Chapter 463: Chapter 463: I Knew This Would Happen
"Damn, I knew it would turn out like this."
"The production team played us again."
The guests cursed under their breath, complaining about the production team’s tricks, while very much in sync, they all shifted their gaze to Sang Ning.
Song Shiye, clearly concerned for Sang Ning, suggested, "Sister Sangsang, it’s still early in the process. You have time to switch to another design if you want. If it’s hard to execute, I can help you—I’ve been getting a better grasp of it myself."
Sang Ning was already chiseling away at the ice block with a small shovel. She blew off the residual ice chips on the surface, looked up, and reassured Song Shiye with a quick glance. "No worries, I have my own sales strategy. Just focus on refining your own ice sculpture."
Lu Yujing found Sang Ning’s words laughable, believing she was just blowing hot air. A misshapen piece of ice with no discernible design—who would possibly buy that? However, when she spoke, she kept those thoughts to herself and joked, "Ningbao, you’re not planning to rely on your looks to sell your ice sculpture, are you? If that’s the case, you might actually win the sales crown."
At first blush, her words seemed like praise, but they were loaded with sarcasm, implying that Sang Ning was just a vain, pretty face.
Lu Yujing’s behavior these past two days had been odd. Sang Ning couldn’t tell whether her latest comments came from genuine cluelessness or veiled mockery. She replied with understated indifference: "If you’re lacking confidence, you could always hand over your finished sculpture to me for selling."
Lu Yujing was stunned for a second. Lack confidence? Did she mean confidence in her looks or in the ice sculpture she was about to create?
"There’s no need for that—it’d just add unnecessary burden to you, wouldn’t it?" Lu Yujing responded awkwardly, forcing a smile, her fingers tightening around the handle of her shovel. She was determined to show Sang Ning what real artistry looked like!
While everyone else was using templates to guide their carving, Lu Yujing was already sculpting based on the vision she had meticulously outlined in her mind.
Her inspiration came from the cruise ride earlier that morning: trees along the bank burdened by heavy snow, their branches drooping under the weight. She decided to craft an artwork steeped in aesthetic charm—bare branches adorned with clusters of glistening ice flowers. It seemed harmonious with Snow Village’s wintry vibe.
The idea sounded simple, but the execution was anything but. Capturing the shape of bare branches was one thing, but sculpting ice flowers hanging from them was highly intricate. Working on the trunk and larger branches wasn’t overly difficult; the challenge lay in the tiny ice flowers. One careless move could ruin the entire ice tree.
The resident ice sculptor wandered among the guests, offering guidance and sharing tips. When he reached Lu Yujing, he lingered longer.
The sculptor still remembered Lu Yujing’s earlier boasts and was curious to see if she could deliver anything noteworthy.
To his surprise, Lu Yujing wasn’t just all talk—her carving technique was impressively precise. The sculptor observed as she delicately etched an ice flower onto a branch. The flower was only the size of a coin, yet its details were strikingly clear. It was enough to convince him that Lu Yujing was clearly skilled. Satisfied, he moved on to the next participant.
If the sculptor could smile while watching Lu Yujing carve, his expression became downright stoic when he observed Sang Ning. Her process left him feeling utterly numb.
By this point, Sang Ning had used her cutting machine to shape a crude ice sculpture based on the reference image. To be exact, what she had created was essentially just a block of ice with two rough geometric shapes.
Not only did she skip refining the edges, but she also picked up her shovel and started stabbing randomly at the ice block. Its previously smooth, even surface became jagged and chaotic.
"Young lady, what are you doing? If you’re upset, just yell and vent—why take it out on the ice block?" The ice sculptor couldn’t stand Sang Ning’s approach. As someone deeply passionate about ice carving, seeing her treat the blocks like garbage was unbearable.
"Master, I’m making an ice sculpture," Sang Ning replied matter-of-factly as she continued striking and scraping the ice block. She barely glanced at the sculptor while speaking.
Looking at the uneven pits and hollows Sang Ning had carved into the surface, the sculptor shook his head repeatedly, his tone growing harsh. "You’re not sculpting—that’s just destruction!"
How could Sang Ning explain that she had her own unique carving method? Instead, she went along with his comment: "Master, it’s fine. We have plenty of ice blocks to use freely anyway. If you think my sculpture looks bad and want to help me improve it, you’re welcome to jump in."
"Dream on!" the sculptor retorted coldly. He had overheard the production team’s rules earlier—the sculptures were meant to be sold for hard cash. Sang Ning’s suggestion that he fix her work for free was, to him, nothing more than a brazen attempt to cheat the system.
Annoyed by what he saw as Sang Ning’s lackadaisical attitude, the sculptor abandoned any thoughts of teaching her. Instead, he spent longer periods advising the promising talent, Lu Yujing.
It wasn’t just the sculptor—members of the production team thought Sang Ning lacked technique and was just making a mess. The photographer assigned to her had been filming Sang Ning for quite some time but had only captured her poking and hammering randomly at the ice block. Lacking any real progress, he lost interest and discreetly shifted his camera toward the intricate sculpture Lu Yujing was crafting.
When the camera focused, the photographer admitted he was impressed. With his limited experience, even he could tell Lu Yujing’s work was exceptionally refined, evoking a strong desire to purchase it.
The branches seemed to droop naturally, ice flowers cascading seamlessly over each one. The design displayed an abundance of detail without appearing chaotic, and every small ice flower was exquisitely clear.
Meanwhile, Sang Ning was still stabbing away at the ice block. The photographer originally assigned to her had long since sneaked away to follow someone else.
With no one watching her anymore, Sang Ning worked quietly, lost in her craft at her own workstation.
Before nightfall, the PD announced that the park’s opening hours would be moved up, urging everyone to hasten their progress. Once tourists entered, they’d need to maximize their presence and sell their sculptures for money.
Absorbed in their creations, most participants entered a state of flow, entirely focused. Sang Ning glanced around—the others all seemed immersed in their tasks, completely unaware of her in her secluded corner.
Just as the sculptor had assumed, Sang Ning was nearly done "breaking" what she needed to break.
Sang Ning meticulously cleaned away the excess ice chips and picked up the smallest shovel she had. As she began carving by hand, careful observation would reveal the practiced precision of her technique.
The originally marred ice block slowly revealed the faint beginnings of a sculpted human figure.
