Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 62.2

TL Notes:
Made a change in Chapter 62.1:
Original:
When the plane landed at S City's airport early in the morning…

Changed to:
When the plane landed at S City's airport near midnight…

Huai Xu didn't get much sleep on the plane. Paired with the exhaustion she had accumulated from recording the second public performance, she fell asleep shortly after the car started moving.

When Huai Xu woke up, she found that the car was parked in an unfamiliar underground parking lot.

Her mind regaining some clarity, Huai Xu looked outside before turning to Song Yingshi and asking, "Where are we?"

"Your house is far from the studio, so stay here for tonight. Big Sis Qing will come pick you up tomorrow," Song Yingshi said in an official tone.

After saying so, Song Yingshi exited the car and complained, "Hurry up; I'm dead tired. Aren't you sleepy?"

Huai Xu: "..."

Huai Xu got out of the car without saying a word. Meanwhile, the chauffeur had already helped her get her suitcase out of the trunk.

After having the chauffeur return home, Song Yingshi strode to the nearby elevator hall with Huai Xu in tow.

There was a long row of elevators in the hall, each dedicated to one floor. When Huai Xu saw this, she realized they weren't in a hotel.

Sure enough, when the elevator reached the top floor, Huai Xu was greeted by the sight of a completely connected flat.

The lights automatically came on when the elevator doors opened, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows was a night view of a shimmering river.

Upon exiting the elevator, Song Yingshi kicked off her high heels and walked barefoot on the marble floor.

"Turn left and head downstairs; there's an unoccupied suite there you can use for the night. The closet should have everything you need, but if something's missing, tell me. I can call for an express delivery."

"You don't usually stay here," Huai Xu stated as she parked her suitcase beside her.

"I have to keep my parents company," Song Yingshi sighed.

"No wonder," Huai Xu said.

"No wonder what?" Song Yingshi asked, confused.

"This place looks like it lacks a human touch," Huai Xu replied.

Song Yingshi chuckled. In a lazy voice, she said, "It'll appear once you stay here a few days."

Huai Xu didn't respond.

Huai Xu didn't kick a fuss about Song Yingshi bringing her here without permission. Accepting the situation, she headed downstairs to drop off her suitcase. Halfway down, she turned around and asked, "Did you get upset before because I wanted to go home?"

Song Yingshi, in the middle of stretching on the living room sofa, paused.

Song Yingshi did not turn around, but Huai Xu still heard her clicking her tongue and saying, "Huai Xu, can you not be so stubborn all the time?"

Huai Xu's expression darkened, and her grip on her suitcase's handle tightened.

Unaware of Huai Xu's reaction, Song Yingshi continued, "The last time I visited you, I heard your neighbor slandering you."

After saying so, Song Yingshi stood up, walked over to the stairwell, and looked down at Huai Xu from above. In a joking but gentle tone, she said, "With our relationship, what can't you tell me? If you don't share your troubles with me, who can you share them with? Don't you feel anxious or frustrated keeping all these matters to yourself, Huai Xu?"

Huai Xu shook her head and replied, "I'm used to it."

Song Yingshi thought Huai Xu was talking back to her and staying stubborn, so she subconsciously frowned. However, just as she was about to berate Huai Xu for her stubbornness, she heard Huai Xu saying, "I'm used to it, and it's hard to change."

Song Yingshi was stunned. At this moment, when she looked at Huai Xu standing amidst the hazy yellow lights, she saw an unexpected fragility behind those aloof eyes.

"I want to change, but I don't know how," Huai Xu stated. After a slight pause, she wryly smiled and said softly, "I'm sorry for upsetting—"

Before Huai Xu could finish her sentence, Song Yingshi dashed down the staircase, grabbed Huai Xu by the shoulder, and said quickly, "No."

Song Yingshi felt like a villain right now.

Although Huai Xu was typically quiet and seldom spoke, Song Yingshi could sense Huai Xu struggling with herself from her short words.

Life was never a healing fairy tale, and the bad habits one developed over a decade couldn't be erased in just one or two months.

Resisting the urge to tear up and suppressing the emotions stirring within her, Song Yingshi said, "I wasn't upset at you. I simply grew angry when I recalled that infuriating neighbor of yours.

"You're mine now! You're a rising celebrity and a future idol! How can you keep living in that environment?

"I'll have Qu Qing find a new place to rent tomorrow, and don't worry about the rent; the company will pay for everything. You can also stay here in the meantime instead of going back to that horrible place."

With every sentence Song Yingshi said, Huai Xu would nod her head and reply with an "Okay."

When Song Yingshi stopped ranting, she took a deep breath and hugged Huai Xu from behind. Then, with her head buried in Huai Xu's shoulder, she said in a muffled voice, "I'm sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?" Huai Xu asked with a raised brow.

Like a puppy admitting to its mistake, Song Yingshi whispered, "I lied. I was actually mad at you before."

Huai Xu's lips curved into a smirk, and her eyes grew moist.

Meanwhile, Song Yingshi continued, "I got angry when I thought about how they treated you and you refused to tell me about it. I should've considered your feelings before…"

"Before?" Huai Xu blinked her eyes.

Song Yingshi's voice grew even more muffled as she said, "...before getting angry. That way, I would've been less angry, my anger would've subsided sooner, and you wouldn't be able to notice it."

Huai Xu let out a silent chuckle at this response. Her eyes growing moister, she said, "I also have to apologize for keeping secrets from you, Boss."

Song Yingshi shook her head beside Huai Xu's ear, her fluffy hair rubbing against Huai Xu's earlobe. In a serious and educating tone, she said, "Your boss doesn't think you did anything wrong, so there's no need to apologize."

Before Huai Xu could respond, Song Yingshi gently patted her back and continued, "Alright, enough talking and head to bed. Once you wake up, forget everything that happened tonight, okay?"

Song Yingshi's words were like a spring breeze, melting ice and snow wherever they went. When Huai Xu listened to them, she felt as if an arrow had pierced her heart.

As for Song Yingshi's request, Huai Xu doubted she could ever forget what happened tonight.

Suddenly, Huai Xu got the urge to hug Song Yingshi back, but she eventually resisted the urge to turn around and risk ruining this beautiful moment.

…

Upon seeing Huai Xu disappearing into the suite serving as a guest room, Song Yingshi restrained her emotions and sighed deeply.

Life was too short to sentimentality. As an adult, Song Yingshi was quick to vent her emotions and calm down. However, when she saw Huai Xu being equally quick in this regard, she inexplicably felt frustrated.

Song Yingshi used to dislike the mentality of young people, especially the young idols who had just entered adulthood. These youngsters would usually grow arrogant and unrealistic after being elevated from an ordinary person to a celebrity liked by many.

Naturally, these young idols would never dare to act too arrogantly in front of Song Yingshi. Whether willing or unwilling, they still had to obediently address her as 'Big Sister.' However, the moment they left her sight, they would start to speak condescendingly toward other professionals in the industry while pretending to be innocent and acting recklessly. They were a group of immature individuals who had fostered a false sense of maturity because of their premature growth.

However, when it came to Huai Xu, Song Yingshi wished Huai Xu would act more willfully. After all, she was more than capable of covering for Huai Xu.

Song Yingshi knew she was feeling distressed.

Dragging her feet, Song Yingshi made her way into another suite. She had accumulated too many emotions since the second public performance and needed to digest them properly.

…

Qu Qing knew that Huai Xu had a long day yesterday, so she decided to meet with Huai Xu only at noon. According to her schedule, they would discuss some matters before heading to the recording studio in the afternoon.

After getting ready to head out, Qu Qing opened her WeChat and checked the address her employer, Song Yingshi, had sent.

"Paulownia Residence…" Qu Qing gasped when she saw this name.

The Paulownia Residence was a luxury residential complex famous for its top-notch urban natural landscaping. It sat next to a river, and the residents were primarily famous and affluent. It definitely wasn't a place Huai Xu could afford to stay in currently.

Hence, Qu Qing quickly deduced that Huai Xu was staying with Song Yingshi, and she couldn't help but wonder if she should delay her visit by another two hours. She wouldn't want to jeopardize her job by accidentally interrupting her employer's…private time.

After much deliberation, Qu Qing, upon arriving at the Paulownia Residence as planned, ordered a cup of coffee at a nearby cafe as she messaged Huai Xu on WeChat:

"Huai Xu, what time will you be ready to leave? We have plenty of time, so no need to hurry and let me know when you're ready. By the way, please inform the guard to let me in. My license plate number is xxxxxxx."

Huai Xu replied very quickly, so quickly that Qu Qing hadn't even received her coffee yet.

…

A short while later, Qu Qing successfully entered the Paulownia Residence with three cups of coffee in hand.

When Qu Qing arrived at Song Yingshi's apartment, Song Yingshi was busy in the kitchen, humming an unknown tune.

Huai Xu sat on the sofa, looking like she had just woken up. She was dressed neatly, but her face was without makeup, and her hair was naturally disheveled. On top of her usual aloofness, she now exuded an air of sexiness.

When Qu Qing saw Huai Xu's current state, she promptly went into work mode, seizing the opportunity and pulling out her phone, saying, "Come, come. Let me take some photos to share on Weibo. You've never posted selfies, and your fans have been urging you to get to work daily."

"This is the first time I've heard about this," Huai Xu said, feeling a little surprised.

Huai Xu didn't have the habit of browsing Weibo. The only reason she even had a Weibo account was due to Star of Spring's requirement. Moreover, she started filming Star of Spring two days after creating the account, so she couldn't even access her phone, much less interact with her fans.

When Huai Xu met with Qu Qing during the last holiday, she and Song Yingshi gave their Weibo accounts to Qu Qing's subordinates to manage.

"You have great skin, and your bare-faced photos are stunning. We can't waste this advantage, so now that we have the opportunity, let me stock up on some material," Qu Qing said.

Huai Xu didn't refuse the request. She simply said, "Let me close the curtains first."

After saying so, Huai Xu stood up and walked toward the control panel on the wall.

At this time, Song Yingshi came out of the kitchen with a bowl of salad, asking, "Why close the curtains? The photos will turn out better with some natural light."

Meanwhile, Qu Qing smiled and said, "It seems Huai Xu is more careful."

Qu Qing worded her sentence tactfully. She meant that Huai Xu was more cautious and afraid that the scenery outside might be seen. Nowadays, given enough information, netizens could easily pinpoint the location of celebrities.

Song Yingshi finally realized Huai Xu's intentions at Qu Qing's words. However, after popping a cherry tomato into her mouth, she said, "No need. Take the photos just like that."

Qu Qing was quick to adapt to her employer's whims. Changing her tune, she said to Huai Xu, "It's fine, Huai Xu. They won't be able to tell if we're careful with the camera angle."

Suddenly, Song Yingshi slammed the salad bowl onto the dining table, the noise causing the two other people in the house to look at her.

Obviously, the big boss was upset.

"Is my house that unsightly?" Boss Song questioned.

"How can that be?" Qu Qing vehemently shook her head.

Huai Xu avoided Song Yingshi's gaze, left the curtains, and walked back to the sofa, saying, "We'll shoot like this."

"Or am I the one who's unsightly?" Boss Song questioned again.

"Impossible!" Qu Qing continued shaking her head.

Huai Xu: ?

Looking at Song Yingshi, Huai Xu asked, "Little Shi, what do you want to do?"

Immediately, Song Yingshi put on a heartbroken look and said dramatically, "Aren't there three people on set? Why must I be sidelined? Why won't you include me in the shoot?"

Huai Xu: "..."

…

Under Song Yingshi's condemnation, Employee Huai Xu silently relinquished half of the frame to her direct superior.

Qu Qing dutifully helped the two artists take photos while instructing them to make various poses.

Song Yingshi's interest in taking group photos with Huai Xu was obvious. From time to time, she would pause the photo shoot to check on the captured images. Then, after discussing with Qu Qing, they would instruct Huai Xu on how to better adjust her poses.

After the photo shoot, Qu Qing sent the gathered material to the studio for post-production, and after some simple processing, the photos were shared on Song Yingshi's and Huai Xu's Weibo accounts.

Even without checking, Song Yingshi could already tell it would be a joyous day for Snow-Kissed Rose fans.

Song Yingshi also received her share of happiness—

"Congratulations, Host. You have completed the daily mission 'Take 10 photos with Huai Xu' and received 24 hours of Life Points," the system announced before crossing out an entry on the mission list.

Shortly after the photo shoot, Qu Qing and Huai Xu left for Fu Qi's studio, leaving Song Yingshi home alone. Upon hearing the system's announcement, she hummed a song and danced on tiptoe as she inspected her mission list.

Currently, the only "In Progress" mission was the special "hug" mission from last night. Although she had already fulfilled the first requirement of hugging Huai Xu on stage for five seconds, she still needed to fulfill the second condition of having it seen by enough people. However, there wasn't anything she could do about this requirement, and she could only wait for more people to see it.

Thus, Song Yingshi was technically out of missions to do.

But just as Song Yingshi was about to pull her attention away from the system, a new line of text suddenly appeared in her mind.

Special Mission: Take the initiative to snuggle up to Huai Xu like a little puppy and act coquettishly for 30 seconds.

Song Yingshi: ?

Song Yingshi was angry.

Who would want to act like a puppy?