Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 7

At Huai Xu's question, Song Yingshi suddenly remembered she had yet to mention her participation in the Star of Spring to Huai Xu. Since it wasn't something she intended to hide, she openly admitted, "That's right."

"Are you looking to become a celebrity?" Huai Xu asked, raising an eyebrow.

It's because of you, my precious lifesaving charm, Song Yingshi thought. Of course, she couldn't say such a thing unless she wanted to be mistaken for a stalker. Thus, she looked into the distance, as if seeing a distant future, and said in a profound tone, "I yearn for the stage."

Huai Xu chuckled.

"What's so funny? Aren't you the same?" Song Yingshi said, puffing up her cheeks in dissatisfaction.

"I prefer the appearance fee Director Wu offered," Huai Xu said.

So you were that down-to-earth? How about I pay you double, and we can skip this whole survival show? Song Yingshi had the urge to ask Huai Xu such a question, but she knew Huai Xu wouldn't take her money. Hah… The troubles of having money but nowhere to spend it…

…

After sharing a silent meal with Huai Xu, Song Yingshi returned home.

Song Yingshi hadn't forgotten how she had boldly declared to Song Ming to report her keeping of Huai Xu to the rest of the family. However, to her surprise, she had not received any calls from home the entire day.

Returning home, she learned that Song Ming had yet to visit her home. However, she was unsure if it was because he had yet to sober up or something else had happened.

Before the original Song Yingshi returned from her studies abroad, Song Yingshi's father, Song Cheng, and mother, Xu Conghan, were the only members of the Song family living in the Song family residence all year round.

Song Cheng and Xu Conghan had only one daughter. Hence, after transmigrating into this world, Song Yingshi sensibly took on the duties of being their daughter.

Song Cheng was at B City for a business meeting, so only Song Yingshi and Xu Conghan were at the dining table today.

As Song Cheng often had to go socializing or on business trips, Xu Conghan would always find herself dining alone in the spacious dining room during these times. Unable to bear to see her mother endure such loneliness, Song Yingshi always had breakfast and dinner at home unless she was busy with a mission.

Xu Conghan loved wearing pearl jewelry. They made her already gentle appearance look even more gentler. She also kept her face well-maintained, having no noticeable wrinkles. She would only show faint signs of crow's feet whenever she smiled.

As Song Yingshi shared a striking semblance with Xu Conghan, whenever Song Yingshi looked at Xu Conghan, she felt like she was looking at herself twenty years into the future.

"Mom, do you remember the survival show I told you about? The one I said I was going to participate in," Song Yingshi said, deciding to come clean with her parents before a certain someone came to tell on her.

"The one called Spring-something-Camp, right? The one your Uncle Wang's company is running," Xu Conghan said, racking her mind. "I remember."

When Song Yingshi mentioned the survival show to her parents previously, she received their approval without much persuasion. They even suggested using their connections with Peach Tree Media's executives to smoothen things for her. However, they ultimately refrained from doing so after she insisted she wanted to rely on her looks and talent to succeed rather than her family's connections.

Nodding to her mother's words, Song Yingshi said, "I'll have to leave for the production set soon. If I only get eliminated late into the program, I might have to stay there for three or four months."

"Nonsense. How can my outstanding daughter get eliminated?" Xu Conghan reprimanded softly. Then, she narrowed her eyes and added, "I'll see who dares to eliminate you."

Song Yingshi choked on her food at her mother's last sentence. After coughing a few times and composing herself, she finally got to the point, saying, "Mom, I'm bringing this up to tell you that I'll be participating with a friend. It's a complicated situation, so I need to explain it to you first."

"Go ahead, I'm listening," Xu Conghan said, setting down her chopsticks.

"I met this friend long ago," Song Yingshi said, fabricating a story about her friendship with Huai Xu. "When I went to watch the audition that day, I happened across Song Ming bullying her. His behavior was very out of line, so I scared him off and warned him that I'll come after him if he dares to bully her again."

Song Yingshi wrinkled her nose in an attempt to put on a fierce expression. However, all she did was make her mother laugh.

"He even said he'd come to you to tattle on me. He's so shameless," Song Yingshi said, playing the victim. "Mom, don't take his words seriously if he does come to you, okay?"

"I won't," Xu Conghan promised. "Also, when did you meet this friend of yours? What is her name?"

Rather than Song Ming, Xu Conghan was more interested in learning about her daughter's friend.

"I met her before going abroad," Song Yingshi lied as naturally as she breathed. "She is a schoolmate from middle school. Her name is Huai Xu."

"Huai Xu," Xu Conghan recited. Then, she smiled and said, "Since you two are close, invite her over sometime. I want to meet her as well."

…

Late into the evening, Song Yingshi fell into thought as she lay on her bed.

Although Song Yingshi eventually managed to brush off her mother's request with an "I will if the opportunity arises," she hadn't expected Xu Conghan to express such great interest in Huai Xu. After looking through her inherited memories, she understood why this was the case.

The original Song Yingshi had lived abroad for most of her adolescent years, which led to Xu Conghan not having a particularly close relationship with her daughter. Now that there was an opportunity to learn more about her daughter, it was only natural for Xu Conghan to try to grasp it.

Song Yingshi's acting instructor once told her she had strong empathy. While this empathetic personality gave her the advantage of quickly grasping and immersing herself in roles, it also made her easy to influence.

Because of this, Song Yingshi couldn't help but make guesses at Xu Conghan's thoughts and start to sympathize with her new mother.

Song Yingshi dared not say her current relationship with Huai Xu was good. Fortunately, their relationship wasn't as confrontational as it originally was, either. If there came a day when she became friends with Huai Xu, she would do her best to fulfill her mother's wish.

Become friends with Huai Xu, huh…

With this thought in mind, Song Yingshi fell asleep and experienced a dream.

In the dream, a flamboyant white rose chased after her across a rooftop and down a spiral staircase. Her body felt as light as a white dove as she dashed down the stairs. For a moment, she even felt like she could fly.

However, as she reached the bottom of the staircase, the flamboyant white rose scattered its petals to obscure her sight and pricked her with its thorns. In her distracted state, her foot stepped on air, and she fell into a puddle of rainwater.

Song Yingshi woke up from her dream with a start, her right foot stretched high into the air.

After realizing everything was but a dream, Song Yingshi hugged her pillow and sulked as she stared at the drizzle outside the window. Then, amidst the pitter-patter of rain, she swore never to befriend the prickly Huai Xu before falling asleep, this time without dreams.

…

The rain lasted throughout the night and continued to drizzle in the morning.

When Song Yingshi smelled the scent of soil, she gave up on her morning run and took a taxi to the hotel.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Song Yingshi learned that Huai Xu had taken the day off without giving a reason.

Song Yingshi frowned, having a bad premonition. Immediately, she pulled up her WeChat to ask Huai Xu why she had taken leave. But just as she was about to call Huai Xu, the system showed up with a mission:

"Daily Missions updated: Take care of the sick Huai Xu."

"..." Song Yingshi was momentarily rendered speechless by the system's impeccable timing. Then, she called her sick employee and asked, "Where are you?"

"I've taken the day off," Huai Xu answered, her voice sounding as calm as always.

"I know, so where are you now?" Song Yingshi asked patiently.

"I'm on leave. It's my free time now, Boss," Huai Xu reiterated.

This was the first time Song Yingshi had heard Huai Xu address her as "Boss," and she couldn't help but find it amusing. Of course, she knew that what Huai Xu really wanted to say was, "Please mind your own business and let your employee spend her time off in peace."

"I forgot to tell you, but your 200k monthly salary requires you to be on call 24/7, 365 days a year," Song Yingshi remarked playfully.

No response came from the other end.

"Can you tell me where you are now?" Song Yingshi asked.

Beep— Beep— Beep—

Song Yingshi stared at the disconnected call in exasperation.

How was this female protagonist supposed to be a delicate and charming woman? She was clearly an aloof and intimidating flower!

Before Song Yingshi could call Huai Xu again, she received a WeChat message. Upon opening it, she saw Huai Xu had sent her an address.

Hmph. That's more like it.

The generous Boss Song decided to forgive her employee and promptly took a taxi to the address.

When Song Yingshi told the taxi driver she was in a hurry to take care of a sick friend, the driver did his best to weave through traffic. Nonetheless, as it was rush hour, it still took her over an hour to reach the residential district where Huai Xu stayed.

As various stalls lined the sides of the road outside the residential district's entrance, Song Yingshi had the driver drop her off some distance away from the entrance. After thanking the driver, she got out of the vehicle and looked around under the cover of her umbrella.

There were pools of rainwater all over the street, and a faint, putrid odor lingered in the air. As Song Yingshi walked down the street and avoided the puddles, she came across a pharmacy, where she stopped to buy a thermometer, fever medicine, amoxicillin, and other common medical supplies and medications. She also bought a portion of white porridge and soup dumplings when she passed by a breakfast stall.

With food and medicine in hand, Song Yingshi wasted no time as she headed into the residential district.

As this was an old residential district, most houses no longer had their house plates, so Song Yingshi asked for directions from a middle-aged woman who was out for morning exercise. As luck would have it, the woman not only knew where Huai Xu lived but also knew who Huai Xu was. It also turned out that the apartment complex where Huai Xu stayed was just a short distance behind her.

After thanking the woman, Song Yingshi was about to head over to the building when the middle-aged woman suddenly stopped her and whispered, "Little girl, are you classmates or friends with that girl?"

"I'm her friend," Song Yingshi answered.

"How long have you known her?" the woman asked.

It was common for middle-aged women to have a nosy personality, so Song Yingshi didn't think too much about the other party's question and answered, "Not really."

"Ah, I knew it!" the middle-aged woman exclaimed. "You seem to come from a good family! Listen to me, and don't get tricked by your friend! That girl is incredibly arrogant and can't even be bothered to look others straight in the eye!"

Song Yingshi frowned at the middle-aged woman's remarks and said, "Miss, my friend just reached adulthood. You shouldn't talk about her like that."

Huai Xu might behave coldly toward others, but Song Yingshi believed it was a self-defense mechanism Huai Xu had developed from being bullied since childhood. Although she would often forget that Huai Xu had just turned 18 because of the other party's personality, once she remembered Huai Xu's age and experiences, she could never stay annoyed at Huai Xu.

At Song Yingshi's words, the middle-aged woman's eyes widened as she said, "Unbelievable… She's only 18 and already up to no good."

Song Yingshi couldn't be bothered to argue with the middle-aged woman, simply turning around and walking away.

It was impossible to reason with someone so prejudiced. The middle-aged woman also seemed like the type of person to blow things out of proportion, so there was no point in taking her seriously. Song Yingshi dared to say that should she ask the woman to back up her words with evidence, the other party would likely respond with "I heard it from someone else" or "Everyone's saying so."

When Song Yingshi thought about how Huai Xu was living in such a toxic environment, she couldn't help but be upset for Huai Xu. Even after arriving outside Huai Xu's home, her expression remained slightly ugly.

After Song Yingshi knocked on the door, she vaguely heard the sound of shuffling slippers. Shortly after, the door opened to reveal Huai Xu.

When Huai Xu saw Song Yingshi, she coughed twice and asked, "Still mad about me hanging up on you?"

"No," Song Yingshi responded.

"Did someone else anger you?" Huai Xu asked.

"Nobody did," Song Yingshi answered curtly, refusing to elaborate.

After saying so, Song Yingshi entered the house and looked up, only to be stunned and mesmerized by Huai Xu's current state.

Perhaps due to her coughing or mild fever, Huai Xu's cheeks were flushed with a delicate pink hue, making the rest of her face seem even paler. Her brows and eyes were like delicate strokes of ink, and her lips, like a rose coated in dew, exuded an inexplicable sense of beauty and softness. The extreme contrast of colors, combined with the vulnerability hidden seeping out of her icy expression, created a breathtaking sight that simultaneously evoked Song Yingshi's desire to protect and destroy.

Seeing that Song Yingshi was staring at her, Huai Xu pulled out a chair and said, "Have a seat."

Song Yingshi snapped out of her daze at these words. Feeling a little awkward from her recent lapse, she sat down and asked, "Do you have a fever?"

"It's only a mild fever. I've taken medicine, so I just need to rest for a day," Huai Xu answered concisely, implying that she didn't need help to take care of herself.

Song Yingshi could tell Huai Xu did not welcome her, but she couldn't leave. After all, her mission was to take care of Huai Xu.

Thus, Song Yingshi ignored the implications of Huai Xu's words and asked, "Have you eaten? If not, I brought some food. If you've already eaten, then get back to bed. I'll take care of you."

"I don't need your care," Huai Xu said.

"But I need it," Song Yingshi responded.

"?" Huai Xu stared at Song Yingshi in confusion.

Ignoring the strange look Huai Xu was giving her, Song Yingshi said sincerely, "I don't have many hobbies, but of the few I've picked up, one of them is taking care of the sick."

"..."