Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 60.1

Just like the first public performance's rehearsal, when it was Huai Xu's turn to go on stage, Song Yingshi watched her from the audience seats below.

The only difference this time was that Huai Xu perfectly completed her performance of "Lights On."

"Huai Xu, if you can maintain this standard for tomorrow's performance, you won't have any problems," Director Wu said.

With that, Teams "Unavoidable" and "Lights On" had completed their rehearsal. Although both teams had some minor problems pointed out, their overall evaluation was similar.

When Team "Lights On" returned backstage, Huai Xu approached Song Yingshi and asked, "Instructor Song, did I perform well?"

Although they were opponents, when Song Yingshi considered how she had personally raised her opponent, she answered reluctantly, "So-so."

Huai Xu smiled and continued, "Out of 100 points, how many points would you give me?"

Song Yingshi felt Huai Xu was no longer the gullible, pitiful little fool like before. Sighing, she said vaguely, "Higher than 0, but lower than 100."

"That's 100 points, then."

"Lower than."

As the two bickered, they went into separate changing rooms.

While Huai Xu was changing, a few strands of hair got caught in the bracelet swaying on her right wrist. When she reached out to untangle her hair, her expression darkened when she thought of how Song Yingshi looked when the other party gave her the bracelet.

A certain desire shouted and stirred up a storm in Huai Xu's heart. Although she had vented some of it through dancing just now, some remained.

No, I can't.

Huai Xu pressed against her heart, trying to suppress her impulse. The second public performance was tomorrow. She mustn't do anything that could affect their performances.

After changing her clothes, Huai Xu leaned against the wall and looked up to calm down.

The light in the dressing room was dim, and the faint scent of grapefruit cooled Huai Xu's boiling blood bit by bit.

When Huai Xu's breathing steadied, she lifted the curtain and walked out. However, she failed to see Song Yingshi waiting for her outside.

Looking around, Huai Xu asked Wan Jiao, who was in the middle of removing her jewelry, "Have you seen Little Shi?"

"Little Shi? She was looking for Kou Lengyu just now. I last saw her looking outside," Wan Jiao answered.

Kou Lengyu?

Huai Xu knew Kou Lengyu, but she never knew that Song Yingshi was close with this fellow trainee, so much so that she would look for the other party specifically.

Huai Xu quietly looked at the snake-shaped bracelet on her wrist.

At this time, a trainee who had just returned said, "Oh, they're just outside. You'll see them once you go out."

…

Outside the large dressing room…

Like a pilgrim who had finally found the master of the temple, Song Yingshi looked at Kou Lengyu and her friends with a trace of piety.

If Song Yingshi were to be crowned the popularity queen of Star of Spring, Kou Lengyu would be the social queen. What separated them was Kou Lengyu's unconcealed and unrestrained behavior.

Right now, Kou Lengyu was holding hands with one girl, linking arms with another, and flirting with the girl behind her. And the girl in front was also turning around every so often to touch her chin.

Kou Lengyu appeared very busy but very happy, just like a bohemian dandy.

When Song Yingshi saw Kou Lengyu's current state, she couldn't help but mentally kowtow to the other party's extrovertedness and straightness!

Meanwhile, when Kou Lengyu saw Song Yingshi, she asked, "My baby, who are you waiting for? You're not waiting for me, are you?"

After greeting the other trainees, Song Yingshi nodded to Kou Lengyu and said, "Why, yes, I am waiting for you."

"What's up?" Kou Lengyu asked.

In response, Song Yingshi shook her head and said, "I just wanted to get a look at you."

When Song Yingshi saw Kou Lengyu remaining as straight as a steel bar despite behaving so flirtatiously, her emotions promptly calmed down, and she regained confidence in her identity as her straight woman.

Kou Lengyu: ?

Kou Lengyu's friends: !

The trainee linking arms with Kou Lengyu tickled her and asked, "Kou Lengyu, you hooked up with a beautiful big sister behind our backs again! Why can't you ever remember to bring me along!"

Hearing this, Kou Lengyu glanced at the girl and said, "I could say the same for you! I haven't forgotten that you secretly hooked up with that singer in April!"

The others also voiced their own stories, sparking a jealous drama among straight girls.

Song Yingshi laughed along, finding their interaction amusing.

Suddenly, a cold voice came from behind Song Yingshi:

"Are you done with your meeting?"

Song Yingshi froze. When she turned around, she saw Huai Xu standing five steps away, looking at her coldly.

Song Yingshi ran her fingers through her hair, pretending to be calm as she said, "Are you ready to go back? I'm ready when you are."

Huai Xu looked over Song Yingshi's shoulder, glancing at Kou Lengyu and the others, who were still fooling around.

At this time, Kou Lengyu finally noticed Huai Xu. Waving at Huai Xu, she said, "Huai Xu! I saw your performance just now! You danced really well!"

"Thank you. You danced well, too," Huai Xu replied.

As Song Yingshi watched the interaction from the side, she felt that the coldness she felt from Huai Xu must've been an illusion.

After Song Yingshi and Huai Xu exchanged a few more words with Kou Lengyu's group, Wan Jiao and the others came out of the dressing room, and they walked back to the White Tower together.

It was uncomfortable to practice with makeup on, so everyone went back to the dormitory to remove it. They agreed to meet back in the practice room half an hour later for a one-hour practice session before lunch.

As soon as Song Yingshi returned to her room, she promptly reached for her cotton pads and makeup remover. While removing her makeup, she looked at Huai Xu through the corner of her eye, inexplicably feeling that Huai Xu was quieter than usual on their way back.

"Aren't you going to remove your makeup?" Song Yingshi asked, trying to make conversation.

With her back facing Song Yingshi, Huai Xu answered, "You first."

Song Yingshi replied with an "Oh" before soaking another cotton pad with makeup remover. As she pressed the soaked pad against her left eyelid, she looked at Huai Xu's reflection in the mirror with her right eye.

In the mirror, Huai Xu was drinking water while untying her hair. After releasing her hair, she washed her hands in the bathroom. Then, when she came back out, she walked up to the window to close the curtains…

The sudden dimming of the room made Song Yingshi stop her movements.

The dark environment reminded Song Yingshi of the day they returned to the dormitory after the first public performance's rehearsal half a month ago. It was raining that day, and dark clouds covered the sky, so the room back then was also dimly lit like today…

At the time, Huai Xu asked if she should retrieve her "key" if she knew where it was.

Moreover, before Huai Xu spoke, the room was also eerily silent like it was now.

When Song Yingshi mentally equated the damp cotton pad between her fingers to the rainy weather of that time, she instinctively felt that, if she were to let things take their own course, she would most likely face the same predicament as that day.

As Song Yingshi's sense of danger grew, she heard light footsteps coming up from behind her, followed by a cold presence. Then, she heard Huai Xu whispering, "Little Shi."

Song Yingshi took a deep breath. Then, in one swift motion, she turned around and pushed the cotton pad against Huai Xu's lips.

Huai Xu: ?

Facing Huai Xu's surprised gaze, Song Yingshi said calmly with hints of disapproval, "Stop dawdling around and remove your makeup. Your teammates are still waiting."

After saying so, Song Yingshi pressed against the cotton pad, giving Huai Xu no chance to say anything mind-numbing. She even gave her actions a reasonable explanation, saying, "Apply more force to clean thoroughly."

Huai Xu: "..."

Huai Xu silently stared at Song Yingshi for a while before pushing Song Yingshi's hand away and bending over to laugh.

Song Yingshi glanced at Huai Xu and muttered, "What's so funny?"

Then, Song Yingshi glanced at the cotton pad, specifically the berry-colored lip print on it. The lip print was a little smudged and blurred, but it undoubtedly came from Huai Xu's lips.

After taking a look at the lip print, Song Yingshi disposed of the cotton pad without hesitation. However, even with the cotton pad gone, her fingers still remembered the soft and plump sensation they experienced just a moment ago.

While Song Yingshi was in a daze, Huai Xu straightened her posture and looked at her before laughing again.

Huai Xu rarely smiled so openly. Right now, it looked as if she had cast aside all her restraints and was simply feeling happy. Her laughter sounded full and vibrant, behaving like a genuine 18-year-old girl.

Song Yingshi snapped out of her daze when Huai Xu started laughing a second time. Huai Xu's laughter was infectious, and she started laughing as well. After a while, she lightly kicked Huai Xu and scolded her, "You heartless little girl. How can you laugh at me after I helped you remove your makeup?"

Huai Xu glanced at Song Yingshi, her words sounding poetic as she said, "You know in your heart why."

Song Yingshi pretended not to hear the hint. After handing Huai Xu a new cotton pad, she continued kicking at Huai Xu with the tip of her boot, saying, "Hurry up. Don't make me late for practice."

Huai Xu gave Song Yingshi a long look before accepting the cotton pad and standing before facing the mirror, saying, "Go and wash up. I can remove my makeup by myself."

When Song Yingshi saw that Huai Xu had stopped trying to stir up trouble and had returned to being the leader of Team "Lights On," she briskly walked to the bathroom to wash her face.

When Song Yingshi was about to reach the bathroom door, she subconsciously looked back for some reason.

Huai Xu stood before the vanity with one hand resting on it. In the dim environment, her mature, graceful figure and the dressing table filled the air with the powdery scent of cosmetics and a cool atmosphere.

Song Yingshi quickly turned away, not daring to keep looking.

…

June 27th was the day of the second public performance's rehearsal and the day the fourth episode would be broadcast.

When the first two episodes were broadcast, the trainees would still worry whether the audience would like their performance in the show. They worried that the audience might complain about them online. They also worried that they might not even be qualified to be complained about, their presence on the internet being non-existent.

But now that the show was already on its fourth episode, and as tomorrow was the trainees' second public performance, nobody could be bothered to waste time worrying. After concluding their rehearsal and having a short break, everyone promptly resumed practice.

As usual, the cameras Wealth and Prosperity silently guarded the corridor where the trainees shed the most sweat. Meanwhile, coming from the various practice rooms were either the cheers of trainees who had finally conquered their problems or the sound of footsteps becoming rhythmically uniform.

…

Outside the White Tower, Star of Spring's audience, separated by time and space, were watching the trainees' lives from a week ago.

The fourth episode focused on the second public performance's grouping, training, and mentor visits. It also featured a sports meeting and an interactive game held inside the White Tower. The episode's two segments were packed with content.

Ren Qian hosted the second public performance's grouping as usual. Today, he wore overalls with a campus style. His hosting style was lively, and he would instigate well-known CPs to interact on the spot.

When Ren Qian asked Huai Xu to help him peek at Song Yingshi's song selection, the audience saw Huai Xu actively shielding Song Yingshi while perfunctorily responding to the mentor. They also saw the other trainees poking fun at Huai Xu.

"Stop spoiling her!"

"Why are all the trainees wearing doting smiles?"

"It's official! Even the show is supporting Snow-Kissed Rose!"