Chapter 465: Chapter 465: Keep it for Yourself to Play
Wearing the costume headpiece seemed to make Lu Yujing bolder. She brazenly took a few more steps to follow him, but the man—clearly annoyed—turned around, pointed at her, and shouted, "Are you an employee at this amusement park? What’s your staff number? I’m reporting you for harassing tourists!"
The man never seriously intended to report her. Seeing that his scolding made her stop following him, he let it go, adjusted his clothes, and strode away.
Lu Yujing, fuming, muttered after he walked off, "What a penniless miser! Can’t even shell out two hundred and eighty, yet has the nerve to wear a big gold chain around his neck. It’s probably fake anyway!"
It might’ve been easier for her to accept if it really were fake. At least then, it would have meant he didn’t have the spending power. But with the sharp instincts she’d developed from years immersed in luxury goods, one glance was enough to confirm the chain around his neck was absolutely real.
He has money to buy a big gold chain but not to spend two hundred and eighty on one of her ice sculptures? Ridiculous!
Other than Lu Yujing, everyone else also tried pitching their ice sculptures, but none had much success. The moment people heard the price, their reactions mirrored the chain-wearing man’s—thinking it was daylight robbery.
Song Shiye and Qin Feng, worried they wouldn’t make any sales, even started a price war. From two hundred and eighty, they slashed the price repeatedly until it dropped to twenty yuan. Yet not only did nobody buy, the tourists grew even more suspicious, assuming the two were up to no good and steering clear of them like the plague.
Some tourists even lodged complaints with the amusement park management, claiming there were people suspected of running a pyramid scheme.
Staff showed up to investigate the matter, only to find out it was part of a program recording. They gave a verbal reminder: filming a show is fine, but don’t disrupt park operations.
After the warning, Song Shiye and Qin Feng toned it down and dared not act so aggressively.
It was a rough start. The group temporarily retreated to the lounge to rest. After taking off her headpiece, Jiang Xiaoti noticed the gift box belonging to Sang Ning remained unopened. Curious, she asked, "Sang Ning, you’ve been standing there not moving this whole time. Why aren’t you pitching your product?"
Lu Yujing teased half-jokingly: "What’s the matter? Did you suddenly realize your work is too embarrassing to show and don’t dare to sell it anymore?"
Sang Ning responded earnestly, "Honestly, yeah. No matter how delicately it’s carved, it’s still just a block of ice. Asking two hundred and eighty for something like that—no sane person would pay."
Lu Yujing assumed Sang Ning was just saying that to save face. Since her own ice sculpture sales had flopped, she was eager to see Sang Ning make a fool of herself to feel a bit better. Egging her on, she said, "I haven’t even seen your ice sculpture masterpiece yet. How about showing it to me? Let me feast my eyes."
Sang Ning replied, "It’s nothing special, just a block of ice. Nothing worth seeing. Let’s focus on figuring out how to sell them instead."
Lu Yujing felt mocked again, wondering if Sang Ning was subtly ridiculing her for failing to sell her ice sculpture earlier.
Jiang Xiaoti followed Sang Ning’s logic and mused, "Earlier, we mostly targeted adults as customers. How about we try pitching to kids later? Kids are the easiest to sell to. If we’re lucky and approach generous parents who spoil their kids, spending two hundred and eighty to make their child happy wouldn’t be a big deal."
After suffering multiple defeats during their pitches, Qin Feng’s confidence had taken a hit. Skeptical of Jiang Xiaoti’s suggestion, he said, "No matter how rich a parent is, they probably wouldn’t spend that much on a block of ice, right? Sister Jing’s ice sculpture was the best-looking of all, yet it didn’t sell and even earned her a tongue-lashing. Your idea doesn’t seem very reliable."
Lu Yujing almost wanted to strangle Qin Feng. Say what you want, but why drag her into it? What’s wrong with him?
Li Haidong chimed in, "That’s not necessarily true. If you met a parent like me, as long as my kid’s happy, not only two hundred and eighty—even twenty-eight thousand for a clump of mud and I’d buy it without a second thought!"
"See? I told you it’s possible! If it doesn’t work, it just means the parents we run into aren’t rich enough!" With someone backing her, Jiang Xiaoti regained her confidence and decided to give it a try later.
The sales mission wasn’t complete yet, so after a short break, the group put their headpieces back on and returned to the park to pitch their products.
Jiang Xiaoti was set on her plan but felt nervous going alone. She simply dragged Sang Ning to join her.
The two stood by the roadside in their costumes, observing the passersby and looking for the most promising targets. Their behavior looked undeniably sneaky.
Watching them from not far away, Lu Yujing sat on a bench, eager to see what kind of mess they would create.
Soon, a family of three approached. The parents wore lavish, upscale mink coats, and their six- or seven-year-old daughter had her hair styled in a princess bun with a tiny crown perched on her head. Her fair complexion and delicate features screamed ’wealthy family.’
Jiang Xiaoti nudged Sang Ning with her elbow and asked, "Sang Ning, what do you think of this family? They look rich enough, and the little girl seems sweet and innocent—probably easy to coax, don’t you think?"
"Why don’t you give it a try? If we skip this one, who knows when the next suitable target will come along." Sang Ning, dragged along for moral support, had a hunch this wouldn’t pan out but didn’t want to dampen Jiang Xiaoti’s enthusiasm.
Jiang Xiaoti thought the family looked well-mannered, and their daughter seemed adorably gentle and reasonable. Surely, they wouldn’t outright reject her. Even if they did, it wouldn’t be too embarrassing.
With those thoughts, she approached the family and crouched down to be at eye level with the little girl for easier communication. "Hi there, sweetie! I’m selling handcrafted ice sculptures. They’re shaped like little bears—super cute! Wouldn’t you like your mom and dad to buy one for you?"
The girl’s mom picked up the ice sculpture and glanced at it. It was indeed somewhat charming, albeit roughly carved. She casually inquired about the price.
"Hello, ma’am! As it’s handmade, the price might be a tad steep—two hundred and eighty yuan each." Jiang Xiaoti’s response grew hesitant as she watched for a reaction, heart pounding in fear of being instantly turned down.
Instead, the little bear ice sculpture was taken by the dad for inspection. "It’s kind of ugly, but if our little princess likes it, two hundred and eighty isn’t a problem."
The hope that had nearly plunged to rock bottom in Jiang Xiaoti’s heart suddenly soared. She’d found a big spender!
"Sir, so you’re buying—"
"Daddy, don’t buy it! I don’t like it!" Just as Jiang Xiaoti began her closing pitch, the little girl interrupted her. "Only an idiot would spend so much money on a block of ice, and this bear sculpture is super ugly. I don’t want it!"
Jiang Xiaoti was on the verge of tears. The angelic child she imagined had turned into a sharp-tongued little devil.
But that wasn’t the worst of it. What the little girl said next froze not just Jiang Xiaoti, but also the other contestants lurking nearby to watch the scene unfold.
"Daddy, didn’t you hear when we entered the park earlier? There’s a free ice sculpture workshop today! We can make our own. Why waste money on this ugly thing?"
The mom crouched down to kiss her daughter affectionately. "Our darling is so clever, already understanding the value of frugality."
The dad, thoroughly losing interest, shoved the bear ice sculpture back into Jiang Xiaoti’s hands. "Good thing we didn’t get scammed. Keep it for yourself."
