Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 17

After escaping the rain, Song Yingshi stopped before the fruit stand outside the snack store to catch her breath. Then, after having a friendly chat with the shopkeeper, she picked out a bag of mandarins before leaving.

Song Yingshi needed two more hours with Huai Xu to complete her mission, so she brought Huai Xu to the dormitory's first-floor lobby. After washing her hands, she sat on the lobby's steps and peeled a plump mandarin without a care in the world.

Meanwhile, Huai Xu stood nearby, watching Song Yingshi peel the mandarin and smelling the slightly sour but refreshing scent drifting from Song Yingshi's fingertips.

Song Yingshi peeled the mandarin carefully as if unfolding a flower, her actions highlighting the beauty of her slender hands and their well-defined joints. When seen beside the mandarin's amber-colored peel, her pale skin appeared paler than usual.

Upon peeling the mandarin, Song Yingshi didn’t remove the pith that covered the fruit's juicy flesh. Instead, she removed the fruit entirely, buried her nose into the separated peel, and inhaled deeply.

When Huai Xu saw Song Yingshi taking several sniffs with a smile, she asked, "Do you like that smell?"

At this question, Song Yingshi looked up and handed Huai Xu the peel, saying, "Here, try it yourself."

Huai Xu took the peel and sniffed it.

"Mandarin peel smells best on rainy days," Song Yingshi remarked.

Huai Xu returned the peel to Song Yingshi, failing to share Song Yingshi's sentiment. To her, the mandarin peel smelled no different than usual.

Song Yingshi didn’t sniff the peel again. After placing it into the plastic bag holding the other mandarins, she held up the disposable box holding the mandarin slices to Huai Xu and said, "Have a mandarin."

The box was something Song Yingshi had requested from the shopkeeper. When Huai Xu saw how naturally Song Yingshi had interacted with the shopkeeper, she couldn't help but admire Song Yingshi's sociability.

However, Huai Xu didn't have much appetite after exercising, so she shook her head and said, "I'm good. You can have it."

"I only like to peel mandarins, not eat them," Song Yingshi said, blinking innocently.

"..."

Understanding that eating mandarins was part of today's "job," Huai Xu sat beside Song Yingshi and picked up a slice.

Rain clouds had long covered the moon. Fortunately, a mild breeze made this rainy night less unbearable.

As Huai Xu slowly went through the first mandarin, Song Yingshi contentedly peeled the mandarins she bought one after another amidst the smell of grass, soil, and rain. Apart from the sound of rain hitting the ground, only the sound of mandarin peels being separated from their flesh could be heard in the lobby.

While Song Yingshi was peeling her fifth mandarin, a few trainees returned to the dormitory from outside. When the trainees saw the two of them on the steps, one of them asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

"Just enjoying the breeze," Song Yingshi replied with a smile. Then, she held up the box in her hand and asked, "Want some mandarins?"

The trainees were from Class 3 and had limited interaction with Song Yingshi. Faced with Song Yingshi's bright and open smile, they exchanged glances with one another before each taking a peeled mandarin.

Before leaving, the liveliest one turned back and said, "We're staying in 304! Come hang out with us sometime!"

"Sure!" Song Yingshi readily agreed. However, when she retracted her gaze from the trainees, she just so happened to catch her "mandarin-eating assistant" standing up, looking ready to leave. "What's wr—"

"I'm full," Huai Xu stated calmly.

?

Song Yingshi wasn’t dumb. Resting her chin on her hand, she teasingly asked, "Is someone getting protective of their food?"

Huai Xu ignored Song Yingshi and turned to leave.

When Song Yingshi saw Huai Xu seemingly disgruntled by her joke and remembered that she had yet to complete her mission, she promptly came up with an excuse to soothe Huai Xu, "I was worried you might get a sore throat from eating too many mandarins. It would also be a waste to throw them away."

Although her reasoning was lousy at best, Song Yingshi didn't give Huai Xu any time to react. She packed her things with haste and stood up, saying, "Let's go. We'll bring the rest back for Tao Qin and the others."

Just as Huai Xu was about to say something, a hand grabbed hers. Before she could react, this foreign hand pulled away, leaving a bag of mandarins in her hand.

?

Song Yingshi smiled mischievously, almost laughing with glee.

When Huai Xu turned around with the bag in her hand, Song Yingshi had already activated her trump card—puppy dog eyes. Then, she whimpered, "My hands are sore from peeling all those mandarins."

Huai Xu honestly felt that Song Yingshi was some small animal when she saw the other party's bright and pretty eyes. Even though this wasn't the first time she had faced Song Yingshi's puppy dog eyes, they still made it difficult for her to refuse Song Yingshi's plea.

Fortunately, she quickly came up with a countermeasure for this situation.

Glancing at the bag in her hand, Huai Xu said, "Is that so?"

Song Yingshi nodded vigorously, like a little chick pecking at rice.

Seeing this, Huai Xu suddenly smiled very sweetly and said in a chilling tone, "In that case, I'll peel on your behalf from now on. You don't have to touch mandarins ever again."

"?!"

Song Yingshi pouted. She knew that the prettier Huai Xu’s smile, the more trouble it spelled. Hence, she quickly changed her tune without a second thought and said, "Actually, I'm quite strong. You don't need to spoil me. Return the bag to me."

After saying so, Song Yingshi reached out to try to retrieve her mandarins, worried that Huai Xu might secretly peel them when she wasn't looking. She had to stay vigilant.

However, Huai Xu evaded Song Yingshi's hand, not letting her touch the bag.

This situation sparked a competitive spirit in Song Yingshi, and she began making repeated attempts to retrieve her bag of mandarins as they made their way upstairs.

Finally, there was a moment when Huai Xu couldn't stand such childish behavior anymore and firmly pressed down on her hand:

"Calm down."

Initially, Huai Xu humored Song Yingshi's childish antics. However, she eventually got tired of it and held down the other party's hand, saying, "Settle down."

Song Yingshi blinked at Huai Xu and smiled. Then, with a grin, she called out, "Huai Xu."

Huai Xu felt an inexplicable sense of irritation at being called out. Keeping her gaze straight and refusing to look at Song Yingshi, she asked, "What are you up to this time?"

Song Yingshi suddenly leaned closer, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling as she said, "This is the first time you've taken the initiative to hold my hand."

The fresh scent of the mandarin gently wafted in the air.[1]

TL Notes:
[1]mandarin: a small, rounded citrus tree fruit. Emphasis on "citrus." ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)