Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 61.1

[Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!]

[Huai Xu's performance got me rolling around on the bed!]

[I love it! I love it! I love it!]

[Am I the only one looking at Little Shi's expression right now?!]

As if hearing the audience's cheers, after Huai Xu and her team concluded their performance, the main screen promptly showed the situation in the backstage recording room.

Similar to the audience, the trainees backstage were fired up by the performance they had just watched, with many excitedly jumping, cheering, and applauding.

The camera also captured Team "Unavoidable" getting ready to go on stage. Like everyone else, they were applauding their rivals for a wonderful and exciting performance.

Upon closer observation, the audience quickly noticed Song Yingshi wasn't captured on camera. However, before the audience could voice their complaints, the VJ carrying the camera changed angles—

Song Yingshi stood slightly ahead of her team, her back facing the camera.

Just as the audience was wondering what Song Yingshi was doing, Huai Xu's team returned backstage and bumped into Song Yingshi head-on.

The camera couldn't see Song Yingshi's expression, but it did capture Huai Xu raising her eyebrows in surprise. Then, with a hint of lethargy, Huai Xu said in her usual cold voice, "Instructor Shi—"

Before Huai Xu could finish the second half of her sentence, "How did I do?", Song Yingshi leaped onto her like a nimble deer, wrapped her arms around her neck, and spun half a circle.

Worried that Song Yingshi might fall and hurt herself, Huai Xu quickly held her by the waist.

Song Yingshi was obviously very excited. She fell back against Huai Xu's arms, exerted force with her waist, and bounced back to Huai Xu's face.

When Song Yingshi saw that Huai Xu still looked dazed, she touched the back of Huai Xu's scalding neck, smiled, and sighed in surprise and admiration, "Huai Xu, you nailed it!"

[S-S-Snow-Kissed Rose…forever!]

[I was here.]

[If! This! Doesn't! Count! As! True! Love!]

[Instructor Shi? Has Little Shi been teaching Huai Xu how to dance? Or is this some kind of play? #dogehead]

…

After this little commotion, Song Yingshi removed herself from Huai Xu.

Song Yingshi didn't see the camera behind her. She also didn't expect Director Wu to ignore the dozens of cameras at the venue and focus on her welcoming Huai Xu's return.

With her heart still pounding, Song Yingshi gathered her teammates. However, just as they were about to get on stage, a staff member hurriedly approached her, informing her that the stage lights had gone out of control and needed to be adjusted.

There was nothing that an entertainer like herself could do about a situation. It might be a programming or wiring problem, but regardless of what it was, they could only wait for the lighting technicians to identify and fix it.

Song Yingshi expressed her understanding to the staff member and relayed the situation to her teammates. When she turned to look at the backstage recording room, she saw that Huai Xu was still standing by the entrance.

Huai Xu stood by herself at the junction where light and darkness met, her back leaned against a wall, her face a mix of obscurity and clarity.

When Song Yingshi came to her senses, she had already taken three subconscious steps toward Huai Xu.

Just like the audiences who were fascinated by Huai Xu, Song Yingshi had unknowingly fallen under the control of Huai Xu's chaotic allure.

Song Yingshi immediately halted her feet, reminding herself she had teammates to care for.

With a heart full of responsibility, Team Leader Shi resolutely turned back—only to be betrayed by her trusted teammates.

"Why are you turning back, Leader?" Tang Panbo asked innocently.

"Don't come back," Tao Qin said with a straight face. I need my daily dose of sugar.

"We understand, Leader. You don't have to worry about us," Bai Yuzhou said, smiling gently.

"Leader, go and say something harsh," Hu Wan said innocently. Say you're going to be on top.

Even the usually taciturn Zheng Fu nodded and said seriously, "Everyone's right."

Song Yingshi: "..."

Facing these "concerned" shippers, Song Yingshi turned around again in a huff.

Huai Xu softly laughed at the scene before her. When she saw Song Yingshi resume walking toward her, she called out in a slightly hoarse voice, "Instructor Shi."

Again with the 'Instructor Shi.'

Song Yingshi felt inexplicably sentimental when she heard the form of address that should've belonged solely to that night.

Pursing her lips, Song Yingshi pulled Huai Xu into the curtains on the side of the backstage recording room's entrance, moving out of prying eyes.

The dark green curtains hung for the sake of beautifying the entrance were thick and stuffy, and speaking behind them felt suffocating. It was also dark here, with only a ray of light leaking in from the edge.

At this time, this ray of light was shining on Song Yingshi's face, slicing across from her right temple to her left ear.

Song Yingshi evaded the light. She did not want to have any light on her, especially when Huai Xu was observing her up close in the dark.

Huai Xu's performance had already ended quite some time now, yet Song Yingshi could still feel her heart pounding. It was so intense that she even suspected Huai Xu might be able to hear her heartbeat in this quiet and cramped space.

Song Yingshi's heart thumped powerfully, vigorously, and joyfully.

Just now, when Song Yingshi looked at Huai Xu on stage, she suddenly found herself returning to that night—

In the empty practice room, Huai Xu danced alone, her movements seemingly depriving the room of oxygen, leaving Song Yingshi parched and breathless. Then, when she concluded her performance, she held Song Yingshi's face and brought their faces closer, asking, "Instructor Song, did I get your blood pumping?"

Song Yingshi did not answer Huai Xu at the time, but when she heard this question, combined with Huai Xu's aggressive gaze, her heart surged violently, like boiling water overflowing.

Tonight, when Song Yingshi watched Huai Xu perform under the spotlight, her body burned up once again.

As Song Yingshi remained silent, Huai Xu looked around for a second before asking, "Song Yingshi, do you know what I want to do now?"

Song Yingshi pursed her lips. She knew the last thing she should do now was respond to Huai Xu, yet her mouth moved against her will, asking, "What?"

Huai Xu leaned forward. Song Yingshi tried to evade, but an arm wrapped around her waist and pressed her into Huai Xu's embrace.

As Song Yingshi tried to struggle out of her restraint, Huai Xu's warm breath tickled her earlobe, and she heard Huai Xu scoffing, "What gave you the courage to lead me here?"

Song Yingshi: "..."

Truth be told, Song Yingshi didn't have any ulterior motives in pulling Huai Xu behind the curtains. All she wanted was to avoid the light and people. But looking back now, even she had trouble explaining her behavior.

Huai Xu's body felt warm, much warmer than usual. It would seem that even she had been ignited by her own performance.

Song Yingshi could feel Huai Xu's legs brushing against her knees. Before she realized it, their legs had interlocked and rested against each other.

At the end of the day, Song Yingshi wasn't actually an 18-year-old in mind. After a few seconds of panic, she calmed down, tried her best to ignore the palm on her back, patted Huai Xu's arm, and said, "What do you want to do? Say it."

Huai Xu took a step back but kept her arm around Song Yingshi's waist.

Song Yingshi twisted her waist in an attempt to break free, but the hand pressing against her back simply exerted even more strength. At the same time, she heard Huai Xu's hoarse voice saying, "I want to kiss you."

Huai Xu knew it was foolish to reveal her true feelings directly to Song Yingshi. It was also uncharacteristic of her to show such uncontrolled behavior. Normally, she'd have to be absolutely crazy to say such a thing. But today, her performance seemed to have riled up the emotions she had sealed in her heart as they banged against their prison walls, demanding release.

After saying these five words, Huai Xu looked at the dazed Song Yingshi and instantly knew that she would hear words of rejection in a second or two. She even had an excuse ready to appease Song Yingshi. She was already annoyed with herself for losing control. The last thing she wanted was to affect Song Yingshi's performance.

Song Yingshi shifted in place.

Huai Xu didn't look at Song Yingshi. Her gaze lowered, she asked jokingly, "Did I scare you?"

"Where do you want to kiss?"

"How can you be so gullible as to…" Huai Xu suddenly realized what she had just heard and abruptly looked up. "What did you just say…?"

Song Yingshi leaned against the wall, calmly analyzing, "You can't kiss me on the lips, right? The face is no good, either. I still have to go on stage, so I can't let you ruin my makeup."

Raising the back of her hand to Huai Xu, Song Yingshi said casually, "Make do with this. Be careful not to smudge your lipstick."

Huai Xu: "..."

Song Yingshi's frankness and calmness were totally unlike her. Huai Xu was momentarily stunned, but after recovering her senses, she asked suggestively, "So, are you saying without makeup, I can kiss wherever I want?"

Song Yingshi sneered, "Pushing your luck, are you?"

After saying so, Song Yingshi turned around, lifted the curtain, and walked out.

There was no way Huai Xu was going to let go of this golden opportunity. Without hesitation, she reached out, pulled Song Yingshi back, and pressed her against the wall.

But their positions were reversed in a flash, and Huai Xu became the one pinned against the wall.

As Huai Xu's hair swept over her shoulders, her legs were held down by Song Yingshi's knees, the rough fabric of Song Yingshi's cargo trousers brushing against her bare legs, scratching her and giving her an itch.

Huai Xu looked up and saw Song Yingshi looking at her impatiently and muttering, "What a troublemaker you are."

Before Huai Xu could reply, Song Yingshi's palm pressed against her lips.

Song Yingshi's palm was incomparably soft, and Huai Xu's lips kissed the lines of her palm.

Song Yingshi quickly withdrew her hand. The contact was brief and light as a feather, but Huai Xu vividly remembered the sensations she just experienced.

As Huai Xu watched Song Yingshi walk away, the latter suddenly turned back and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you something."

As Song Yingshi said so, she leaned forward, her eyes flashing with excitement. In a tone of declaration, she continued, "Huai Xu, you're going to lose to me."

At the mention of the team competition, Huai Xu expelled the unspeakable emotions flooding her mind, her eyes regaining their clarity. In her usual calm and cold voice, she asked, "Why?"

Song Yingshi lifted the curtains and took a step back into the light. Staring back at Huai Xu, who remained in the darkness, she said, "It has something to do with you."

Huai Xu frowned in confusion.

Song Yingshi didn't know if Huai Xu understood her riddle. She simply laughed at the thought of it and winked at Huai Xu, saying, "Huai Xu, you're finished."

Song Yingshi's face carried hints of childishness as she spoke. Huai Xu wanted to say something in response but ultimately decided to keep her mouth shut.

Huai Xu could feel her heart swooning just from looking at Song Yingshi's smile, so she agreed that she was indeed finished.

At this time, the same staff member from before announced, "The lights are fixed! Team 'Unavoidable,' get ready! You're up in one minute!"

Song Yingshi looked toward the stage. Realizing there was no time to waste, she habitually instructed Huai Xu, "Have your teammates get ready to appeal for votes. I'm going now."

Song Yingshi left after saying so. Huai Xu left the curtains after her, watching her leave while stepping on the light.

The second public performance's recording continued.

Huai Xu found her teammates below the stage. As their two teams still needed to participate in a vote appeal session, they couldn't return to the backstage recording room yet.

They were standing on the side of the stage, and the view from here was pretty good.

Seeing Huai Xu's approach, Dan Silan asked, "Leader, where did you go just now?"

Quan Yuanyuan inwardly sighed at Dan Silan's abysmal emotional intelligence when she heard this question. Where else could our team leader have gone? Did you not see Little Shi just reuniting with her team as well?

Wan Jiao was more cunning. Chuckling, she said, "Our leader went to disrupt the enemy's morale."

Dan Silan: ?

Huai Xu glanced at Wan Jiao but said nothing.

Disrupt Song Yingshi's morale?

That was assuming that woman had a heart to disrupt.

Rather than Song Yingshi, Huai Xu felt that she was the one who had her heart thrown into turmoil. Her heart was in a complete mess after being allowed a kiss that couldn't be considered a kiss.

After a round of emceeing, Shi Shuyao welcomed Team "Unavoidable" onto the stage.

"It's starting," Yan Ran said.

Huai Xu gathered her emotions and solemnly cast her gaze on the stage—

They had never forgotten that this was a competition.

After Song Yingshi and her teammates finished introducing themselves, the performance of "Unavoidable" officially began.

The audience also welcomed the final performance of tonight.

[Little Shi, mommy's rooting for you!!!]

[Charge!!!]

[Fight! Fight! Fight!]