Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 45.2

TL Notes;
**Important!!**
I made a fatal misinterpretation in the last section.

Original:
Then, Huai Xu continued in a tone nearing arrogance, "I like you, Miss Song. Do you find it ridiculous?"

Corrected:
Then, Huai Xu continued in a tone nearing arrogance, "But you, Miss Song? Don't be ridiculous."

Huai Xu left the room.

Song Yingshi sat on the bedside in a daze, her arms slowly reaching for the nearby blanket and using it to cover her body.

Song Yingshi wasn't cold. She just needed something to give her a feeling of security.

Huai Xu liked women.

Huai Xu was a lesbian.

...The sole female protagonist of a drama novel with three male protagonists was a lesbian.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh—"

Song Yingshi buried her head in the blanket and screamed.

What the hell was this?!

System! Why is Huai Xu a lesbian?! Song Yingshi demanded.

"Huai Xu is an independent entity. She is naturally free to decide her sexual orientation," the system replied.

Song Yingshi experienced a mental breakdown at the system's answer. All this time, she had been doing this and that to a budding lesbian...

You haven't known about this all along, have you? Those missions of yours... Song Yingshi asked grimly. When she looked back at all the missions the system had assigned her, she couldn't help but gnash her teeth.

System: "…"

The system fell silent!

This was definitely a goddamn tactical silence!

Despite how calm Song Yingshi usually was, even she couldn't help but curse at the system's trickery this time.

Seemingly realizing Song Yingshi's anger, the system dared not make one peep. The system grew so quiet that it was as if it had uninstalled itself from her mind.

After getting over the system's betrayal, Song Yingshi quickly returned her focus to Huai Xu.

During their conversation just now, Song Yingshi's mind had wandered off at some point, and only now did it return to help her review the dialogue and figure out what was happening.

Why did Huai Xu have a mental breakdown?

Song Yingshi thought back to Huai Xu's first question. Upon remembering what it was, she couldn't help but fall silent.

Fuck. Is Huai Xu mad that I'm not thirsting for her body? Is she angry that I, as her sugar mommy, am too noble?

Then, Song Yingshi recalled the last words Huai Xu said to her.

Huai Xu likes women, but she doesn't like me… Yeah, right! As if I'd believe that!

Song Yingshi refused to believe even for a second that Huai Xu wasn't sexually attracted to her. If she was so gullible to take Huai Xu's words for granted, she'd have lived her previous life in vain. Moreover, if Huai Xu didn't have feelings for her, Huai Xu wouldn't have expressed such resentment and…sadness.

Although Huai Xu didn’t say it, Song Yingshi could feel her sadness.

Currently, the only thing Song Yingshi was still unsure about was the extent of Huai Xu's feelings for her.

For starters, Song Yingshi felt that Huai Xu must harbor some affection for her at the very least. As for whether Huai Xu "loved her to death," she thought that this was too unrealistic of a scenario. It'd be too narcissistic of her to believe that.

After pondering this matter for some time, Song Yingshi eventually looked toward the door.

There was no movement outside the door, least of all Huai Xu's slow and steady footsteps. It was so quiet outside that it felt like she was the only living soul in this world.

Huai Xu was gone.

Thinking of this, Song Yingshi felt inexplicably upset.

After sitting with her head hanging for a while, Song Yingshi finally had enough of the quiet atmosphere, so she climbed onto the bed and closed her eyes.

After all the trouble, it was she who needed to sleep and calm down.

Being liked by an 18-year-old girl, huh…

With indescribable feelings filling her heart, Song Yingshi fell asleep.

Perhaps due to her desire to escape reality, Song Yingshi fell asleep very quickly. Unfortunately, what awaited her was not a peaceful rest.

…

Shortly after falling asleep, Song Yingshi dreamt of when she was 18-years-old in her past life.

At the age of 18, she managed to win an audition against an actress with connections. Although the film wasn't a big production, it was her first time as a female lead.

She played a bright and spirited middle school student who was very popular among her peers, becoming the school belle as soon as she enrolled.

Song Yingshi dreamt of herself entering the movie.

In the dream, she was in the middle of PE class, and the weather was so hot she had to stop in the middle of a basketball game to remove her jacket.

Just as she was about to rejoin the game, someone called out to her behind, "Song Yingshi."

When Song Yingshi turned around, she saw that it was actually Huai Xu calling her.

Despite both wearing the same blue uniform, Huai Xu's uniform remained inexplicably spotless. It was a stark contrast to Song Yingshi's uniform, which was soaked with sweat and stained with streaks of dust.

Before Huai Xu could speak up, Song Yingshi suddenly tossed her jacket to her.

Huai Xu frowned at the oncoming jacket, seemingly prepared to evade it. However, she ultimately reached out and caught it. Then, while keeping the jacket at arm's length, she said, "Our homeroom teacher is asking for you..."

"Wait until I finish this game! Also, can you bring my jacket back first? You know where I sit, right? Thanks!" Song Yingshi said before running off.

Huai Xu seemed upset by Song Yingshi's willfulness, her feet momentarily stopping when she passed by a green garbage bin.

Watching from a god's-eye view, Song Yingshi was terrified, thinking Huai Xu would toss her dream self's jacket into the bin.

Fortunately, that didn't happen.

Carrying the dirty jacket, Huai Xu walked down the red-brick path and disappeared into the teaching building.

When Song Yingshi saw this, she thought to herself that the Huai Xu in her dream had a much better temper.

Just as a wave of relief washed over Song Yingshi, Huai Xu entered the faculty office on the third floor. Moments later, Song Yingshi's homeroom teacher appeared at the office window, her gaze falling on the basketball court outside as she shouted, "Song Yingshi! Get up here this instant!"

Song Yingshi: "?"

The Huai Xu in her dream was actually a tattletale!

The homeroom teacher in the script was a singing major and possessed an incredibly powerful voice. It was so powerful that one shout from the woman abruptly ended Song Yingshi's dream, waking her up.

When Song Yingshi opened her eyes, the room appeared darker than before she fell asleep.

Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Song Yingshi got out of bed and looked out the window, finding that the rain outside had stopped at some point. However, the sky remained overcast, and judging by the sky's color, it should be around six or seven in the evening.

She had slept for quite a while.

Feeling the dryness in her mouth, Song Yingshi poured herself a full glass of water.

Glancing at the vanity mirror, Song Yingshi realized she had forgotten to remove her makeup. After removing her makeup and packing up her cosmetics, she plugged the camera back in and folded her blanket.

After doing all that and seeing nothing else to do, Song Yingshi lazily put on a pair of shoes and went out to look for Huai Xu.

Mentally, Song Yingshi was a 24-year-old adult. Given her maturity, she should act responsibly and courageously, taking the initiative to communicate with Huai Xu.

Song Yingshi first went to look for Lu Xuewen and the others on the fifth floor.

As soon as Lu Xuewen saw Song Yingshi, she called out to her and asked, "Little Shi! Where's Huai Xu?"

Song Yingshi had often heard Lu Xuewen use this line. Prior to today, she only regarded it as a common greeting. Today, however, she found it strangely awkward.

Running her fingers through her hair, Song Yingshi answered, "I'm looking for her. Is she not with you?"

Tao Qin immediately replied, "Nope, nope. Do you want us to help you look for her?"

"You guys have fun. I'll find her myself," Song Yingshi said, declining the offer with a smile.

After saying so, Song Yingshi turned around and continued downstairs.

Trainees were forbidden to leave the White Tower's premises without proper reason, so Huai Xu should have been inside. Yet, no matter where Song Yingshi looked, she couldn't find Huai Xu.

Huai Xu wasn't in any of the practice rooms or dormitories. She wasn't sitting on the usual bench outside, either.

Song Yingshi had searched everywhere she could think of.

Disappointed, Song Yingshi turned around and saw the VJ following her. An idea suddenly occurred to her, and she nearly put it into action.

The production crew definitely knew where Huai Xu was.

But...did Huai Xu want to be found by her?

As Song Yingshi stood before the empty bench, unsure of what to do.

Amidst Song Yingshi's hesitation, a window on the second floor was pushed open, and Dan Silan's head popped out.

"Little Shi, I found you! Come back and practice quickly!" Dan Silan shouted.

They still had a public performance tomorrow.

After a slight pause, Song Yingshi responded with an OK before heading to her team's practice room.

…

During practice, Tao Qin came over to inform Song Yingshi that she found Huai Xu in the "Halfway Mountain" team's practice room.

Huai Xu was back.

However, Song Yingshi did not drop by to visit.

Both of them needed to practice, and so did their teammates, so now wasn't the right time to talk.

When Song Yingshi concluded her practice session, music still came from the "Halfway Mountain" team's practice room, so she decided to head back and wash up first.

Thinking that Huai Xu was bound to come back to sleep, Song Yingshi patiently waited for Huai Xu's return after coming out of the bathroom.

Song Yingshi had never felt so bored being by herself.

Initially, Song Yingshi would pace around the room while memorizing the choreography for "Surrender" to pass the time.

Later, she grew tired of walking around and fell onto the bed. Then, as her eyes stared blankly in the direction of Huai Xu's bed, she suddenly remembered the night she secretly stripped naked beside Huai Xu...

Song Yingshi felt so ashamed and embarrassed of her past deeds that her toes started to curl.

Fortunately, Huai Xu knew nothing about it.

Wait, she shouldn't know anything...right?

Song Yingshi suddenly grew uncertain.

However, Song Yingshi quickly dismissed her doubts. If Huai Xu, a budding lesbian, was sharing a bed with a beautiful woman like herself, how could she resist the temptation?

Physical touch aside, Huai Xu should've at least shown some reaction. If she was aware of Song Yingshi's state of undress that night and still remained completely unresponsive, did she even deserve to be considered a budding lesbian?

After Song Yingshi changed her perspective, a wave of relief washed over her.

There was no way Huai Xu could have known about her actions.

Perhaps due to her overthinking or her comfortable bed, Song Yingshi's eyelids fell shut beyond her control.

The next time Song Yingshi regained consciousness was when she felt something land on her body. When she fluttered her eyelids open, she saw Huai Xu's back as Huai Xu was moving away.

Song Yingshi immediately snapped awake.

Propping her body up, Song Yingshi first glanced at the blanket tightly tucked around her. Then, she looked at Huai Xu's back and said, "Huai Xu, you're back."

Huai Xu responded with an mhm.

While the response was a little cold, Song Yingshi was satisfied that Huai Xu was at least acknowledging her existence. So, she continued, "Do you want to talk? We can also postpone it to tomorrow morning if you're tired."

"Talk about what?" Huai Xu asked indifferently.

"I believe there should be a conclusion to what happened this afternoon," Song Yingshi said, wording her sentence cautiously. "After all, you're now my roommate, my friend, and an artist of my company. We'll be interacting a lot in the future. Since the misunderstanding has already occurred, I want to minimize its impact."

"It won't have any impact," Huai Xu stated.

This response stunned Song Yingshi. Meanwhile, Huai Xu turned around to face Song Yingshi.

After glancing at Song Yingshi, Huai Xu revealed a hint of nonchalance as she said, "If you are worried about this, then you can rest assured. Our relationship will remain the same as before."

Song Yingshi: "…"

After struggling to respond, Song Yingshi replied with an awkward "Okay."

Apart from "Okay," Song Yingshi couldn't think of any other response to Huai Xu's statement. Huai Xu had given her the result she wanted the most.

Relaxing slightly, Song Yingshi said, "Go wash up quickly. We still have a public performance tomorrow. If you change your mind in the future, don't hesitate to discuss it with me, okay?"

Huai Xu looked at Song Yingshi.

"What's wrong? Or have you changed your mind already?" Song Yingshi asked, her nerves tensing up.

"I just glanced at you. What are you afraid of?" Huai Xu snorted.

Song Yingshi: "…"

Song Yingshi felt that it was normal for her to be a little nervous in the face of such a Huai Xu.

"I was just wondering..." Suddenly, Huai Xu started looking Song Yingshi up and down, as if trying to see everything before her eyes from her angle. Then, in a voice as cold as a winter lake, she asked, "Why can't you stay away from me?"

As soon as this question came out, Huai Xu could noticeably feel Song Yingshi's breath quickening.

Huai Xu smiled. Then, she knelt down in front of Song Yingshi, reached out with her hands, and buttoned up the shirt that was threatening to slip open.

As Huai Xu got up, she whispered into Song Yingshi's ear, "Be more careful in the future."

Then, after a slight pause, Huai Xu continued, "At the very least, don't repeat your last mistake, asking for my T-shirt and taking it off on my bed."