Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 41.3

While the trainees were rehearsing for the first public performance, a popular entertainment influencer did more in-depth research into Star of Spring's first episode and published the compiled results on Weibo.

In addition to matters obvious to the average viewer, the post compared the current season's theme song performance with that of past seasons. In this comparison, it was discovered that not a single trainee was excluded this time.

Based on this difference, the influence concluded that there must have been changes in the competition format.

This Weibo post quickly became the most discussed topic among Star of Spring's fandom.

By the afternoon, a new video from a legendary editor appeared on a certain video streaming platform. The video gained likes and comments practically every second and quickly sparked a shipping frenzy among viewers.

The video was tagged with an unfamiliar "Snow-Kissed Rose," which made it difficult for most viewers to immediately realize which two individuals the video was shipping. However, as soon as viewers saw the video's cover, anyone who had watched the first episode of Star of Spring could immediately shout out the two individuals' names—

Song Yingshi, Huai Xu.

The content of the video was simple. Since there was limited source material on Song Yingshi and Huai Xu, the video was entirely composed of their shots from the first episode and behind-the-scenes footage. Combined with skillful filter usage, sweet love songs, precise rhythm control, and splicing of single shots, the video made many fans squeal in happiness.

"I can't! I can't! This is too sweet! I knew someone would edit videos of them after watching the first episode, but I didn't think it would be this high quality!"

"More! More!"

"Although I'll ship any couple edited by Madame, this beautiful pairing is simply perfection. Intense Beauty x Delicate Beauty, Red Rose x White Rose, White Moonlight x Cinnabar Nevus[1]! I'm shipping them for life!"

"Instantly hooked on Spring Star."

"Snow-Kissed Rose forever!"

...

After Jing Xuan finished editing her video, uploaded it, and shared the link on Weibo, she promptly went to catch up on sleep. When she woke up, she found that the video she uploaded nine hours ago had already garnered close to a million views and over a thousand comments.

When Jing Xuan checked her QQ (messenger app), she saw that several friends had messaged her, telling her that her new video had made it to a certain video streaming platform's front page.

At this news, Jing Xuan could no longer hold back her smile.

Jing Xuan's hobbies were editing videos and shipping celebrities. Because she was quick to jump ship, her presence could be found on many ships, and all her videos received high viewership. However, out of the many videos she edited, only a few became famous.

When Jing Xuan saw the rapid increase in views for Snow-Kissed Rose, she knew it would inevitably surpass her old videos in viewership. And when she saw how many new fans Snow-Kissed Rose's fandom page had gained, she felt even more pleased with herself.

Now that her Snow-Kissed Rose video was receiving significant attention, the Snow-Kissed Rose ship was bound to receive more fans and videos from trend followers, which, in turn, would lead to the ship's popularization on the internet!

Thus, keep the ship moving!

After getting over her excitement, Jing Xuan uploaded the short videos she had edited and scheduled them to be released over the next few days to maintain the momentum. Then, she made herself a cup of tea and messaged the writers, artists, and other fans she had met over the years:

"Hi, would you happen to have a moment to talk about our lord and savior Snow-Kissed Rose?"

…

While Jing Xuan was spreading her new faith, Shang Yan messaged her:

"Little Xuan, did you secure a ticket for the first public performance?"

The tickets for Star of Spring's public performances weren't hard to obtain, as there were many channels available.

For starters, online applications on the show's official website were available starting from a few months ago. Besides that, the organizers collaborated with film academies, inviting university students to attend the show. There were also some internal staff and cooperative brand tickets, etc.

The problem was that Jing Xuan only joined the Star of Spring circle shortly before it aired, and the first public performance was only a few days later. Despite her efforts to obtain tickets, none of her friends responded with good news.

When Jing Xuan thought about how she wouldn't be able to see her two precious babies perform live, she felt incredibly frustrated and regretful.

Hence, when Shang Yan messaged her, Jing Xuan replied: "I couldn't get any qvq."

Shang Yan: "I got 2 tickets, I'll give you 1."

Jing Xuan: "Really?!"

Shang Yan: "Mhm. I'll give it to you later at the company."

To be accurate, Shang Yan didn't actually get the tickets herself. A friend in the entertainment industry knew she wanted to go and helped her get them. She managed to ask for two tickets, so she could spare one for Jing Xuan.

Immediately, Jing Xuan started a video call to profess her unending love for Shang Yan, even going as far as to tilt her head and make a heart gesture.

"What are you doing?" Shang Yan asked, feeling amused.

In response, Jing Xuan said, "Don't you find this familiar? I'm imitating Song Yingshi's debut pose! See? Doesn't this tilted head pose have my daughter's charm?"

Shang Yan: "…"

At this moment, Shang Yan truly wanted to say, "Please stop. Your 'daughter' is my aunt." However, she lost all interest in sharing when she thought about how Jing Xuan might use this information to "climb the family hierarchy[2]" and lord over her.

After Shang Yan hung up the video call, her mother suddenly peeked into the living room with a kitchen knife and asked, "Did I just hear Little Shi's name?"

Thank goodness you didn't hear Little Xuan calling my aunt her daughter, Shang Yan thought. Then, she replied, "I was on the phone with Little Xuan. Aunt Song will be performing on the 14th, and I got tickets to the performance; I'll be watching it live with Little Xuan."

Shang Yan's mother responded with an "Oh." Then, just as Shang Yan thought this would be the end of the conversation, she heard her mother reprimanding her, "Why did you only get tickets for Little Xuan? Why didn't you get a ticket for me as well?"

Shang Yan: "?"

Shang Yan was at a loss for words.

Although there wasn't an age limit for the audience, would any middle-aged person attend the live performance of an idol survival show?

Of course, Shang Yan dared not blatantly call out her mother's age, especially not when the older woman was wielding a kitchen knife. She also dared not stay silent, so she quickly came up with a perfunctory response, saying, "Next time. Next time for sure."

Only then did Shang Yan manage to smooth over a potential family conflict.

…

Since the afternoon incident, the atmosphere in Team Surrender's practice room had become much more harmonious.

As usual, Dan Silan observed everyone's practice, occasionally making subconscious mental jabs at Tan Qianyan. Fortunately, Tan Qianyan could always rely on her strong heart and thick skin to respond smoothly. Meanwhile, during these occasions, Quan Yuanyuan needed to keep her temper under control and avoid letting Dan Silan's speech get to her.

The current situation was a good example of the interaction between this trio:

"Your physical strength makes me question if you are relying on starvation to lose weight," Dan Silan said after watching Tan Qianyan's flimsy movements.

"I only had a steamed bun and some spicy sticks for dinner, so I'm already a little hungry. Should I get some supper before I resume practicing?" Tan Qianyan replied.

"You're still thinking of eating?" Dan Silan responded in disbelief. Then, realizing that she needed to supervise her teammates' diet, she swept her gaze across everyone—paying extra care to avoid Quan Yuanyuan's gaze—and said, "From now on, no one in our team is allowed to eat the fried foods from Counter 12, especially fried chicken."

Counter 12 was the only place in the cafeteria offering fried foods. It was also where Song Yingshi had previously bought youtiao (fried dough sticks).

However, among the five team members, the only one who loved fried chicken was...

Everyone turned to look at Quan Yuanyuan.

Quan Yuanyuan felt extremely targeted, her anger rising quickly, and she couldn't hold back:

"Dan Silan!"

Quan Yuanyuan felt discriminated against. Despite trying her best to curb her anger, she ultimately lost control and shouted, "Dan Silan!"

Dan Silan trembled in response. When she looked at Quan Yuanyuan, her eyes had already turned reddish, but she still forced herself to stay calm, saying, "You're already close to gaining a pot belly, and you're still going to…eat fried chicken?"

Quan Yuanyuan: "..."

Seeing that Dan Silan had already given up on maintaining her dignity in front of the team and would turn into a crybaby at the slightest aggression, Quan Yuanyuan knew she was thoroughly defeated.

Meanwhile, Song Yingshi couldn't help but laugh out loud as she watched their back-and-forth.

However, Song Yingshi's laughter was short-lived, as the system soon appeared to pour cold water on her.

"Special Mission: Rub Huai Xu's belly for five seconds," the system said.

Song Yingshi: "..."

Song Yingshi felt perplexed. While she was indeed desperate for missions, wasn't this mission just making things difficult for her? She had just finished arguing with Huai Xu in the afternoon. Yet, the system now wanted her to rub Huai Xu's belly.

Regardless, the team's dance practice had to continue, so Song Yingshi pushed the mission to the back of her mind and focused on familiarizing herself with her teammates' positioning.

It wasn't until the day's training was over, and Song Yingsh was back in the dormitory, did she remember the mission.

…

Rub Huai Xu's belly…

Song Yingshi returned to the dorm, but Huai Xu wasn't back yet. She took a shower, put on a face mask, did her skincare routine, and was nearly falling asleep when she finally heard the sound of the door.

When Song Yingshi returned to the dormitory, Huai Xu still hadn't returned. Seeing this, she took a shower, put on a face mask, and did her daily skincare routine. It wasn't until she had nearly fallen asleep that she heard sounds from the door.

Huai Xu entered the bedroom with light footsteps.

"Welcome back," Song Yingshi said, rubbing her eyes.

Huai Xu stopped in her tracks, looking at Song Yingshi meaningfully.

"What's with that look?" Song Yingshi asked in confusion.

"Your behavior is contradictory," Huai Xu stated. "Despite stubbornly refusing to fulfill the contract's requirements this afternoon, you still remember the stated greeting."

At Huai Xu's reminder, Song Yingshi promptly recalled such a clause in the Romantic Partner Contract.

According to the clause, whoever returned to the bedroom first in the evening and was still awake must greet the later arrival with a "welcome back."

Upon remembering this clause, Song Yingshi couldn't help but admire herself for coming up with such a detailed contract.

However, now wasn't the time for such thoughts. Forcing a smile, Song Yingshi said, "You heartless devil. You speak as if I wouldn't greet you without the contract. Hmph."

Huai Xu: "..."

It was now Huai Xu's turn to feel awkward.

Meanwhile, Song Yingshi felt completely at ease. Laying on the bed with her legs crossed, she hummed a song as she watched Huai Xu grab a set of fresh clothes before heading to the shower.

As Huai Xu was about to enter the bathroom, Song Yingshi decided to chase her victory, saying sweetly, "It's humid inside; your clothes are going to get wet. Just come out and change once you're done showering. Oh, also, since we're so close now, why bother closing the door when you shower—"

Bang!

The bathroom door slammed shut abruptly.

Song Yingshi initially jumped in surprise but quickly started humming in delight.

They had been living together for more than a week. Simply by listening to the changes in the sound of water from the bathroom, Song Yingshi could estimate when Huai Xu would come out.

When the timing seemed right, Song Yingshi got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and walked to the vanity.

Shortly afterward, Huai Xu walked out of the bathroom.

Huai Xu had already sent the shirt she wore last night for washing, and she was now wearing the nightdress Song Yingshi had bought for her previously. Although the white-gold nightdress didn't have a particularly sexy design, its failure to conceal her irresistible figure led to her exuding a captivating allure.

Huai Xu was still damp from her shower, her hair still wet. Just as she was about to grab the hairdryer from the vanity, she saw Song Yingshi standing in front of the mirror, lifting the hem of her T-shirt.

From the side, Song Yingshi's curves were delicate and graceful. Her three-inch sleep shorts revealed her straight and toned legs. Her body was perfectly balanced between slender and voluptuous, her muscles clearly defined down to her ankles.

The slippers Song Yingshi wore exposed her cute and rounded toes nestling together. If one stared at them for some time, one would gradually find them adorable.

Huai Xu paused in her tracks.

Seemingly having heard Huai Xu's approach, Song Yingshi turned sideways, revealing her slender waist and flat stomach. Then, the bright, petite woman sighed in distress, "Huai Xu, I think I've gained weight."

In an instant, all the moisture on Huai Xu's body evaporated.

Huai Xu quickly averted her gaze and responded with a parched throat, "You didn't."

Song Yingshi moved closer like a cat on tiptoe, saying, "Really? I don't believe you. Try rubbing it and tell me again."

TL Notes:
[1]White Moonlight x Cinnabar Nevus: These are internet slang used by Chinese netizens.
White Moonlight symbolizes a love you can never obtain.
Cinnabar Nevus symbolizes a love you used to have but can never reobtain.

[2]"climb the family hierarchy": Because of how much importance Chinese culture places on family relationships/hierarchy, it is a trend among Chinese youths to jokingly address themselves as so-and-so's father/mother/grandfather/grandmother to gain a sense of superiority. This trend is typically seen among friends, but it can also be used as a way to insult or belittle others.

Anyway, in this chapter's context, Shang Yan is worried Jing Xuan might claim to be her grand-aunt since Jing Xuan regards Song Yingshi as her "daughter." Although none of these claims are valid, I guess Shang Yan doesn't want to deal with Jing Xuan constantly lording over her.