Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 46.1

At the venue of Star of Spring's first public performance...

Jing Xuan and Shang Yan flew to N City together. Then, after more than an hour's taxi ride, they finally arrived at the resort that had yet to open its doors to the public.

Although the first public performance would only begin in the evening, they arrived at the venue before noon. They encountered hardly any cars as the taxi climbed the winding road up to the resort, the lack of vehicles causing them to wonder if they might have gotten the address.

However, when they finally saw the iconic White Tower, all their doubts disappeared. Jing Xuan, who was already dozing off from the drive, promptly perked up and grabbed Shang Yan's arm, exclaiming, "Yanyan, look! It's the White Tower! My two babies are living there together!"

Shang Yan: "…"

Shang Yan naturally knew who her friend was referring to. One was her aunt, while the other was her new favorite idol.

"They're only roommates. Don't speak as if there's something going on between them," Shang Yan said while taking a picture of the White Tower.

"How would you know nothing's going on between them behind camera?" Jing Xuan refuted.

"That doesn't mean there's anything going on, either," Shang Yan replied.

"Tsk. Anyway, Snow-Kissed Rose has arrived at Star of Spring," Jing Xuan said. Then, she pulled out her phone, opened up an interface, and showed it to Shang Yan.

Taking a look, Shang Yan saw that it was a group chat named "Snow-Kissed Rose's On-Site Support Team," and...

...the group had over 60 members.

Shang Yan: "???"

Didn't the first public performance only have 500 audience seats?!

Of course, Shang Yan wasn't too surprised to see this number. She knew that Snow-Kissed Rose had gained a lot of traction recently, and one could find the presence of this ship in almost every discussion related to Star of Spring.

It had only been a week since Star of Spring started airing. Yet, Snow-Kissed Rose was already in the top 10 of Weibo's Super Topics. The ship was gaining significant momentum. Even the individual fanbases of Song Yingshi and Huai Xu were insignificant compared to Snow-Kissed Rose's fanbase. Fortunately, the fanbases got along well with one another, and no arguments had arisen thus far.

Amidst the bickering between Jing Xuan and Shang Yan, the taxi arrived at the resort's entrace, where Star of Spring's staff were waiting to inspect tickets.

After inspecting Jing Xuan and Shang Yan's tickets, the staff smiled and said, "You two are here early. The venue isn't open to the audience until afternoon, so feel free to wander around in the meantime. We have prepared food for guests at the resort's restaurant, but you can also eat in the nearby area if you prefer that. As most of the guests this time are girls, the production crew has rented buses to take you back to the city in the evening."

"Thank you!" Jing Xuan said, surprised by the treatment offered. Then, once they were in the resort, she whispered to Shang Yan, "Has Spring Star always offered such treatment to guests? Or did the show get a budget increase this season?"

They had attended many concerts in the past, and they always had to foot the bill for everything. They'd be fortunate if the concert organizers prepared some fan gifts for them. Never had they been offered free food and transportation.

Shang Yan said nothing, but she did know why Star of Spring was being so generous this season.

From a dinner conversation, Shang Yan learned that, because of her mother's urging, her father had visited the supervisor of Peach Tree Media's variety show department to put in a few good words for her aunt, Song Yingshi. However, the visit ended up being in vain, as the Song family had long since smoothed things out for her aunt.

At the time, Shang Yan's father said, "...Actually, our worries are unnecessary. Little Shi's mother, Conghan, already talked to Peach Tree's CEO. Although she didn't ask to secure any spots for Little Shi, the problems that trainees normally face are non-existent for Little Shi. Also, seeing as Little Shi will be staying in a shared dormitory for such a long time, additional funds have been allocated to the show..."

In response, Shang Yan's mother said, "In that case, we'll make sure Little Shi has the best experience possible. So long as Little Shi is having fun, it doesn't matter even if she doesn't rank highly."

Despite what the woman said, Shang Yan never saw her mother forgetting to vote for her aunt everyday.

Moreover, it wasn't just her mother showing strong support for her aunt. By now, the Song family's group chat was already close to becoming Song Yingshi's fan group.

With the entire Song family enthusiastically backing Song Yingshi, it was clear that Star of Spring had a near-limitless budget this year. And because Peach Tree Media was instructed to give Song Yingshi the best experience possible, the company putting more effort into ensuring the show's appearance and substance. This, in turn, resulted in significantly improved treatment to the on-site audience.

Regardless, since they were given permission to wander around the resort, Jing Xuan and Shang Yan made their way to the White Tower without hesitation. Unfortuantely, their hopes were quickly dashed when they encountered a cordon manned by staff outside the White Tower's entrance.

Sure enough.

Disappointed, Jing Xuan pulled out her phone and began recording a video.

"Shang Yan and I are at the foot of the White Tower. We're not allowed inside, but just being this close, knowing they're up there…it makes me incredibly happy…"

As Jing Xuan was turning around to capture the surrounding scenery, she suddenly spotted a figure exiting the White Tower through her phone's screen—

"Ahhhh!! Little Shi!!!"

Jing Xuan nearly threw her phone out of excitement!

Meanwhile, Song Yingshi, who had just stepped out of the White Tower's entrance, stopped to look around when she heard her name being called.

Seeing that the staff wasn't stopping her, Jing Xuan waved her arms and shouted, "Over here! Little Xi, look over here!"

Following Jing Xuan's voice, Song Yingshi looked towards the cordon and smiled. Then, she approached the cordon and greeted Jing Xuan warmly, "Good morning! Are you here to watch our first public performance? You're quite early. Where did you travel from? Was the journey tiring?"

After saying so, Song Yingshi turned to Shang Yan, a look of surprise appearing on her face.

Shang Yan felt a little nervous being stared at by her aunt, whom she had only met once before. However, she quickly suppressed her nerves and said, "I'm Shang Yan. I'm--"

"It's you!" Song Yingshi exclaimed, quickly recalling Shang Yan's face. Her smile growing brighter, she said in a friendly tone, "Please give my regards to your parents. By the way, are you here to see me? Or are you a fan of someone else?"

Jing Xuan: ?

Jing Xuan looked at her best friend in utter disbelief.

You traitor! How can you not tell me that you know my Little Shi?!

After giving her best friend a "Just you wait" glare, Jing Xuan seized the opportunity to interact with her "daughter," answering Song Yingshi's question on behalf of Shang Yan, "Of course, she's here to see you! We're all here to see you!"

"Then, I better do my best today," Song Yingshi said, chuckling.

"Go get 'em, Little Shi!!!" Jing Xuan exclaimed.

"Definitely."

Subsequently, Song Yingshi and Shang Yan exchanged a few more words. Meanwhile, Jing Xuan listened in on the conversation while craning her neck to look behind Song Yingshi.

After looking for a while and failing to see Huai Xu, Jing Xuan put her hands together and eagerly said to Song Yingshi, "Little Shi, can you please tell Huai Xu that I'm cheering her on?"

Jing Xuan was both a fervent supporter of the Snow-Kissed Rose ship and a dedicated fan of Song Yingshi and Huai Xu. For this reason, she would split her daily votes among Song Yingshi and Huai Xu. Now that she had cheered Song Yingshi on, she naturally had to do the same for Huai Xu.

Jing Xuan's request gave Song Yingshi pause. Moving her hair behind her ear, she joked, "Sure. Are you also a fan of hers? Confess! Are you a fan of many trainees? I'm going to get jealous."

Shang Yan's expression subtly changed.

Song Yingshi had been staying in the White Tower all this time, so she wasn't aware that the ship involving her and Huai Xu already had an overwhelming number of fans.

As Song Yingshi's junior, Shang Yan felt that she needed to protect her senior from making a fool of herself, so she tactically employed the "Wow, the view here is nice" strategy and pretended not to hear the following conversation.

As for Jing Xuan?

Jing Xuan was made dizzy by Song Yingshi's coquetry, the words "I'm going to get jealous" echoing in her mind. Hurriedly, she assured, "I'm not supporting anyone else. I'm only supporting you two. I promise...'

As Jing Xuan spoke up to this point, the shipper within her suddenly realized something. Immediately, she asked, "Little Shi, won't you get jealous if I'm supporting Huai Xu?"

Song Yingshi inwardly sighed when she heard Jing Xuan's question. With her experience in the entertainment industry, she quickly realized that besides the trainees in the White Tower, even the audience outside knew that she and Huai Xu had a good relationship.

Originally, this wasn't anything to be concerned about. However, after yesterday's debacle, Song Yingshi couldn't help but grow a little worried for her and Huai Xu's future.

For now, though, Song Yingshi decided to follow her inner thoughts when facing Jing Xuan's question. Looking at the cute little fan before her, she said, "I won't. I hope more people can learn about her and like her."

Then, Song Yingshi chuckled and added, "Believe me, Huai Xu deserves your love."

…

After parting ways with Song Yingshi, Jing Xuan and Shang Yan headed to the resort's restaurant to fill their stomachs.

However, Jing Xuan wasn't in the mood to eat, only mindlessly chewing on her food as she spiced and edited the videos she had captured.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Jing Xuan decided the first thing to cut would be the part where Shang Yan and Song Yingshi recognized each other.

On the way to the restaurant, Jing Xuan had relentlessly pestered Shang Yan into giving her the details of their relationship, so she now knew that her best friend was her daughter's niece. Upon learning this shocking information, she instinctively blurted out "My dear grandniece" to Shang Yan, earning herself a smack to the head. It had been such a strong hit that her head still ached.

While mindlessly eating her food and adding animation to her video, Jing Xuan asked, "To be honest, out of the many newbie idols I've supported, Little Shi is the most mature. She gives me the impression that she has interacted with thousands of fans before. Was she really an amateur before joining Spring Star?"

"She comes from a wealthy family," Shang Yan answered vaguely.

"Hm?" Jing Xuan looked at Shang Yan in confusion.

"She's probably very experienced in visiting employees at her own company," Shang Yan clarified.

Jing Xuan: Pardon the intrusion. (Hold Up Meme.jpg)