Chapter 470: Chapter 470: Today’s Best
The ice sculpture was polished into a sphere, with seven tiny figures holding hands standing on its surface. Each figure was only about half a finger in size, dressed differently and exhibiting distinct facial expressions. Without exceptional skill, such intricate detailing wouldn’t have been possible.
The ice sculptor suddenly felt a wave of heat on his face. Earlier during the day, full of arrogance, he had criticized Sang Ning, saying she wasn’t worth anything. Now, all he felt was shame.
He took out his phone, snapped a picture of Sang Ning’s sculpture, and posted it to his social media, writing: "I’ve spent my life working on ice sculptures, but today I was taught a lesson by a young lady surnamed Sang. Craftsmanship really has no limits—there’s always someone better out there. I’ll never casually criticize others anymore."
Lu Yujing, eager to showcase her passion for ice sculpting, had actively added the ice sculptor’s WeChat account during the day, saying it was for future guidance.
While browsing her social media during some downtime, she happened to see the post the ice sculptor had just made.
At first, she merely skimmed past it with a quick glance, without closely reading the text or examining the picture. Assuming the ice sculptor was praising her, especially since her work earlier had been acknowledged, she curled her lips into a smile, clicked "like," and commented, "Thank you for the praise—you’re being too generous." Then she continued scrolling.
By the time she was about to log out, she noticed an unread comment notification. Thinking it was a reply from the ice sculptor, likely more compliments for her, she smirked knowingly and opened the message.
The moment she saw the message, her smirk visibly fell. The sculptor had replied: "Did your friend ask you to comment on her behalf? If so, could you tell her I wasn’t exaggerating at all? Also, please let her know I deeply apologize for my critiques earlier today—her skills are far beyond needing my guidance."
What was going on? Lu Yujing was mortified. Re-reading the post and scrutinizing the picture more closely only deepened her embarrassment to the point she wanted to disappear. What sort of foolishness had she just committed?
Zooming in on the photo, she realized the tiny figures on the sphere were actually Q-version caricatures of the seven of them.
She scoffed internally. No wonder Sang Ning had been reluctant to show it to everyone earlier—clearly, she had planned to save it for later, flaunt her skill, and bask in everyone’s emotional reactions. What a calculating woman!
Furious, Lu Yujing deleted the ice sculptor’s contact without hesitation. After all, he wasn’t important—what’s done was done!
After deleting it, her anger got the better of her, and she threw her phone. Unfortunately, it landed near Sang Ning’s feet.
They were still on the bus heading to the next amusement park. Sang Ning was seated just ahead of Lu Yujing, on the aisle to her right.
"What happened?" Sang Ning immediately turned her head. Meeting Lu Yujing’s eyes, she noticed a hint of resentment flickering within them. "Is this your phone?"
Before Sang Ning could speak further, Lu Yujing’s expression had already cleared. She even offered a faint smile as she said, "Sorry about that, Ningbao. My hand slipped."
"Did it?" Sang Ning hesitated as she picked up the phone and handed it back to Lu Yujing. Somehow, she felt like it wasn’t accidental—more like Yujing had intentionally aimed to hit her.
But Lu Yujing’s smile was now so genuine, her gaze so pure, it was hard to believe any malicious intent lurked within her mind.
Without suspicion, Sang Ning returned her phone and then sat back, gazing out the window casually. Outside, a giant snowman ice sculpture stood tall by the roadside.
Her heart sank as she recalled the sculpture she had rushed off without bringing earlier. It couldn’t be sold, and would likely melt when taken out of Bing City anyway. She regretted not showing it off when it had just been completed and using it for a group photo as a memento.
Sigh, she thought. She had let her own pride weigh her down, unable to make the first move on something so sentimental. Now it was lost, along with the chance for a memorable group shot.
Meanwhile, the ice sculptor on the other end still hadn’t received a reply from Lu Yujing. He decided to private message her, hoping to get Sang Ning’s WeChat contact so he could apologize personally. But upon opening his chat, he discovered he’d been blocked!
He was baffled. He didn’t think he’d said or done anything offensive... Why would she block him? How rude!
Initially, he’d had a good impression of Lu Yujing—skilled and humble. But now he could only sum her up in one word: pretentious. All her politeness and humility must have been an act!
Frustrated, the ice sculptor quickly let go of the matter. It wasn’t worth his energy for someone he barely knew, after all.
Still, looking at Sang Ning’s ice sculpture, he lamented how such a heartfelt creation had been left behind. It felt wrong to just let it go to waste. He decided to deliver it back to her somehow, though he didn’t have her contact information. What could he do?
Just then, the amusement park staff responsible for managing the ice sculpting station approached him, mentioning it was shift-change time and that his replacement had arrived, meaning he could clock out.
The sculptor asked on a whim whether the staff might know how to contact the show’s production team—luck was on his side, as they provided Director Zhou’s contact details.
Since he was finishing work anyway, he figured he might as well go the extra mile and personally return the sculpture.
——
After nearly an hour of travel, the bus finally arrived at the next destination. This time, the guests didn’t need to complete additional tasks—they were simply there to have fun.
Sang Ning tried all the available attractions except for the Ferris wheel, which she thought was too slow and not exciting enough.
When she’d tried everything else, she settled in a quiet spot to wait for the director’s cue to head back.
But it seemed the production team had no intention of wrapping up yet. The PD gathered all the guests again and announced: "Originally, today’s game winners were supposed to receive a special reward—VIP seats to watch the fireworks show. However, due to some mishaps, the VIP area is no longer accessible. Fortunately, the park offers decent views of the fireworks from other spots, though the distance isn’t ideal. To make up for this change, we’ve arranged for all the guests to enjoy the fireworks—it’ll serve as today’s recording finale!"
Having already enjoyed themselves thoroughly, everyone welcomed the idea of ending the day with a grand fireworks show, applauding enthusiastically.
The viewing spot was the Ferris wheel. For the final ride tonight, the production crew had reserved the entire attraction. As the guests headed toward it, Director Zhou suddenly appeared and stopped them: "Wait a moment! We still need to complete the most important group photo ceremony of the day. The ice sculptures you made earlier were left behind at the last park, but a kind person has brought them back for you. Let’s take a group photo with them first!"
Director Zhou signaled the staff to return each guest’s ice sculpture.
"Who’s the kind soul that bothered to return this? I completely forgot about my ugly creation—someone actually went out of their way!" Song Shiye muttered. But as he took his sculpture, the delight in his eyes was unmistakable.
Lu Yujing accepted hers with a smile, though inwardly she was fuming. Which meddling fool decided to deliver these back?
As the staff handed out the sculptures directly from their gift boxes, the moment Sang Ning’s piece was unveiled, everyone was taken aback.
"Oh my God, Sang Ning, is this really your work?" Qin Feng exclaimed in astonishment. "During the day, you kept hiding it—I thought it must be terrible and you were embarrassed to show it. But now, seeing this masterpiece, I’m blown away!"
Jiang Xiaoti’s sharp eyes immediately recognized the tiny figures on the sphere as Q-version caricatures of the seven of them. Her hands came together in a gesture of admiration, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Sang Ning. "Wow, Sang Ning! Your work is incredible! Why didn’t you share it earlier during the group photo? Were you feeling shy?"
Sang Ning nodded lightly, admitting, "I was worried you’d find it too cheesy."
Jiang Xiaoti hugged her immediately. "Why would you think that? Someone like me, who loves ritual and sentimentality, would only be thrilled! I hereby announce your ice sculpture as today’s best creation!"
