Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 6

Huai Xu gently slid her dress off her shoulders after unzipping it, exposing more of her pristine skin. Based on her indifferent expression, it also didn't seem like she intended to stop at just exposing her shoulders.

However, before Huai Xu could reveal more of her body, Song Yingshi lunged forward and pulled the dress back onto her shoulders.

"What's the matter? Didn't you want to watch?" Huai Xu asked, glancing at Song Yingshi.

"..."

Song Yingshi felt her scalp tingle. Keeping calm, she replied, "I was only joking. I'm not an impatient person."

Huai Xu smirked.

Song Yingshi reflexively flinched and raised her guard. After all, nothing good had ever come from Huai Xu smiling at her. No matter how beautiful Huai Xu looked when she smiled, it didn't change the fact that she was a rose with thorns.

Song Yingshi anxiously looked aside, afraid to meet Huai Xu's gaze.

Huai Xu swept her gaze across Song Yingshi's eyes and brows. With barely any distance separating them, she quickly noticed Song Yingshi's trembling eyelashes.

Song Yingshi's eyebrows and eyelashes were long and thick, giving her beautiful face a wild and fierce look at first glance. However, upon closer inspection, they complemented her clear and light-brown pupils to give her face a unique softness. This became especially apparent in her current state of vulnerability.

As Huai Xu remained silent, Song Yingshi licked her lips and quickly backed away, saying, "It's getting late. You should rest. I'll come see you tomorrow."

"Mhm," Huai Xu responded.

As Song Yingshi was about to step out of the suite, she suddenly stopped halfway through and turned around.

The living room was spacious, and the night sky outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was serene. When Song Yingshi looked at Huai Xu standing against this backdrop, she inexplicably sensed a hint of loneliness from the other party.

However, after thinking it over, Song Yingshi felt that was unlikely to be the case. It was more likely that Huai Xu found her presence to be annoying and would rather be alone.

Upon coming to this conclusion, Song Yingshi waved her hand at Huai Xu and said, "I'm leaving, okay? Good night."

Huai Xu paused. She hadn't expected these words to come from Song Yingshi.

In that brief pause, Song Yingshi opened the door and left.

…

While the unexpected hidden mission might be more demanding, the reward was also much more generous. Upon completing it, Song Yingshi received a whopping 72 hours of life, triple what her daily missions offered.

When Song Yingshi saw that her life was no longer hanging by a thread, she suddenly felt that taking on highly embarrassing missions might not be so bad after all.

Of course, even with several days of life to spare, Song Yingshi did not stop completing her missions. She kept hoarding life like a hamster hoarding food.

Fortunately, the missions that appeared in the subsequent days were relatively easy. They were all easy-to-complete daily missions. It seemed even the system knew not to push things too far.

…

Half a month quickly passed. It was now May 1st, only half a month to go before Song Yingshi and Huai Xu had to attend Spring Stars' training camp.

When Song Yingshi made her routine visit to the Capella Hotel to complete her daily mission, she came across Little Chen, Song Ming's secretary, in the hotel's lobby.

"Little Chen? What are you doing here?" Song Yingshi asked as she removed her sunglasses and beckoned at Little Chen with her hand.

When Little Chen saw that it was Song Yingshi, he tentatively walked over to her and answered, "Miss Song, President Song is here on business. He told me to wait here for him."

"Which floor is he on?" Song Yingshi asked, twirling her sunglasses.

"I don't know." Little Chen shook his head, refusing to answer.

Song Yingshi did not try to get an answer from Little Chen. She pulled up Huai Xu's packed schedule and checked which lesson Huai Xu was currently taking.

—Vocal lesson.

Song Yingshi went to the hotel's piano room and found Song Ming sitting on a bench outside the hallway. It looked like he was listening to the faint music leaking from the piano room.

Song Yingshi slowed her brisk pace as she glanced at the piano room. Then, she approached Song Ming and immediately smelled the strong scent of alcohol.

"What are you doing here?" Song Yingshi questioned.

Song Ming lifted his head and stared at Song Yingshi with bloodshot eyes, saying, "Song Yingshi, give Huai Xu back to me. I can't be without her."

As soon as Song Ming finished speaking, the system's voice sounded in Song Yingshi's head, "Special mission triggered: Assert domination on Huai Xu in front of Song Ming."

Meanwhile, Song Ming drunkenly stood up and asked, "Did I offend you somehow? Are you doing this on purpose? What can the two of you do together? You are both women."

I don't know, but that's no reason for you to harass Huai Xu, Song Yingshi mentally answered Song Ming's questions. After calling the hotel's supervisor and briefly explaining the situation, she crossed her arms and looked at Song Ming, saying, "Listen up. Keep any ideas you might have about Huai Xu. She belongs to me now. Do you think I was joking last time?"

Song Yingshi found Song Ming's behavior incredibly irksome. Even without the system's mission, she would've told him off today.

"And what about you? Aren't you afraid I'll tell the family about what you're doing?" Song Ming threatened.

"Go ahead. I'll be waiting," Song Yingshi replied nonchalantly.

Frustrated and exasperated by Song Yingshi's response, Song Ming said, "You've only met her once, and she's already got you under her spell? It seems she'll do anything for success."

Song Ming's remarks truly angered Song Yingshi this time. Her expression turned cold, and she said in a hostile tone, "What she does is none of your business."

At this time, the hotel supervisor arrived with the security team.

"Please take him to his secretary in the lobby and have his secretary send him home," Song Yingshi said to the supervisor. Then, she turned to Song Ming and scoffed, "Feel free to say whatever you want to the family."

Song Ming's face flushed red. He pointed at Song Yingshi angrily, but no words came from his mouth.

The security team quickly escorted Song Ming away, and the hallway returned to silence.

Song Yingshi felt her chest growing stuffy because of her interaction with Song Ming. She habitually reached into her purse to seek some relief, but she quickly remembered she hadn't picked up smoking in this life.

With no better options, Song Yingshi walked to the small balcony at the end of the hallway to catch some fresh air.

Unbeknownst to Song Yingshi, the music leaking from the piano room had stopped at some point. Huai Xu's vocal instructor sat before the piano while Huai Xu stood by the gap she had opened in the door, listening to the sounds outside without any expressions on her face.

As Song Yingshi's muffled footsteps grew distant, Huai Xu opened the door and quietly watched as Song Yingshi disappeared into the balcony.

…

Song Yingshi returned to the piano room ten minutes later. When she returned, Huai Xu's vocal instructor had already left, and only Huai Xu remained in the room, standing in front of the pure white piano and casually pressing keys.

Huai Xu shouldn't know how to play the piano. Yet, her casual pressing produced a somewhat smooth and lively melody.

Could this be a person who has maxed out her musical talent? Song Yingshi wondered. However, she didn't dwell on the matter as she asked softly, "Why isn't your instructor here?"

Because of Song Ming, Song Yingshi was reminded of Huai Xu's past. This led to her subconsciously speaking in a voice much softer than what she had used with Huai Xu for the past two weeks.

"Class is over," Huai Xu answered.

Song Yingshi responded with an "Oh" and stared at Huai Xu's face. When she saw that Huai Xu was as indifferent as always, she assumed Huai Xu hadn't heard what had happened outside and quietly breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she quickly reverted to her usual self and asked, "How are your lessons going?"

"They're alright," Huai Xu answered curtly.

"You'll have more time to learn and practice during the program's training camp. The lessons you are taking now are just to get you up to par with the other trainees," Song Yingshi said, offering encouragement to her employee like the generous employer she was.

At Song Yingshi's words, Huai Xu struck a strong note and stopped playing the piano. Then, she curved her lips upward and asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll embarrass you?"

?

Have more confidence, pretty lady. With that face, you'll achieve success, even if you make repeated blunders, Song Yingshi thought.

Joking aside, as a former survival show judge who favored talent over appearance, when Song Yingshi considered Huai Xu's circumstances without factoring in the other party's appearance, she hesitantly said, "You can do it if you practice more. I'm not worried."

Despite saying so, Song Yingshi's face was full of worry. It was obvious her true thoughts did not match her words.

Huai Xu nearly laughed out of exasperation.

…

According to Star of Spring's schedule, once April auditions concluded, selected candidates would have to undergo a two-week training camp starting from May 13th. Then, after a short break, the first studio recording, also known as the Initial Rating Performance, would begin on June 1st.

As the program's training camp would likely focus on group lessons and wouldn't feature many one-on-one lessons, it was necessary for Huai Xu to get enough practice beforehand. However, Song Yingshi wasn't worried that she or Huai Xu might get eliminated in the Initial Rating Performance. She was only concerned that Huai Xu might get nervous or lose her composure when it was discovered that her abilities were inferior to others.

Song Yingshi had seen situations similar to those of many newcomers in her past life. Since there wasn't much time until the training camp began, she decided to visit Huai Xu's "homeroom teacher" Qu Qing to discuss Huai Xu's situation.

Song Yingshi had recruited Huai Xu's instructors using the Song family's connections, and Qu Qing was no exception.

Qu Qing was a top talent agent in the industry who had previously retired due to health issues. She had recently decided to find some light work to pass the time, so Song Yingshi hired her to teach Huai Xu.

Song Yingshi would often chat with Qu Qing to learn more about the rules of this world's entertainment industry. She also tasked Qu Qing with teaching Huai Xu the basics of the entertainment business in addition to overseeing Huai Xu's lessons. So, it wasn't inaccurate to consider her a homeroom teacher.

Despite her gentle-sounding name, Qu Qing sported dreadlocks and an attire that made her look like she was ready to jump on stage and perform a rap at any time. After checking Huai Xu's recent progress, she told Song Yingshi, "Boss, Huai Xu is simply one-of-a-kind."

"I agree." Song Yingshi nodded without hesitation.

After all, Huai Xu was the female protagonist of this world. It was only natural for her to be one-of-a-kind. It was also why Song Yingshi had put so much effort into finding capable instructors for her.

"Her voice is very unique and highly recognizable, and her vocal range has no weaknesses. She also has absolute pitch. It's as if she is favored by the heavens," Qu Qing said. Then, she suddenly changed the subject, "But, Boss, I'm not talking about these things when I say she is one-of-a-kind."

Song Yingshi was like a parent hearing a tutor complimenting their child's studies as she listened to Qu Qing praising Huai Xu. Qu Qing's words were like music to her ears, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.

When Qu Qing suddenly changed the subject, Song Yingshi asked, "What else could you be referring to?"

"She learns things very quickly. Very, very quickly," Qu Qing emphasized. "It's as if she has already learned these things before and is merely picking them up again. Boss, don't you find that scary?"

Song Yingshi was momentarily stunned. Then, she asked, "Is it like this for all her lessons?"

"Not all of them. Her vocals and composition stand out the most," Qu Qing answered. "Oh, and her progress in dancing is the slowest."

As Huai Xu's progress in everything else was fast, Qu Qing often found herself wondering if Huai Xu was deliberately refusing to take her dance lessons seriously to express her dissatisfaction with Song Yingshi.

After all, Song Yingshi was exceptional at dancing.

Even with her wealth of experience, Qu Qing had to admit that Song Yingshi was an incredible dancer.

Waving her hand nonchalantly, Song Yingshi said, "She used to lack exercise, so it's understandable she's having difficulty with her dance lessons. She doesn't need to perform complex dances for the survival show. She needs to develop a good foundation rather than learn difficult movements."

Song Yingshi knew Huai Xu's background, so she knew Huai Xu likely lacked the physical endurance to keep up with her dance lessons. As for Huai Xu's exceptional musical talent, Song Yingshi didn't think much of it. After all, it was pointless to debate about a cliche drama novel's logic. Even reincarnation and resurrection were possible in such novels, so it wasn't surprising for Huai Xu to possess such talents.

Rather than Huai Xu's exceptional talent, Song Yingshi was more concerned about something else.

"How is Huai Xu's preparation for the Initial Rating Performance coming along?" Song Yingshi asked.

"She chose a song that suits her perfectly. It isn't too much of a challenge for her, either. She just needs to work on it a little more," Qu Qing answered. "What about you, Boss? Will you be dancing or singing and dancing? Have you finished preparing?"

Just as Song Yingshi was about to answer, Huai Xu suddenly came into the suite from the front door.

Huai Xu was tying her hair as she walked, a hair tie held between her rosy lips and beads of sweat covering her forehead.

Seemingly having overheard parts of the conversation, Huai Xu let go of her bundled hair, removed the hair tie from her mouth, looked at Song Yingshi, and asked, "Will you also be participating in the survival show?"