Ice is not averse to deception

While Liu Qiang was searching the world for Sun Bing, Sun Bing was also searching the world for the pendant that Cui Ying had given to Zhang Defa.

All night, Wu Dayong was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. With only five days left until the agreed time, Sun Bing not only didn't rush to finish the work, but also started looking for the pendant.

Wu Dayong was anxious all night, while Sun Bing spent the whole night looking at Zhang Defa's pendant.

The next morning, when Wu Dayong woke up, Sun Bing was packing her things to leave.

"Where are you going?" Upon seeing this, Wu Dayong jumped off the bed, his expression instantly becoming tense.

"I'm going to find Xiaoman. I think my godfather must have left the pendant with Xiaoman. If we can find Xiaoman, we're sure we can find the pendant."

"Xiaoman?" Wu Dayong was completely confused. He naturally had no idea what Xiaoman had to do with the pendant.

While he was still in a daze, Sun Bing had already disappeared. He hurriedly chased after her, only to see her get into a taxi and drive away.

Wu Dayong quickly hailed a taxi and chased after her. He was worried that Sun Bing might cause some trouble. He didn't care about anything else, but if he wasted time, all his efforts would be in vain.

Sun Bing knew that Xiaoman in Zhang Defa's diary was the current Chen Li. He remembered Zheng Jie saying that Chen Li was now working at Yanji Ice and Snow World.

Last night, Sun Bing spent the entire evening reading Zhang Defa's diary, and he did make some discoveries. As an artist, Sun Bing is actually very sensitive to language. When he read the diary the first time, Sun Bing only understood the story itself, but it wasn't until last night that he suddenly realized some of Zhang Defa's subtle word choices.

For example, throughout the entire diary, Zhang Defa always uses the name of any woman he mentions, even if it seems verbose, but he never uses the third-person pronoun "she". Only two people in the entire diary enjoy this treatment: Cuiying and Xiaoman.

Sun Bing knew that Zhang Defa was a pure-minded person, but he also knew that no one is a saint.

When he was in his fifties, he met a woman who looked exactly like his lover, but Zhang Defa never had any feelings for her.

Although I don't know if my guess is right, everything will only come to light after I find Chen Li.

Soon, Sun Bing arrived at the entrance of Yanji Ice and Snow World.

Unlike the Ice and Snow World in Harbin, the Ice and Snow World in Yanji is much more delicate. Although it is only missing the word "big", the difference in scale is still very obvious.

Harbin Ice and Snow World is known for its large scale, and its annual ice sculpture exhibitions mainly feature large-scale ice sculptures. Yanji, on the other hand, has much smaller ice sculptures, which allows it to take a different approach and focus on the intricacy and themes of its works.

Despite the mild winter, Yanji's Ice and Snow World remained closed. However, the park was still quite crowded, as it features an artificial ski slope and a lively atmosphere.

Based on his experience, Sun Bing knew that to find Chen Li in the park, he either had to go directly to the office building and talk to the staff, or he had to go to the security guard.

  

He didn't even have an employee badge, so he couldn't get into the office building. He could only ask the security guard at the entrance.

Despite his limited experience in dealing with people, Sun Bing still managed to buy a box of Nanjing cigarettes for fourteen yuan at a supermarket in Wenkou beforehand.

"Grandpa, have a smoke."

Seeing the guard dozing in the guard booth, Sun Bing took out a cigarette and handed it to him.

The security guard was also taken aback, instinctively taking the cigarette and glancing at Sun Bing: "Is there something you need?"

Seeing that the gatekeeper seemed a bit wary, Sun Bing simply put the whole pack of cigarettes on the table before smiling and saying, "I wanted to ask you about someone. Do you know Chen Li? She works in our industrial park."

Upon hearing the name Chen Li, the gatekeeper's reaction seemed a bit excessive, and his eyes immediately became more scrutinizing.

"You need to see Chen Li for something?" the old man asked casually. Before Sun Bing could answer, he added, "Outsiders aren't allowed in here. You'll need a ticket to get in."

Having worked as a gatekeeper for so many years, the old gatekeeper believed he had figured out Sun Bing's thoughts. He had seen plenty of people who wanted to get in for free with just a pack of cigarettes.

He immediately pushed the cigarettes on the table in front of Sun Bing, as if he couldn't help her.

"Sir, you've misunderstood. I'll definitely buy a ticket. I just wanted to ask you how I can meet Chen Li; I have something very important to discuss with her. By the way," to avoid any misunderstanding, Sun Bing simply revealed his profession, "I'm also an ice sculptor... Could you help me contact Chen Li?"

Sun Bing thought that revealing her identity would gain the other party's trust, but the gatekeeper became more cautious and looked at her with more suspicion.

"You're an ice sculptor? That's even more unacceptable. The park has its own rules, and everything has a procedure. Don't waste your energy; what good will crooked methods do?"

As he spoke, the gatekeeper simply threw out the cigarette he had just taken two puffs of, closed the window, and waved to Sun Bing.

The meaning is clear: let Sun Bing go as far away as possible.

Sun Bing was puzzled. Why were the people of Yanji so indifferent? He was just asking about someone, but he was turned away.

What Sun Bing didn't know was that when he said he was an ice sculptor, the gatekeeper had already figured out his ulterior motives.

Just over ten days ago, the Ice and Snow World posted a notice recruiting ice sculptors, and countless ice sculptors were scrambling to apply. Those with excellent skills had already passed the interview and become ice sculptors, while those without the ability could only get in through connections and back channels.

The security guard hadn't expected anyone to find him through connections. Although he felt a little sense of accomplishment, he didn't want to cause trouble. He knew Chen Li's personality well; he couldn't risk losing his job for a pack of cigarettes.

I can't help but sigh that young people these days are too impetuous. Instead of focusing on solid technical skills, they always think about taking shortcuts and crooked paths.

There aren't that many shortcuts to take.

Sun Bing was turned away, but at least he was certain of one thing: Chen Li was really there. If he couldn't find her, he could wait.

Despite the biting wind, Sun Bing stood like a lone spruce tree at the entrance to the snowy world for a long time.

Sun Bing firmly believed that Chen Li must know the whereabouts of the pendant. Only by finding Chen Li could he see the pendant and the ice sculpture project continue.

Perhaps it's a flaw common to artists, or perhaps only Sun Bing is so stubborn.

However, at this point, Sun Bing was aware of the pendant's existence and its great significance to Zhang Defa, so he could not ignore its presence.

If the pendant isn't featured in the artwork, then the piece can't be considered perfect at all.

He also firmly believes that every artist's original aspiration is to pursue perfection.

At this moment, Wu Dayong was searching the whole world for Sun Bing. He did get into a taxi, but he quickly lost track of Sun Bing. Even in Yanji, which is also in Northeast China, the classic scene of "What are you worried about?" and "What's it to you?" played out.

After this incident, Wu Dayong also realized that taxi drivers in Yanji have more fiery tempers and are also more physically robust than those in Harbin.

Covering the bump on his head, Wu Dayong plunged into the cold wind.

Sun Bing waited until noon, but Chen Li still hadn't appeared. It was only then that Sun Bing realized a serious problem: he had no idea what Chen Li looked like, so he couldn't find her in the crowd at all.

He could only call out Chen Li's name to the crowd, trying to find the target from the reactions of the people.

No fruit.

Instead, they were chased away by the gatekeeper.

"If you keep messing around, I'm going to get angry." The gatekeeper made a fist gesture at Sun Bing.

Indeed, the people of Yanji have a more fiery personality than those of Harbin.

"I'm just looking for someone, why are you making things difficult for me? Did I offend you by coming to see you?" After waiting for a while, Sun Bing also lost her temper.

"Hey! You're a tough nut to crack, let's see how you get in here today!"

Just as the two were arguing, a black Audi drove up, and the gatekeeper's attitude immediately changed. He bowed and scraped as he ran to greet them and ask them to open the gate.

The moment the lathe fell, Sun Bing immediately saw the woman's face on it.

She was in her thirties, wearing light makeup and sunglasses, but her complexion looked somewhat dull and she appeared very tired.

At first glance, Sun Bing suddenly felt a sense of familiarity. Before the car could move forward, she immediately called out, "Chen Li?"

Seeing Chen Li turn to look at him, Sun Bing knew he had found the right person. He pushed aside the gatekeeper who was blocking him, opened the car door, and sat in the back seat.

The security guard wanted to show off in front of the boss, but Chen Li waved her hand and said, "Master Song, let me handle this."

The gatekeeper then retreated.

"You were looking for me?" Chen Li took off her sunglasses and turned to look at Sun Bing.

Sun Bing felt that this must be a wonderful fate, because Chen Li in front of him looked exactly like Cuiying in his imagination.

Somewhat excited, his thoughts were completely jumbled, and he blurted out, "There's something you have to help me with, only you can help me."