Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 66.1

—Isn't that Snow-Kissed Rose?

Song Yingshi choked on her saliva when she saw this line. After quickly turning and seeing that Huai Xu was indeed still working in the kitchen and not on her phone, she curled up on the sofa and quickly responded to the message with a question mark, pretending to be calm.

Little Hatchling: "?"

The other party: "Hahahaha, this is what I imagine my CP's daily life is like the past two days. What a coincidence."

After the group photos were shared yesterday, every Snow-Kissed Rose fan assumed that their idols were living together sweetly during their two-day holiday. The timing of Little Hatchling's holiday also coincided with Song Yingshi and Huai Xu's holiday.

Immediately, other group members joined in on the fun.

Need More Sugar: "You're not my idol, are you? Is it you, Baby Xu?"

Little Painter: "Noooo! My Huai Xu would never sleep in!"

Cute 1: "Then, does that mean Little Hatchling is Little Shi?"

After getting caught off guard, Song Yingshi quickly calmed down and gave an impeccable excuse.

Little Hatchling: "She and I sleep separately. We don't sleep in the same bed."

The effects of these words were spontaneous.

Four-Year-Old 1: "You can't be my CP, then. Excuse me."

I Want to Be 1: "I must've woken up too early today. I'm going back to dreaming of cuddling with Little Shi."

Seductive 0: "I thought so. My CP has long since achieved HE. They're not struggling like Little Hatchling is, hahaha."

You CP fans' beliefs are really unshakeable, huh? Song Yingshi thought as she massaged the bridge of her nose.

After successfully evading the topic, Song Yingshi began humbly asking for advice on things she didn't understand before.

Little Hatchling: "Why wouldn't Huai Xu sleep in?"

Little Artist: "That's how it works for 1s. Only 0s would struggle to get out of bed."

Song Yingshi: ?

Wait, if Huai Xu's not the 1…who else could it be? So, this Little Painter thinks I'm the 0???

Ha, ridiculous.

Song Yingshi raised her pretty chin and looked down at her phone as she typed a response.

Little Hatchling: "Song Yingshi's the 1."

In this group, discussing Snow-Kissed Rose's power dynamics was the key to starting a lively conversation. Song Yingshi wasn't interested in arguing with them whether she or Huai Xu should be on top, so before a faction war began, she said calmly: "But they're both women, so the difference between 1 and 0 should be negligible. Both ways should work the same."

Of course, Song Yingshi firmly believed she would be the one on top (1).

Little Thighs: "Ehem… Little Hatchling, do you know the difference between 1s and 0s in yuri?"

Little Hatchling: "I don't know."

Apart from representing top and bottom, Song Yingshi didn't know what else 1 and 0 represented in the lesbian circle. However, no matter how she looked at it, there was no way Huai Xu could compare with her. She was obviously top material.

Moreover, Song Yingshi was confident in her learning abilities. Even if she knew nothing about being a top, she was sure she could learn the ins and outs in no time.

As soon as Song Yingshi sent her message, the chat momentarily froze before a bunch of messages flooded it.

Looking at the screen full of "Hahaha" and "How cute," Song Yingshi couldn't help but frown.

Immediately, Song Yingshi sought help from the almighty Baidu, Zhihu, and Weibo to discover the deeper meaning behind the lesbian circle's 1s and 0s. However, before she exited the group chat, she saw someone sharing a link.

Super Nice Big Sister: "Little Hatchling, take a look at this [link]. You'll get what we mean once you read it. *head pat*"

Principal of Spring Star Kindergarten: "You'll grow up and graduate from kindergarten after reading it, wink wink."

Song Yingshi didn't expect everyone to be so considerate. She politely messaged a "thank you," but before she clicked on the link, she asked: "Can this link be opened within the country?" [TL: a.k.a., Does this require a VPN?]

Everyone: "It's not as perverse as you think!!!"

Song Yingshi found everyone's reaction funny and laughed out loud.

After getting a good laugh, Song Yingshi clicked on the link that would presumably open the doors to a whole new world. What appeared on her phone next was a screen full of text, but she discovered it was an inverted image, and she had trouble processing the words.

Just as Song Yingshi was about to download the image to flip it, a voice suddenly came from above her, asking, "Are you having fun chatting?"

Song Yingshi was startled, and she backhandedly closed the web browser and placed her phone screen-side down on her lap.

Slowly, Song Yingshi raised her head and saw Huai Xu standing behind the sofa. Despite her awkward viewing angle, Huai Xu's face appeared as beautiful as ever, and her jawline was clear and sharp.

Song Yingshi rested her neck on the back of the sofa and blinked.

How much had Huai Xu seen? Or did she just arrive?

Song Yingshi believed that Huai Xu wasn't the kind of person to peek at other people's phones. Not to mention, she herself hadn't gotten a good look at the image, so it was even more unlikely that Huai Xu had seen anything. In that case, why should she feel guilty?

Upon reaching this conclusion, Song Yingshi said calmly, "I was just chatting with random people on the internet."

To further emphasize her point, Song Yingshi added, "You know how it is with online chat groups. Everyone's just talking about a bunch of nonsense."

Huai Xu didn't show whether she believed or doubted Song Yingshi's words. She simply pinched the tip of Song Yingshi's nose and said, "Food's ready."

Huai Xu left after saying so, leaving Song Yingshi by herself rubbing her nose. After a long delay, Song Yingshi replied, "Okay."

Huai Xu's cooking style was different from Song Yingshi's. Song Yingshi tended to cook quick dishes, while Huai Xu was more patient. Since it was nearly 11 o'clock now, their meal could be considered lunch, so Huai Xu prepared a rich pork rib soup.

When Song Yingshi bit into a rib and noticed its tenderness, she asked how much time was spent cooking it, to which Huai Xu replied two hours.

After taking two sips of the soup, Song Yingshi suddenly recalled Huai Xu mentioning having woken up at around half past nine. Considering the current time, it didn't take much for her to figure out that a certain someone had lied.

Halfway through the meal, Song Yingshi asked, "Have you decided where to go today? We still have around four hours of free time before our flight."

After a slight pause, Huai Xu said, "There's an exhibition—"

Before Huai Xu could finish speaking, Song Yingshi's phone rang. It was a call from Li Yining (Song Yingshi's assistant).

After a brief conversation on the phone, Song Yingshi hung up the call, quickly finished her food, and looked at Huai Xu apologetically, "I have to go to the studio…"

Huai Xu hummed and did not bother to ask if they would be going to the exhibition after the studio visit. With her chopsticks in hand, she asked calmly, "What came up?"

In response, Song Yingshi smiled and said, "Someone contacted Yining asking if I wanted to interview for a role in a movie."

The entertainment industry was a large circle with complicated networking. Even Li Yining was a little surprised when someone reached out to the studio through a director friend of hers to invite Song Yingshi to an interview.

When the episode of Song Pianxian and Lin Qinglu's guest appearance on Star of Spring aired, it had indeed caused quite a stir on the internet. Song Yingshi, in particular, attracted a lot of attention after Lin Qinglu praised her acting skills. [Ref. Chapter 42.2]

However, in the absence of marketing, costumes, and props, only Song Yingshi's fans genuinely cared about her acting skills, while everyone else remained focused on her singing and dancing skills. Hence, in a situation where she had yet to debut, her value as an artist should be limited. It didn't make sense for anyone to extend an olive branch to her so soon.

Upon further probing, Li Yining learned that the director of the movie in question was a close friend of Lin Qinglu. Then, when she considered Lin Qinglu's attitude toward Song Yingshi, she no longer found this situation strange.

…

After Song Yingshi met up with Li Yining at Magnificent Studio's office…

"It's not an important role. You can think of it as a guest appearance," Li Yining explained. She was aware that Song Yingshi had never worked as an actor or been part of a film crew before, so she explained things very clearly.

"Multiple scenes will be filmed simultaneously to save money, so you'll only have to spend one or two days on-site. Based on the schedule I was given, assuming you manage to debut through Star of Spring, even if the production crew assigns you other plans, you should be able to squeeze two days out for this movie. This is a valuable opportunity, so I think you should go for it."

Originally, after discussing and planning with Qu Qing, Li Yining had intended to let Song Yingshi make her debut in the film industry through historical and urban idol dramas to establish her character. She never thought an opportunity to enter the big screen would present itself before Song Yingshi had even finished filming Star of Spring. Moreover, the movie in question had already begun filming.

According to the schedule provided, Song Yingshi was required to film her part in early August, and filming of the movie should conclude by mid-August. If production proceeded smoothly, the movie should hit the theaters within one and a half years. As long as the market's response was good, Song Yingshi wouldn't have to worry about getting parts in movies in the future, and she would have both fame and fortune.

Song Yingshi hummed and browsed the script Li Yining had sent to her.

Generally, if a director was willing to share a movie's script with an actor, it meant the director strongly preferred the actor. As long as no unexpected changes occurred, the interview for the role would only be a formality.

The movie this time was of the xianxia genre. The director, Ning Xiao, was a famous female director. She had a keen eye for hot topics; every movie she directed was a hit in theatres.

The role Song Yingshi received was that of the heroine's hermit elder. She was to serve as the heroine's "cheat code" and raise the power ceiling of martial prowess in the movie. She would also double as one of the heroine's in-laws. It wasn't a challenging role, and its existence was mainly an embellishment to the movie, so even amateur actors could pull it off.

When Song Yingshi realized the part she was given, she understood why Ning Xiao would dare to invite her despite having never seen her at work. She was likely chosen for her face. Not to mention, Lin Qinglu's recommendation also served as a guarantee.

Regardless, Song Yingshi did not mind being eye candy. What she was considering was whether she should continue pursuing a career in acting.

After reincarnating to this life, Song Yingshi no longer considered acting as a necessity. She only joined the entertainment industry to accompany Huai Xu. She also finally felt the charm of the stage in the second public performance.

However, perhaps Song Yingshi had gotten addicted to snatching scripts and opportunities in her previous life, but when she saw this perfect opportunity served to her on a silver platter, she couldn't bring herself to refuse it.

When Li Yining saw Song Yingshi in deep thought, she glanced at Qu Qing's office through the glass.

Currently, Huai Xu, who had visited the studio with Song Yingshi, was in the middle of discussing something with Qu Qing.

Nonchalantly, Li Yining added, "Also, the casting director mentioned that Director Ning knows about the popularity of the CP between you and Huai Xu. If you accept the role, Director Ning will try to get the screenwriter to add another role for Huai Xu."

She's adding another guest role for Huai Xu? In other words… Song Yingshi set her phone on the table and said with an ambiguous smile, "She wants to take advantage of our popularity?"

Song Yingshi had to admit that Ning Xiao was a capable film director. Besides having a keen eye, the woman also knew how to leverage marketing opportunities.

Li Yining thought Ning Xiao's scheme had angered Song Yingshi. Smiling helplessly, she said, "But can you blame her? You two are just too popular right now… So, should I refuse the role?"

Li Yining was fully aware that Song Yingshi's wishes came first, not the studio's performance. So long as Song Yingshi showed even the slightest hint of reluctance, she would reconsider the script's value. Not to mention, Ning Xiao's movie wasn't their only option.

If Song Yingshi wanted to film a movie, it would be all too simple to accomplish.

Just as Li Yining was getting ready to seek other similar work, she heard Song Yingshi saying, "Why? I'll take it."

Li Yining: "Hmm?"

Standing up, Song Yingshi smiled and said, "This shows that the person who understands the market the most has seen our commercial value. This is good news."

Li Yining: "But I thought…"

Song Yingshi interrupted Li Yining and said firmly, "Not only are we going to film it, but we're even going to invest in it. I want Ning Xiao and everyone else to understand the true value of Snow-Kissed Rose."

Realization dawned on Li Yining. Her boss was trying to raise the commercial value of Snow-Kissed Rose!

While other idols were using fan service to hype their CPs, Song Yingshi was using money to hype her CP with Huai Xu! Incredible!

…

After Song Yingshi and Li Yining discussed the appropriate investment amount, the latter hurriedly contacted the casting director to get in touch with Ning Xiao.

When Ning Xiao heard that Magnificent Studio wanted to invest 50 million yuan into her movie, her eyes went wide with disbelief. Immediately, she invited Li Yining to meet and discuss the investment in detail.

After concluding the video call with Ning Xiao, Li Yining promptly left to meet Ning Xiao, leaving Song Yingshi alone in her office.

Once by herself, Song Yingshi restrained her expression, revealing a hint of coldness that she rarely showed others.

Song Yingshi could surmise what was on Li Yining's mind before. Li Yining likely assumed she didn't wish to commercialize her relationship with Huai Xu. But as she had just come to terms with her feelings last night, this consideration never really crossed her mind previously.

In Song Yingshi's opinion, the act of coupling was tacitly understood by all parties as a symbiotic relationship between celebrities and fans. However, as she didn't need the benefits of this relationship, she had never considered getting involved. Not to mention, prior to yesterday, she had yet to consider whether she would seriously get involved with the entertainment industry of this world. But now, she had to think about it carefully for Huai Xu's sake.

Huai Xu was full of longing and expectations for her future career. She was slowly making her way up in the industry and had a bright future ahead of her.

Song Yingshi wanted to see Huai Xu succeed, even if some of the cost was destined to be less than scrupulous.

The only major concern now was that Snow-Kissed Rose had gotten too popular. Although there had been rumors that same-sex marriage was about to be legalized within the country, it had never been truly implemented. How would the various parties react if they came out of the closet as public figures, turning fantasy into reality? The risk was too high, and Song Yingshi dared not gamble with Huai Xu's career.

When facing Li Yining before, Song Yingshi realized that this matter was like a landmine. If this matter wasn't handled carefully, it might just turn their world upside down. Hence, she reacted swiftly and decisively, choosing to go with the flow—

Since their inseparable relationship was already misunderstood as a marketing strategy by Star of Spring, so long as Snow-Kissed Rose's popularity continued, their "marketing period" could be extended indefinitely.

Thinking up to this point, Song Yingshi shook her head and laughed. It had only been a day since she realized her feelings, yet she had already begun to consider how she was going to spend the rest of her life with Huai Xu. This was such a strange and funny situation.

"I'm doing this for the sake of Life Points. Mhm, that's right," Song Yingshi muttered, finding a more reasonable excuse for her behavior.

When Song Yingshi lifted her head, she saw that Huai Xu had, at some point, left Qu Qing's office and was looking at her phone in the corridor outside.

Her figure was as slender as always, and a strand of long hair was hanging down on her cheek. Simply looking at her standing there was enough to make Song Yingshi's heart skip a beat.

Putting on a bright smile, Song Yingshi stood up and walked over toward Huai Xu.