Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 76

Song Yingshi was walking when the system showed up, and she tripped on air when she heard what it had to say. Subconsciously, she grabbed Huai Xu's arm to steady herself. If Huai Xu hadn't reflexively caught her in response, she might've fallen down the stairs.

"Is something on your mind? You nearly fell," Huai Xu softly berated with a frown.

Song Yingshi straightened herself, a sense of trepidation still lingering within her. The words "Thank goodness you are here" nearly escaped her lips, but then she recalled the system's latest mission.

When Song Yingshi looked at Huai Xu with her mission in mind, the person before her suddenly became her target of seduction…

Why wasn't her mission to force a kiss upon Huai Xu?

While Song Yingshi was letting her thoughts wander, her mouth responded to Huai Xu, "Mhm… I was just thinking about our past two days of practice."

"Practice?" Huai Xu tilted her head.

"Our progress. At our current pace, we should be able to finish by—" Song Yingshi suddenly paused as she thought of something. Then, she changed topics and asked, "Huai Xu, we don't have any work scheduled for tomorrow, right? Will we be practicing the entire time?"

Huai X nodded. She didn't know why Song Yingshi suddenly started to behave strangely, but she knew that the other party must be up to something fishy again. Looking at Song Yingshi inquisitively, she replied, "That is the case."

After hearing Huai Xu's response, Song Yingshi realized another key point in her mission, prompting her to question the system: How am I supposed to do my mission without a ball?

The system replied calmly, "You must learn to overcome difficulties by yourself, Host. Additionally, this is a mandatory hidden mission. You are not allowed to refuse it, and failure to complete the mission within the time limit will result in the loss of all your Life Points."

After a slight pause, the system added, "Likewise, upon completing this mission, you will receive a very generous and special reward."

The emphasis on 'special' was very encouraging and suggestive.

"Should I be thanking you, then?" Song Yingshi asked with a blank expression.

"I'm only doing my job," the system replied, flattered by the offer.

…

Left with no better options, Song Yingshi met up with Shi Zhi for a discussion late in the evening.

"Director Shi, are there any secret plans scheduled for tomorrow? Something similar to the past two visits," Song Yingshi asked.

"Tomorrow (July 10th)? It's your practice time. Though, a few guests will be visiting on the 11th," Shi Zhi answered without hesitation. After mentioning the guest visit, she smiled and continued with a hint of pride in her voice, "We didn't initially plan for this visit. Thanks to Spring Star's current popularity, the production crew of the newly released film 'Soul' contacted us asking to promote their film. After a lengthy discussion, we've decided that their director, first male lead, and first female lead will appear as guests."

"Can they visit tomorrow?" Song Yingshi said. She didn't care who was visiting; she only cared about her mission. If it wasn't so late already, she would've asked to reschedule the visit to today.

"...May I know why?" Shi Zhi asked.

Logically, Shi Zhi should simply do her best to fulfill Song Yingshi's request without asking why. Previously, she would've definitely kept her questions to herself. However, now that they had developed a good working relationship, she felt confident enough to ask such a simple question, especially since Song Yingshi never cared about and interfered with the show's plans.

Song Yingshi lowered her head and pondered for a while. However, she simply couldn't devise a reasonable excuse, so she looked Shi Zhi in the eye and said seriously, "Because I'm a fan of the movie, and I want to meet with them soon."

Realization dawned on Shi Zhi as she said, "I see. In that case, I'll contact them immediately. But it might not be possible since they might have roadshows arranged for tomorrow."

Shi Zhi was a woman of action. Since she said she would contact Soul's production crew to reschedule, she did so immediately.

Song Yingshi knew that this rescheduling couldn't be done with a few words, so she temporarily returned to practice with her teammates.

Half an hour later, Shi Zhi called Song Yingshi out of the practice room and said, "Although it was difficult, I managed to persuade them."

Song Yingshi breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Big Sis Shi. But…shouldn't we do something to welcome them? How about holding a simple ball? Everyone can use a break after straining themselves for the past few days."

Shi Zhi naturally wouldn't refuse such a small request.

After securing the conditions to complete her mission within 24 hours, Song Yingshi thoroughly relaxed and asked Shi Zhi, "So, this film called…Soul was it? Who are the main leads and director?"

Although Song Yingshi didn't care about the film or the people involved, she felt she should at least know their names to avoid embarrassment.

Shi Zhi: ?

Didn't you say you were a fan?!

Sure enough, pretty girls were the best at deceiving people. However, nobody could get angry at a bright and refreshing beauty like Song Yingshi, not even Shi Zhi.

"The director is Lu Dang, and the visiting actors are Fu Shu and Yi Siyi," Shi Zhi replied.

Under the corridor's white light, Song Yingshi's relaxed expression turned serious.

Fu Shu.

The original novel's third male protagonist was finally appearing.

…

Outside the White Tower, S City:

Fu Shu, who had just finished a cover shooting, grabbed the phone handed to him by his assistant. The phone was connected to a call with the director of Soul, Lu Dang. They had no personal ties, so their communication was limited to work.

"Director Lu," Fu Shu greeted.

Hearing Fu Shu's voice, Lu Dang got straight to the point and said, "You don't have any work tomorrow, right? Even if you do, reschedule them. Our visit to Star of Spring has been rescheduled to tomorrow. I need you to be at N City's airport by 5 PM tomorrow."

Fu Shu faintly smiled. He didn't refuse Lu Dang's demand immediately, asking, "Can I know the reason for rescheduling?"

"Star of Spring requested it, and I agreed," Lu Dang replied.

Lu Dang arbitrarily agreeing to the rescheduling without seeking Fu Shu's opinion was a huge sign of disrespect, so Fu Shu's expression immediately sank. But just as Fu Shu was about to say something, he heard Lu Dang saying, "To tell you the truth, I have a close friend working in Star of Spring. He told me that Shi Zhi was the one who proposed this rescheduling—I don't need to introduce Shi Zhi to you, right? Well, she's just the spokesperson for someone behind the scenes. This someone isn't somebody little people like us can afford to offend, so it's best to go along with their whims.

"It's just a minor rescheduling, so let's not upset the distinguished person and leave a bad impression. Fu Shu, you've spent years climbing up from the bottom, so you should know that if I can't afford to offend this person, neither can you."

Fu Shu's resume and background were no secret in the entertainment industry. Although his father was engaged in academic research, such a background was worthless in the entertainment industry, which valued connections and money. And while he might have won the Best Actor Award at the film festival this year, only his fans would think he held any influence in the industry. In reality, the foundation under his feet remained empty.

"Distinguished person…" Fu Shu repeated these words under his breath. Then, he replied to Lu Dang, "I understand, Director Lu."

After hanging up the call, Fu Shu looked away in disdain and had his assistant rebook his flight. When he returned to the hotel, his manager, perhaps having heard the news from his assistant, contacted him through video call and urged him to watch Star of Spring. His manager also said, "I asked Director Lu, and it seems the other party is likely a fan of Soul. Spring Star is also filled with young ladies, so the possibility is high. You best go there prepared!"

The manager spoke as if he wanted nothing more than to send Fu Shu directly onto the other party's bed.

"If you can win the other party's attention and befriend her…" The manager winked at Fu Shu and laughed. "Every one of Spring Star's trainees is a beauty, so no matter who this distinguished person is, it won't be any loss to you."

Fu Shu clicked his tongue and hung up the phone. However, he still followed his manager's advice and watched Star of Spring's episodes.

Fu Shu randomly selected an episode and skipped ahead.

The screen showed a segment of the trainees' daily life on the show.

The trainees were playing a game in this segment, and one of them said, "Huai Xu, show us some more magic tricks! I'll get you a deck of cards!"

Subsequently, the camera turned to a trainee who was as cold as an iceberg. Even standing still, her presence diminished her surroundings into an insignificant backdrop.

Suddenly, another attractive girl appeared in front of the camera and innocently leaned against the first girl's shoulder, saying, "Then, how about wagering your Star Cards? You lose a Star Card if you can't guess the theory behind Huai Xu's trick."

"Ah?! Can't we just watch?"

"Sure." The trainee wearing the name tag "Song Yingshi" hummed and lazily teased the others, "Then, guess my magic trick. I know magic, too."

"Little Shi, you also know magic?"

At this time, the trainee named "Huai Xu" looked at Song Yingshi and asked, "You can do magic?"

"Mhm. Why? Do you think it's too difficult for me?" Song Yingshi responded.

…

Fu Shu's mind failed to register the rest of the conversation. His heartbeat grew faster and faster, beating like torrential rain, and his eyes were glued to the screen.

On the screen, Song Yingshi and Huai Xu chatted and laughed casually.

Fu Shu rewatched this segment four times and often found himself subconsciously reaching for a part of the screen. Unfortunately, the scene on the screen was too far out of his reach.

But it doesn't matter. They would meet tomorrow.

…

July 10, White Tower:

The production crew announced early in the morning that a mystery guest would visit the White Tower today, and with that came a recording task. Therefore, everyone put serious effort into doing their makeup today, paying extra care to cover the dark circles under their eyes.

While everyone was guessing who the guests would be, Song Yingshi pondered how she should complete her mission and whether she would have enough time. She received her mission at around 9 PM yesterday, and the ball would only begin at 8.30 PM, so she didn't have much time.

Song Yingshi had never forgotten the feeling of death creeping up to her, and she wasn't keen on experiencing it a second time.

It should be okay…

While Song Yingshi was distracted by her thoughts, she suddenly felt a chill on her face. When she returned to her senses, she saw Huai Xu placing a glass of ice water before her.

"Distracted even while eating?" Huai Xu asked.

Song Yingshi grabbed the glass and took a few sips. As she looked at the person sitting opposite her, her gaze uncontrollably settled on Huai Xu's lips.

Huai Xu's lips were thin yet plump. When flattened by her cold and restrained expression, they exuded a suppressed charm.

Song Yingshi subconsciously licked her lips as she gazed at the sight before her. At the same time, she felt that…Huai Xu's lips must feel very soft when bitten.

Huai Xu was twirling her spaghetti, but a certain someone's gaze was so intense that she stopped and gently tapped on the table with her left hand, asking, "Did you get distracted again?"

Song Yingshi: "..."

Huai Xu's words didn't immediately register in Song Yingshi's mind as it was captivated by the movement of Huai Xu's lips, which resembled rose petals swallowing dew. This resemblance made them appear even softer and more fragrant. Only after that did she realize Huai Xu had asked her a question.

…This must be because light moved faster than sound.

After two more sips of ice water, Song Yingshi dryly laughed and said, "I'm not very focused today."

More specifically, Song Yingshi was overly focused on things she shouldn't be focusing on.

Soon, Wan Jiao and Lu Xuewen joined Song Yingshi and Huai Xu at their table.

With other people present, Song Yingshi's noisy thoughts were temporarily put to rest, and she quietly ate her food as she listened to the others' laughter.

As Wan Jiao peeled a clove of garlic, bits of the garlic skin drifted onto Song Yingshi's tray. Song Yingshi brushed it aside and remarked, "You really like asking the cafeteria lady for garlic, don't you?"

Wan Jiao reacted intensely to Song Yingshi's question, rambling, "How can I eat biangbiang noodles without garlic? To eat these noodles without garlic is…"

"To halve their deliciousness," Lu Xuewen, who was similarly peeling a clove of garlic, said tacitly.

"As long as you're happy," Song Yingshi said, chuckling.

Lu Xuewen was dissatisfied with Song Yingshi's reaction. Immediately, she said excitedly, "That won't do! Jiaojiao and I are determined to develop the Divine Garlic Sect. Little Shi, do you want to become a Divine Garlic Disciple like us?"

Deciding to play along, Song Yingshi asked, "Why? Do you need extra manpower to operate a new branch?"

"My Little Shi is too smart!" Wan Jiao exclaimed, slapping her thigh.

"This smart person here isn't interested in becoming a Divine Garlic Disciple, thank you," Song Yingshi said.

"Oh, c'mon! Try it! It's really delicious! I promise you'll get hooked!" Lu Xuewen persuaded.

"No, thank you," Song Yingshi refused.

When Lu Xuewen saw her persuasion failing to work on Song Yingshi, she switched targets and held up a garlic clove to Huai Xu, asking, "Big Sis, do you want to try—"

"She doesn't want to!"

Lu Xuewen, Wan Jiao, and Huai Xu simultaneously looked at Song Yingshi, who had suddenly spoken out with a strong reaction.

Song Yingshi put on an unprecedentedly serious expression as she said to Huai Xu, "I'll die if you eat garlic."