10: Why didn’t the humiliating breakup I imagined happen?

Lei Qian was speechless for a moment. He had expected this woman to make a scene, to cry and throw a tantrum, or even to use their relationship to threaten him.

But she didn't. She was as calm as a seasoned negotiator, terrifyingly clear-headed.

"Miss Bai..." He opened his mouth, about to say something.

"What?" Bai Wanning scoffed, her tone sarcastic. "You think it's not enough?"

She raised an eyebrow and continued, enunciating each word: "Alright then, two hundred million! Add some other things, a few guns and rifles, put together a batch for me. If there are machine guns, even better."

"Miss Bai! Guns are probably out of the question!" Lei Qian sat up abruptly, refusing immediately.

He didn't know what she wanted these weapons for, but a strange unease rose in his heart. Could it be that she was so scared she planned to kill everyone who harmed her?

To be honest, he wasn't against it.

But—this society doesn't operate on brute force. If she really hurt someone, she'd end up in jail.

Bai Wanning rolled her eyes and sneered in response, "Are you going to give it or not? This isn't allowed, that isn't allowed. How do you plan to compensate me then?"

"Didn't you say I could have anything I wanted? How can you go back on your word so quickly? I thought you were a man of your word."

Lei Qian only felt his head ache more. He truly couldn't understand how the girl who used to be gentle, soft, and quiet like a cat had suddenly turned into a claw-wielding demon.

But no matter what, he did have a responsibility towards Bai Wanning.

He had to shoulder this responsibility no matter what—even if what she was saying now was completely unreasonable, he couldn't just stand by and watch her go down a path that would ruin her life.

He silently fumbled for a while, and finally, pulled out a card from the deepest part of his wallet.

"Take it." Lei Qian pushed the black card towards her, his voice low and helpless. "There's two hundred and fifty million in here, enough for what you need now. The extra money is compensation. Please don't think about guns anymore, okay?"

Bai Wanning's expression immediately chilled when she heard the word "guns" rejected again.

What was he doing? Trying to get rid of her with money? What did he think she was? Someone who could be appeased with fifty million?

She had only celebrated her eighteenth birthday a few months ago; her life had just begun. And him? He was more than six years older than her!

What was this? Not only was he an old ox eating young grass, but he was specifically eating her, a fresh sprout still covered in dew!

She wanted two hundred million to prepare for stockpiling weapons, yet he dared to act like a "good person," pretending to be righteous in front of her? Did he think adding fifty million would make her abandon her bottom line?

If it weren't for the fact that this man resembled Bai Cai, her precious baby from her dream, she would have peeled his skin off right now!

"It'll be easier to kill him before he awakens his powers," she thought, gritting her teeth, but in the next second, she silently negated it.

"No, Wanning, calm down... What if someday Little Cai grows up and asks about her biological father? What would she say? Tell him his dad was stabbed to death by his mom?"

No, that wouldn't be a good story.

She took a deep breath and pushed the card back to Lei Qian, her movement decisive.

"Five hundred million." She spoke calmly, each word clear. "Before, I gave you a discount because I wanted weapons. Since you're unwilling, then it's back to the original price."

"Five... five hundred million?" Lei Qian's throat tightened, so shocked that his tone of voice changed. He stared at her blankly, as if he didn't know this woman at all.

It was over.

She had truly changed, no longer gentle, no longer pure, but rather mercenary and chillingly calm.

It must have been him who hurt her so deeply.

He was already an adult, and she was only eighteen. She should have had a brighter future, met a better man than him, yet she got entangled with him and sacrificed herself.

But what right did he have to disdain her? He was the one who first crossed that line.

"Oh, right," Bai Wanning suddenly raised her eyes, a slight arch in her brow, asking with a half-smile, "Did you forget how you tormented me that night?"

Her tone was mocking, and she said, word for word, "If you've forgotten, perhaps you should recall—the news reporters came for an exclusive, and I could have escaped, but you tormented me so much that night I couldn't even run."

"I was caught red-handed by the reporters. As for what happened next, you don't still need me to explain it in detail, do you?"

Lei Qian sat on the sofa, as if nailed down, unable to move, his face alternating between green and pale.

He pursed his lips, and in the end, didn't utter a single word.

She was right; he had nothing to argue.

Because of his momentary impulsiveness and foolishness, Bai Wanning endured countless criticisms, becoming a laughingstock for everyone's after-dinner conversations.

He had intended to find a way to clean up the mess, even considering whether to directly announce their marriage.

But before he could act, she had already taken the initiative.

Calm, decisive, and meticulously strategic.

"Since that's the case," Bai Wanning said with a detached expression and icy eyes, "why don't you compensate me for the mental and physical damage you caused?"

"Well... I would like to compensate, but I don't have that much money," Lei Qian said in a low voice, his gaze somewhat evasive.

The dignified heir of the Lei Corporation, a prominent figure in the city, couldn't even say "I have five hundred million" at this moment.

Bai Wanning froze.

She had mentally prepared herself for a "financial bombardment," even fantasizing about this man impatiently throwing a billion at her, casually adding, "Get lost."

But what was the result?

Reality was like a slap, catching her off guard—wasn't this man a big shot? Wasn't he a powerful figure with immense wealth and boundless prestige?

How did only half of her fantasy come true?

Her imagined "billion-dollar humiliating breakup" didn't happen; instead, she got a... financially strapped sucker?