries, it had significantly affected the guest experience.

Normally, something this minor wouldn’t require Ji Jingxiu’s personal attention. But the issue had dragged on unresolved for too long, and it was now impacting the park’s online rating.

As he entered the amusement park, Ji Jingxiu looked around and saw even more visitors than he’d expected. He nodded in satisfaction, then asked:

“That cat still hasn’t been dealt with?”

The manager quickly explained, somewhat guiltily, “We’ve organized several cat-catching operations before, but the park is too large and has lots of hidden corners. That cat is extremely agile—no matter what we try, we just can’t catch it. So… so no, it hasn’t been resolved yet.”

Ji Jingxiu’s expression darkened slightly. He changed direction and headed straight for the children’s zone.

Halfway there, he noticed a number of guests also hurrying in that direction, chatting excitedly as they went.

“I heard a frog is fighting a cat!”

“What? Who’s fighting who?”

“Come on, let’s go watch! It’s an intense fight!”

…

A frog fighting a cat?

Was this some kind of new park event?

Ji Jingxiu overheard the chatter and turned to look at the manager.

The manager looked completely lost and quickly shook his head. “I haven’t heard anything about this.”

They all picked up the pace and soon reached the entrance to the children’s zone, which was surrounded by crowds of people packed three layers deep. Cheers could be heard from within.

“Go for it!”

“Show it what the real world’s like!”

“Chokehold! Go for the chokehold!”

The stray cat had a notorious reputation in the park. Now that a “frog” was finally giving it a taste of its own medicine, even several nearby staff had come over to cheer the frog on.

As Ji Jingxiu approached and saw what was happening inside, he stiffened on the spot, his eyes widening slightly.

In the middle of the crowd, a cat and a frog mascot were locked in fierce combat. Tufts of cat fur and fluff from the mascot suit flew everywhere.

The stray cat was the same one that had been the source of numerous complaints over the past six months—a repeat offender on the park’s blacklist.

At this moment, its tail fur was puffed up like a squirrel’s, but the visible muscles and razor-sharp claws made it a truly intimidating sight.

It arched its back, growling low in its throat, then suddenly lunged forward with claws bared.

Across from it, the employee dressed as a frog remained calm as a mountain, relying on the thick mascot suit for defense. They easily blocked the attack.

The scene was just too bizarre.

Ji Jingxiu never expected that his inspection would start with something like this—

A frog fighting a cat.

“What’s going on here?” he asked.

The manager looked just as shocked and quickly called over the team leader for an explanation.

The team leader said, “During the event, the stray cat tried to attack a guest. That employee stepped in to stop it. She’s a temp we hired just for this event—today’s her first day.”

Ji Jingxiu’s expression turned serious as he studied the frog mascot.

It looked goofy and oddly cute.

Dream Amusement Park didn’t even have that style of costume.

The other managers present all frowned, thinking this kind of spectacle was a huge blow to the park’s image.

No sane person would do something like this.

Ji Jingxiu, however, remained calm.

If this employee could actually catch that cat and resolve a problem that had plagued the park for over a month, then it would be a win.

As for who was inside the mascot suit…

It didn’t matter. He didn’t know them anyway.

As long as the cat was caught, it didn’t matter who did it.

Just as that thought crossed his mind, the frog-and-cat battle had already reached its climax.

The milk cow-patterned cat, seemingly for the first time encountering such a tough opponent, growled more aggressively, its anger flaring.

After a brief standoff, it prepared to launch another attack.

But in that moment, the frog, which had been defending all along, suddenly struck!

Despite the bulky appearance, the frog moved with surprising speed—charging forward, grabbing the cat, pinning its claws, and slamming it to the ground.

The stray cat that had run wild in the park for half a year… was finally subdued.

Realizing it couldn’t win, the cat tucked in its claws, flattened its ears, lowered its tail, and turned its head to lick Qin Yangyang’s hand, looking up pitifully.

[Puppy eyes.jpg]

Beneath the headgear, Qin Yangyang raised an eyebrow.

Little rascal. Got two faces, huh?

Cheers erupted all around, and even the staff nearby couldn’t hide their excitement.

Ji Jingxiu’s expression relaxed, the icy look on his face beginning to melt.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by.

The frog mascot’s headpiece, which had been slightly loose all along, wobbled a few times—then, with a soft thump, fell to the ground.

A very familiar face was revealed under the sunlight.

Ji Jingxiu: …

???

Petrified.

Shattered.

In disbelief.

How could it be Qin! Yang! Yang!?

The true identity of “Froggie” was revealed, and gasps of shock rippled through the crowd.

No one had expected that underneath the goofy, ugly-cute frog head would be that kind of face!

Because she had just fought a cat moments ago, her face was still damp with sweat. The glistening droplets shimmered under the bright sunlight. Her slightly flushed cheeks and upturned brows carried a smug little smile. She looked dazzling—utterly stunning.

The whole scene was too much of a shock.

Even the nearby employees were staring in disbelief, though some were already pitying her.

“That frog mascot is really just a temp worker?”

“I heard she just got married yesterday and came to work today. She’s working so hard catching cats for that 3,000 yuan bonus. Her husband must treat her terribly.”

“So pitiful, marrying a scumbag.”

Standing to the side, Ji Jingxiu: ???

His expression darkened like a thundercloud. The air around him froze over.

Even if Qin Yangyang was only a distant relative of the Cui family and not favored, her father Qin Heping’s supermarket business wasn’t bad. Could she really be this desperate for money?

The employees were still chatting away enthusiastically, their discussion shifting from “Qin Yangyang married the wrong guy” to “Men are all unreliable,” growing more indignant by the second.

Ji Jingxiu’s face turned even gloomier.

“Bring her over.”

On the other side, Qin Yangyang had just put the cat in the pet carrier when the system’s voice rang in her head:

【Ji Jingxiu’s persona has collapsed. Collapse Index: 5. Reward: ¥500,000. Funds have been successfully transferred to the designated account!】

She blinked, a little confused, just as the team leader came running over, eyes shining.

“Forget the cat! Pack up, I’m taking you to meet someone!”

Still slumped on the ground, drenched in sweat from her earlier battle, Qin Yangyang didn’t really want to move. Plus, her prize hadn’t even been handed out yet.

The team leader leaned closer, eyes sparkling with excitement. “You’ve got great luck today, you know who’s here? President Ji! CEO of LK Group and owner of Dreamland Amusement Park!”

Ji Jingxiu?

He really came?

Qin Yangyang immediately looked up, and the first thing she saw was the canopy of a black umbrella.

Ji Jingxiu stood beneath it. Even though there were crowds of tourists all around, his cold, commanding presence stood out sharply. His deep eyes locked onto her direction with a chilling gaze.

It was the middle of sweltering August, but that patch of air around him felt like winter.

The team leader excitedly pulled Qin Yangyang to her feet and led her over, whispering reminders along the way:

“Once you’re there, just answer what he asks. Don’t say anything extra. President Ji hates it when employees overstep or try to suck up.”

Qin Yangyang nodded obediently.

She figured her reward probably came from Ji Jingxiu witnessing her valiant cat-catching moment—an emotional critical hit to the lofty CEO.

No wonder he was her personal ATM.

She walked over quickly, only to be greeted by the department manager’s enthusiastic handshake.

Wanting to look good in front of Ji Jingxiu, the manager smiled so hard his eyes disappeared. He patted her on the shoulder and praised her effusively before finally announcing:

“In recognition of your contribution to the park, the company has decided to award you with a 3,000 yuan bonus. What do you think?”

Qin Yangyang nodded rapidly, beaming with a smile that practically screamed “greedy.”

“Thank you, Manager!”

The manager was quite pleased with this temporary worker’s attitude. He grinned from ear to ear, shaking her hand warmly before turning toward Ji Jingxiu to whisper:

“President Ji, employees who are this money-hungry are the easiest to control.”

And then he was met with Ji Jingxiu’s icy glare.

The manager blinked, confused, then quickly waved Qin Yangyang off.

“All right, go back to work.”

“Okay,” Qin Yangyang replied sweetly, nodding as she put the frog mascot head back on. But just as she turned away, something came to mind. She picked up a small frog-shaped lantern and held it out to Ji Jingxiu.

In a crisp, bright voice, she said:

“Hubby, this is for you.”

The crowd fell silent.

At that moment, Qin Yangyang received her third transfer notification of the day.

The system’s voice rang out in her mind like an alarm:

【Ji Jingxiu’s persona has collapsed. Collapse Index: 10. Reward: ¥1,000,000. Funds have been successfully transferred to the designated account!】

Critical hit!

The payout doubled instantly!

Qin Yangyang’s smile became even brighter.

Everyone around was stunned by her form of address.

Other managers: ?

The employees who had just been cursing scumbags: ??

The team leader who had brought her over looked horrified and quickly grabbed Qin Yangyang’s hand, heart full of regret.

Hadn’t she already warned her not to try to pull strings?

Other people tried to name-drop cousins or distant relatives—this girl called him husband right off the bat.

Who would believe that!?

Ever since Ji Jingxiu took over LK Group, he had dealt with cunning relatives at home and crafty subordinates at work, honing a cold and impenetrable demeanor. Even if the sky were falling, his expression wouldn’t change.

Yet in just five minutes today, he felt like his entire life had gone through a rollercoaster of emotional whiplash—cracking, healing, and cracking again.

Still, with his usual poker face, Ji Jingxiu—despite the inner chaos—took the glowing frog lantern stiffly, nodded, and even gave a faint “Mm.”

Then he walked off with his staff to continue inspecting the park.

But that one word was enough to confirm Qin Yangyang’s identity.

Everyone at the scene was stunned yet again.

The team leader, still mid-grab, froze with a shattered expression.

“You… you and President Ji are really married?”

Qin Yangyang nodded.

“Yup.”

The team leader’s face looked like she’d just been run over by a truck.

“President Ji really is President Ji. To stay that calm in a situation like this… absolutely legendary.”

Calm?

Qin Yangyang glanced in the direction Ji Jingxiu had walked off.

The other person’s footsteps were unsteady—clearly fleeing in panic.

And even now, the system in her mind was still broadcasting nonstop:

[Detected Ji Jingxiu persona collapse. Index: 2. Reward: 200,000 yuan. Successfully transferred to designated account!]

[Detected Ji Jingxiu persona collapse. Index: 1. Reward: 100,000 yuan. Successfully transferred to designated account!]

[Detected Ji Jingxiu persona collapse. Index: 2. Reward: 200,000 yuan. Successfully transferred to designated account!]

…

Collapse after collapse. Payment after payment.

It lasted a full ten minutes!