Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 100.1

Upon hearing the question, Song Yingshi's first instinct was to blurt out the name of her school in her original world. Fortunately, she quickly corrected her near-blunder, answering according to her memories in this world, "Before going abroad for senior high, I studied at Twelfth Middle School."

Song Yingshi found nothing particularly noteworthy after briefly scanning the original owner's pre- and post-abroad studies memories. Perhaps the original owner's student days were exceptionally uneventful, or perhaps Song Yingshi was merely an outsider and couldn't empathize. No sickness, no disasters, just plain and unremarkable.

Rather than the original owner's memories, Song Yingshi was more interested in Huai Xu's motivation for asking such a question. Moreover, ever since she answered, Huai Xu hadn't spoken again.

"Why are you asking about my school?" Song Yingshi asked.

After a while, just as Song Yingshi was growing sleepy, she heard Huai Xu saying, "Me too."

"Hm…?" Song Yingshi regained some consciousness. "You also attended Twelfth Middle School?"

"Yes."

Huai Xu let out a deep sigh. Ever since she found out that the past Fu Shu had committed suicide behind Twelfth Middle School's rear gate, this suspicion had floated in her mind, and today she finally received confirmation.

In this life, Huai Xu clearly saw that Fu Shu's obsession was for Song Yingshi, not her. Assuming his obsession's target was the same as in her previous life, he wouldn't have committed suicide for her; it could only be for Song Yingshi.

Hence, Huai Xu suspected that Song Yingshi was connected to Twelfth Middle School, and to her, who also graduated from Twelfth Middle School.

Fu Shu's death was like a thread, connecting her and Song Yingshi. Huai Xu could finally confirm that, in her previous life, she and Song Yingshi must have crossed paths. And at this moment, Fu Shu's dying words in her previous life—"Huai Xu, you are the most pitiful"—finally made sense.

—She had forgotten about Song Yingshi, completely. She was the most pitiful.

Hearing Huai Xu's affirmation, Song Yingshi abruptly sat up and muttered, "Twelfth Middle School…"

"From junior to senior high, I've always been at Twelfth Middle School. S City's Twelfth Middle School," Huai Xu reiterated. After a slight pause, she continued, "But I don't have any recollection of you studying at Twelfth Middle School."

How was that possible?

The two of them were the same age. If they attended the same school, they would have been in the same graduating class, or at most, one or two years apart. With their striking appearances, even if they were oblivious to their surroundings, they wouldn't have zero impression of each other.

Yet, neither of them had heard of the other.

Song Yingshi's expression turned grim. Immediately, she called out to the system, System, is there a problem with the original owner's memories? Or have you tampered with something?

The system remained silent.

Without warning, Song Yingshi's hands began to grow cold, as if the air conditioning was set too low, and a chilling aura seeped into her limbs.

Huai Xu silently gripped Song Yingshi's hand, her usually cool and indifferent voice exuding a hint of warmth as she asked, "Do you remember when you asked me how I knew about my sexual orientation?"

The warmth transmitted from Huai Xu's hand soothed Song Yingshi, allowing her to divert her attention to the question at hand.

Song Yingshi remembered she had asked this question during their first late-night conversation. She had asked Huai Xu many questions and learned that Huai Xu had discovered her sexual orientation during sexual education. She also learned that Huai Xu once had a crush on a girl—

But who that girl was, Huai Xu couldn't remember.

Suddenly, Song Yingshi's pupils contracted.

It was as if a swarm of butterflies had suddenly arrived, layer upon layer, filling everything with vibrant colors. A magnificent yet chaotic chapter unfolded before her eyes, vibrant and disordered.

Huai Xu tightened her grip over Song Yingshi's hand, saying, "At the time, do you remember what you told me?"

Song Yingshi remembered. Her words at the time were: "People who have appeared in your life don't simply disappear. You'll remember them eventually."

However, what Huai Xu didn't know was that Song Yingshi wasn't the original owner of this body. Instead, she was a 24-year-old soul from another world. Even if Huai Xu knew the "Song Yingshi" of this world, it had nothing to do with her.

Should Huai Xu one day find out…

Song Yingshi's limbs grew colder at the thought of this possibility, and she couldn't help but retrieve her hand from Huai Xu's grip.

At this time, the system's delayed response finally arrived: "...System has encountered a fundamental logic error…"

"Beep—"

"System R has no authorization to answer the host's question."

Of the three sentences, the last one was spoken in a deep, mechanical tone, as if…a more majestic and cold entity had taken over. This was also the first time Song Yingshi had heard about her system's designation.

Facing this sudden anomaly, Song Yingshi took a deep breath, forced herself to calm down, and quickly analyzed the available information.

Song Yingshi had known all along that she and Huai Xu each held their secrets. What she hadn't expected was that she, or rather, her identity, had a much deeper involvement with Huai Xu than she initially thought, and the system, or some other entity, had deliberately hidden this connection.

Now, Song Yingshi's and Huai Xu's objectives were undeniably aligned: both desired to uncover the truth behind this shrouded situation.

Song Yingshi leaned closer to Huai Xu, asking, "Do you know how to remember these things?"

Song Yingshi didn't ask Huai Xu why she knew these things, nor about Huai Xu's secrets. She only asked this one question.

They each held their secrets, yet they were mutually aware of the other's hidden truths. Like celestial bodies in the universe, they were mutually attracted, yet remained largely enigmatic to one another.

The preparation required to explore an independent star, and the courage or love needed to fully open oneself—these were obstacles unique to the adult world. For the time being, the two of them tacitly ignored this obstacle and focused solely on their shared demand. Rather than lovers, they were more like partners in a collaborative effort at the moment.

Huai Xu gently caressed Song Yingshi's fingertips, answering softly, "Only a slight clue."

Recalling that Fu Shu still needed to suffer more to give her further answers, Song Yingshi consoled, "Wait a little longer, at least until we leave this tower. There's not much we can do while stuck here."

Song Yingshi gradually regained her calm as she realized the limitations of their current environment. After making a quick calculation, she said, "We still have about half a month to go."

Song Yingshi told herself to be patient. Even if the final result was unsatisfactory, no matter how bumpy the road ahead was, she would face it. She should believe in herself and Huai Xu.

Returning to the present, seeing as Huai Xu had given her a rather significant gift tonight, Song Yingshi pondered and said, "I have something that might interest you."

Song Yingshi lowered her chin and whispered, "Zheng Qiyi can no longer sing or write songs."

This was her return gift.

…

On the morning of July 19th, the trainees began their commercial shoots. As the show neared its end, commercial activities lessened, and they finished everything in one morning. The afternoon was originally free, but the production crew held an impromptu indoor sports meeting.

On July 20th, the trainees had to leave the White Tower for promotional materials. Compared to the commercial shoot yesterday, today was a much more hectic day for the trainees.

With the third public performance over, Star of Spring had officially entered its final phase. Hence, the production crew had prepared an extensive array of promotional materials for the trainees, enabling them to solidify their existing fan base and attract new fans. These promotional materials would then be released in the 10 days leading up to the finals.

Song Yingshi was assigned to the same group as Tao Qin and the others for the promotional shoot. After she finished filming her part, she returned to the makeup station to find Wan Jiao and Qiu Zhixin whispering to each other while looking at their phones.

For convenience's sake, the production crew had returned everyone's phones before they left the White Tower. Song Yingshi simply assumed Wan Jiao and Qiu Zhixin's internet addiction was acting up again, saying casually, "Do your phones still have charge after all that use?"

Wan Jiao looked up and said, "We're just gossiping."

Gossiping?

Song Yingshi craned her neck, asking, "What kind of gossip? Is it sweet?"

Qiu Zhixin offered her phone to Song Yingshi, saying mysteriously, "Check it out yourself. It's someone you know."

Song Yingshi raised an eyebrow, accepted the phone, and took a look.

—It was Fu Shu.

"There's been a lot of news about Fu Shu in the past two days; some real, some fake. His studio has already issued a statement, but nobody believes him. Besides his fans, that is," Wan Jiao said.

"We never saw this side of him when he came to our show, so it's hard to say if any of these rumors are true," Qiu Zhixin corrected.

Song Yingshi scrolled down the screen. From the "Hot" tag on the trending topics to the discussion on Weibo, it was clear that Fu Shu was involved in a huge scandal this time, and it was unlikely he could escape unscathed.

"Little Shi, you were on My Life's Journey with him. Do you think he did these things?" Qiu Zhixin asked.

"Didn't he quit that show halfway? Tsk," Wan Jiao said, clicking her tongue.

Song Yingshi smiled and returned the phone. She felt that Chen Ru had done a good job with her assignment.

…

Almost at the same time, a similar discussion started around Huai Xu.

After eavesdropping on the gossiping trainees around her, Huai Xu walked to a secluded corner, sipped on some water, and glanced at a chat window displayed on her phone.

Jia Yi: "I've done as you requested."

Jia Yi: "Some of it is fake, but I had to add them in. Otherwise, he'll find me out sooner or later. He's already suspecting those around him. I've done enough, right?"

After reading these two messages, Huai Xu leisurely replied: "Is Fu Shu sick?"

Jia Yi: "...How did you know?"

A hint of cold satisfaction flashed in Huai Xu's eyes.