Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 43.1

This was the first time Huai Xu had taken the initiative to do something for Song Yingshi.

At this moment, Song Yingshi felt like the cat she had been raising for a while had finally learned to be considerate of others. Now, rather than just sneaking in snuggles while she was asleep, her cat was openly showing affection by rubbing against her calf.

Although the change was minor, it was genuine.

Song Yingshi smiled, her expression brightening at this discovery. As she peeled the mandarin and split it, a wave of bright, tangy scent washed over her, causing her to wrinkle her nose. She then offered it to Huai Xu, saying, "You eat it."

Song Yingshi's undisguised happiness was very infectious, and Huai Xu soon found herself smiling along. All she did was prepare a bag of mandarins. Yet, Song Yingshi behaved like it was the best gift in the world.

"It's your reward," Huai Xu said, her usually distant voice sounding much gentler.

Song Yingshi shrugged and broke off two mandarin slices. Just as she was about to pop them into her mouth, her eyes suddenly darted around before she pushed the remaining mandarin to Huai Xu, saying, "Shouldn't I have the final say over my reward? Rather than these mandarins, I want my reward to be the opportunity to feed Huai Xu mandarins."

Song Yingshi kept pestering Huai Xu. Just when she thought Huai Xu would refuse her willful request, Huai Xu suddenly lowered her head and opened her mouth.

Contrary to Song Yingshi's expectations, Huai Xu's target wasn't the remaining mandarin on the peel but the two slices she had intended to eat herself.

As Huai Xu buried her head into Song Yingshi's palm, she exposed the crown of her head to Song Yingshi, revealing a rarely seen gentle posture.

When Song Yingshi saw this, she felt a sense of accomplishment at having successfully fed Huai Xu. She also got the urge to stroke Huai Xu's head.

However, before Song Yingshi could act on her urges, Huai Xu raised her head, her lips holding the two mandarin slices.

Song Yingshi had long since discovered that Huai Xu had an animal-like eating habit. Huai Xu liked to secure her food first before slowly chewing it. While it might seem like a gentle action, it was, in fact, very domineering.

As Song Yingshi looked at Huai Xu expectantly, she had no idea how seductive her eyes were.

When being looked at by those eyes, Huai Xu grew flustered and looked away in a panic, completely forgetting what she was going to do.

Huai Xu subconsciously bit into the mandarin slices, instantly flooding her mouth with a sharp sourness that twisted her face.

"Ha! I knew this one would be incredibly sour!" Song Yingshi exclaimed, then added with a delighted tone, "I could tell from that tangy scent. You won't hold it against me for having you try it first, will you, baby?"

Huai Xu: "…"

Song Yingshi's gloating swept away the slight panic Huai Xu felt like the autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

Feeling like a fool, Huai Xu stood up and walked away.

"Huai Xu? Hey, Huai Xu? Wait for me… I can't lift these heavy mandarins by myself," Song Yingshi said as she chased after Huai Xu.

Song Yingshi's voice buzzed incessantly like a bee. Halting her feet, Huai Xu turned around with a frown.

Song Yingshi nearly bumped into Huai Xu, but she stopped just one step away before smiling at Huai Xu.

Huai Xu lowered her gaze, extended a hand to Song Yingshi, and said slightly impatiently, "You work out every day. Do you think I'll buy your…words?"

Huai Xu deflated, realizing the futility of venting her temper on Song Yingshi. Song Yingshi was obviously no longer intimidated by her and could now face her anger with a smile.

Meanwhile, Song Yingshi handed the bag of mandarins to Huai Xu, then immediately grabbed Huai Xu by the hand and broke into a run.

"Song Yingshi!" Huai Xu exclaimed in surprise. The sudden development caught her off guard, and she found herself running along with Song Yingshi before she could even process what was happening.

With her hand held, Huai Xu had no choice but to keep pace with Song Yingshi, and whatever threats she whispered disappeared with the passing wind.

Many trainees looked at them curiously as they ran, and someone shouted, "Huai Xu, Little Shi, why are you running?"

At the trainees' questions, Song Yingshi stopped running momentarily, laughed, and gleefully replied, "I'm guiding Huai Xu back! She doesn't know the way back!"

When Song Yingshi uttered her second sentence, her eyes darted around briefly before landing on Huai Xu and curving into smiles.

Huai Xu: "…"

Amidst Huai Xu's daze, Song Yingshi looked forward and resumed running.

Song Yingshi's feet moved with great balance and agility, the hand she used to hold Huai Xu's hand radiated warmth and strength, and the ends of her hair bounced with each stride.

In the light blue plastic bag held between their intertwined hands, the mandarins of various sizes bobbed and swayed constantly, as if trying to escape.

Under their feet, the cobblestone path twisted and turned, its destination hidden amidst verdant shade.

As the wind blew past their ears and puffed up their clothes, Huai Xu heard the sound of the wind and saw its shape.

Huai Xu felt as if she was getting to know the world she lived in for the first time, and the experience was a surprising novelty.

Seemingly blinded by the wind, Huai Xu gradually lost sight of Song Yingshi, only able to hear the sound of her own breaths. And as she kept running forward with Song Yingshi, there was only one voice remaining in her heart—

I like her.

I like her very much.

…

June 12th. Only one day to go until rehearsal, and two days to go until the first public performance.

Trainees in every practice room began the final polish of their performances.

Fortunately, the show had just begun, so everyone was still in good physical and mental condition, practicing with bated breath, each hoping for a strong first public performance.

Moreover, since the first public performance was a position assessment, most trainees got to perform in their specialized position and practiced without difficulty.

Unfortunately, it was a different story for the unlucky trainees who didn't get to select their desired positions, like Tan Qianyan.

Faced with Dan Silan's devilish tongue, Tan Qianyan dared not relax in the slightest.

Song Yingshi was the quickest to get down her part. Hence, besides bonding with her teammates, she also took over teaching Tan Qianyan, giving Dan Silan more time to practice.

The difference between Dan Silan's and Song Yingshi's teaching methodologies was stark. Even someone as dense as Tan Qianyan quickly noticed the difference.

During a break, Lang Man asked Tan Qianyan about her progress with Song Yingshi.

"How do I put it?" Tan Qianyan put a finger on her chin. "Leader's teaching felt like being cooked on a sizzling hot pan—fast, but painful. Little Shi, on the other hand, boiled me like a frog in warm water, coaxing me with smiles and praise until I couldn't think properly and simply did as she asked, focusing only on improving and earning more praise."

"Then, Miss Frog, how is your practice coming along?" Lang Man asked in amusement.

"Don't worry! I'm more than well done now!" Tan Qianyan said, hitting Lang Man's chest with the back of her hand.

Lang Man shrank back after being hit and hissed, "I can't say anything about your dancing skills, but your strength has certainly improved."

In response, Tan Qianyan waved the little sandbags wrapped around her wrists, saying, "Leader said that she'll give me heavier ones if I don't get eliminated in the first public performance!"

"Keep up the good work, then," Lang Man said.

"Mhm! Let's all keep working hard!" Tan Qianyan nodded.

…

Compared to Song Yingshi's team, Huai Xu's team saw much smoother progress.

As the only group with excess members, the vocal group's teams consisted entirely of singing specialists. Huai Xu even chose "Halfway Up the Mountain," a classic love song with a laid-back melody and high singing skill requirements. No trainee would dare challenge this song unless they were confident in their abilities.

Therefore, Huai Xu's team faced almost no difficulties in terms of technical skills.

"Halfway Up the Mountain" was a classic, catchy song that told the story of an unattainable love that ultimately had to be abandoned.

Song Yingshi was rather surprised when Huai Xu chose this song.

Firstly, in a stage performance judged by audience votes, high-energy songs and dances inherently had a greater advantage over mellow love songs.

Secondly, Song Yingshi did not expect Huai Xu to choose a love song.

Back when Song Yingshi questioned Huai Xu's choice, Huai Xu simply replied, "I want to sing this song."

It was a simple but convincing answer. Song Yingshi herself had chosen to perform "Surrender" for its choreography, proving that liking something didn't always require a logical explanation.

Not to mention, with Huai Xu's abilities and popularity, there was no way she would ever be eliminated in the first public performance. Hence, Song Yingshi said nothing more about her decision.

The "Halfway Mountain" team had seven members.

Among these seven members was Wen Qingzi, one of Wan Jiao's juniors from the same entertainment company. Wen Qingzi had a gentle and quiet aura, resembling the good students in campus dramas. However, Huai Xu recalled that when Wen Qingzi met Song Yingshi, the girl's eyes were practically shining. Wen Qingzi's voice was soft but packed with power, sounding like she was someone with a story, which was very suitable for singing love songs.

Next were Qiu Yiyu and Qiu Yiya, sisters who were two years apart in age. Strikingly similar in appearances, they would often steal snacks from other trainees and pin the blame on each other, constantly testing everyone's ability to tell them apart. The sisters were relatively skilled at singing, but their singing wasn't as good as their ability to put on a straight man and wise guy routine.

After the two sisters was Xing Huan. Similar to Lu Xuewen, she had a loud and deep voice. The Qiu sisters labeled her as a bad woman capable of turning a love song karaoke into a sexy dance hall. Her appearance was only above average, not outstanding. However, she possessed naturally upturned eyes, which gave her the image of a charming vixen. This image also spurred the Qiu sisters to label her as a bad woman.

The last two members were Jian Dong'er and Lu Qiu, who were from the same company as Xing Huan.

The process of selecting the team leader and center was hassle-free for the "Halfway Mountain" team. They quickly agreed to decide on roles based on their respective classes.

As the only member from Class A, Huai Xu became the center, entrusted with the most challenging parts of the song. Xing Huan, the only member from Class B, was entrusted with the role of team leader. Nobody had any qualms with this arrangement, and the team began practicing in harmony.

However, Xing Huan quickly found that she was the team leader in name only. Jian Dong'er and Lu Qiu more or less humored her since they were from the same company, but it was a different story for Wen Qingzi and the Qiu sisters.

Wen Qingzi might not have much to say, but she was very opinionated and required pre-planning for all her actions and practice.

As for the Qiu sisters, they were incredibly talkative, and Xing Huan would be fortunate if they didn't giggle while calling her a bad woman, much less listen to her instructions.

Simply put, Xing Huan couldn't take charge of the situation or make any decisions.

Only when Huai Xu was around would everyone behave themselves.

Although everyone would still practice regardless of their obedience, the atmosphere differed.

Xing Huan grew a little depressed because of this situation. After enduring for two days, she gritted her teeth and questioned her teammates, "Are you guys afraid of Huai Xu?"

"I respect her out of respect for Little Shi," Wen Qingzi answered.

However, Xing Huan simply shook her head, unable to understand Wen Qingzi's thought process.

Qiu Yiyu glanced at Qiu Yiya before responding to Xing Huan, "Aren't you the same, Leader? As soon as Huai Xu arrives, your vixen laughter immediately vanishes."

"That's right." Qiu Yiya nodded.

"Nonsense! Who laughs like a vixen? My laughter is like a beautiful chime," Xing Huan said, casting a look of disdain at the sisters. However, because of her temperament, it looked more like she was giving the sisters a flirtatious glance.

The Qiu sisters: "Hahahaha!"

Xing Huan: "…"

Xing Huan had nothing to say to these brats.

Xing Huan was 22 this year. While still a fledgling adult in most people's eyes, she was "old" when compared to most of the trainees in the show.

She had participated in over 10 idol survival shows, ranging from local to national broadcasts. Her best result was reaching the finals; her worst was failing to even pass auditions.

Still, she didn't wish to give up. After three consecutive years of auditioning, she finally secured a spot in Star of Spring this year. And because of her many experiences, she understood more than anyone else how precious this opportunity was.

Star of Spring was a national-level idol survival show that could draw eyes from all around the country. If she couldn't make it in Star of Spring, it was likely that she would never stand on a better stage for the rest of her life.

She was already 22 this year.

As a 22-year-old trainee, if not now, when should she give it her all? Or should she wait for elimination before returning to her hometown to get married?

Lin Qinglu and Moonlight Entertainment's CEO's recent guest also showed how much importance Peach Tree Media placed on this season's Star of Spring, further fueling the determination in Xing Huan's heart and burning away any remaining hesitation.