Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 26

"You're not the first person to investigate me. Song Ming did, too. He threw all my personal information on the table and said to me…"

Huai Xu's eyes showed a hint of disgust as she spoke up to this point. Looking at the dazed Song Yingshi, she chose not to finish her words.

However, compared to Song Ming, Huai Xu felt she could be more tolerant of Song Yingshi's investigation. She reasoned that it was natural for Song Yingshi to investigate those she(S) interacted with, especially considering their unfamiliarity and Song Yingshi's pushover nature.

Of course, Huai Xu didn't share these thoughts with Song Yingshi, and she might never do so.

Huai Xu turned off the ambient light next to her, allowing darkness to engulf her surroundings. Meanwhile, Song Yingshi bathed in a faint, tipsy light.

As if to reassure Song Yingshi, Huai Xu softened her tone as she said, "I'm really not angry. Turn off the light on your side; it's time to sleep."

At this point, Song Yingshi realized Huai Xu must've misunderstood her. Huai Xu likely assumed she had gained knowledge through a private investigation.

This...doesn't seem like much of an issue. It also makes more sense logically… Seeing as Huai Xu had come up with her own explanation and resolved the issue herself, Song Yingshi felt relieved. Immediately, she turned off the light, lay down on the bed, and murmured in a soft, sweet voice, "Good night."

"Good night," Huai Xu responded.

After exchanging goodnights, Song Yingshi fell asleep in an instant. She fell asleep so quickly that she missed the system's cold, mechanical voice echoing in her mind:

"Hidden condition 'Cohabitation' achieved. The Mission System will automatically be upgraded to the Lovers' Version."

"Upgrade in process…"

"Please strive to achieve even greater success, Host."

Meanwhile, on the bed next to Song Yingshi's…

Perhaps the excitement from today's events still lingered in her body, but Huai Xu couldn't fall asleep despite having closed her eyes.

As Huai Xu lay in bed, thoughts filled her mind, and the first thing that surfaced was the scene she "saw." It wasn't until the recording session concluded that she had the chance to calm her mind and sort things out by herself.

Actually, this wasn't the first time Huai Xu had experienced such a bizarre situation.

The night before Huai Xu auditioned for Star of Spring, her emotions fluctuated drastically due to Song Ming's threat, and she even considered ruining her appearance at one point. But the moment she picked up the utility knife, something barged into her soul and changed her.

Nothing new appeared in her mind. The only thing that changed was her mindset.

The change was subtle and imperceptible, like water seeping gently into soil.

Occasionally, Huai Xu would look back and marvel at how different she was now compared to the past, but she could never find the reason for this transformation.

…that was until today.

What Huai Xu gained was not just some useless memories about Zheng Qiyi. She also regained many, many things she had once possessed and mastered. These "things" felt incredibly familiar to her; using them was like second nature.

Huai Xu reached upward, reaching for the empty air above her. However, while her palm might be empty, she knew exactly how great of a gift she had received today.

Huai Xu's lips curved slightly. Then, as if hearing something, she turned her head to the bed next to hers.

Song Yingshi was fast asleep, and her breaths were shallow. However, Huai Xu couldn't shake the feeling that she heard movement.

Huai Xu sneered at herself. She found that she seemingly couldn't ignore Song Yingshi's existence. Whenever she thought about how she was sharing a room with Song Yingshi, she would get the urge to glance in Song Yingshi's direction to see if the other party was up to anything cheeky.

But Song Yingshi was sound asleep, so what could she possibly do?

I should sleep. Huai Xu closed her eyes. As she fell asleep, the last thing she thought of was the sight of a delicate back.

That day in the dormitory, Song Yingshi had undressed so quickly that Huai Xu couldn't turn away in time, which led to her catching a glimpse of Song Yingshi's shoulder blade.

The red velvet dress accentuated the pale skin it covered. It was akin to looking at a carpet of white snow gathered beneath a bed of crimson roses.

Half a month had already gone by since that day. Although Song Yingshi had generously forgiven her actions, when Huai Xu recalled this matter, she suddenly felt a little regretful. Perhaps, she shouldn't have treated Song Yingshi that way…

…

At 7 AM, all 101 trainees remained in dreamland, their bodies still recuperating from their busy night. Unfortunately, the production crew had other plans for the trainees, as the loudspeaker in each room suddenly blared, and an excited and passionate female voice shouted:

"Get up, everyone! Your dreams are still waiting for you to cultivate them! Your future is waiting for you to fight for it! Your fans are waiting for your stage! Oh, sorry, I forgot, you don't have fans yet, well, never mind."

The woman behind the loudspeaker paused tactically.

"You don't have any fans, so how can you bear to sleep?! Come on! Everyone to the second-floor auditorium by 7:20! Don't be late! Tardiness will be rewarded with punishment! Battle song, start!"

“AH……AH……AH……”

"Ohohohoh..."

"Even though fate is displaced; Even though fate is bitter and bizarre;

Even though fate scares you that there is nothing interesting to live..."[1]

"..."

Song Yingshi woke up to the noise, looking bewildered as she sat up on the bed. Then, to the upbeat and energetic voice of Hacken Lee, she indifferently flipped the bird at the loudspeaker and said, "It's not fate that scares us, it's you."

Huai Xu had also woken up to the broadcast. She leaned against the headboard and massaged her forehead momentarily before climbing out of bed. Then, she said to Song Yingshi, who was cursing the production crew, "Go wash up."

In response, Song Yingshi lay on her bed and said, "I haven't lazed in bed yet."

Raising an eyebrow, Huai Xu asked, "Is lazing in bed part of your wake-up routine?"

"Naturally. My day won't be complete if I don't play with my phone for half an hour while sitting against the headboard," Song Yingshi answered righteously.

"..."

Huai Xu, tying her hair, walked to the bathroom and looked back at Song Yingshi.

When Song Yingshi thought Huai Xu was about to make a sharp remark, Huai Xu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Should I bring you your toothbrush so you can brush your teeth in bed?"

Song Yingshi couldn't tell if Huai Xu was sincerely offering to help her, or if this was a sarcastic remark of a more sophisticated level. Regardless, she didn't want to brush her teeth in bed, so she politely replied, "I appreciate the offer, but no thank you."

After procrastinating for over a minute, Song Yingshi finally got out of bed and quickly dashed for the bathroom, stealing it from Huai Xu. As she closed the door behind her, she provocatively stuck her tongue out at Huai Xu.

"..."

Huai Xu sincerely suspected that staying up all night had caused a certain esteemed young lady's brain to regress. Otherwise, how could Song Yingshi steal someone's bathroom so naturally?

The production crew's broadcast continued non-stop as Song Yingshi and Huai Xu took turns washing up. However, the only important points mentioned were that trainees were to gather at the second-floor auditorium by 7:20 AM and that late arrivals would be punished.

Despite a slow start, Song Yingshi and Huai Xu finished washing up quickly. Class A's trainees only had to share bathrooms with one roommate, so Song Yingshi and Huai Xu had already changed into their pink team uniforms and left their dormitory by 7:15 AM.

Song Yingshi had long since ingrained the morning work routine of female celebrities in her mind. She even had time to apply a base layer of makeup in the five minutes Huai Xu spent in the bathroom.

However, when Song Yingshi turned back and saw Huai Xu's face glowing, even without makeup, she couldn't help but gnash her teeth in envy.

Unfortunately, there was no use in trying to compete with Huai Xu. After all, the flawlessness of her skin was all thanks to her natural beauty.

…

The practice rooms were on the second floor, and a card slot facility had been prepared in the lounge area by the entrance. Every morning, the trainees had to come here and deposit a Star Card as payment for their daily living expenses.

As Song Yingshi and Huai Xu went to insert their card, they saw Rong Yi and Yan Ran, two of their classmates from Class A. They were also neighbors on the sixth floor.

Rong Yi was a talented trainee who had sighted with a top-tier company. She had seniors who were members of a currently popular girl group. Despite having a petite frame, she was brimming with energy, her bright eyes exuding vitality and ambition like an eager wolf cub.

Yan Ran used to be a member of a popular girl group five years ago. Although the group soon disbanded due to one of the members getting involved in a scandal, Yan Ran's talent was undeniable. She also had the aura of a cool girl, and her appearance gave the impression of a cool beauty.

As time was tight, Song Yingshi and Huai Xu simply exchanged nods with their neighbors before they headed for the auditorium together.

When they approached the auditorium, they heard vibrant and youthful music drifting out from behind the door.

Song Yingshi: "Could this be…"

Rong Yi: "It certainly is."

Yan Ran: "Huh?"

Huai Xu lightly hummed in agreement.

Yan Ran stopped speaking entirely, behaving like a cool cucumber. In reality, she was simply afraid the other three would discover she was the only one who didn't know what they were talking about.

In just a few minutes, hurried footsteps filled the hall as the trainees rushed toward the auditorium.

When it was 20 minutes past 7 AM, all 101 trainees gathered and sat on the auditorium floor.

At this time, Ren Qian entered the auditorium and pointed at the loudspeaker that was still looping a song, asking, "Do you know what this is?"

"The show's theme song, right?"

Several sparse voices answered.

"The theme song..."

"That's right, this is our theme song 'Let Your Heart Beat.' You're all very clever, so you've probably guessed the next task, right?" Ren Qian asked.

Yan Ran suddenly realized what her three companions meant previously and felt embarrassed by how slow she was on the uptake. However, she quickly stopped mulling over this matter when she heard Ren Qian's following words:

"Your first task is to perform this theme song," Ren Qian said as he pulled out a task card. Then, he continued, "You must learn to sing and dance to the theme song to become an official trainee of Spring Star. This performance will not affect your rating, but it will determine whether you can record the theme song and the type of stage where you will perform it.

"Similarly, the mentors will rate and divide your performances into five levels: A, B, C, D, and E. Those who receive ratings from A to D can participate in the recording, but for those who receive an E..."

Ren Qian stopped speaking for suspense.

"Will they be forced to stand by and watch?" Wan Jiao asked, attempting to finish Ren Qian's words.

Looking at Wan Jiao, Ren Qian stated, "If you get an E, you will be eliminated on the spot."

The trainees were shocked. They couldn't believe they would be at risk of elimination so soon. This never happened in past seasons. It was evident that Star of Spring had become stricter with its rules, and the opportunities given to trainees were becoming fewer.

If this was how the rest of the show would play out, each stage performance might be their last.

The trainees' minds tensed up like tightly pulled strings. Immediately, someone asked:

"Instructor, how much time do we have? Do we get at least 24 hours?"

At this question, Ren Qian raised his hand and glanced at his watch. Then, he swept his gaze across everyone in the room and said, "We will inspect your progress at 9 AM tomorrow. How many hours of practice you get will depend on how much effort you decide to put in.

"You can start at any time. All five practice rooms on this floor have already been equipped for your practice; you are free to use any of them. You can also begin practice after having breakfast on the third floor. Take care not to let your blood sugar fall too low…"

As Ren Qian was speaking, he noticed a trainee raising her hand. This trainee was none other than Song Yingshi, who had left a strong impression on the mentors. Hence, he paused his speech and asked, "Do you have any questions?"

"Instructor, may we start practicing now?" Song Yingshi asked politely.

"..."

At Song Yingshi's question, Ren Qian finally noted the distracted looks the other trainees wore and realized the last thing they wanted to do was listen to him rambling. Hence, he nodded and said, "Sure."

The trainees immediately stood up at this answer and rushed out the door.

The race against time had begun!

…

TL Notes:
[1]The battle song mentioned here actually exists. It's Red Sun by Hacken Lee (红日 李克勤). Here's the youtube link for it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBmLSS8P2ME