Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 40.2

After arriving back at the dormitory, Song Yingshi's feeling that her fainting had frightened Huai Xu grew even stronger. As soon as she lay on the bed, Huai Xu covered her with a blanket and brought her a mug of hot water.

Song Yingshi was slightly flattered by this gesture but promptly set the mug aside after accepting it.

Who would drink hot water in the summer?

Song Yingshi wasn't sick, either.

Checking the time, Song Yingshi saw that it was nearly 9 PM. In other words, she only had a little over three hours left to complete her mission, so she couldn't dilly-dally any longer.

To Song Yingshi, the most awkward part of this mission was that she had to play the role of an owner enraged by her canary's attempt to escape. She also had to deliver several mandatory lines designated by the system.

As Song Yingshi gathered her emotions, her toes curled in embarrassment under the blanket.

Half a minute later, Huai Xu returned to the bedroom with some fruit for Song Yingshi.

As the door latch clicked, Huai Xu heard Song Yingshi shout from behind, "Huai Xu, how dare you make such a request?! Have I been too good to you lately that you've forgotten your place?!"

Huai Xu tightened her grip on the doorknob and froze for a moment.

Having just woken up, Song Yingshi's voice sounded softer than usual. Combined with her naturally sweet tone, she sounded like a shrill shouting, trying to cover up the insecurity of losing something.

When Huai Xu turned around to look at Song Yingshi, despite seeing the apparent anger on Song Yingshi's face, she had a hard time believing Song Yingshi's words.

This was because…Huai Xu would rather believe in the Song Yingshi she had come to know recently.

Ignoring Song Yingshi's angry rant, Huai Xu approached Song Yingshi with the plate of sliced apples and said, "Have some apples. Or should I peel a mandarin for you? There are some left in the dorm; I can get them for you."

Song Yingshi:?

Song Yingshi zoned out momentarily, her thoughts drawn by the uncooperative actor's question, "Should I peel a mandarin for you?"

Fortunately, Song Yingshi was a veteran actress. Adapting to the situation quickly, she sneered, "What? Are you ignoring what I said? It seems my indulgence has truly led you to forget your place."

Huai Xu recalled everything Song Yingshi had done for her, so she deeply understood how good-natured this little fool was. Hearing Song Yingshi's words, her gaze softened as she replied, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to bring up terminating the contract, would I?"

Song Yingshi's expression stiffened.

Why are you agreeing with me? Is this the attitude a canary seeking freedom should have? You should be cursing your owner! Spit in your owner's face! Fight against fate's oppression! Sing for freedom!

Or is my performance not convincing enough?

Huai Xu's reaction confused Song Yingshi. It also hurt her pride as an actress, so she decided to put all her acting skills to use.

Sharpening her gaze like an eagle's, Song Yingshi leaned in close to Huai Xu, her tightened jaw exuding aggressiveness as she said, "Still acting tough, huh?"

Song Yingshi gently lifted a lock of Huai Xu's long hair, carelessly playing with it. Then, she locked eyes with Huai Xu before she continued, "If you want to break the contract, fine, but you must sign a new one with me."

Song Yingshi wound the long hair around her slender fingers, wrapping it a few times before tossing it onto Huai Xu's chest in one decisive motion. Then, she smiled at Huai Xu, her gaze exuding possessiveness as she stated, "Now, I want both the artist contract and the lover's contract."

Song Yingshi craned her neck, leaning close to Huai Xu's ear, whispering softly, "From now on, everything about you is mine, Huai Xu. Do you understand?"

Although Song Yingshi's sweet voice still had a hint of coquettishness, it comprised more of arrogance and contempt.

As Song Yingshi finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Huai Xu lowered her head, quietly staring at the emptiness ahead as the moist and warm breaths brushing against her ear brought with it Song Yingshi's faint fragrance. When this fragrance reached her nose, it seeped into her bloodstream and swept through every corner of her body. This, in turn, caused a certain desire to swell in the pupils hidden behind her long eyelashes.

Huai Xu's body temperature was usually cool, but now, with Song Yingshi standing less than a fist's length away, Song Yingshi's breath grazing her skin, and Song Yingshi's scent filling her nose, her body burned like a furnace.

Huai Xu attempted to curb the swelling desire within her. However, it resisted fiercely, causing her body to ache as it repeatedly tried to spill out.

After failing to get a reply from Huai Xu for some time, Song Yingshi worried that she might have gone too far. While mentally reprimanding herself, she carefully observed Huai Xu's expression and softened her tone, saying, "What are you thinking? Why aren't you looking up? Look at me." You're not crying, right? Don't tell me I made you cry! Ahhhh!

Under Song Yingshi's subtly nervous gaze, Huai Xu slowly lifted her head, the hidden desire lurking in her eyes briefly surfacing before sinking into the dark abyss.

What was Huai Xu thinking?

She was thinking of making Song Yingshi cry.

She wanted Song Yingshi to cry until her voice was hoarse and she couldn't speak a complete sentence.

She wanted Song Yingshi to cry until the corners of her eyes turned red, leaving her unable to look at her with such an oppressive gaze.

She wanted Song Yingshi to cry so hard her collarbones trembled, her back arched beneath her touch, sweat dampened her skin, and her legs weak and trembling.

As Huai Xu harbored these thoughts, she looked at Song Yingshi with clear eyes and a smile, saying, "I'm wondering what the new contract will be like."

This time, what would Song Yingshi use to bind her, to... keep her?

Song Yingshi: "..."

Song Yingshi furrowed her brows, a growing anxiety within her.

At this point, Song Yingshi seriously considered if her words had made Huai Xu snap. Otherwise, how could Huai Xu react so calmly to the new contract? Why did Huai Xu seem…oddly excited?

It must be an illusion, right?

Or did some deviation occur without her knowing?

Song Yingshi opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a knock on the door interrupted her line of thought.

…

Due to the system's intervention causing Song Yingshi to pass out for the entire afternoon, it appropriately rationalized the completion conditions of her mission.

As long as Song Yingshi had Huai Xu acknowledge a draft contract, the mission would be considered complete.

Earlier, while Song Yingshi was talking to Huai Xu, the trainees living in the neighboring bedroom knocked on the door to check on her. Even Rong Yi and Yanran came to visit.

Not long after, Lu Xuewen's entire dormitory came over, followed closely by Tao Qin and Yu Sheng…

Out of concern that every trainee in the show might visit her and stay around past midnight, Song Yingshi had Tao Qin and the others pass on the message that she was doing well and that there was no need to visit her deliberately; they would have plenty of opportunities to meet tomorrow.

After peace finally returned to the room, Song Yingshi grabbed a pen and paper, brainstormed, and quickly wrote down over a dozen lines for a draft contract.

Each line in the contract was short and mainly consisted of keywords. In reality, the contract terms weren't important. What mattered was Huai Xu's verbal agreement. Song Yingshi could complete her mission so long as her contract received Huai Xu's approval. As for whether Huai Xu would fulfill the contract terms…

Who cared if Huai Xu did or didn't? Not Song Yingshi.

On the contrary, Song Yingshi would be happier if Huai Xu refused to fulfill her contract obligations! She'd have fewer hassles to deal with!

Nevertheless, to meet the system's requirement for a "stricter contract," Song Yingshi spent over half an hour coming up with terms to put into the new contract. Huai Xu even finished taking a shower during this period.

Once Song Yingshi was satisfied with her draft, she called Huai Xu over. Since she had already completed the acting requirement of her mission, she didn't have to play the role of the furious owner anymore. So, she wore a calm and friendly expression as she faced Huai Xu, almost looking like an insurance agent trying to convince an elderly person to buy insurance.

"I was too emotional earlier. You're not mad at me, right?" Song Yingshi asked gently.

"Are you feeling better now?" Huai Xu asked.

Song Yingshi nodded. However, she promptly noticed the subtle change in Huai Xu's expression, so she asked in confusion, "Why do you seem disappointed?"

Huai Xu neither confirmed nor denied Song Yingshi's allegations. She simply asked, "Is that so?"

Song Yingshi didn't want to waste time on such trivial matters, so she quickly followed up with a standard response, saying, "I must have been mistaken."

No matter how Song Yingshi thought about it, Huai Xu wouldn't be disappointed just because she stopped being angry at her. After all, Huai Xu wasn't a masochist.

Setting unimportant matters aside, Song Yingshi handed the draft contract to Huai Xu and smiled, saying, "Have a look."

Huai Xu glanced at Song Yingshi before accepting the contract.

The contract was written on an A4 paper, and starting off the contract was the title—

Romantic Partner Contract

As soon as Huai Xu saw these words, she lifted her gaze toward Song Yingshi, reciting, "Romantic partner?"

Although Song Yingshi initially tried to muddle through with something like a friendship contract, the system finally put its foot down on her loophole-exploiting habits, strictly demanding the new contract be love-related. Hence, all her attempts at skirting the rules failed, and she could only settle for a more harmless term like "romantic partner."

Looking at the bright side, it was at least better than terms like "sugar mommy," "mistress," or "side chick."

The only problem was how Song Yingshi would explain this term to Huai Xu.

"I know that the last contract wasn't appropriate," Song Yingshi said, offering a sweet explanation service.

The previous contract had nothing to do with their actual relationship; it was just a tool to trap Huai Xu.

"I understand that you want nothing to do with the previous contract, but I don't want to change our current relationship, so that's why we have this," Song Yingshi said. When she noticed Huai Xu's gaze on the words "Romantic Partner," she quickly added, "I won't give you money anymore; I know you don't want it. Our relationship will be that of equals in this new contract."

After a long pause, Huai Xu put down the contract and stared at Song Yingshi's face. Then, in a soft voice, she said, "If I sign this, does that mean we'll become actual romantic partners?"

"Of course not," Song Yingshi clarified in a serious tone.

After saying so, Song Yingshi reached out and pointed to the tiny text beneath "Romantic Partner":

(Provisional)

Provisional romantic partners—it was such a pure and romantic term that even the system couldn't find any flaws in it.

Feeling proud of her creation, Song Yingshi said, "Don't feel pressured." I don't really want to date you, so don't worry.

To further reassure Huai Xu, Song Yingshi added, "This contract isn't enforceable; I won't force you to follow it." The evil system forced this mission on me. Once I complete it, you are free to rip the contract apart.

Then, Song Yingshi shyly smiled and finished by giving a nonsensical motive, "I'm just looking for some playful novelty."

Upon hearing this, Huai Xu gave a slight nod.

"So, you agree to the contract?" Song Yingshi asked, her eyes brightening.

"I'm just acknowledging your acting," Huai Xu said.

Song Yingshi: "?"

Looking at the clock, Huai Xu gently said, "Have you forgotten what you said to me 53 minutes ago? Are you taking one step back to take two steps forward?"

Song Yingshi: "..."

Song Yingshi couldn't explain herself, so she decided to play coy, saying, "What did I say? I don't remember."

Huai Xu: "You said, 'Everything about me is yours. You want the artist contract, you want the lover contract, no matter how I struggle, I can't escape your palm.'"

Without hesitation, Huai Xu replied, "You said that everything about me is yours and that you want both the artist contract and the lover's contract. You also mentioned that no matter how I struggle, I won't be able to escape your grasp—"

"Stop! No more!" Song Yingshi pleaded as she covered Huai Xu's mouth with her hands. She shuddered in embarrassment at the mention of previous statements. "I only said those things out of anger. I truly mean my words now." How can you not tell I was acting before?

Huai Xu's eyes were as quiet as a lake as she gazed at Song Yingshi.

Amidst the silence, Song Yingshi felt Huai Xu's lips brushing against her palm, surprising her. Then, she heard Huai Xu making a slow, teasing remark, "It seems you've remembered."

Song Yingshi glared at Huai Xu before withdrawing her hands and turning away to rub her palms against her shirt.

Meanwhile, Huai Xu pointed her chin at the contract and asked, "You want me to sign this contract, but what's in it for me?"

Song Yingshi's first thought was that Huai Xu would no longer be bound to the terms of their previous contract. However, she quickly realized that this couldn't really be considered a benefit for Huai Xu. She needed to provide a valid reason that could make Huai Xu willingly sign the new contract.

Song Yingshi: "..."

Song Yingshi couldn't think of anything.

Huai Xu waited about five seconds before hearing Song Yingshi say, "Then, I guess I'll have to…"

Huai Xu fixed her gaze on Song Yingshi.

The next moment, Song Yingshi turned around with a heavy face, her ears drooping like a dejected puppy, and said, "Pretty please?"

Huai Xu: "..."

Huai Xu said nothing. She grabbed a pen, signed her name at the end of the A4 paper, tossed the pen aside, and walked out of the room.

"Yay!" Song Yingshi cheered as she picked up the contract to admire Huai Xu's signature. She knew that Huai Xu wasn't heartless!

At the same time, the system's voice sounded in Song Yingshi's head.

"Congratulations, Host! You've completed the Mandatory Hidden Mission. Your current Life Points (261 hours) will be doubled. Current Life Points: 522 hours."

Her Life Points were doubled!

Song Yingshi smiled happily at the realization that her efforts today were not in vain.

However, the system's announcement was not over.

"Congratulations, Host! Your current Life Points have exceeded 500 hours."

"Automatically deducting 500 hours of Life Points to unlock the channel to obtain eternal life."

Song Yingshi: ???