CHAPTER 12: Persona Collapse Rate: 12%

◎ She’s playing 4D chess while he’s running a single-core CPU ◎

Wait a minute!

Yu Yuezhi was completely caught off guard by Qin Yangyang’s “deal,” and sat frozen in her seat.

She had assumed that, since Qin Yangyang had once made such a huge fuss to marry Ji Jingxiu—making it the talk of the entire Linhai City—she must be head over heels in love with him and wouldn’t let go easily.

She thought she’d start with thirty million to test the waters, and if that didn’t work, she’d raise it to eighty million.

After all, money was just a means to an end. As long as she could get Qin Yangyang to leave Ji Jingxiu, it was worth it.

But to her surprise, Qin Yangyang agreed right away!

Just thirty million, and she was willing to walk away from her so-called deep love for Ji Jingxiu?

Yu Yuezhi stared, wide-eyed, in disbelief.

“You agreed just like that?”

Qin Yangyang nodded.

“You were so sincere. How could I say no?”

Sorry, but your offer was just too good to pass up.

She had nearly forgotten—Yu Yuezhi was famously loaded in the novel. Her family’s business empire wasn’t much smaller than the Ji family’s.

If Yu Yuezhi had just said clearly up front that this meeting was about money, Qin Yangyang would’ve come earlier this morning.

No way would she have overslept.

She might’ve even shown up an hour early.

After all, even if she got divorced, she could still keep annoying Ji Jingxiu. It wouldn’t get in the way of anything.

Yu Yuezhi had stormed in ready for a fierce confrontation. But now, with Qin Yangyang smiling like she’d just won the lottery, she found herself hesitating.

Wasn’t Qin Yangyang supposed to be madly in love with Ji Jingxiu and unwilling to let go?

Why did it feel like she was shaking off a hot potato?

Qin Yangyang’s unusual attitude made Yu Yuezhi even more suspicious.

“No, wait. Hold on. I need to think about this again.”

Qin Yangyang was already reaching for her bank card when Yu Yuezhi suddenly changed her mind.

That’s not fair.

This kind of twist doesn’t happen in CEO romance novels!

“You’re not backing out because you think it’s too expensive, are you?”

When the other woman didn’t respond, Qin Yangyang frowned, then said after thinking a bit, “Alright, how about twenty million? I promise I’ll never show up in front of you and Ji Jingxiu again.”

Unexpectedly, the moment she lowered the price, Yu Yuezhi got even more terrified.

She stared at Qin Yangyang in shock.

“Twenty million?!”

Qin Yangyang thought she still found the offer too high.

“How about… one thousand? Five hundred? Two hundred…”

As Qin Yangyang lowered the price, she closely observed Yu Yuezhi’s reaction. In the end, she gritted her teeth.

“One million! I really can’t go any lower than that!”

Forget it.

A little is still better than nothing—even a mosquito is still meat.

Yu Yuezhi was panicking now.

She was scared.

Really scared.

She was almost certain now—Qin Yangyang had agreed so readily, there had to be a catch!

A million to buy her feelings for Ji Jingxiu? How did that make sense?

Yu Yuezhi stood up to leave.

But just as she took a step, Qin Yangyang suddenly grabbed her arm.

With a pained expression, she looked like she was trying to sell off a head of cabbage that was about to rot in her hands. She compromised, “Wait! Five hundred thousand! That’s really cheap already!”

Wasn’t this just forcing a sale?

Yu Yuezhi’s mood at that moment could only be described as shocked. Thunder rumbled in her mind as she finally figured out the reason behind Qin Yangyang’s odd behavior.

“You’re so desperate to divorce him… Ji Jingxiu, he—does he have some kind of condition?”

Her eyes widened in realization.

“Don’t tell me… he can’t do it?”

She was so shocked that her voice shot up several decibels, echoing through half the restaurant.

Qin Yangyang had wanted to argue, but after thinking it over, she realized she wasn’t actually sure either. So she just said, “Forget it. Just give me a hundred thousand. Just a token amount. I can’t be the one paying out of pocket, right?”

That sentence instantly confirmed all of Yu Yuezhi’s suspicions. Her face turned pale, and she yanked her hand away before bolting like her life depended on it.

As if afraid Qin Yangyang would chase her down and force the sale on her.

Ji Jingxiu’s face looked like thunder.

Just moments ago, he had confidently told his staff that he was priceless in Qin Yangyang’s heart—worth more than gold. And the next second, she sold him off for thirty million.

And the price just kept dropping—until it reached a mere hundred thousand.

Ji Jingxiu was cracked open.

He was only worth a hundred thousand?

From the moment the two of them had started haggling in reverse, the way the employees looked at him had slowly turned into pity.

The atmosphere around them was silent.

Now that their deal had clearly fallen through, Ji Jingxiu stood there grim-faced, not even sure whether to be relieved or furious.

One of the employees noticed the icy look on Ji Jingxiu’s face and let out an awkward laugh, trying to comfort him:

“Don’t be upset, President Ji. If she doesn’t want you, I do! I can come up with a hundred thousand!”

Ji Jingxiu did not feel comforted. His gaze was as icy as a glacier.

Qin Yangyang watched Yu Yuezhi flee, regretful. The golden opportunity she had been waiting for had just slipped through her fingers.

Just then, a mechanical voice rang out in her mind.

[Persona Collapse Detected: Ji Jingxiu. Collapse Index: 10. Bonus: 1 million yuan. Funds successfully transferred to designated account!]

…?

Ji Jingxiu was here?

Qin Yangyang quickly turned around—and sure enough, she spotted the domineering CEO not far away.

Behind him was a whole entourage of suited-up employees. The lineup was impressive—but the atmosphere felt… off.

Had they overheard her conversation with Yu Yuezhi just now?

Qin Yangyang, however, wasn’t flustered at all. She was still grieving the lost three million and shot Ji Jingxiu a resentful look.

What was he looking at?

She was the real victim today, okay?

You’re a big-shot CEO and you couldn’t even sell for a hundred thousand!

Across half the restaurant, Ji Jingxiu somehow managed to read the meaning in her expression, and instantly felt insulted.

At that moment, Qin Yangyang walked over.

With a beaming smile, she waved at him, like nothing had just happened.

“Honey, did you see? I just used a trick to scare off the woman who was trying to ruin our relationship.”

Ji Jingxiu: “…”

Not a single word of that was believable.

He had clearly seen her earlier—clutching Yu Yuezhi’s sleeve with that crazed, money-hungry glint in her eyes. It practically oozed out of her.

And now she was pretending to be all sweet and devoted?

The nearby employees all let out a collective sigh of relief and instantly began praising Qin Yangyang.

“So that’s what it was! Mrs. Ji, you’re incredibly clever!”

“We’ve all seen the love between President Ji and his wife. How could it only be worth a hundred thousand? These days, a hundred thousand doesn’t even buy you a bathroom!”

“Mrs. Ji’s performance was so good, I nearly fell for it. I even told President Ji that I’d offer a million, no hesitation.”

The employee who said that was still smiling when Qin Yangyang immediately turned to him, looking hopeful:

“Really? You want him?”

“…”

“…”

The room fell into another awkward silence.

The employee instantly shut up, head lowered like a chicken in the rain.

Huh?

I was joking. You were serious??

Qin Yangyang looked away in disappointment, turned to Ji Jingxiu, and gave him a sunny smile. She switched sides faster than flipping a page.

“Honey, I just scared off another one.”

Ji Jingxiu: I almost believed you again.

He said, “Since nothing happened, go on home. I still have things to deal with here.”

Qin Yangyang nodded cheerfully.

“Alright then, I’ll head back first. I’ll be waiting for you tonight.”

With that, she waved to the others and left.

As soon as she walked away, the employees wasted no time jumping in to flatter him.

“President Ji and Madam Ji really do love each other. A perfect match.”

“The way Madam Ji handled those scheming people—it really shows how deeply she cares about you, President Ji…”

Normally, Ji Jingxiu could tune out this kind of flattery without much thought, but today, he couldn’t stand a single word of it.

“Shut up, all of you.”

“Alrighty.”

——

Back home, Qin Yangyang tossed and turned all night.

She had been this close to pocketing thirty million. The regret was so intense it felt like her guts were turning green.

She carefully replayed everything that had happened that afternoon at the Birch Tree Restaurant. It wasn’t until late into the night that she finally figured it out.

She simply didn’t have the experience!

In her previous life, the balance in her bank account had never exceeded five digits. The only times she bargained were at the farmer’s market, and all the deals were under ten bucks. When had she ever encountered an eight-digit negotiation like that?

She should’ve pressed harder, acted all pushy and persuasive, flirted a little while playing hard to get!

Otherwise, how could she have scared off Yu Yuezhi like that?

Qin Yangyang let out a long sigh. She had already missed a golden opportunity. If there was a next time, she absolutely couldn’t let it slip away again.

With that thought, she couldn’t sleep at all. She quickly got up, turned on her computer, and decided to create a “communication miracle device” to prep for the next deal.

This design was infused with all her regret and hope, so she worked fast. Full of enthusiasm, she stayed glued to her desk until dawn broke. When the butler came to call her for breakfast, she didn’t even leave her room.

Once she finally finished, she uploaded her brand-new creation online—then collapsed into bed.

Since she had pulled an all-nighter, Qin Yangyang fell into a deep sleep, totally unaware that her latest design was already taking the internet by storm.

This time, her creation was the result of deep reflection—simple and brutally effective.

[Are you constantly frustrated by your lack of eloquence? Do you cry after losing arguments? Or do sleepless nights haunt you before a negotiation? With this Communication Miracle Device, all your worries will vanish.]

The device was made up of several components.

A combination of dialogue cards and a chibi character figure—perfect for fighting or flirting.

During arguments, the chibi figure would bristle with sharp spikes, instantly maxing out the hostility meter and making people grind their teeth in rage just looking at it. But when it switched to cute mode, the figure’s big round eyes became impossibly adorable, melting away all anger.

And that wasn’t all—it came with different settings for various scenarios.

Bargaining, giving up a seat, selling things… It covered almost every social situation imaginable.

This was Qin Yangyang’s magnum opus, a product distilled from two lifetimes of back-and-forth tussles with all sorts of people. A masterpiece born of pain and learning.

She happened to post the video right as people were clocking in for work.

The moment viewers saw what the video was about, they couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

[Holy crap?! Why does this actually seem useful?]

[Hahahahahaha, this is so ridiculous—I never see her designs coming!]

[As someone terrible at arguing, I am so tempted right now!]

[Petition to mass-produce this!]

[+1 on the mass production. I literally cried after an argument yesterday—I need this in my life!]

…

The comment section was flooded with demands for mass production. Within just two hours, the video’s views had already surpassed a million.

While Qin Yangyang’s “Fenghe” account was exploding with activity, Ji Jingxiu’s side remained oddly quiet. A gloomy atmosphere had been hanging over him since yesterday.

Everything that happened at the Birch Tree Restaurant was still gnawing at him.

Ten thousand?

Was that all he was worth?

Ji Jingxiu hadn’t slept a wink.

During breakfast, Qin Yangyang didn’t show up.

The butler said with concern, “Madam rarely sleeps in this late. I just went to call her, and from the sound of it, she seemed groggy… like her spirits were low. I wonder if she’s been crying.”

Ji Jingxiu let out a cold snort.

“Now she regrets it? Bit late for that, isn’t it?”

After saying that, he snatched up all the shrimp dumplings—Qin Yangyang’s favorite—and didn’t leave a single one for her.

His petty fit left him uncomfortably full.

By the time he finished eating and was ready to leave, Qin Yangyang still hadn’t come downstairs.

Standing in the living room, Ji Jingxiu looked up toward the second floor.

The butler seized the moment. “Sir, would you like to go check on her?”

He was met with a stern rejection.

One moment she was giving him flowers, the next she was trying to sell him off—she clearly wanted to fry his CPU!

Ji Jingxiu took the documents handed to him and left without a backward glance.

But even after getting in the car, he couldn’t figure it out—why did Qin Yangyang switch sides so quickly?

Was she really that desperate for money?

If she truly was short on cash… he supposed he could forgive her.

With that in mind, Ji Jingxiu pulled up the latest reports from Siyan Supermarket. Ever since the rebranding, the store had been gaining traction thanks to its tie-ins with reality shows. Business was doing quite well.

At this rate, they could probably open a fifth branch within six months.

Looking over the numbers, Ji Jingxiu started to soften.

The entire Qin family, combined, was only worth a few tens of millions. That poor?

No wonder Qin Yangyang had to grit her teeth and sell him for cash.

Despite his usual aloofness, Ji Jingxiu was actually pretty reasonable. Once he worked through things in his mind, he didn’t need anyone else to talk him down—he could let go on his own. He even started to wonder if he should show his wife a bit more concern.

While thinking about it, he glanced at his phone. The notification bar showed a Weibo update—from Qin Yangyang’s account, Fenghe.

It was posted just an hour ago. A brand-new design.

Ji Jingxiu: Aren’t you supposed to be at home reflecting? You had time to design this?

He quickly tapped in and immediately saw the so-called “Communication Miracle Device.”

The video walked through its functions in detail, absurd and deadpan in classic Qin Yangyang fashion.

At the end of the video came a thought-provoking line:

[Don’t let money slip through your fingers.]

Ji Jingxiu: ?

Are you throwing shade at me?