CHAPTER 412: CHAPTER 412: THE PERCEPTION HAS GOTTEN WORSE

Qin Feng pursed his lips in a comically exaggerated manner, almost swallowing them whole, as his wide eyes darted back and forth between Sang Ning and Li Haidong.

Sang Ning is definitely in trouble this time!

"Hmph." Li Haidong snorted heavily, clearly displeased, "Young people sure have a talent for telling people exactly what they want to hear."

Sang Ning slowly curved her lips into a smile, unhurriedly responding, "I’m not bad at telling ghosts what they want to hear either."

Li Haidong’s already expressionless face turned even darker, but Sang Ning seemed delighted.

Moments ago, he’d brazenly sized her up, his gaze dripping with hostility. Sang Ning couldn’t help but feel irritated—this was their first meeting, and she hadn’t done anything to offend him.

"I’ve been telling you to wear more clothes. Look how cold your face looks." Wei Lan chimed in, interrupting the tension. She thoughtfully adjusted Li Haidong’s jacket, pulling the zipper of his windbreaker all the way up.

Li Haidong glanced down and met Wei Lan’s warning gaze, his heart immediately constricting with pain.

He was clearly the one being wronged!

As Wei Lan adjusted his attire, she leaned in closer and whispered, "Act like an elder, will you? Everyone’s watching—do you really have to make the younger generation look bad in public?"

With the way he glared at the young woman as if he was tempted to carve out some flesh, Sang Ning was already showing remarkable restraint toward him.

Lu Yujing quickly tried to change the subject to relieve Li Haidong’s embarrassment, though inwardly she was cursing Sang Ning for being so foolish.

Everyone in their circle knows how filial Li Juezhou is. Offending his parents means she’d hardly get any kindness from Li Juezhou in the future.

Meanwhile, far removed from the center of the dispute, Li Juezhou was on his way to a remote mountain village.

At Sang Ning’s insistence, the two of them had made a pact not to follow each other’s updates during the program.

As luck would have it, Sang Ning was off attending a variety show, and his dad had also found something for him to do.

Li Haidong had his eye on a mountain area he wanted to develop into a resort and tasked him with conducting an on-site inspection.

For his father to make a rare request, he had no grounds to refuse.

——

Airport terminal.

After giving Li Haidong a hard time earlier, Sang Ning now acted as if nothing had happened, enthusiastically inviting everyone to take a group photo.

Having listened to Wei Lan’s advice, Li Haidong dropped his fixation on Sang Ning.

Considering his status and Sang Ning’s status, arguing with her would only make him look petty.

"Photo? For what?" Li Haidong held back his animosity, though his tone wasn’t exactly friendly.

From Li Haidong’s appearance and behavior, Sang Ning quickly pegged him as the conservative type. Rather than complicate things with poetic notions, she pulled out her phone and showed him a reference photo directly: "Uncle Hai, just like this."

Li Haidong had reluctantly accepted being called "Uncle" by her, but after seeing the photo, his eyebrows knitted into a tight knot. His eyes squinted and opened, squinted and opened again, before his pupils shrank and cracks of disbelief filled his gaze: "I can’t do this!"

His reaction was so exaggerated that Wei Lan grew curious and took the phone from Sang Ning, with Lu Yujing leaning in as well.

The photo depicted six elderly ladies all over sixty, their hands tightly holding each other as they formed a detailed hexagram shape. Each wore outrageously colorful quilted jackets with cheerful smiles, projecting an overall vibe that was equal parts kitschy and joyous.

"Sorry, I’ve had some arm injuries and might not be able to make such movements easily." Lu Yujing offered a delicate smile while politely declining.

She had always been absorbed in refined pastimes and would never stoop to anything that might damage her image—not that she showed her disdain outwardly.

"I can agree to the idea of a pre-departure snapshot, but can we go for a normal pose instead? This one’s too challenging." Wei Lan also expressed her refusal.

Despite being seasoned travelers like Li Haidong, she had never once taken such an overtly "senior tourist" photo.

Sang Ning found herself in a bind—there’s no forcing people who reject the charm of tacky joy to cooperate, as that would only lead to major social death.

But she didn’t want to endure social death either. Failing this task would leave her mortified, and soon enough her blunder would be featured in every annual bizarre variety-show roundup.

"Sister Sangsang, I’m always down to cooperate, no matter what it is. You’ve got my full support!" Sang Ning was racking her brains when Song Shiye was the first to step in.

"I guess I can manage too, consider it a favor for team solidarity." Qin Feng also backed Sang Ning, though it carried a hint of sympathy.

The remaining three people, however, stood their ground. No matter how much Sang Ning hinted at them with pleading eyes, they were unmoved.

Since she had only just met these folks, Sang Ning couldn’t bring herself to grovel. After a quick mental adjustment, she decided to change tactics: "Alright, since you don’t want to, I won’t pressure you. But could you help me with something else instead?"

When asking for help, start with an impossible request, then follow up with a smaller, more reasonable one. Nine times out of ten, you’ll get a yes.

Sure enough, Li Haidong loosened up: "Just don’t ask me to do anything that tacky!"

"No need, no need! You just have to stand here and pose in the way you find most stylish!" Sang Ning made herself flexible; with the prospect of Li Haidong agreeing, she switched to a respectful tone befitting an elder.

Rather than feeling appeased, however, Li Haidong’s impression of her only worsened.

Slick-tongued, two-faced opportunist!

Li Haidong ignored Sang Ning, standing resolutely while she wheeled his suitcase away as if claiming standing still was inherently stylish.

After moving Li Haidong’s luggage aside, Sang Ning turned to Wei Lan and Lu Yujing’s suitcases, pushing them away as well. She smiled at them, "Sister Lan, you too—just strike the pose you feel is your most stylish and stand there."

Lu Yujing wasn’t quite sure what Sang Ning intended but unconsciously straightened her posture—the picture of elegance being her definition of stylish.

Sang Ning positioned Li Haidong, Wei Lan, and Lu Yujing a bit farther apart from each other before gesturing Qin Feng and Song Shiye to join in: "Please, everyone, hold your current poses without moving for just one minute."

A circle of people standing like this didn’t look peculiar individually, but the way they were spaced apart collectively gave the impression of some sort of array. It was oddly surreal, catching the eyes of numerous passersby.

Li Haidong couldn’t tolerate strangers’ stares, immediately growing restless and attempting to disrupt the lineup.

At that moment, Sang Ning returned with a passerby and, seeing Li Haidong moving, immediately stopped him: "Uncle, that’s not stylish anymore!"

Li Haidong froze mid-step, pretending not to hear Sang Ning’s remark but subtly resuming his previous stance to save face.

Sang Ning quickly squeezed into position, signaling an "OK" to the passerby. The passerby stepped onto the stone platform by the floor-to-ceiling windows, raised their phone high, and, with a cheerful "Three, two, one, cheese!", snapped the photo.