Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 55.1

Song Yingshi felt that Huai Xu's behavior was utterly outrageous. Outrageous!

It was like discovering the delicate kitten she was trying to protect from a mad dog secretly meeting the mad dog behind her back!

When Song Yingshi thought about Huai Xu being near that...thing, she felt indescribably uncomfortable and nauseous.

After learning which direction the two had left, Song Yingshi went there without hesitation.

...

As Song Yingshi began her search for Huai Xu, Zheng Qiyi followed Huai Xu into the west stairwell.

The White Tower had two stairwells: one on the east and one on the west. As only the east stairwell was designated for production usage, there were no cameras set up in the west stairwell.

When Zheng Qiyi entered the west stairwell, the first thing he did was to check for cameras. Only after ensuring there was no surveillance did he start to scrutinize Huai Xu.

Zheng Qiyi never thought Huai Xu would take the initiative to meet him.

Zheng Qiyi was in the middle of pondering Song Yingshi's warning when Huai Xu came up to him. The warning gave him a splitting headache as if something was about to burst from his head. Even now, he still felt as if an electric drill was boring into his brain. Had it been anyone else calling him aside for a private discussion, he'd have refused.

Although Zheng Qiyi still remembered Huai Xu's ignorant behavior from before, his anger subsided as he looked at her attractive face. After a brief silence, he asked, "What do you want from me?"

In response, Huai Xu, in an unnaturally calm voice, said the following that nearly made Zheng Qiyi jump from fright, "Zheng Qiyi, during your art entrance exam, your family bribed Associate Professor Pang Hai to let you pass. In university, you wrote over a dozen songs and thought you could rely on your talent to quickly become famous, but contrary to your expectations, none of your songs gained any traction online."

This... How did Huai Xu know all this?!

Zheng Qiyi's neck quickly flushed red. He stepped forward and said sternly, "Do you know what you're talking about?!"

Huai Xu glanced at Zheng Qiyi, her cold gaze freezing him in place. The corners of her lips raised slightly, making it seem as if she was looking at an insect.

Facing Zheng Qiyi's shocked expression, Huai Xu continued in an indifferent voice with hints of amusement, "One day, you found a shortcut. You realized that the songs from overseas were like buried treasure, so you began to steal from them, bit by bit to avoid detection."

Zheng Qiyi's breathing quickened.

"You concocted three songs with this method, one of which became a hit. The other two also received good responses. While you berated the audience for not knowing how to appreciate your talent, you busily searched for more lesser-known songs to steal from. In the album you are preparing to release, only three songs weren't copied. Some original artist you are."

When Huai Xu finished speaking, Zheng Qiyi stumbled back in fear, his pupils shrinking into needles. He had never told anyone about this secret before, so how did Huai Xu know them?!

Compared to when Huai Xu was in the practice room, she was like a completely different person right now. She radiated an indescribable charm and coldness, and her gaze was deep and penetrating, as if she could see right through Zheng Qiyi.

Before Huai Xu, Zheng Qiyi had no secrets or place to hide his miserable and ugly self.

After experiencing this bewildering situation, Zheng Qiyi had long forgotten about his lust and obsession, his knees buckling from fear. Huai Xu exposing his secrets was far more terrifying than Song Yingshi threatening him!

This turn of events worsened Zheng Qiyi's headache, and he clutched his head in agony.

"I...don't know what you're talking about! Everything you've said is nonsense!" Zheng Qiyi desperately retaliated, his intended roar coming out as a weak whimper.

Huai Xu lazily leaned against the wall and watched Zheng Qiyi struggle in vain like a clown spinning in place. In a cold voice, she said, "From now on, stay far away whenever you see me."

"You!"

"Zheng Qiyi, I face hundreds of cameras every day. You don't want your scandal to appear on camera, do you? How would your fans react when they learn your so-called music empire was constructed using stolen materials? I'm sure you're aware of the consequences," Huai Xu said.

In her past life, this was how Zheng Qiyi "died" in her hands.

Using the song Zheng Qiyi plagiarized from her as a conduit, she exposed his scandalous rise and collapsed his image overnight. Eventually, he became a disgraced artist and was blacklisted in the entertainment industry.

Zheng Qiyi struggled for air, his handsome face reduced to a pitiful, gloomy mess. After weighing the pros and cons, he suppressed the fear in his eyes, retreated even further from Huai Xu, and asked, "As long as I stop meddling in your business, you won't tell anyone what you just said, right?"

Huai Xu laughed and said, "You're not qualified to negotiate with me."

Facing Zheng Qiyi's agonizing look, Huai Xu continued, "But who knows? If you get out of my sight quickly, I might just decide to keep quiet if I'm in a good mood."

Huai Xu nonchalantly glanced at Zheng Qiyi like teasing a bug in a box.

Following this latest mental blow, Zheng Qiyi's headache finally overwhelmed him. Suddenly, he crumbled to his knees, screaming. Then, no more than a second later, he started groveling before Huai Xu's feet, his limbs shaking and his body twitching uncontrollably.

As Huai Xu looked down at Zheng Qiyi, the scene before her overlapped with the scene in her inherited memories.

In an instant, a musty emotion rose from the ground, the blood in her body grew cold and stagnant, and her memories dragged her into an abyss devoid of light.

There was no life in this abyss, only dead air. The outline of the world was like a giant that had lost its flesh and blood.

Huai Xu stood in the gap of the giant's left chest. As the wind blew, she held a blade dripping with blood, and at her feet lay the twitching corpse of a freshly slain insect.

Click—

A slight noise came from the horizon, but Huai Xu ignored it. But a moment later, a voice that made her soul tremble instinctively sounded beside her:

"Huai Xu?"

Huai Xu slowly raised her gaze and saw that it was Song Yingshi.

Song Yingshi had come.

A vibrant aura continuously emanated from Song Yingshi. She was like spring, full of life.

Without any extra movements or words, the moment Song Yingshi appeared, she instantly became the greatest blessing in Huai Xu's world.

As Huai Xu's body temperature returned to normal, she moved her stiff fingers and attempted to respond. However, when she felt her slightly parched throat, she hummed softly to indicate she had heard Song Yingshi.

After getting a response from Huai Xu, Song Yingshi finally noticed the squiring Zheng Qiyi on the floor. Turning back to look at Huai Xu in surprise, she asked in a tone filled with admiration, "Did you hit him?"

Huai Xu: "..."

"He fell down by himself," Huai Xu said helplessly. Her? Hitting Zheng Qiyi? There was no way she'd dirty her hands like that.

At Huai Xu's answer, Song Yingshi snorted and said contemptuously, "So he's staging an accident?"[1]

Then, after looking around, Song Yingshi continued, "There aren't any cameras here... I'll call for someone before he decides to pin the blame on us."

After saying so, Song Yingshi turned around to leave. However, before she could exit the stairwell, Huai Xu called out to her from behind:

"Little Shi."

Turning around, Song Yingshi asked, "What's w—"

Before Song Yingshi could finish her sentence, Huai Xu embraced her, arms wrapped tightly, breathing a mix of light and heavy.

Song Yingshi was momentarily startled by this development. Then, she grew even more annoyed with Zheng Qiyi. Couldn't he have gone somewhere deserted before carrying out his psychotic behavior?

Gently patting Huai Xu on the back, Song Yingshi said soothingly, "Did the psycho scare you? Who told you to speak with him alone... There, there, I'll stay here, while you go and call for someone, okay?"

Huai Xu's fragility was fleeting, her sanity returning within the blink of an eye. However, she was reluctant to let go, so she clung to Song Yingshi as she whispered, "Hold me for a little longer."

Song Yingshi blinked and subconsciously turned to look at Huai Xu, wanting to get a look at Huai Xu's current expression.

Thinking Song Yingshi was trying to struggle free, Huai Xu tightened her embrace, pressing herself against Song Yingshi's soft body. With a hint of imperceptible grievance, she said in a low voice, "Just a little while."

Huai Xu was...acting spoiled.

Like seeing a normally aloof cat suddenly offering its belly for rubs, Song Yingshi's heart melted at this sight. She completely forgot about everything else as her lips curved upward uncontrollably, and even her breathing became gentle.

Sensing a rare dependence from Huai Xu, Song Yingshi's heart ached once more, and she shot a glare at the squirming Zheng Qiyi on the floor. It was his fault that Huai Xu was in such a state.

Song Yingshi also couldn't help but wonder what exactly the scumbag had discussed with Huai Xu to result in him behaving so strangely. But considering Huai Xu's current state, she decided to leave this question for later...

As Song Yingshi gently stroked Huai Xu's back, Zheng Qiyi, still twitching on the ground, was filled with shock, fear, and anger.

Zheng Qiyi was shocked and fearful because he couldn't understand why his body was behaving like this. Not only was his body twitching uncontrollably, but he was also experiencing pain of varying intensities. As for why he was angry...

I'm still on the floor here! Can you show me a little respect?! Can't you at least help me up first?! And why are you still using that threatening gaze with me?! Can you be any more unreasonable?!

Also, who was a psycho?!?!

TL Notes:
[1]staging an accident (碰瓷): I don't know a good way of translating this term. It's somewhat similar to an insurance scam? Essentially, it's the act of a fraudster faking an accident to extort money from someone.

(coll.) to scam somebody by setting up an "accident" in which one appears to have sustained damage or injury caused by the scam victim, then demanding compensation (variations include putting "expensive" porcelain in a place where it is likely to be knocked over by passers-by, and stepping into the path of a slow-moving car) [Taken from yellowbridge.com]