Chapter 459: Chapter 459 The Right to Participate in the Game
Just as she was about to approach the central red marker, Lu Yujing suddenly stumbled under her feet. With a loud "clang," she landed squarely on her butt on the ice surface.
The noise from her fall was so loud that it sounded as if her bones were about to shatter. Everyone gasped sharply, their hearts trembling for a second, unable to react in time to help her up.
"Ugh—" The pain seemed to tug at Lu Yujing’s vocal cords, preventing her from crying out fully. Instead, she propped her hands on the ice, her face twisted in agony as she groaned faintly.
Sang Ning silently gave Lu Yujing a thumbs-up in her heart. This woman was way too dedicated. She promptly got up from her sled and went forward to help Lu Yujing.
Sang Ning grabbed one of Lu Yujing’s arms. It seemed she hadn’t recovered yet; her body was limp and unresponsive. Sang Ning sighed helplessly, "We might as well give up. That fall of yours seems pretty serious."
Lu Yujing was still engulfed in her pain, lacking the energy to respond to Sang Ning. Instead, her inner resentment and regret kept intensifying.
If she had known earlier, she wouldn’t have acted so foolishly. Killing Sang Ning during a silly game was obviously an impossible fantasy. Sang Ning wasn’t dead, but she herself was about to perish.
Seeing Lu Yujing unable to muster any strength, Sang Ning was worried that she might have fractured something. She didn’t dare pull her up easily, so she released her grip and let her remain lying on the ice in her original position. "Let’s get the team doctor to check you out first."
Feeling Sang Ning purposely let go, Lu Yujing raised her head to look at her. Was this little nuisance trying to murder her?
Yet under the influence of her acting prowess, the resentment in her heart outwardly transformed into a pitiful, doe-eyed expression rivaling that of a small rabbit. She clutched Sang Ning’s arm. "I’m fine. It’s just a butt-plant; it’s not serious. Help me up—I can still fight!"
Sang Ning hesitated for a second but ultimately decided to support Lu Yujing’s arm once again.
Was Lu Yujing really that competitive? She hadn’t felt it before.
"Mr. Lu, are you okay?" The PD hurriedly approached to ask.
The other guests also crowded around to check on Lu Yujing’s condition, with the team doctor promptly coming in for an examination.
The final verdict was that Lu Yujing’s fall had only caused superficial damage. A day or two of rest would be enough, and it wouldn’t affect her normal mobility.
Before being carried away, Lu Yujing still clasped Sang Ning’s hand and apologized: "Ningbao, it’s all my fault for being useless. Now it’s come to this—you’ve lost a teammate because of me."
Sang Ning felt strangely touched. Even in such a state, Lu Yujing was still thinking about her. Her usually icy tone softened a little as she said, "It’s okay. You rest well; leave the rest to me."
Sang Ning made up her mind. Even if she had to go solo, this game wasn’t over for her. She raised her hand toward the PD: "Can I apply to sit still on the sled? I’ll wait for others to attack and strike back at the right time."
What was originally a battle between three teams now suddenly lacked a player, making things noticeably thinner. After some communication between the PD and the director, Sang Ning’s request was approved. The situation now shifted to two teams ganging up on Sang Ning.
The other two teams both decided to knock off the snowman above Sang Ning’s head first before competing for the final victory. Two sleds stopped on either side of Sang Ning, with their riders holding inflatable mallets and swinging relentlessly at the top of her head.
Having to fend off two mallets simultaneously without being able to move was undeniably challenging, even with Sang Ning’s quick counterattacking speed.
Several times, she nearly managed to take out Jiang Xiaoti’s and Wei Lan’s snowmen, but Qin Feng and Li Haidong kept interfering, each dragging their respective sled to a distance, leaving Sang Ning to hit nothing but air.
"Ha-ha-ha—you just can’t hit me! Bet you’re fuming!" Qin Feng not only dragged Wei Lan’s sled away but also made a silly face at Sang Ning, taunting her tirelessly.
Sang Ning couldn’t bear Qin Feng’s smug attitude. As he pulled Wei Lan closer again, her swinging mallet shifted targets from Wei Lan’s snowman to Qin Feng himself: "If I can’t hit the snowman, hitting you is still fair game."
Since Sang Ning was required to remain seated, her swing could only guarantee that it landed on Qin Feng somewhere—but the exact location was a bit less controllable.
One strike later, Qin Feng turned red-faced, clutching his butt as he yelled: "That’s indecent, Sang Ning!"
Wei Lan hadn’t expected Sang Ning to suddenly change her target so abruptly. She raised her mallet, momentarily stunned. By the time she came to her senses, a large inflatable mallet was already coming right at her.
With a sharp swing toward Wei Lan’s snowman, Sang Ning shouted, "Sister Lan, sorry about this!"
"Qin Feng and Wei Lan’s team OUT!" The cruel game’s commentary soundtrack signified their defeat.
"Oh my goodness!" Qin Feng covered his face in regret, only to unveil it seconds later, pointing accusatorily at Sang Ning and yelling at the PD, "Sang Ning cheated! She broke the rules!"
Sang Ning twirled her mallet boastfully, basking in her triumph. "The game rules never said you couldn’t target the Three Fools on the sled, did they? What’s wrong with hitting you once? Smile, angel Samoyed."
"I refuse to accept this! I’m filing an appeal. Sang Ning’s trampling on dog rights—no, human rights. Isn’t there any Heavenly Principle left? I’m pulling the sled to exhaustion, and now I get hit too? How’s that fair?" Qin Feng inadvertently followed Sang Ning’s train of thought, and his slip of the tongue almost made the whole scene erupt in laughter.
"Appeal denied. Qin Feng’s team is out." The PD announced helplessly, noting that Sang Ning had indeed found a loophole in the rules. He then added, "In the next round, attacking Raffs is strictly prohibited!"
With only Li Haidong remaining as the Raff on the field, this freshly patched rule was clearly aimed at restricting Sang Ning.
Amid Qin Feng’s unwilling cries, the next round of the game kicked off.
The new rule put Sang Ning at a disadvantage, making things easier for Li Haidong.
With the prohibition on attacking Raffs now in place, Li Haidong came up with a crafty strategy. Pulling his sled to let Jiang Xiaoti approach Sang Ning, he used his body to block Sang Ning’s view.
Jiang Xiaoti hid behind Li Haidong, leveraging his cover to launch sporadic attacks on Sang Ning.
Sang Ning tried several times to strike back but was stopped by Li Haidong’s body each time. Forced to brake quickly, she retracted her mallet.
The new rule stated that hitting a Raff with the mallet would result in immediate defeat.
Lu Yujing had practically sacrificed her butt for the team’s victory. Sang Ning couldn’t let that go to waste.
"You old bastard, you’re so cunning!" Wei Lan couldn’t help but roast her dear husband from the sidelines.
Despite his age, Li Haidong was quick-witted, always using his body to shield Jiang Xiaoti right before Sang Ning’s mallet struck.
He raised his eyebrows at Wei Lan: "This is called tactics. We can’t let Sang Ning alone exploit the loopholes, can we?"
Li Haidong might’ve been fast, but Sang Ning wasn’t slow either. Several of Jiang Xiaoti’s sudden offensives were deftly dodged by her.
The battle was becoming increasingly tense, and no one could predict how much longer the tug-of-war might last.
Just as things had reached a stalemate, Song Shiye suddenly stepped forward, took hold of the sled harness attached to Sang Ning’s sled, and slipped it over his own shoulder. "Let me be the dog now."
Realizing the atmosphere around him had gone completely silent, he hastily corrected himself, "I mean, let me be Sister Sangsang’s Raff instead. After all, I’m the King, and I have the right to participate in the game."
