Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 18

Song Yingshi was genuinely happy.

Humans were emotional creatures. No matter what the other person was like, feelings were bound to develop after spending a long time together, day in and day out.

Of course, feelings of dislike and aversion also counted.

If Song Yingshi had to describe what she thought of her relationship with Huai Xu, it would be akin to suddenly having a cat shoved into her arms and told to take care of it in exchange for remuneration.

Although this cat was adorable, it had a bad temper and would never give her the light of day. On good days, it would simply respond to her calls with a lazy glance or swat away her hand with its tail when she tried to pet it. On bad days, it would scratch her, bite her, or gently gnaw on her skin.

However, despite the cat tormenting her daily, she endured it because of the remuneration. She even hired teachers to train the cat, bought it little clothes and toys, and took it to its favorite places to play.

After taking care of this cat for over a month, it finally extended a paw and placed it in her hand. Faced with such a situation, how could she not feel happy?

With her face glowing with joy, Song Yingshi looked at the "cat" she finally tamed and said, "I'm really happy today."

"After everything I did to you in the dorm, you're still happy?" Huai Xu asked, intentionally bringing up the past.

"Well, now I'm not happy anymore," Song Yingshi said, clicking her tongue.

Hearing this, Huai Xu stared at Song Yingshi, and the question, "What are you planning now," was clearly displayed in her eyes.

Pretending not to notice Huai Xu's gaze, Song Yingshi continued with her act and said, "How are you going to make it up to me? How about we sleep together tonight, and you sing me a lullaby?"

?

Huai Xu quietly retracted her hand and began walking upstairs, saying, "Aren't you too old for that?"

Song Yingshi followed behind and answered in a drawn-out voice, "I'm only three—years—old!"

"..."

…

Ultimately, Song Yingshi managed to drag Huai Xu back to Room 506.

When Song Yingshi and Huai Xu returned, Tao Qin and Lu Xuewen were lounging in their chairs, playing video games while wearing face masks. Seeing this, Song Yingshi shoved half a mandarin into each of their mouths.

Having worked up a sweat from running and being caught in the rain, Song Yingshi wanted to shower right away. But just as she was about to enter the bathroom, she paused and turned to Huai Xu. Hoping for a miracle, she asked, "Do you want to shower together?"

As soon as these words left Song Yingshi's mouth, coughing sounds echoed in the room.

Song Yingshi turned to Tao Qin and Lu Xuewen, watching them do their best to fake a coughing fit.

"...I choked on my own saliva," Tao Qin said.

"I-I choked on the mandarin," Lu Xuewen said.

"Do I look that gullible?" Song Yingshi asked, chuckling.

Song Yingshi didn't mind Tao Qin and Lu Xuewen's reaction. They didn't know that she was well acquainted with Huai Xu, so it was understandable for them to be shocked by her question.

Out of consideration for Tao Qin's and Lu Xuewen's sanity, Song Yingshi said to Huai Xu, "I was joking. Wait for me outside."

After saying so, Song Yingshi grabbed her clothes and disappeared into the bathroom, paying no attention to the expressions of the three people outside.

When the sound of running water came from the bathroom, Tao Qin couldn't hold back her curiosity any longer. She turned to Huai Xu and cautiously asked, "Why did Yingshi ask you to wait for her?"

Who would tell a newly acquainted friend to "wait for me" before showering? What were they going to do afterward?

What could a straight girl possibly mean by that?

She honestly couldn't understand the thought process of straight girls.

"I don't know," Huai Xu answered indifferently.

"Oh." Tao Qin stopped talking.

"I'm heading back to my room first. I'll be back later," Huai Xu said, making her way out of the room.

"Why are you going back?" Lu Xuewen asked.

"To shower," Huai Xu answered.

Song Yingshi wasn't the only one who had worked up a sweat and got caught in the rain. The sticky feeling of having dried sweat on one's skin wasn't pleasant for anyone, including Huai Xu.

Now that Song Yingshi had finally stopped clinging to her, Huai Xu could wash up before returning to "work."

…

Tao Qin and Lu Xuewen quietly exchanged glances after Huai Xu left. Then, amidst the sound of running water, they began a hushed conversation.

"Those two have been gone all night, and the first thing they do after returning is take a shower! God, save me!" Tao Qin exclaimed.

"Huh?? That…can't be possible, right?" Lu Xuewen took a moment to process Tao Qin's words, but once she understood what Tao Qin meant, she couldn't help but cast doubt over them.

"I know. My mind just went there instinctively." Tao Qin shrugged. "But really, what's going on with those two?"

After pondering for a moment, Lu Xuewen said in a definitive tone, "There must be something going on between them."

"You know something, right? Spill it!" Tao Qin demanded, sensing a potentially juicy gossip.

Recalling her brief morning encounter with Song Yingshi, Lu Xuewen said, "I don't know much. I only know that Yingshi suddenly came to our room this morning, saying she was there to see me, but her eyes were clearly looking for Huai Xu. She even asked where Huai Xu was, so her intentions were pretty obvious."

"She only told me she was going to 407 before she left," Tao Qin said, recalling her morning conversation with Song Yingshi.

After exchanging another look with each other, both Tao Qin and Lu Xuewen simultaneously reached a similar conclusion.

"It wasn't an impulsive decision," Tao Qin remarked. "Yingshi must've planned to stage a coincidental encounter with Huai Xu."

"But why would she do that? Isn't she straight?" Lu Xuewen asked in confusion. "Or is your les-dar broken?"

"Do you even understand straight girls?" Tao Qin asked.

"..."

As neither of the two little lesbians understood straight girl logic, their discussion hit a dead end.

Eventually, Tao Qin concluded, "With Yingshi's looks and personality, who can resist her when she makes the first move? What if... I'm already starting to feel bad for Huai Xu."

Lu Xuewen originally thought of returning to her room after seeing that Song Yingshi had returned. But now, she decided to stay with nTao Qin to secretly observe the situation between Song Yingshi and Huai Xu.

…

When Song Yingshi left the bathroom, the first thing that came out of her mouth was:

"Where's Huai Xu?"

Seeing that Song Yingshi was about to grab her phone to call Huai Xu, Lu Xuewen quickly said, "Huai Xu went to shower. She'll be back soon."

At this explanation, Song Yingshi put down her phone and mumbled, "She better be back soon."

Tao Qin and Lu Xuewen quietly exchanged glances when they heard these words.

While Song Yingshi was drying her hair, Tao Qin and Lu Xuewen silently opened their WeChat group.

—

Tao Qin: I feel bad for Huai Xu, but why do I also find this situation a bit sweet?

Lu Xuewen: Wake up. Don't ship a ship you're not supposed to ship. [Don't get close to straight girls, it'll bring bad luck.jpg]

Tao Qin: I-I-I'll try to control myself QAQ

Lu Xuewen: And didn't you say Yingshi is totally your type? Why are you pairing her with someone else?

Tao Qin: I know my limits. Only a stunning beauty like Huai Xu is worthy of Yingshi.

Tao Qin: The more I think about it, the more they seem perfect as a pair...

Lu Xuewen: ! If speaking from the looks department, I agree!

—

At this time, the third and only member of the group who didn't participate in the training camp popped up.

—

Yu Sheng: What are you guys talking about???

—

…

Huai Xu returned shortly after Song Yingshi picked up the hairdryer.

This time, Song Yingshi did not let Huai Xu leave her sight until she had completed her mission. When Tao Qin looked at the time, she realized Huai Xu had stayed in their room for over an hour.

Throughout this time, Tao Qin failed to see any suspicious interactions between Song Yingshi and Huai Xu. Nonetheless, she found the situation incredibly strange.

Although Tao Qin tried hard not to overthink matters, she couldn't stop her imagination from running wild.

If any other trainee had dropped by, Tao Qin wouldn't have thought much of it. But this was Huai Xu they were talking about.

Huai Xu's looks made it hard for others not to pay attention to her. However, nobody had seen her getting close to anyone throughout the training camp.

Now that Huai Xu and Song Yingshi had suddenly started interacting with each other, how could Tao Qin not let her imaginations run wild?!

…

After completing the challenging special mission, Song Yingshi earned herself 72 hours of life. Additionally, she started receiving simple daily missions again in the following days, so she could temporarily sustain her fragile life.

The training camp lasted two weeks, a period that was neither very long nor very short.

Every trainee had a packed schedule, leaving them no time to complain about exhaustion. However, after powering through all their lessons and shedding all the sweat they did, they all underwent a metamorphosis, looking much more refreshed and energetic.

When the training camp eventually concluded, many trainees couldn't help but feel as if time had flown past them.

The weather was cool, and the sky was cloudy on the day everyone was scheduled to leave the campus. As everyone left the dormitory building and approached the buses waiting outside, they wore the same clothes and dragged the same suitcases they arrived with. At a glance, it seemed like nothing had changed. However, everyone knew what they had taken from this training camp.

As Song Yingshi lined up to store her suitcases in a bus's luggage compartment, she glanced back at the dormitory building.

Huai Xu was ahead of Song Yingshi in the line. When she finished loading her suitcases and turned around, she saw Song Yingshi looking distracted. Tapping on one of Song Yingshi's suitcases, she said, "It's your turn."

However, Song Yingshi seemed deep in thought and didn't hear Huai Xu.

Huai Xu let out an inaudible sigh at this sight. Then, she picked up Song Yingshi's suitcases and loaded them without a word.

When Song Yingshi felt her suitcases leaving her hands, she turned back and smiled at Huai Xu, saying, "Thanks."

However, even with her suitcases loaded, Song Yingshi did not get on the bus. Instead, she approached the production crew's bus under Huai Xu's gaze and exchanged a few words with Shi Zhi. Then, Huai Xu saw Shi Zhi smiling and nodding to Song Yingshi.

Shortly after, Shi Zhi gathered the trainees and said, "Since we're about to leave, let's take a group photo to commemorate this moment."

It was then Huai Xu realized what Song Yingshi had gone to say to Shi Zhi.

After returning to Huai Xu's side, Song Yingshi grabbed Huai Xu by the wrist and led her to the foot of the dormitory building's staircase, saying, "Come on, let’s take a picture. We're tall, so let's stand at the back."

"Yingshi, Yingshi, I want to stand with you too!" Tao Qin said as she ran up to Song Yingshi.

"Roommate, why didn’t you invite me? How can you be so cold?" Lu Xuewen joked as she ran up to Huai Xu's side.

Under the three excited girls' persuasion, Huai Xu was dragged to the photo-taking location without a say in the matter.

Due to the height disparity, Tao Qin barely fit in the row before Song Yingshi, even after standing on tiptoe. Lu Xuewen, on the other hand, stood beside Huai Xu wearing a smile that made her appear both cute and handsome.

Standing next to Song Yingshi was a trainee from Class 2. Song Yingshi had corrected the girl's posture during the one dance lesson she had sat in on. The girl had also blushed when receiving compliments from Song Yingshi.

Since then, Huai Xu noticed that the girl was much braver in their dance lessons, even daring to stand in the front row.

Now, the girl stood next to Song Yingshi in the group photo, smiling shyly, with her earlobes quietly turning red.

Huai Xu also recognized the two girls standing next to Tao Qin. They were the trainees from Class 3 who had passed by the first-floor lobby on that rainy night and accepted Song Yingshi's mandarins.

Huai Xu was usually a loner. However, when she stood with everyone today, she suddenly realized how many people she had unknowingly met and interacted with.

At this time, a gap appeared in the clouds, letting in sunlight that cast a soft, golden hue over the campus.

Shi Zhi took on the responsibility of taking the group photo. With a smile, she said, "Everyone ready? I'm about to take the picture!"

Huai Xu's eyes showed a faint glimmer as she looked straight ahead. She pressed her lips together at Shi Zhi's words, forming a faint but pleasant smile.

…

The training camp ended on May 25th.

As there were still several days until the Initial Rating Performance scheduled on June 1st, the production crew arranged three group promotional shoots to maximize the appearance fees paid to the trainees. The recorded material would be used for official promotions on social media. It would also help each trainee garner more followers and fans.

Whether a trainee could debut successfully in the idol survival show depended on whether they could seize every opportunity to attract new fans. Whether on stage or off stage, every appearance they made in front of a camera was an opportunity and a challenge.

Hence, everyone took the promotional shoot this time very seriously.

None of the trainees from the training camp returned home. They took the production crew's buses to the nearest high-speed rail station and left for a studio in S City.