CHAPTER 14: Persona Collapse 14%

◎ Qin Yangyang: 6 (VIP Announcement) ◎

The next day, the sun was bright and blazing.

Fantasy Amusement Park’s event was huge and festive. Even from outside, the crowds were already packed in.

Several employees dressed in frilly frog mascot suits stood by the entrance, handing out balloons.

Qin Yangyang had previously optimized the design of the mascot, making it look even more adorable now—round and chubby, with that ugly-cute charm that made it even more popular than before.

From the moment it appeared, the area was packed with tourists all rushing to take photos with it.

Besides the mascot, the event featured float performances and limited-time activities, with even discounted tickets on sale.

With so many elements combined, Dream Fantasy Amusement Park was exceptionally busy today.

Frog-themed merchandise could be seen all over the park, and the character had practically become the park’s signature icon.

Qin Yangyang strolled around the park, noticing that many staff members were dressed up as the mascot. Her hands itched to join in.

The last time she’d come here, she wore the mascot suit and helmet, completely covering herself up. She could let loose, do whatever she wanted in the park without caring about being judged.

That feeling… was addictive.

As the parade was about to begin, Qin Yangyang found the break room, changed into the familiar mascot costume, and headed to the gathering point.

More than a dozen mascots had already assembled.

Everyone looked exactly the same, with even similar heights. Once mixed in, it was impossible to tell who was who.

The manager was in front, assigning tasks.

“Today is Dream Fantasy Amusement Park’s most important day. Visitor numbers have broken our all-time record. Everyone’s looking forward to the debut of the new mascot. Stay focused—no slacking off.”

As soon as it hit time, the lively music started playing.

All the mascots walked along the main road of the park, dancing to the music while interacting with visitors on either side.

Qin Yangyang blended in with the mascots, her headgear fully on, slowly letting herself go.

The entire park was immersed in a sea of joy. On the other side of the main road, the manager was leading the inspection group around the activities.

Standing at the very front, Ji Jingxiu alone created a two-meter radius of cold detachment that seemed to isolate him from the surrounding festive atmosphere.

The manager had been looking around for a while now, but hadn’t spotted Qin Yangyang.

But recalling their conversation yesterday, he guessed she had already slipped into the parade team early.

While half-distracted by his thoughts, he continued enthusiastically explaining the details of each event.

Ji Jingxiu’s expression was indifferent, clearly uninterested in everything going on—perhaps even carrying a bit of psychological trauma.

When the amusement park was first established, he was full of ambition, determined to create a paradise for domestic visitors. And to a large extent, he had succeeded.

He used to feel proud every time he came here.

But ever since Qin Yangyang had caused him extreme mental distress here last time, every visit brought flashbacks of that experience.

Like now.

Ji Jingxiu kept feeling like one of those frog mascots looked exactly like Qin Yangyang from the back.

Illusion.

Definitely just an illusion.

Ji Jingxiu frowned deeply. As the sun grew harsher, he took a small step back to stay fully in the shade.

Just then, the manager smiled and said,
“President Ji, after the event ends, the park has prepared lunch. We hope you and your wife will do us the honor of joining.”

Ji Jingxiu didn’t even turn his head.
“She’s at home. Didn’t come.”

The manager blinked.
“But Mrs. Ji told me yesterday she was coming.”

Ji Jingxiu was just about to respond when something clicked in his mind. He frowned slightly and turned to face him.
“She told you that herself?”

“Yeah. She said today was the mascot’s official debut, and she’d be here to join the event—and even offered to help out as a part-time staffer. She didn’t mention it to you?”

Hearing this, Ji Jingxiu immediately remembered what Qin Yangyang said the night before. Realizing something was off, he snapped his head toward the mascot group, eyes locking onto that one frog that had looked suspiciously familiar from the beginning.

The moment the manager heard she hadn’t shown up, he grew concerned.

“There’s an event later where Mrs. Ji needs to appear. If she’s not here, we can’t proceed.”

Ji Jingxiu clenched his teeth.
“She’s here.”

“She is?”

Before the manager could ask more, Ji Jingxiu’s expression darkened. He took an umbrella from his assistant, then strode straight toward the parade.

He walked directly to the back of the mascot group and, with pinpoint accuracy, reached into the crowd and yanked out the particularly flamboyant frog, dragging it in front of him.

His voice was full of resentment.

“Didn’t you say you were staying home to reflect today?”

—

Qin Yangyang had just been playing games with the others.

The mascot she personally designed was wildly popular, giving her an overwhelming sense of accomplishment. She was having a blast when someone suddenly grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her out of the crowd.

Before she could even react, a cold voice sounded behind her.

“Didn’t you say you were staying home to reflect today?”

Qin Yangyang: 0-0

What’s the most awkward thing ever?

When you said one of you would stay home to reflect and the other would go to work—and then you accidentally ran into each other at the amusement park.

Also… how the hell did Ji Jingxiu recognize her out of a whole crowd of frogs?

Qin Yangyang flailed her hands and denied it in a cutesy falsetto voice.

“You’ve got the wrong person.”

Ji Jingxiu: “Heh. Use that voice all you want—you think I wouldn’t recognize you?”

“……”

Ji Jingxiu honestly couldn’t believe this.

He’d spent all of last night moved by Qin Yangyang’s supposed maturity. This morning, he tiptoed around the house just to let her sleep in peace. He even told the butler to keep quiet out of consideration for her.

All for nothing.

She’d already snuck out, not only skipping her reflection but having the time of her life.

“Come with me.”

The musical parade was still in full swing, the staff still partying around them, but Ji Jingxiu pulled Qin Yangyang out, intending to leave.

The frog struggled a bit.

“I’m still working.”

“Are you that desperate for money?”

“Yes.”

Very desperate.

Who would ever complain about having too much money?

Ji Jingxiu was a little upset, glaring at his disobedient wife.

“Didn’t I give you money?”

Qin Yangyang’s voice was even louder than his.

“No! You! Didn’t!”

Ji Jingxiu: …

“I’ll give it to you when we get back.”

Upon hearing that, Qin Yangyang finally moved and grabbed his arm in return.

“How much?”

Ji Jingxiu didn’t answer. He suddenly had the strange feeling that, in Qin Yangyang’s heart, money was almost as important as he was. That made him rather uncomfortable.

The two of them started pushing upstream, trying to leave the noisy crowd behind.

But by now, the parade had reached its climax. The music was deafening, drowning out all conversation. People surged forward in waves, shoulder to shoulder, packed like sardines.

Ji Jingxiu held onto Wawa with one hand and held an umbrella high above their heads with the other, struggling to move through the crowd.

Qin Yangyang followed behind, also finding it hard to move. She felt like she was about to get flattened and really wanted Ji Jingxiu to just toss the umbrella.

Seriously, this wasn’t the time to worry about getting a tan.

The crowd got denser, and they had to squeeze through every gap they could find.

Just then, a tourist suddenly shouted.

“They’re handing out gifts now!”

Everyone instantly got excited and rushed toward the gift booth up ahead.

The already crowded space instantly doubled in density. It was like a giant sardine can, and people surged past Qin Yangyang in a frenzy.

Afraid of being swept away, she clutched Ji Jingxiu’s hand tightly. Just as she was about to speak, something dark flashed past the corner of her eye.

There were too many people—it wasn’t clear who brushed against Ji Jingxiu’s arm, but the umbrella he’d been holding flew out of his hand and disappeared into the crowd.

Finally, it’s gone.

Qin Yangyang really didn’t get why the CEO insisted on holding that umbrella the entire time. Seeing it gone, she actually felt relieved. But the next second, a wave of cold suddenly spread from Ji Jingxiu’s hand.

It was like being dunked into an ice bath.

His hand had gone shockingly cold and even began to tremble slightly.

Qin Yangyang looked up and saw Ji Jingxiu frozen in place in the crowd, his face pale, veins bulging at his temples, as if enduring excruciating pain.

What’s going on?

The crowd had mostly rushed toward the giveaway area, so the space around them cleared up.

But Ji Jingxiu remained frozen, his body shaking.

Under the sunlight, his ghostly pale face was covered in sweat. He was clearly enduring something, his teeth clenched, letting out muffled groans of pain.

His already pale skin looked like it was being scorched by the sun.

Suddenly, Qin Yangyang realized—

Where’s his umbrella?!

She turned her head, but the black umbrella had long vanished into the crowd.

Ji Jingxiu looked like he was in more and more pain. Beads of sweat rolled down his forehead, tracing along his sharp jawline and dripping to the ground.

His skin was always pale, but now it looked paper-thin and bloodless. His condition didn’t look good at all.

“Ji Jingxiu…”

Gritting her teeth, Qin Yangyang quickly pulled off her mascot head.

“Wear this!”

Thump!

The giant green frog head was shoved directly onto Ji Jingxiu’s head.

The CEO had planned to attend an event today, and he’d dressed carefully—wearing a custom-made, high-end suit. Tall, handsome, like a model straight out of a magazine. Paired with his usual cold, distant aura, he was the definition of “unapproachable.”

But now, with a big round frog head on him, the whole vibe completely collapsed. It was absurdly out of place.

Yet Ji Jingxiu’s body slowly stopped trembling.

The headgear he’d previously despised now blocked out the harsh sun, giving him a deep sense of security.

He gradually relaxed, then finally realized something was on his head.

His whole demeanor shifted.

“What did you just put on me?”

Through the slit in the frog head, he saw Qin Yangyang standing under the sunlight. Her face was glistening with sweat, black hair stuck to her flushed cheeks—and she was grinning happily.

She even reached out and patted the frog head.

“Don’t move. I’m taking you to the lounge.”

With that, she tugged him along.

Ji Jingxiu struggled for a bit, but in the end, didn’t say anything.

The doctor had told him that sunlight wouldn’t hurt him—it was all in his head. But Ji Jingxiu could still feel that unbearable stinging on the back of his exposed hand.

He looked down, his brows furrowed under the mascot head, eyes full of turbulence and a deep-rooted loathing.

Suddenly, Qin Yangyang, walking ahead of him, slowed her steps just enough to block the sunlight that was hitting the back of his hand.

The stinging stopped instantly.

Ji Jingxiu froze, staring in surprise at Qin Yangyang’s back.

When they finally got to the lounge, the manager and several others rushed over. The moment they saw Ji Jingxiu, they all gasped—some even looked like they wanted to laugh but didn’t dare.

Ji Jingxiu pulled off the mascot head and sat down, closing his eyes to rest.

He looked a little worse for wear—hair tousled, cheeks finally tinged with color, a hint of fragility in his expression.

Qin Yangyang asked, “What happened to you just now?”

Ji Jingxiu looked up and shot her a frosty glare, though maybe because he wasn’t in great shape, the effect was much weaker than usual.

“You pissed me off.”

Qin Yangyang: ?

Don’t you dare blame me for that.

She opened her mouth to retort, but seeing how he looked half-dead and miserable, she held back.

Still, something about this felt… odd.

In the original novel, Ji Jingxiu always appeared with an umbrella, never letting sunlight touch him. That’s why his skin had such an unnaturally pale tone.

Until the end, the novel never explained the reason.

Back then, she’d thought it might just be the CEO’s unique little quirk. But now, it seemed like that wasn’t the case at all.

Qin Yangyang quietly sat beside him, reviewing the plot in her mind. A while later, seeing that Ji Jingxiu was finally looking a bit better, she left with him.

The amusement park’s celebration was still going on.

After returning the mascot costume to the team leader, Qin Yangyang suddenly remembered something and asked in confusion, “There were so many frogs—how did you recognize me right away just now?”

It was basically a miracle.

Ji Jingxiu’s expression had already returned to calm. He turned to look at her and said,
“Because you… were especially seductive.”

Qin Yangyang: ???