Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 28

In addition to meeting the garden requirement, Song Yingshi also satisfied her mission's requirement to go on a stroll with Huai Xu. After all, everyone had to move their legs when dancing. How could that not count as walking?

Did walking in place not count as walking? Wouldn't that be discrimination?

Regardless, the system couldn't argue against Song Yingshi's twisted logic and could only swallow its complaints.

The mission's third requirement was at least 100 seconds of physical contact.

Naturally, Song Yingshi never entertained the thought of adopting any of the system's suspicious suggestions. Hand-holding, hugging, kissing, and even—

"Aren't you a mature jjwxc system? Do you not know that you're not allowed to have fantasies of anything below the neck? You're playing with fire here," Song Yingshi criticized.

System: "..."

Rather than take the system's immature advice, Song Yingshi decided to complete her mission by sneaking in some physical contact when correcting Huai Xu's dance moves. Her only concern was that Huai Xu might learn the dance too quickly, leaving her little room to take advantage of.

As the others focused on their dance, Song Yingshi danced while observing Huai Xu's movement.

Mm… Why are her moves so perfect? Song Yingshi felt surprised, proud, and disappointed when she saw how well Huai Xu was doing. Her emotions were mixed, and her expression dropped like a sad puppy.

However, just as Song Yingshi thought she might need to come up with an alternative solution, she suddenly noticed Huai Xu's movements lagging by a beat. It seemed as though Huai Xu had forgotten a part of the dance and couldn't keep up.

Song Yingshi's eyes lit up immediately.

To confirm her analysis, Song Yingshi stared at Huai Xu without blinking.

Great, Huai Xu made a mistake... She made another mistake! Song Yingshi inwardly celebrated as she observed Huai Xu. Mm… But don't these mistakes look a little too perfect?

As the theme song finished playing and was about to begin another loop, Song Yingshi used the gap during the prelude to approach Huai Xu. Then, she said thoughtfully, "I've noticed a big problem with your dance."

"I noticed it too," Huai Xu agreed readily.

"This won't do. I have to teach you the moves personally," Song Yingshi said earnestly.

A faint glimmer flickered in Huai Xu's eyes as she asked, "Will it be too much trouble for you?"

"You're treating me like a stranger. How can I be at ease if I don't teach you? Don't worry, I'll personally correct your problems one by one," Song Yingshi said firmly.

The word "personally" was the key point of this sentence.

Although Song Yingshi felt a little guilty for taking advantage of the opportunity to touch and poke Huai Xu, the fact of the matter was that she was also helping out with Huai Xu's dance. Moreover, she would be doing so carefully and wholeheartedly, so she wasn't entirely taking advantage of Huai X u.

"Let's talk about that move you just did," Song Yingshi said, positioning herself exactly like when Huai Xu made her most recent mistake. "You should have your palm facing outward when doing this move, but I saw you pressing down. Come, let me guide you through it."

As Song Yingshi spoke, she reached out to take Huai Xu's hand. Worried Huai Xu might pull away, she subtly glanced at Huai Xu's expression as she extended her hand, only to inadvertently meet Huai Xu's gaze.

Song Yingshi didn't know if it was because of the approaching twilight hour, but the illumination on the square was inexplicably soft. When Huai Xu looked down at her, Huai Xu's hair gently fluttered and brushed against her cheek.

Huai Xu looked like a lady who had come out of a serene and beautiful painting. Her chin was slightly lowered, and her eyes looked like they were asking a question. Yet, at the same time, Song Yingshi felt as if Huai Xu was simply looking at her, and that alone was enough to captivate her.

At this moment, Huai Xu's beauty reached its peak. Any observer of this beauty would find their hearts captured and their attentions unable to accommodate anything else.

When Song Yingshi returned to her senses, she noticed that, without her knowing, her fingertips had already touched the back of Huai Xu's hand. The warmth coming through her fingertips was somewhere between warm and cool, and it instinctively reminded her of Huai Xu's touch.

Just as Song Yingshi was about to take Huai Xu's hand—

"Little—Shi—"

A loud cry came from behind. When Song Yingshi turned around to look at who was calling her, her eyes went wide.

A group of trainees were jogging towards the square!

A really big group!!

What happened???

Running at the head of the group was Lu Xuewen. After dashing up to Song Yingshi and glancing at Huai Xu's resentful gaze, she loudly protested, "Why didn't you invite us out to play?"

"…"

Lu Xuewen's question rendered Song Yingshi speechless. Who exactly was playing here?! She was clearly trying to do a mission! Could the kids stop meddling in adult matters?!

Arriving after Lu Xuewen, Lu Xuewen said, "You didn't invite me, either!"

"Me too!"

"Me, me, me!"

"Me…"

Looking at the group of ignorant but enthusiastic trainees, Song Yingshi helplessly waved for them to calm down, saying, "Alright, alright. Everyone, calm down."

After saying so, Song Yingshi turned to face her classmates from Class A, who still appeared confused about the situation.

"D-Did we cause trouble?" Rong Yi muttered anxiously. She was still young and new to the entertainment industry. When she saw the commotion their class had seemingly caused, her first reaction was to panic.

Meanwhile, the seasoned Yan Ran calmly said, "We're still recording, which means everything's fine."

Rong Yi thought for a moment and agreed. Had they created a problematic situation for the show, the logistics members would have long called everyone back with a loudspeaker and given them a scolding.

However, when Rong Yi saw how much more composed Yan Ran was, she couldn't help but lightly snort at the other party.

Song Yingshi shared similar opinions, but her considerations extended far beyond Yan Ran's. In her opinion, the production crew wasn't just tacitly agreeing to Class A's impromptu decision; they were practically hinting that they wanted the trainees to keep causing trouble.

Hence, the production crew definitely wouldn't be satisfied with the trainees simply running out of the practice rooms. They undoubtedly hoped for more to occur.

Song Yingshi had worked as a judge and a mentor on many variety shows in her past life.

She could tell that the production crew wanted the trainees to stir things up, but what exactly did the production crew want to achieve?

After pondering for a while, Song Yingshi clapped her hands in front of the crowd of trainees. Then, fearing some might not hear her, she shouted, "Since you're all here and the weather outside is nice, let's all practice together!"

It was evident that the gathered trainees were excited to be able to come outside after staying in the stressful practice rooms all day.

At Song Yingshi's invitation, although some trainees voiced skepticism, such as "Are we really going to dance here?" or "Can this place fit this many of us?," many still walked into the square and lined up.

"Come on, come on! Join in on the square dance!" Wan Jiao warmly called out to the shy girls who were still hesitating.

All of Class A's trainees: ?

Square dance? How could anyone consider youthful girls like themselves square dancers? Moreover, they all danced at a high standard!

However, when all 101 trainees stood in the square and danced in harmony with the music under the blue skies and fluffy clouds, the "Pink Champions" were convinced.

They were indeed square dancing!

Setting aside whether the trainees were square dancing, the effects of practicing outdoors appeared much better than practicing in the practice rooms. As everyone danced together, many trainees felt their spirits being lifted. Even though they were sweating from physical activity, their limbs didn't feel tired, and the breeze on their skin felt much more comfortable than air conditioning.

Furthermore, although everyone didn't stand according to their uniform colors, they didn't create a sense of chaos but rather unity. It felt as if everyone was part of one big group.

At least, that was how Wan Jiao felt—being here with everyone was much more comfortable than those five rooms intentionally painted in different colors.

As Wan Jiao danced, Song Yingshi, who had briefly left to speak with a staff member, approached her, pulled her out of the group, and stuffed a large megaphone into her hands.

Wan Jiao: ?

Just as Wan Jiao was feeling confused, Song Yingshi whispered a few words into her ear. Immediately afterward, she perked up, brimming with confidence as she said, "Leave it to me!"

As the trainees danced the square dance, they suddenly heard Wan Jiao's thick Northeastern accent coming from the megaphone, saying, "Everyone, tighten your core! The person in the third row, have you forgotten your facial expression management? Smile, smile, smile!"

The trainee in question: ?

When did they suddenly get an instructor? For square dancing no less?

"Don't be shy! Let your voices out! Sing as you dance!" Wan Jiao continued. Then, she threatened, "Anyone who dares refuse to sing, I'll put the megaphone in front of you!"

At this threat, everyone in the square started to sing the show's theme song. Furthermore, everyone's voices grew louder the more they sang.

Wan Jiao nodded in satisfaction. She walked back and forth, patrolling with the megaphone and speaking solemnly, "Be confident! It's fine to make mistakes, but if you panic and give up, it'll be the end for you! When you're performing the theme song, what should you be thinking?"

After a slight pause, Wan Jiao answered her own question loudly and clearly, "I'm the best! I'm the queen of the stage!"

Wan Jiao's voice increased suddenly, causing several trainees to nearly stumble.

"Jiao Jiao, you're so corny!" a trainee shouted.

"Can you out-corny me?" Wan Jiao asked, perfectly playing her role as the confident queen.

"Hahahahahaha!"

Song Yingshi was dancing beside Huai Xu, doing her best to complete her mission. When she heard Wan Jiao's response, she couldn't help but chuckle and joined everyone in laughing.

After using the megaphone for 10 minutes, an exhausted trainee volunteered to take over the job of the comedic coach, allowing Wan Jiao to resume her practice.

One after another, those who wanted to rest took the megaphone to supervise the others, making sure no one wasted time.

In reality, everyone had already gone over the theme song's choreography multiple times and familiarized themselves with it after a day of practice. The main problem most trainees currently faced was combining their dancing, singing, and facial expression management. Another problem was that they would sometimes forget dance moves or lyrics due to anxiety.

However, dancing and singing with everyone helped reinforce the trainees' muscle memory. It also helped that they constantly had someone remind them of every aspect of the performance.

Nonetheless, Song Yingshi still noticed that some trainees' movements were off, and they didn't seem to realize it.

After thinking for a moment, Song Yingshi spoke to a few trainees who were doing well and asked them to help spot the errors. Every person would keep an eye out on a row, pointing out issues as they arose and providing correct demonstrations. And since it wasn't a particularly time-consuming task, the trainees she asked readily agreed.

After getting this done, Song Yingshi felt that there was nothing else to fix, and she could finally relax and focus on completing her mission. However, when she turned to find Huai Xu, she saw Huai Xu answering the dance questions of a trainee from the row behind.

Song Yingshi took a moment to listen in on the conversation. Upon ensuring Huai Xu offered correct advice, she tactfully returned to dancing and singing with the other trainees.

Once the trainee who had kept Huai Xu busy left, Song Yingshi asked, "You're teaching people now, huh?"

Huai Xu glanced at Song Yingshi. Smiling slightly, she said, "I just happen to know the answer to her questions."

Song Yingshi didn't doubt Huai Xu's words, nodding, "I think so, too. You're not an irresponsible person."

Glancing at Song Yingshi again, Huai Xu asked, smiling, "Will you continue teaching me?"

Had Song Yingshi paid more attention to Huai Xu earlier, she would have noticed that Huai Xu was dancing perfectly. But she missed out on this detail since she had been busy taking care of other trainees. Hence, to Huai Xu's question, she promptly replied, "Of course! Where did we leave off? We were talking about…"

"We were talking about…" Huai Xu repeated Song Yingshi's words.

Song Yingshi suddenly felt a slight itch on the back of her hand. Looking down, she found the back of Huai Xu's palm lightly resting against hers.

Just as Song Yingshi was about to pry her attention away from this minor distraction, Huai Xu's hand suddenly shifted and bumped against hers. Immediately, the unique texture of Huai Xu's skin sent a tingling sensation through her.

Before Song Yingshi could fully experience this tingling sensation, it disappeared, leaving only a lingering tingling feeling in her heart. The temperatures of their hands also began to rise as their hands pressed together and transferred warmth to each other.

As Song Yingshi looked up, Huai Xu looked at her and whispered, "...this."

The incorrect hand movement.

Song Yingshi remembered.

At the same time, the countdown for the 100 seconds of physical contact began ticking.

Fearing Huai Xu would pull away, Song Yingshi immediately grasped Huai Xu's hand and smiled at her, saying, "Then let's start from here. Make sure you remember..."