Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 72.1

The light coming from the projector reflected off the screen, vaguely illuminating the seating area and giving it a misty atmosphere.

Huai Xu breathed steadily as she waited for Song Yingshi's answer.

It would be inaccurate to say that Huai Xu cared much about Song Yingshi's answer. No matter what Song Yingshi's answer was, it wouldn't change the answer she had arbitrarily filled in herself.

However, Huai Xu would be lying if she said she didn't care about Song Yingshi's answer in the slightest. After all, she cared about everything that came out of Song Yingshi's mouth.

These two contradictory thoughts merged within Huai Xu's body, influencing her behavior.

Although Huai Xu's eyes were on the screen, her ears were focused on Song Yingshi. After three seconds of waiting, she heard Song Yingshi saying, "Effort comes in various forms, and certain plots do have morals. But when it comes to this family's way of doing things…you're best off not learning for them. Not to mention, you've always done whatever you think is right, so…" So, my answer won't change anything.

Huai Xu casually swept her gaze over to Song Yingshi, her eyes taking in the bright eyes and straight nose under Song Yingshi's thick eyelashes.

Although Song Yingshi was usually very outspoken, she would become elusive like mist when facing real problems. Huai Xu also equated Song Yingshi to a jar of strong liquor, occasionally sharing some of its content and causing her soul to tremble.

While Huai Xu was annoyed that Song Yingshi refused to answer her properly, she was even more fascinated by Song Yingshi's nimble mind.

Huai Xu caressed the grainy armrest under her hand, the corners of her lips raising slightly. After a long pause, she said, "Did someone just pass by?"

Eventually, the conversation turned full circle and returned to the movie.

…

Two hours passed in a flash, and "Parasite" was over.

In reality, this was already the second movie this morning. The first movie started at 7 AM.

It was already nearing 11 AM, so there wasn't enough time for a third movie. Seeing this, Kou Lengyu asked the staff for a microphone and started a karaoke showdown.

Quan Yuanyuan hosted the showdown, waving her hands and jumping on stage as she shouted, "Star of Spring's first Queen of Karaoke has started! Those interested, quickly sign up! Where are our vocalists? Let me see your hands—"

There were quite a few vocalists present, but to everyone's surprise, Wu Wei was the first person to go on stage.

Wu Wei had always been introverted. Besides the time when she sang for a Star Card, she had never taken the initiative to enter the spotlight. Although Wu Wei's popularity had temporarily skyrocketed after the impromptu event was aired, she only managed to retain a very small portion of that popularity due to her mediocrity.

Facing everyone's gaze, Wu Wei tensed up her face and said, "Um… I wrote another song."

Everyone came to a realization. No wonder Wu Wei had suddenly gained the courage to enter the spotlight again. It turned out that she had written a new song.

Song Yingshi smiled and said, "Wu Wei, hurry up and sing it for us."

Huai Xu also paid attention to Wu Wei. She had a good impression of this talented classmate.

Wu Wei grabbed a guitar from backstage and plucked the strings a few times before singing.

After hearing just one verse, the trainees present were in shock.

Huai Xu raised her eyebrows and muttered, "This is…"

Song Yingshi opened her mouth and said, "I heard your name. It's even in the first sentence. Wu Wei must be a huge fan of yours."

"You were mentioned in the second sentence. Maybe she's a CP fan," Huai Xu responded.

Song Yingshi: "..."

Song Yingshi stopped speaking and focused on listening to the song. Huai Xu chuckled and similarly listened to the song in earnest, carefully identifying the names in the lyrics.

Indeed, Wu Wei had written their names into a song.

All 101 trainees' names were in this song.

As Wu Wei played and sang, the names that were gradually forgotten by the camera and the audience came to life in this wide yet narrow studio.

Xu Yi, Liu Qingqing, Li Tinghan…

These people who had left Star of Spring and disappeared into the river of time were momentarily pulled back into everyone's mind. They smiled and said hello before resuming their sprint toward their respective futures.

As for those who remained in Star of Spring and found their names in the lyrics, they inadvertently felt a sense of connection with those mentioned before and after them. They also felt a sense of belonging.

There might not be a banquet that lasted forever, but this song would remain in their minds for eternity.

Eventually, Wu Wei's fingers strummed the last note.

The trainees unanimously stood up and gave Wu Wei a standing ovation.

"Way to go, Wu Wei!"

"Can you show me your lyrics? I don't quite understand my sentence…"

"Amazing!"

Wu Wei struggled to respond to the praises of the extroverted trainees before her. Eventually, she had no choice but to shout, "Let me say something!"

Everyone spontaneously stopped talking and waited for Wu Wei's important speech.

Wu Wei: "..."

Despite getting what she wanted, Wu Wei couldn't help but feel a little awkward in this situation. Weakly, she said, "I… I feel that I'll be leaving tomorrow, so I wanted to use this opportunity to share my song with everyone. How was it?"

"It's wonderful! Big sis loves you to death!"

"Stop trying to hog the spotlight. Do you think you're the main target of her question?"

At these words, everyone finally noticed that Wu Wei's eyes were flickering, and she seemed to be blankly staring in a particular direction.

When everyone followed Wu Wei's line of sight, they saw Huai Xu and Song Yingshi seated side by side, with no one else beside them.

Immediately, everyone realized that Wu Wei was looking for Huai Xu's acknowledgement.

At this point, every vocalist in Star of Spring regarded Huai Xu not as a fellow trainee but a mentor. They all harbored a strange but real sense of admiration for her.

Responding to Wu Wei's expectations, Huai Xu stood up, smiled, and said, "Your creation is very warm. It also sounds very good."

Wu Wei: !!

Wu Wei, who was normally introverted, jumped up with her guitar in hand, and her fingers swiftly played a lively tune.

"Look at how happy that got you!"

The other trainees laughed happily.

After Wu Wei started the show with her heartwarming performance, many trainees went on stage to sing and have fun.

Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Song Yingshi and Huai Xu moved seats to the second row in the front and leaned back as they hummed along with the beat.

Somewhere down the line, Lu Xuewen suddenly offered the microphone to Huai Xu and said, "Huai Xu, aren't you going to sing? Wait, no… A duet! Snow-Kissed Rose should sing a duet!"

Many trainees followed suit and started cheering for a duet.

Huai Xu glanced at Lu Xuewen, causing her to shrink back timidly and mutter, "Give the CP fans some fan service."

Huai Xu accepted the microphone but didn't look at Song Yingshi. Instead, she asked everyone, "I'll sing, but what do you want to hear?"

"Ah…" Lu Xuewen immediately grew disappointed.

"Are you really not singing a duet?" Tao Qin asked.

Everyone's disappointment was palpable.

However, Song Yingshi and Huai Xu seemed to be standing on a united front and sharing a tacit understanding. Before Huai Xu could say anything, Song Yingshi smiled and said, "A duet between me and Instructor Huai? Wouldn't I be embarrassing myself?"

Tao Qin suddenly had an idea and was about to suggest that Song Yingshi complement Huai Xu's song with a dance, but Song Yingshi seemed to have read her mind, as her following words were:

"Let's sing separately. I want to sing, too."

At this statement, everyone had no choice but to give up on their wish.

While looking for the accompaniment, Huai Xu turned off the microphone and asked Song Yingshi in a whisper, "What are you going to sing, Instructor Song? Orange Jasmine?" (Ref. Chapter 30)

Huai Xu had never forgotten Instructor Song's signature song.

Song Yingshi: "..."

Song Yingshi wanted to lose her temper but was too lazy to argue with Huai Xu.

Huai Xu smirked at Song Yingshi's response. Just as she was about to say something, Song Yingshi suddenly leaned toward her, casting a shadow over her before saying, "I Like You."[1]

Huai Xu's mind and body screamed under the pressure of these three words. Her pupils also contracted, and her stomach cramped.

Meanwhile, Song Yingshi retreated to her seat, her expression relaxed. After putting her hair behind her ears, she looked at Huai Xu and shrugged, saying, "It's the song's name.

…

Due to the second public performance having more content, three partial episodes were released from July 2nd to July 4th. The voting channel was also opened on the 2nd.

On July 5th, at 12 PM, the voting channel was closed, and votes were tallied.

The content of this episode focused on the trainees' daily life and second public performance. An idol survival show might be able to increase its popularity through memes and trending topics on the internet, but its success was still primarily rooted in the quality of its performances.

A quality performance could keep old viewers captivated and attract many new viewers.

For Star of Spring, a show that had already made a name for itself, performance highlights were more a verification of its professional standards and a means to push the show's quality to a level that better matched its popularity.

After the second public performance's screening, "Lights On," a performance of pure pleasure, was shared like crazy on Weibo.

"Although both performances are equal caliber, I like 'Lights On' more. #OneVoteDifference #Heart"

Many netizens reacted as such toward Team "Lights On" losing. Huai Xu's performance on stage was captivating, and Wan Jiao's performance in the center position was equally radiant, and the other members all had their strengths.

"Ah, why did they lose? It's such a pity."

"This is what happens in a strong match-up."

"All you guys see is the one-vote difference. What I care more about is the scene where Instructor Song jumps onto Instructor Huai. If they're willing to show such intimacy on camera, think about all the other things they've been doing off camera!"

#SpringStarOneVoteDifference quickly trended on Weibo.

When one clicked on this topic, they would find many comparison videos comparing "Unavoidable" and "Lights On."

A one-vote difference meant it would only take one audience member to change their mind for a different outcome. It also meant that the two performances were equally matched. Even if a person liked one performance more than the other due to personal preferences, they couldn't say that the other performance was bad.

"Although I typically sympathize with the losing team, I am convinced of Team Lights On's victory. #OK"

"The standards of this season's Spring Star are absurdly high."

"Song Yingshi will shine!!! The ending killed me!!!"

Besides comparison videos, the trending topic contained photos of various trainees, beautiful screenshots, and highlight GIFs. When those unaware of Star of Spring clicked into the trending topic, many were quickly captivated by the variety and quality of content. This, in turn, pushed Star of Spring's popularity to a whole new level.

Additionally, in the following period, it became a trend for female content creators on a certain video streaming platform to replicate the two performances.

TL Notes:
[1]Like You (喜欢你)
Youtube Link:
Cantonese version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OqXWzekVw4
Chinese version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7iIbaSDyocI

The Cantonese version is the original and the most popular.