Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 59.2

It was common for trainees to sport a brand-new look every time they went on stage. It wouldn't be strange for them to look like a completely different person.

—This was the consensus of those with performance experience.

Nonetheless, everyone still became awestruck when they saw Huai Xu's new look.

Huai Xu's outfit for the second public performance was a one-shoulder, all-black tube dress. The dress accentuated her elegant figure, particularly her legs, which were rarely seen on camera. Her legs were neither too plump nor too slender, having just the right amount of fullness.

It was universally acknowledged that Huai Xu had great skin. When set off against the black dress, her luminous, fair skin presented a simple yet luxurious look.

Contrasting her outfit, Huai Xu didn't change her hairstyle, keeping it black and straight. She only applied a simple trick to tuck some of her hair behind her ears.

When Huai Xu raised her head, she revealed a pair of berry-brown matte lips that conveyed a mature charm. She looked aloof when she wasn't smiling, but when she curled the corners of her lips, she was tantalizing.

When Huai Xu paired her new look with her usual cold and pure temperament, she became even more charming.

Sometime after everyone started to gawk at Huai Xu, a voice from the crowd muttered 'amazing,' jolting everyone out of their trance.

"I nearly got bent," Kou Lengyu said, her palm over her heart.

"Huai Xu, I always thought you were perfect for the pure, white fairy style. But after today, I realized I was wrong. I love your fallen goddess style!" Lu Xuewen exclaimed while slurping creepily.

If you had such 'girl group legs,' why did you not show them earlier!" Rong Yi said with envy.

"You're exaggerating," Huai Xu said, laughing.

Everyone: "We're not exaggerating one bit!"

The trainees were so disappointed by Huai Xu's lack of self-awareness that they began to criticize her one after another.

Huai Xu didn't know whether she should laugh or cry in this situation. She also found everyone's behavior cute. Then, amidst the many voices trying to "correct" her mindset, her gaze drifted in Song Yingshi's direction, only to find that…

…Song Yingshi wasn't looking at her.

Huai Xu froze momentarily, but she quickly calmed down and said, "Rehearsal is about to start; let's talk afterward."

At Huai Xu's words, everyone stopped pestering her and continued with their own tasks with a bit of reluctance.

Outside the crowd, Song Yingshi slouched on a chair, her gaze fixed on a mirror that displayed Huai Xu's figure in the spacious dressing room. Amidst her secretive observation, her gaze landed on Huai Xu's bracelet, and she couldn't help but fall into thought.

A moment later, Bai Yuzhou's voice suddenly came from behind, "Little Shi, it's our turn next."

Snapping back to reality, Song Yingshi replied, "Coming."

It was their team's turn to rehearse.

"Unavoidable" sang about a fearless, arrogant girl suddenly wanting to fall in love. As the girl gradually grew, she tasted the troubles and sweetness of love, and as a result, constantly struggled between "I quit" and "It's so sweet, I want to fall in love."

Because of the song's nature, Song Yingshi and her teammates wore outfits that were a mix of cool and cute.

In Song Yingshi's case, she wore a light blue T-shirt, cargo trousers, and Martin boots, resulting in a cool outfit embellished with lively colors. She also wore a black choker on her neck, and a blue and white wristband on her right wrist. To top it all off, she tied her hair into two fluffy and slightly curly ponytails, making her look like the personification of "sweet" and "cool" when she stood on stage.

As the stage lights dimmed, and the sound engineer played the music for "Unavoidable," Song Yingshi closed her eyes to find her rhythm.

Song Yingshi was used to figuring out characters from an actor's perspective, including the "characters" in singing and dancing performances.

"Surrender," the song Song Yingshi performed in the first public performance, had a style she could grasp very well. It had only bold and exaggerated movements, which let her call it a day simply by being "cool."

However, Song Yingshi couldn't do the same for "Unavoidable," as it was a sweet song first and foremost. The song was also rich in character emotions. As its performer, she needed to find the contradictory and strangely blended mentality to fully convey these emotions and make her performance come to life. Otherwise, she'd stand no chance against Huai Xu.

Fortunately, although Song Yingshi was a novice in idol performances, she was an extremely experienced actor.

If she couldn't find the feeling of falling in love, she could simply act it out.

When the lights came back on, Song Yingshi's eyes snapped open.

…

Huai Xu stood at the entrance of the passage on the side of the stage, quietly watching Song Yingshi's entire performance.

Beside Huai Xu, the other members of Team "Lights On" were all present, and all six of them carefully watched their opponents rehearse.

Compared to the first public performance, everyone in the second public performance was much more concerned about others' rehearsal. Every team tentatively watched their opponents' rehearsal.

"They danced well," Yan Ran commented.

"Zhouzhou is so beautiful! I love you, Zhouzhou!" Qiu Zhixin exclaimed, behaving like she was watching an actual concert. She even waved her hands in the air as if she were holding light sticks.

Uncharacteristically, Dan Silan did not speak with a sharp tongue this time. She even sounded a little proud as she said, "Little Shi is my team's center in the first public performance. She has always been very strong."

Meanwhile, Wan Jiao turned to Huai Xu with a worried look, asking, "We won't lose, right? What do you think, leader?"

Song Yingshi was the team leader and the soul of Team "Unavoidable."

When it came to understanding Song Yingshi, the one who knew her best wasn't her friend Wan Jiao, nor was it her former teammates Quan Yuanyuan and Dan Silan, but Huai Xu.

Everyone was waiting for Huai Xu's answer. More specifically, they were waiting for a word of affirmation from her.

With her back facing her teammates, Huai Xu asked, "Are you scared?"

The question surprised Wan Jiao.

Huai Xu turned around and looked at her teammates, her gaze radiating a calming effect. At the same time, fighting spirit burned brilliantly in her eyes as she said, "Our opponents might be strong, but a strong opponent will only make us stronger. As for who will ultimately win—"

"We'll see at the end!" Quan Yuanyuan finished Huai Xu's words.

Huai Xu nodded. Turning back to the stage, she listened to Director Wu giving opinions to Song Yingshi as she said, "Of course, I'd prefer if we're the ones to win."

As Huai Xu said so, Song Yingshi concluded her conversation with the director and turned to look straight at her. Seeing this, she boldly met Song Yingshi's gaze, her eyes full of ambition.

When Song Yingshi saw the gaze in Huai Xu's eyes, she smiled and raised her chin, her gaze unwavering.

…

Song Yingshi and her team visibly relaxed after receiving Director Wu's suggestions.

The director's critique of their performance wasn't critical, and they could easily correct their problems in the evening. Hence, everyone loosened their nerves, greeted Team "Lights On," and merrily chatted as they went backstage.

Shortly afterward, a new team started their rehearsal on stage.

"Were Quan Yuanyuan and the others watching us rehearse just now?"

"Yeah. I noticed them watching us since we went out on stage."

"What? I must watch them as well, then! When is it their turn?"

"Soon? Maybe the next team?"

"Let's wait here, then… Little Shi? Aren't you going to watch?"

As the members of Team "Unavoidable" discussed watching Team "Lights On"'s rehearsal, they noticed Song Yingshi leaving the backstage area.

At her teammates' question, Song Yingshi waved her hand and said without looking back, "I'm going back to get something."

Song Yingshi hurried back to the dormitory and grabbed a jewelry box from the dressing table.

The rehearsal clips were often used to refine the main event's footage. This required every detail of the trainees' outfits and makeup to be finalized in the rehearsal. Hence, she must give this piece of jewelry to Huai Xu before the other party went on stage.

Fortunately, Song Yingshi's Martin boots proved invaluable in her haste. Had she worn a pair of thinner high heels, she might not have made it to the dormitory and back to the stage in time.

When Song Yingshi returned backstage, the previous team had just concluded their performance, and Team "Lights On" was getting ready to go on stage.

Realizing that time was short, Song Yingshi hurried over to Huai Xu and called, "Huai Xu."

Hearing the call, Huai Xu turned around to find a slightly out-of-breath Song Yingshi.

The others turned around as well.

Huai Xu walked out from her circle of teammates and followed Song Yingshi to a corner of the stage. There was inactive equipment all around them, isolating them from prying eyes.

Once alone, Song Yingshi handed something to Huai Xu, saying, "Put it on quickly."

Huai Xu looked down and saw a familiar jewelry box. She had seen it every time she passed by the dressing table in the dormitory.

Huai Xu was certain this jewelry box contained something Song Yingshi cherished very much. This was because the ones she didn't particularly like were kept in her suitcases, never displayed.

At Song Yingshi's urging, Huai Xu accepted the jewelry box and opened it without question.

Inside the jewelry box was a bracelet.

The bracelet comprised a diamond-studded snake coiled around a silver thread. The snake had eerie-looking emeralds for eyes and a hollow, geometric head styled in the shape of an apple.

Pointing at the bracelet, Song Yingshi said, "This will definitely look good with your outfit, so wear it for the next two days."

Huai Xu kept silent and lifted her head to look at Song Yingshi.

Amidst the dim lighting, Song Yingshi's eyes sparkled more than the precious gems on the bracelet. As Huai Xu looked at them, she couldn't help but wonder if Song Yingshi had forgotten their intense stare-down not long ago. After all, any other person would have found it difficult to say such words so soon after such a confrontation.

Huai Xu's heart felt sore, as if someone was squeezing and kneading it. Pinching her brows, she sighed, "Song Yingshi, have you forgotten that we're opponents?"

Song Yingshi was looking at the situation on the stage. When she heard Huai Xu's question, she stamped her feet and said impatiently, "I told you to hurry up. You won't have time to put it on once the director calls for your team."

After voicing her complaint, Song Yingshi snatched the jewelry box back and put it aside. Then, she grabbed Huai Xu's wrist and removed the bracelet that the stylist had selected for Huai Xu.

While doing so, Song Yingshi finally had the mood to answer Huai Xu's question. In a nonchalant and arrogant tone, she said, "So what if we're opponents? If I lose simply because I put a bracelet on you, then I deserve it."

After saying so, Song Yingshi successfully replaced the bracelet on Huai Xu with her own.

The diamond-encrusted snake created a striking and seductive contrast when resting on Huai Xu's fair and delicate wrist, highlighting her overall appearance. After admiring her fashion sense, Song Yingshi smiled at Huai Xu, saying, "Perfection."

Taking two steps back, Song Yingshi took in Huai Xu's whole body and continued, "Huai Xu, you truly are beautiful."

Song Yingshi felt an inexplicable sense of satisfaction as she looked at Huai Xu.

In the dressing room, Song Yingshi was too embarrassed to look at Huai Xu directly. But when she recalled this piece of jewelry, she couldn't help but imagine how Huai Xu would look wearing it, and this desire quickly overwhelmed all her other thoughts.

In any case, she was straight, and they were friends. What was there to be embarrassed about? Why did she have to hide about wanting to be nice to Huai Xu?

At this time, Director Wu's voice came from the stage. When Song Yingshi saw that the other team had returned backstage, she said, "Hurry along. The director is calling for—"

Suddenly, a hand landed on Song Yingshi's head, pressing down gently.

Song Yingshi was caught off guard by this development. When she looked up, her ponytails swung behind her shoulders as she glared at the perpetrator, "What are you doing?" Repaying kindness with enmity?

At this question, Huai Xu answered softly in her heart—

You provoked me first.

Time and again.