Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 15

Song Yingshi shuddered and fell into a daze momentarily at Huai Xu's words. Then, she focused on Huai Xu's eyes and asked, "Are you angry?"

"No," Huai Xu flatly denied.

Song Yingshi nodded blankly. She didn't think Huai Xu had any reason to be angry. It was just that when she saw the imperceptible depth in Huai Xu's eyes, the words just slipped out of her mouth.

Song Yingshi wasn't interested in prying into Huai Xu's thoughts, so she moved away from this topic and answered Huai Xu's question, "As long as it makes you happy."

Huai Xu smiled at Song Yingshi's words. However, her smile still carried a hint of coldness.

Huai Xu had been leaning against the desk thus far. After hearing Song Yingshi's answer, she straightened her posture and reached for her wardrobe.

Huai Xu's wardrobe was mainly filled with the clothes Song Yingshi bought, and over half still had their tags attached. With her back facing Song Yingshi, Huai Xu brushed her fingers across the clothes and said, "Pick one and put it on."

Song Yingshi obediently complied. Since Huai Xu had let her choose, she carefully went through the selection of clothing and settled on a red velvet dress. The dress was knee-length, had a V-shaped neckline, and still had its tag attached.

After making her selection, Song Yingshi entered the neatly kept bathroom and changed into the dress.

When Song Yingshi opened the bathroom door again, she found Huai Xu standing outside blocking her path. Despite being only a few centimeters shorter, she felt an invisible pressure bearing down on her as she locked gazes with Huai Xu.

Song Yingshi opened her mouth, but no words came up in her mind. Eventually, she closed her mouth again and awkwardly averted her eyes from Huai Xu, opting to stare at her reflection in the bathroom mirror.

Seeing this, Huai Xu followed Song Yingshi's gaze, and their eyes met in the mirror. However, her gaze lingered only briefly before she shifted it downward, gliding across Song Yingshi's curves outlined by the form-fitting dress.

At some point, Song Yingshi had forgotten to breathe, and it wasn't until she started feeling suffocated that she realized she had been holding her breath. However, she couldn't be faulted for this, as Huai Xu's gaze was genuinely intimidating.

Nonetheless, Song Yingshi wasn't one to submit in such confrontations. Upon snapping out of her daze, though, Song Yingshi quickly recomposed herself and chose to play along with Huai Xu's intimidation.

Looking at Huai Xu in the mirror, Song Yingshi smiled radiantly and asked, "Do I look good in this red dress?"

Huai Xu didn't offer a direct answer. Instead, she asked, "What do you think?"

Song Yingshi knew she would lose the upper hand if she were to answer Huai Xu's question. Tilting her head, she let her soft hair fall over her shoulders as she said in a tone that was part coquettish, part commanding, "I want you to say it."

Huai Xu finally withdrew her gaze at these words. Then, she stepped back from the bright mirror and into the shadow of the doorframe, scrutinized Song Yingshi directly from head to toe, and said, "Looking at clothes from an observer's perspective is indeed more intuitive."

At Huai Xu's answer, Song Yingshi took a step forward, twirled in place to show herself off, and pouted in dissatisfaction, "You're only looking at the dress?"

Huai Xu didn't answer the obvious. Instead, she leaned against the doorframe with one hand in her pocket, exuding a casual yet arrogant air as she said, "With how smart you are, you should be able to guess where I am going with this, right?"

Song Yingshi froze.

She could guess it.

How could she not?

The moment Huai Xu had her put on the clothes she bought, Song Yingshi immediately thought back to that night in the hotel.

At the time, Song Yingshi had bought clothes for Huai Xu as part of a mission, had her try them on, and then made Huai Xu take them off in front of her. Although her intention was merely to have Huai Xu expose a shoulder to satisfy the system’s demands, her commands had likely hurt Huai Xu's pride nonetheless.

Now, Huai Xu seemed to be using this opportunity to get revenge.

The psychological pressure Huai Xu experienced previously stemmed mainly from their unequal status, but Song Yingshi had no such concerns and didn’t mind exposing herself in front of another woman. She even felt it wouldn't be a bad deal if, by doing so, she could heal Huai Xu's emotional wounds and fulfill her mission's mood score requirement.

Thinking up to this point, Song Yingshi smiled and asked Huai Xu in a relaxed tone, "Do you want to do it, or should I do it myself?"

Huai Xu let out a soft "hmm," but didn't offer a verbal response immediately. Instead, she scrutinized Song Yingshi, taking note of the other party's calm gaze and confident yet graceful smile.

It was the usual Song Yingshi. The radiant Song Yingshi she was familiar with.

As Huai Xu's gaze fell on Song Yingshi's collarbone, she suddenly remembered that Song Yingshi had stuffed quite a few accessories into her suitcase.

"Be right back," Huai Xu said before turning around and stepping out of the bathroom.

Song Yingshi was stunned momentarily.

After waiting for two minutes and seeing that Huai Xu had yet to return, Song Yingshi rubbed her nose and cautiously took a step forward as she called out, "Huai Xu?"

Song Yingshi's voice echoed briefly in the bathroom. Then, as the echoes faded, Huai Xu reappeared outside the bathroom, her fingertips twirling a luxury brand headscarf decorated with white dotted patterns.

Under Song Yingshi's gaze, Huai Xu held up the headscarf with her fingers, isolating their gazes from each other. Then, as she stared at the headband blocking her view, she asked, "May I?"

Without waiting for Song Yingshi's response, Huai Xu gently pressed forward with the headscarf, slowly covering Song Yingshi's long eyelashes and eyelids, wrapping around her temples, and knotted it at the back of her head.

Song Yingshi parted her lips slightly, taking a breath through her mouth.

When a person was deprived of their vision, their other senses would be heightened in response.

Upon losing her vision, Song Yingshi suddenly found the faint scent of disinfectant lingering in the air to be overly pungent, and the sound of Huai Xu's fingers tapping the sink rang loudly in her ears. She felt as if she had taken a wrong step and fell into a deep river, where her surroundings consisted of suffocating water and unknown dangers.

Song Yingshi’s previous composure disappeared. Biting her lip anxiously, she asked, "Why?"

Why cover her eyes?

"You've never explained anything you do, so why ask me now?" Huai Xu responded, her tone unhurried. Then, after a slight pause, she lazily called out, "Miss. Song."

In Song Yingshi's ears, the way Huai Xu addressed her sounded less like a respectful address and more like a title of mockery. At the same time, she felt something brushing against the tip of her chin.

The temperature of this "something" was somewhere between warm and cool, and it took Song Yingshi only a moment to figure out this "something" was Huai Xu's finger.

Huai Xu's caress was light, so much so that Song Yingshi felt she was being stroked with a feather. Then, just as she was wondering what Huai Xu was trying to do, her chin was suddenly propped upward slightly.

Huai Xu's actions were cold yet provocative. Song Yingshi felt like she was a toy being adjusted by her owner to their desired position or like a pet being teased with affection.

A moment later, Song Yingshi heard trickling water coming from beside her.

In her blindfolded state, Song Yingshi instinctively tensed up at the sudden sound of water.

It's fine. It's fine. It's just water. Huai Xu might be washing her hands—no big deal. Song Yingshi comforted herself, and her muscles gradually relaxed.

Song Yingshi listened closely to the sound of splashing water, but not too closely, as she didn't want to be distracted from what might come next.

Song Yingshi knew there were two people in the bathroom, yet Huai Xu remained silent as if having become one with the shadows, leaving her alone and wholly exposed under the glaring white light.

Song Yingshi felt like every inch of her exposed skin was burning as she stood in this eerie atmosphere. She felt like she had to say something to shift her focus and ease her discomfort, so she did exactly that, asking, "Are you washing your hands?"

Huai Xu quietly watched as Song Yingshi's mouth opened and closed, taking note of the other party's quivering lips and flaring nostrils. Beside her, water continuously flowed from the faucet, filling up about half the plugged sink. She hadn’t moved from her spot and remained standing in front of Song Yingshi. All she did after blindfolding Song Yingshi was merely turn on the faucet.

Turning off the faucet, Huai Xu smiled with delight and said, "You may begin."

"..."

Song Yingshi wanted to step back, to hide, to lean against the wall for a sense of security, but she forced herself to stay still.

Don't worry. It's just a blindfold. Song Yingshi comforted herself, thinking the introduction of a blindfold wouldn't affect what she was going to do. Whether she was blindfolded or not, she was still prepared to strip before Huai Xu.

Song Yingshi wet her lips as she mentally prepared herself.

In her anxiety, time slipped past her unnoticed. After an unknown amount of time had passed, she finally raised her arm, reached behind her back, and gathered her long hair over her shoulder. Then, she fumbled for her dress's hidden zipper and pulled down on it.

However, Song Yingshi had barely moved the zipper by a finger's length before she heard Huai Xu's voice commanding her:

"Turn around."

"..."

Song Yingshi had difficulty describing her feelings with words, but she instinctively had the urge to rebel against Huai Xu's command. However, Huai Xu's words seemed to carry an irresistible authority, and she had no choice but to obey them.

Despite having yet to remove anything, Song Yingshi felt like she had already shed a layer of skin before Huai Xu. Her entire body felt chilly, as if she had already laid bare everything to Huai Xu.

After taking a deep breath, Song Yingshi silently turned around as ordered.

"More," Huai Xu stated.

After a three-second pause, Song Yingshi began turning her body again.

Now, Song Yingshi had her back facing Huai Xu.

With her back facing Huai Xu, Song Yingshi felt even more tense, the muscles on her back tightening uncontrollably. This time, she felt as if she had revealed all her points of vulnerability to Huai Xu for inspection.

Huai Xu said nothing.

Having had enough of this mental torment, Song Yingshi, by her own accord, pulled down the zipper of her dress and exposed her back to the chilly air.

This was usually an action she wouldn't spare a thought for, but in this darkness, it caused her calves to buckle and robbed her of the courage to continue.

Song Yingshi's hand froze when the zipper reached her waist, her fingertips trembling too much to go on.

At the same time, Song Yingshi heard what sounded like a chuckle, or perhaps a loud breath, coming from Huai Xu. Then, she heard Huai Xu's voice saying, "You can stop now, Miss Song."

"Are you satisfied?" Song Yingshi asked in a quivering voice.

However, as soon as Song Yingshi finished speaking, she felt something wasn't right.

Huai Xu's voice… It sounded distant, as if it had come through a door.

Song Yingshi was stunned momentarily.

Then, she ripped off the headscarf, turned around, and found that…she was by herself in the bathroom.

At some point, Huai Xu had left the bathroom and closed the door on her way out…