Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 54.1

"Special Mission: Help Huai Xu resolve her issues for the second public performance."

The system's timely mission announcement brought Song Yingshi back to reality. As the system's voice echoed in her mind, her gaze fell onto her and Huai Xu's hands.

Huai Xu's palm was pressed on the back of Song Yingshi's hand, gently squeezing out a warm and gentle stream of air. Their flesh also bounced lightly during collision.

Above Song Yingshi's palm, Huai Xu's fingers slipped between Song Yingshi's, intertwining and pressing their fingers together, the act giving off a clingy feeling.

However, Huai Xu's actions carried undeniable control. Her knuckles pressed against the skin between Song Yingshi's fingers like hooks on a flexible fishing net, slowly guiding Song Yingshi's hand to her desired destination—

An ocean the size of a fingernail wetted the tip of Song Yingshi's index finger.

Song Yingshi subconsciously bent the top knuckle of her index finger, her fingertip gently sliding across the mirror. Then, she stepped back and saw that Huai Xu's expression in the mirror remained unchanged.

Song Yingshi stopped looking at Huai Xu's reflection. Stepping out of the mirror's frame, she took a deep breath, turned around, and walked outside, saying, "Follow me."

...

With nearly half of the trainees being eliminated, the production crew concentrated the practice rooms on the second floor. Although finding an empty practice room on the second floor at this hour should be easy, Song Yingshi brought Huai Xu to the vacated seventh floor.

When they arrived on the seventh floor, nobody else was there. Even the cameras had been removed.

After entering a random practice room, Song Yingshi turned on the lights and air conditioner, opened the windows, and turned to face Huai Xu, who was closing the door behind her.

Huai Xu wore a light brown tank top and a pair of dark gray trousers, the apparel highlighting her superior proportions.

Song Yingshi's gaze lingered on Huai Xu's trousers for two seconds before moving away.

Taking the initiative, Huai Xu asked, "What do you need me to do?"

Huai Xu originally thought Song Yingshi would have her rewatch the dance of "Lights On" a few times before pointing out key points. But looking at the current situation, that didn't seem to be the case.

Since entering the practice room, Song Yingshi's expression had turned serious. It looked like she was no longer facing a close friend but a student in a strict classroom. She had transformed from a cheerful beauty into a strong beauty.

Song Yingshi didn't answer Huai Xu's question. Frowning, she said in a calm and powerful voice, "Your problem doesn't have a standard answer. You have to proceed according to your own thoughts."

"Okay." Huai Xu nodded.

Song Yingshi stared at Huai Xu with both eyes, her focused gaze stifling Huai Xu's breath. Then, she emphasized, "You must relax, let your guard down, and hand yourself over to me. Can you do that?"

This time, Huai Xu was silent.

Song Yingshi took a step forward and parted Huai Xu's bangs, saying gently, "Alright, it's only the two of us here. Nobody else will come; I promise."

Huai Xu grabbed the hand that was resting on her cheek and looked into Song Yingshi's eyes. After a while, she answered, "Okay."

Song Yingshi soothed Huai Xu with a smile, saying, "What I need you to do is simple, so relax."

After saying so, Song Yingshi retracted her smile and went straight to the point, saying, "Now, imagine you are a seed.

"Imagine you are a round, tiny seed that's about to sprout."

Along with Song Yingshi's calm narration, Huai Xu's breathing evened, and her eyes closed.

A seed.

With a shift of her feet, Huai Xu sat on the floor, hugged her knees, and buried her head in her arms, curling herself tightly into a ball. As she entered this closed posture, it gave her an indescribable sense of safety.

If she were a seed, she would lie in the soil like a baby curled up in her mother's womb, just like her current state.

"The soil around you is gradually drying and cracking, continually squeezing your shell."

As Song Yingshi's narration continued, Huai Xu's shoulder blades tightened downward, as if a heavy object had fallen on her shoulders. In the darkness, her breathing grew rapid, and her mouth became parched.

"Suddenly, rain starts to fall. You feel something calling you, and you wish to break free from your shell and the soil to see the world outside.

"After breaking through your shell and circling past the stones in your way, you sprout successfully. This is the first time you've bathed in the sun and smelled the wind. You find delight in them, so you look to grow taller.

"You don't know the meaning of life or the end of it, but growth itself is enough to make you happy."

…

The words Song Yingshi uttered were like threads guiding Huai Xu's every movement. In turn, Huai Xu, like a beautiful and precise marionette, vividly expressed the emotions being conveyed to her.

Huai Xu grew from a seed crouching on the ground to a tree with a stretched body. When rain fell, her face would light up in joy. When danger arrived, her face would turn tense with pain and anxiety.

The emotions that were usually suppressed under Huai Xu's icy facade surged, impacting and testing her facade's durability. And even after failing to break through, they would simply fall back before resurging with greater momentum.

Song Yingshi carefully observed Huai Xu's state. When Huai Xu completed the thirteenth instruction, Song Yingshi relaxed her furrowed brows and said satisfactorily, "Open your eyes, but maintain your current state."

When Huai Xu opened her eyes, Song Yingshi could see that she was visibly different from when she first entered the practice room.

Before, Huai Xu's expression had been frozen solid. But now, it had softened and melted.

Although Huai Xu's face still gave off a sense of distance, she appeared much more relaxed and gentle than before.

After achieving her first goal, Song Yingshi gave Huai Xu time to relax. Meanwhile, she explained, "This is the first lesson to becoming an actor: Liberate your nature."

What did it mean to liberate one's nature?

Simply put, it was to let students or actors exposed to performance training release themselves and be less tense through some small exercises or activities.

For example, what Song Yingshi had Huai Xu do just now was a plant growth exercise. The exercise was meant to simulate the growth process of a plant dynamically.

However, the reason Song Yingshi had Huai Xu perform this exercise wasn't to teach Huai Xu how to become an actor but...

"We come into this world and learn moral rules, self-restraint, and order. We learn not to cheat, to avoid open flames, to be civilized and polite, and to stay in shape...

"We're not discussing right or wrong now, only stating a fact—all rules and self-awareness simply exist to restrain human nature. Of course, nature does not mean right. The first step to learning acting is to learn to break through self-imposed limitations and explore more possibilities."

Looking Huai Xu in the eye, Song Yingshi said calmly, "Now, I want to know, what rules have you set for yourself? What is holding you back?"

What makes you prefer long pants and long skirts? What drives you to restrain yourself from showing off your charm in front of others? There must be a starting point for all these decisions.

Song Yingshi had seen Huai Xu behaving like an aloof goddess devoid of mortal desires. She had also seen Huai Xu exuding irresistible charm and commanding the desire of others.

However, no one else had ever seen Huai Xu's second form.

Huai Xu's body suddenly stiffened.

Following Song Yingshi's words, the warm bed Huai Xu had just relaxed on transformed into an airtight veil covering her head.

The question that Huai Xu could normally dodge with a few casual words had seemingly transformed into a sword pressed against her heart. It was now an imminent threat she had to face.

Song Yingshi took a step forward. Though slightly shorter than Huai Xu, she currently felt like she towered over Huai Xu. She could see Huai Xu's soul trembling in her body, like a docile and uneasy lamb.

Song Yingshi gently held Huai Xu's arm. Torn between reason and emotion, she ultimately yielded to compassion, saying, "If you don't have to say it immediately, you can say it to me when you're ready. I'll always be here for you."

At these words, Huai Xu finally responded. Wearing a wry smile, she said, "I can't remember."

Huai Xu genuinely couldn't remember the root of her current personality. It should've happened long ago, and time had eroded her memories of it.

Song Yingshi chose to believe in Huai Xu. She gently stroked Huai Xu's long hair, her movements conveying silent comfort as she said, "Let's not think about it for now."

Taking Huai Xu's hands, Song Yingshi changed topics and said, "You are very skilled at expressing emotions through songs, but your dance, or more specifically your limbs, still aren't at the same level. One reason for that is your instinct to self-isolate. Another is that you don't have the desire to influence the audience."

After a slight pause, Song Yingshi asked seriously, "Huai Xu, what are you thinking about when you dance?"

"Completing the performance," Huai Xu answered.

Huai Xu didn't care about the audience; she only cared about expressing what she wanted to express.

Huai Xu had always been this way, so Song Yingshi wasn't surprised by this answer.

"You should be more ambitious. Dancing is something that gets people's blood pumping. You need the desire to conquer," Song Yingshi said. She pointed at Huai Xu's heart and continued, "Don't imprison your desires."

After saying so, Song Yingshi folded her arms and took two steps back. Sitting on a chair in the corner, she stated, "Think it over carefully. Once you're done thinking, start dancing. If you can excite me with your dance, then you've succeeded."

Huai Xu stood quietly in the middle of the room, the evening breeze lifting her hair and the hem of her shirt.

For a moment, Huai Xu recalled her future self in her fragmented memories. Although she had acquired the basics of dancing through these memories, she had never seen the future Huai Xu dance.

Did that Huai Xu have Song Yingshi by her side? If not, how did she break free from her shackles?

Without needing anyone to tell her, Huai Xu reached a conclusion. If the future Huai Xu did not have Song Yingshi beside her, she still had herself to rely on. More specifically, she only had herself to rely on.

Huai Xu was immersed in her inner world once more.

Song Yingshi waited patiently. She always had plenty of patience and tolerance when it came to Huai Xu.

Finally, Song Yingshi saw Huai Xu move. Huai Xu's dance moves were already impeccable, so she only cared about Huai Xu's emotional expression.

Amidst the mesmerizing motions, Song Yingshi caught a glimpse of Huai Xu's face and eyes.

Unlike the aloof goddess from before, Huai Xu's eyes were now brimming with the ambition to devour people's hearts, and the radiance in her gaze was brilliant like fireworks.

Huai Xu retained her cold elegance but had also learned to stand on the stage that was her throne, looking down at the souls under her control. She danced with allure and passion, her body swirling and generating waves of emotions without a care in the world.

Huai Xu looked up. She only had one audience, but that person was examining her on the shore.[1]

Huai Xu found this situation irritating. She refused to let Song Yingshi keep her integrity.

Under the surging waves of Huai Xu's intent, Song Yingshi eventually lost her footing and fell into the vortex of emotions, and her mind was put into a stupor until the end of the dance.

When Huai Xu concluded her performance, her breaths were deep, and her body was boiling. Striding forward, she got on one knee before Song Yingshi and looked up at her only audience.

At this time, Song Yingshi's breathing was also uneven, her eyes shimmering with dazed excitement and her cheeks tinged with a soft blush.

Wordlessly, Huai Xu placed her palms on Song Yingshi's cheeks, her thumbs heavily scraping the rosy color under Song Yingshi's eyes. Then, she brought their faces closer to each other and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Instructor Song."

Song Yingshi subconsciously responded with a hum.

Huai Xu paused after calling out to Song Yingshi. Revealing a dazzling and gorgeous smile, she asked, "Did I get your blood pumping?"

Time seemingly stopped at this moment, and Song Yingshi's heart skipped a beat.

TL Notes:

[1]standing on the shore, examining her: This is metaphorical. Song Yingshi is still seated on the chair in the corner as Huai Xu dances.