CHAPTER 451: CHAPTER 451: FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE

The next day.

Today marked the third day of the guests’ stay on New Island. After today, they would take a flight back home at noon the following day.

The third day’s activities were organized by Louis, focusing once again on relaxation. After breakfast, Louis led the guests to the diving base.

The diving options were divided into snorkeling and deep diving, allowing guests to choose based on their preferences and abilities.

Li Haidong, Wei Lan, and Qin Feng were avid deep-diving enthusiasts with substantial experience. Without hesitation, they opted for deep diving.

Sang Ning, who could swim but had no diving experience, prioritized safety over adventure and chose snorkeling.

In the snorkeling area, there were only two professional instructors, and four guests were queuing up for their turn.

Lu Yujing, trying to appear approachable, volunteered to go last. Sang Ning, noting how enthusiastic Jiang Xiaoti and Song Shiye were, also offered to wait her turn and go later.

Jiang Xiaoti and Song Shiye went into the water, leaving Sang Ning and Lu Yujing waiting in the resting area.

While Lu Yujing warmed up on the spot, she stretched her body and stole occasional glances at Sang Ning.

Her intense gaze was hard to ignore, prompting Sang Ning to speak: "If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t stare at me with such hostility."

Caught red-handed, Lu Yujing didn’t bother with pretense anymore. Still mindful of the cameras, she responded coyly, "It seems what happened last night hasn’t affected you at all; you’re really good at keeping your cool."

The corner of Sang Ning’s lips curled faintly. "It did have some impact on me. I’m rather flattered, actually. I must have such an incredible charm to make someone as distinguished as you feel so insecure that you resort to petty antics just to get under my skin."

The calmer Sang Ning remained, the more Lu Yujing’s emotions spiraled out of control. Unable to hold back, she lashed out, "Your so-called charm is bullshit! You’re just shameless!"

"Isn’t shamelessness just another form of confidence?" Sang Ning remained completely unfazed.

Lu Yujing grew increasingly agitated by Sang Ning’s refusal to show any negative emotions, her anger surging uncontrollably. She fell silent, at a loss for how to retaliate effectively, but her resentment was boiling over. She longed to slap Sang Ning twice to vent her frustration.

Time passed in oppressive silence, the tension between them so thick it seemed the atmosphere had frozen to an unbearable chill. It wasn’t until Jiang Xiaoti and Song Shiye returned that the air seemed to flow again.

"Sister Sangsang, it’s your turn! You should go now; it’s so much fun down there. Just a moment ago, a group of fish swarmed around me to kiss my feet—I didn’t know how to react!" Song Shiye said while shaking droplets of water from his hair, excitedly recounting his snorkeling experience to Sang Ning.

Sang Ning smiled at Song Shiye’s enthusiasm and then followed the instructor, her demeanor shifting dramatically to openly convey her impatience with Lu Yujing.

Sang Ning and Lu Yujing boarded the same speedboat to the snorkeling area, entering the water almost simultaneously.

Because they were in the same snorkeling zone, their activity ranges overlapped significantly.

Wearing her diving mask, Sang Ning couldn’t speak and simply followed closely behind the instructor, kicking her fins in rhythm with the instructor’s guidance.

Immersed in the seawater and watching vibrantly colored fish darting past her eyes, Sang Ning found the experience enchanting. However, the pressure beneath the surface made her movements less effortless. She glided slowly through the water.

But as she swam, she suddenly collided with someone. Turning around slowly underwater, she saw it was Lu Yujing. Annoyed, Sang Ning pushed forward, trying to distance herself.

Lu Yujing’s instructor signaled for her to move aside, but instead, Lu Yujing grabbed Sang Ning’s ankle.

Sang Ning looked back, seeing it was Lu Yujing causing trouble again. Without hesitation, Sang Ning kicked at her to break free.

Unfortunately, Sang Ning’s intention to target Lu Yujing’s hand went awry. Somehow, her foot struck Lu Yujing’s diving mask squarely.

A string of small bubbles rose around Lu Yujing’s head, and then something even more unsettling happened—her mask loosened and drifted into the water.

Lu Yujing’s head shot above the surface as she coughed violently, choking on seawater. Her head then sank again beneath the waves.

After a brief struggle, her legs cramped up, leaving her unable to move, her body sinking further down into the depths.

Nearby, her instructor tried to grab her but missed.

Sang Ning immediately turned around in the water, racing toward Lu Yujing and swiftly lifting her toward the surface.

Their heads emerged above the water, with Lu Yujing expelling seawater frantically. Her hands flailed chaotically, some swipes landing on Sang Ning’s face.

Sang Ning swatted Lu Yujing’s hands away and signaled for the two nearby instructors to help.

Both instructors swam toward them in unison. Lu Yujing muttered incoherent cries of "Help... help..."

In the water, balancing herself while managing the flailing Lu Yujing proved challenging for Sang Ning. At one point, Lu Yujing managed to claw at her.

Her right hand lashed out, reaching for Sang Ning’s mask as if intentionally trying to dislodge it.

At that moment, Sang Ning released Lu Yujing entirely. Though initially driven by a deep-seated sense of morality, her instinct for self-preservation now took precedence. In the face of Lu Yujing’s apparent malice, Sang Ning felt justified in prioritizing her own wellbeing.

Strangely, even though Lu Yujing didn’t touch her mask, Sang Ning felt as if water had somehow infiltrated her breathing tube. The suffocating sensation left her disoriented, making it hard to control her body.

Sang Ning remained unnervingly calm, so much so that she could sense the encroaching darkness as her body seemed to surrender to the abyss. Right before the final glimmer of light vanished, Sang Ning caught a glimpse of Lu Yujing being supported by the two instructors. With that, Sang Ning’s world faded into complete darkness.

Held up by the instructors, Lu Yujing pretended to struggle briefly before gradually calming down. She had only wanted to upset Sang Ning a little, to create the false impression that she had been intentionally pushed underwater. Now that she was being rescued by professionals, she maintained her act but quickly softened, offering a polite "Thank you" with a smile.

What Lu Yujing hadn’t anticipated was that, after seeing her fall into the water, Sang Ning would instinctively rush to her aid.

Thinking of Sang Ning, Lu Yujing looked around and saw the vibrant person she had quarreled with earlier now eerily motionless in the water.

A chill ran through Lu Yujing. Could Sang Ning possibly be using her own tactics against her, feigning harm as revenge?

Sang Ning had to be faking it. Lu Yujing swore she hadn’t even touched her mask.

"Sang Ning, stop playing. What’s the point of this?" Lu Yujing called out. But there was no response.

One of the instructors, still supporting Lu Yujing, also noticed something was wrong with Sang Ning. The other instructor swam over to her immediately.

The instructor spoke many words to Sang Ning, but Lu Yujing couldn’t hear them, her ears tuning out everything but a single word: "dead."

Sang Ning was dead?