Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 53.3

While on break, Hu Wan used the opportunity to grab her wristbands from the dormitory. On her way back, she heard someone talking by the second-floor hall.

Looking at the source, Hu Wan saw her team leader talking to the opposing team leader on the sofa, the two sitting very closely together.

Hu Wan tactfully chose not to disturb the two.

Upon returning to the practice room, Hu Wan found that the opposing team had paid her team a visit. Although the atmosphere between the two teams wasn't intense, it wasn't very harmonious either.

While rubbing Tao Qin's face like kneading dough, Quan Yuanyuan asked, "Qinqin, what are you doing here, huh? Huh? Are you picking a fight?"

"We're here to…mm…look for Little Shi…mm…" Tao Qin said incoherently.

"Little Shi went out with our team leader," Yan Ran answered.

"Where did they go?" Bai Yuzhou asked.

"They should just be right outside," Qiu Zhixin answered in a hurry when she saw that it was a question from her idol.

Bai Yuzhou glanced at Qiu Zhixin before simply ignoring the other party. Then, she turned toward the door and said, "I'm going to look for Leader. Breaktime is over, so she must come back and lead us."

Hu Wan heard everything from the door. Calmly, she said, "They're on the sofa in the hall. I saw them talking just now."

"What were they talking about? It's been a while since they left," Quan Yuanyuan asked.

After recalling her memories, Hu Wan answered, "I didn't hear much, but I did hear Little Shi telling our leader not to push herself too much. Little Shi also said her body is tougher than our leader's, and our leader might not be able to get out of bed tomorrow."

Everyone: "???"

Hu Wan's answer stunned everyone in the room. Bai Yuzhou dismissed her intentions of searching for Song Yingshi, and Qiu Zhixin forgot about conversing with her idol.

"Oh, Little Shi also served water to our leader. She's very considerate of our leader," Hu Wan added.

After a short silence, Dan Silan walked out of the room angrily, saying, "Our teams are fighting here, yet our leader is colluding with the enemy?!"

"Hey, Dan Silan, where are you going?" Quan Yuanyuan called out.

"To catch the couple in the act," Dan Silan stated flatly.

Quan Yuanyuan: "…"

The others exchanged glances before following Dan Silan out of the room.

...

After Song Yingshi had served Huai Xu two cups of water and had finished deciding on a reasonable rest schedule to avoid over-exhaustion, her mission countdown was already nearing its end.

Song Yingshi honestly found it quite addictive to complete more demanding missions. After doing only simple daily missions for the past few days, she reminisced about special missions.

Song Yingshi's mood brightened significantly now that she was close to completing her special mission. Seeing as only a dozen seconds left on the timer, she gave Huai Xu some tips out of habit, "Remember to stay hydrated when dancing. If you encounter any moves that are too challenging, you can always consult with me when we're back in the dormitory..."

Just as Song Yingshi was about to continue speaking, she suddenly heard a group of people approaching in a hurry.

Subconsciously, Song Yingshi turned around to take a look.

Dan Silan, Quan Yuanyuan, Bai Yuzhou, Qiu Zhixin, Tao Qin, Wan Jiao...

Besides Zeng Fu, who preferred to mind her own business, the other members of Unavoidable and Lights On were all present.

Song Yingshi: "…"

After taking a moment to process the situation, Song Yingshi asked cautiously, "What's wrong, everyone?"

Instead of responding to the question, Bai Yuzhou muttered sullenly, "I'm such a fool. I can't believe I innocently thought our leader was genuinely trying to poke around for information. In reality, she was only interested in the opposing leader's personal situation."

"See? Caught in bed," Dan Silan scoffed.

Song Yingshi: ?

Children shouldn't use words randomly without knowing how to use them!

"It's not what you think. We were discussing our two teams' rest schedule..." Song Yingshi said, trying to explain herself.

"It seems in the love-hate relationship between our two teams, us members are responsible for the hate, while our team leaders are responsible for the love," Tao Qin chimed in.

"I have no way to follow up your words. Why don't I kill Huai Xu now to prove my innocence?" Song Yingshi said, trying to lighten the mood with a joke.

"Then, you'll sacrifice yourself for love and reunite in the afterworld?" Dan Silan asked.

Song Yingshi: "..."

At this time, Huai Xu silently placed the paper cup on the coffee table before her, the action immediately noticed by Bai Yuzhou.

"Leader, you poured this cup of water for Huai Xu, didn't you?" Bai Yuzhou confronted Song Yingshi.

As Bai Yuzhou said so, she glanced at Huai Xu like a loyal retainer looking at a seductive concubine who was distracting the emperor from state affairs.

Huai Xu: "…"

Attempting to change the topic, Huai Xu looked at Qiu Zhixin and said to Bai Yuzhou, "I forgot to tell you that my team's Zhixin is a fan of yours. She likes you very much."

Bai Yuzhou followed Huai Xu's gaze and looked at Qiu Zhixin.

When Qiu Zhixin, who was usually extroverted, saw her idol finally paying her attention, she rubbed her hands together and smiled shyly, saying, "Zhouzhou, I like you very much. I've been a fan of yours for many years now."

After saying so, Qiu Zhixin made two heart gestures with her fingers.

Just when everyone thought the atmosphere would turn harmonious, Bai Yuzhou's beautiful face warped, and her expression management failed utterly. Wearing an emotionless face, she said, "Thank you, but can you stop being my fan as soon as possible?"

"Why?!" Qiu Zhixin cried, looking hurt.

Facing everyone's surprised and confused looks, Bai Yuzhou crouched down and covered her face, and the seemingly perfect post-00s actress broke down on camera for the first time. Then, trying to clear her name, she shouted, "She's the one! She's the one who made those memes about me!"

After addressing everyone's confusion, Bai Yuzhou glared at Qiu Zhixin and said, "Day after day, I have to look at myself either with a bucket on my head, a chicken beak, or blowing a pinwheel like a silly little idiot! You say you're my fan, but aren't you just an anti?! Please stop being my fan, Qiu Zhixin, I beg you!"

"Pfft."

Nobody knew who was the first to laugh.

Although everyone sympathized with Bai Yuzhou's beautiful image being ruined by a fan, the incident was just too funny. Everyone who tried hard not to laugh eventually gave in and started laughing uncontrollably.

"Baby Zhou is too pitiful."

"Qiu Zhixin, hurry up and apologize to your idol!"

Qiu Zhixin scratched her head in confusion at this situation. Crouching down before her crumbling idol, she said carefully, "But don't you think you look cute in those memes?"

"No!" Bai Yuzhou refuted stubbornly.

"But I really think you look cute in them. Your current angry appearance is also very cute, and I'm finding it even more difficult not to be a fan," Qiu Zhixin said.

"...What do you even like about me? I'm feeling a little despair," Bai Yuzhou said.

Smiling, Qiu Zhixin replied, "I like everything about you."

Not knowing how to proceed, Bai Yuzhou decided to end the topic here, saying, "...Thanks? But can you not make another batch of those memes? I see many people on Weibo urging you to come up with more. I'm so worried it might happen that I've even had nightmares about it."

"Wow! You even dreamed of me!" Qiu Zhixin exclaimed.

"I dreamed of those memes, not you!" Bai Yuzhou bellowed.

However, Qiu Zhixhin seemed unaware of Bai Yuzhou's anger. She smiled like a fool as she said, "Hahaha! Zhouzhou dreamed of me!"

Bai Yuzhou: ? Not only are you an anti but also a fool?!

…

Although there were some unexpected developments, the topic was diverted successfully. The two team leaders, who had just been "caught in bed," quietly slipped away from the scene while their team members were preoccupied.

Song Yingshi felt that their behavior truly seemed like they were having an affair. After moving out of sight, she couldn't help but laugh.

Song Yingshi's laughter had always been contagious. She was like a happy little puppy when she laughed, radiant and endearing.

Seeing Song Yingshi laugh, Huai Xu couldn't help but smile. However, her rationality quickly kicked in, and she brought her lips back under control.

Nevertheless, Song Yingshi still saw it. Unable to resist her urges, she gently poked Huai Xu's cheeks, and only after doing the deed did she realize what she had done.

Facing Huai Xu's deep eyes, Song Yingshi retracted her hands in a fluster before slipping into her practice room, saying, "Quickly go back to practice. Otherwise, you might lose to me."

…

With the gentleman's agreement established, the members of Teams "Unavoidable" and "Lights On" could finally practice as hard as possible while ensuring they received sufficient rest to stay in peak condition.

After two days of intense practice, the production crew notified the trainees on the evening of the 22nd that the mentors would come to give them a short lesson tomorrow. Hence, a round of recording would be carried out at that time.

When Song Yingshi learned the news, she privately asked Shi Zhi, "Will all four mentors be present?"

Shi Zhi answered carefully, "Yes, but rest assured that our staff and cameras will be everywhere. We'll make sure no problems occur."

"I'm not worried because I know you are in charge, Director Shi. I only asked to understand the situation better," Song Yingshi said, smiling before parting ways with Shi Zhi.

As Song Yingshi returned to the dormitory, a cold gleam flashed in her eyes as she thought, Hopefully, he has wised up since last time.

...

When Song Yingshi entered the bedroom, she noticed Huai Xu standing before the dressing table, looking at herself in the mirror.

Initially, Song Yingshi didn't think much of this situation. However, after she tidied up and was about to remove her makeup, she saw that Huai Xu was still standing before the dressing table. This made it impossible for her to ignore Huai Xu.

While reaching for her cleansing oil, Song Yingshi glanced at Huai Xu and asked, "What are you looking at? Is there something special about this mirror?"

In response, Huai Xu pointed with her chin and said, "Look at me in the mirror."

Confused, Song Yingshi walked up to Huai Xu's side and tried to look from Huai Xu's perspective.

The Huai Xu in the mirror only wore a camisole, her beautiful shoulder and neck lines, deep collarbones, and face fully visible. Paired with her slightly furrowed brows and subtly raised eyes, she was undeniably a seductive sight.

Out of habit, Song Yingshi also inspected her own face, checking to see if her makeup was smudged. Then, she smiled and concluded, "The you in the mirror is still the face of Spring Star."

"I'm not talking about that," Huai Xu said, shaking her head.

"What do you want me to see, then?" Song Yingshi asked, confused.

Changing the topic, Huai Xu said, "In the past two days of practicing 'Lights On,' I encountered the same problem as I did in the first public performance."

Song Yingshi frowned slightly, her expression growing serious as she had an idea of Huai Xu's problem.

Huai Xu's following words proved Song Yingshi's guess. While calmly staring at her own eyes in the mirror, Huai Xu said, "I can't express myself through 'Lights On.'"

Song Yingshi looked in the mirror and carefully examined Huai Xu.

The woman in the mirror seemed frozen in ice, beautiful yet cold. She was exactly like Huai Xu in real life, who, despite being within arm's reach, could never be truly touched.

While this in itself was a rare and unique charm, "Lights On" was a song that required a Huai Xu who could freely express herself.

Rather than an enchanting rose sheltered by a glass cover, Huai Xu needed to be a wild, thorny rose on the roadside that could both wound and beguile people.

After thinking it over, Song Yingshi realized Huai Xu might have chosen this song in an attempt to change herself. But...

"Little Shi."

As Song Yingshi pondered, Huai Xu suddenly took her hand.

Huai Xu guided Song Yingshi's hand, their fingertips delicately tracing the contours of her face in the mirror. From her subtly furrowed brows and calm eyes to her high nose bridge and finally to her thin lips.

As their fingertips rested on a corner of her lips, Huai Xu opened her mouth, as if trying to draw Song Yingshi's fingers into her lips through the mirror.

As Song Yingshi watched this scene in a daze, she inexplicably felt a warm, moist sensation wrapping around her fingertips.

"Can you help me, please?"