Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 87.1

When Song Yingshi considered the possibility that her fans might discover her identity as "Little Hatchling" and her actions under this pseudonym, she subconsciously shuddered in fear and embarrassment.

Noticing Song Yingshi's strange behavior, Li Taoran asked, "Are you feeling unwell, Little Shi?"

The other teammates, including Huai Xu, also looked over.

Song Yingshi snapped back to reality. Glancing past Huai Xu, she faced her other teammates and said, "My calf cramped up just now. I'm fine."

Currently, Song Yingshi and Huai Xu were already back in the White Tower. With less than six hours until the third public performance, after deducting the time needed to eat and do styling, they didn't have much idle time left.

The concept of mornings seemed to elude N City in July, the scorching sun blazing overhead from dawn. Besides Song Yingshi and Huai Xu, few trainees dared to venture outside, everyone opting to take shelter in the practice rooms.

Using what little time they had left, some trainees rehearsed their dance moves while some rehearsed their stage positioning. Idle trainees were prone to anxiety, so it was better to keep themselves busy. Practicing also gave them a sense of reassurance.

Huai Xu had closely observed her team's progress and concluded that they were overall ready for the stage. Only a few of them still faced minor issues.

Li Taoran's vocals were slightly weak, and her singing wasn't very stable. To rectify this problem, Huai Xu had her warm up her voice before singing and familiarize herself with the breathing techniques she had taught her two days ago.

Chen Wan's vocals were fine, but there was one part of the dance where she tended to get stuck. Huai Xu intended to personally guide her through the section multiple times to reinforce her muscle memory.

However, Kou Lengyu stopped Huai Xu, volunteering herself to practice with Chen Wan, "Leader, you should spend some time alone with Little Shi to cultivate your feelings."

Li Taoran, who was practicing staccato notes, choked on her saliva. Meanwhile, Chen Wan snapped her neck around to look at Kou Lengyu.

Seeing her teammates' responses, Kou Lengyu educated them, "The two of them already have their plates full, having to share so many expressive interactions on stage. We need to manage ourselves well and not become a burden to Team Leader and Little Shi, understand?"

Chen Wan & Li Taoran: That's what you meant?

Ignorant of Chen Wan and Li Taoran's misunderstanding, Kou Lengyu walked over to Huai Xu and Song Yingshi, placing both hands on their shoulders and earnestly saying, "Make sure to practice well, my dear centers. Our performance highlight depends on you two."

Kou Lengyu was quite nervous. The last-minute adjustments made had indeed improved the interaction between the two center positions, making the performance's highlights even more eye-catching. But consequentially, the difficulty of Song Yingshi and Huai Xu's performance had also doubled. Although she believed in the two's abilities, she still couldn't help but feel anxious.

They only had one chance to perform on the stage, and everyone could make mistakes. Not to mention, a person's mental state sometimes played a more important role than their raw skill in a stage performance.

Yesterday, during rehearsal, Director Wu said to the two: "Your current performance is fine already, but if you two can further improve your state of mind, your interaction will truly explode. So, try to focus on this aspect when making adjustments."

When Kou Lengyu thought of this comment, she promptly resumed her urging, "Don't mind us, don't mind us. Rather than waste time on us, you two should quickly go and find that 'feel.'"

Song Yingshi didn't know whether to laugh or cry as Kou Lengyu pushed her out of the room. After struggling to turn her head around, she said, "Alright, alright, we'll find it."

Huai Xu, who was also pushed out, said in exasperation, "Help me keep an eye out on Chen Wan's practice."

Without waiting for Kou Lengyu to respond, Chen Wan stood on tiptoes and gave an "OK" sign, saying, "Relax, Leader. I'll do my best, and you two should too!"

As if afraid Song Yingshi and Huai Xu might come back, Kou Lengyu promptly shut the door after pushing them out.

"..."

Song Yingshi adjusted her collar while Huai Xu tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Then, standing in the hallway, the two of them looked at each other.

"Where to?" Huai Xu asked.

"Anywhere with air conditioning. Unlike you, my body knows how to sweat," Song Yingshi said.

Huai Xu, who was about to suggest the balcony, swallowed her words.

Under Wealth and Prosperity's gaze, the two walked out of the empty hallway.

"What kind of 'feel' should we aim for?" Huai Xu asked.

"We should just focus on entering our respective rhythms. No need to deliberately be in sync," Song Yingshi replied decisively.

Compared to others, they had a clearer understanding of themselves and each other. Rather than worry whether they could generate sparks through their interactions, they should instead focus on uncovering more of their inner selves.

It was especially so for Huai Xu.

On the night they changed the choreography, Huai Xu presented her ideas to Song Yingshi, which everyone ultimately adopted.

Looking at Huai Xu's back with an inquisitive gaze, Song Yingshi chuckled and asked, "Can you do well?"

Huai Xu's voice was a little lazy, but her reply was swift and decisive: "I won't bring anything I can't do well onto the stage."

"Our performance yesterday wasn't perfect. The director said our state of mind was lacking," Song Yingshi said.

"Mhm," Huai Xu admitted readily. Turning around, she rubbed her temples in distress as she said, "It's an old habit of mine; I can never get into the mood during rehearsals."

Something flashed across Song Yingshi's mind, but before she could catch it, she saw Huai Xu pointing at a sofa and saying, "I'm going to sit over there for a while. What about you?"

…

After recording the video, Jing Xuan couldn't even be bothered to respond to her group chat messages. Her mind was entirely focused on editing the video, wanting nothing but to share this unbelievably sweet candy with the world.

Everyone must ship Snow-Kissed Rose! They must!!!

As for how sweet Snow-Kissed Rose was exactly? They were so sweet that even Shang Yan, a self-proclaimed solo fan of Huai Xu, couldn't resist placing a pre-order for Jing Xuan's video, saying, "Send me a copy once you're done editing."

Without lifting her head, Jing Xuan asked, "Aren't you a dignified solo fan?"

Shang Yan couldn't help but smack Jing Xuan's head, saying, "Just give it to me."

"Wuwuwu… Hehehe, my CP's eye contact is absolutely amazing, hehehe…" Jing Xuan said.

After physically convincing Jing Xuan, Shang Yan looked at the video she recorded just now, her mind undergoing an internal struggle.

Ever since seeing her aunt blushing on stream last time, Shang Yan had been thinking about it repeatedly, which caused her stance as a solo fan to waver. After finally managing to forget about that scene, when she saw her aunt and her idol standing side by side, she somehow felt that the two of them looked like…a match made in heaven.

Was she really going to become in-laws with her idol soon?

Shang Yan shook the thought out of her head, convincing herself that she was merely captivated by beauty. A little casual shipping of a visual CP was perfectly normal!

While Shang Yan was doing her best to console herself, Jing Xuan suddenly exclaimed, "Done!"

Immediately, Jing Xuan uploaded the edited video on Weibo. Almost as soon as it went live, the post's comments, likes, and shares surged.

"I officially announce that Snow-Kissed Rose will henceforth be known as the Prettiest-Cutest-Bestest CP in the world! #dogehead"

"Little Shi's peace signs look so clumsy and silly, hahaha! I'm in love all over again!"

"The third public performance hasn't even started, yet I'm already dying from sugar overload!"

"Little Shi's fan service is killing me! Instructor Huai jealously grabbing Little Shi's hand and awkwardly trying to act cute is killing me even more, ahhhh!!!!"

Song Yingshi possessed both glamorous beauty and tender sweetness. She was bright and radiant like the blazing sun.

On the other hand, although Huai Xu's smile was proper, due to Song Yongshi's urging, she couldn't quite conceal her discomfort from being forced to act cute for the fans. When making the heart gesture, her movements carried a rare hint of shyness and reservation, her thin, long eyelashes trembling slightly. She was like a butterfly clinging to an iceberg, her fragility and coldness blending into an indescribably graceful and alluring demeanor.

When fans and passersby saw this side of Huai Xu, they felt as if they had finally gotten a glimpse of the softness and vulnerability beneath her calm, icy exterior. And when they saw Huai Xu resentfully questioning Song Yingshi for laughing at her, their minds went haywire.

"This is the first time I've felt Huai Xu struggling to keep up appearances."

"Don't her ears look a little red?!?!"

"I didn't think Huai Xu would be the submissive iceberg type, but I love it nonetheless!"

Even though the third public performance had yet to start, Jing Xuan's video had already propelled Snow-Kissed Rose to the top of Weibo's trending list.

…

"Little Shi, Huai Xu, Snow-Kissed Rose is trending again!"

Tao Qin's ears perked up, hearing a shout from an audience member in the distance. When she processed the other party's words, her eyes lit up, and she turned to look at one of the involved parties beside her, teasing, "Wow, what did you two do this time? How did you end up trending again?"

"No idea," Song Yingshi replied, shrugging.

"If only I had my phone… But that's fine; I'll get it back as soon as the third public performance is over," Tao Qin mumbled. "By the way, where are the other members of your team?"

"They all have something to do while I don't, so I came out for a stroll," Song Yingshi hummed.

Initially, Song Yingshi was reluctant to step out into the sun. However, when she saw Huai Xu entering her pre-performance quiet, she decided to have a stroll in the garden outside the White Tower, as being near trees and flowers would help soothe her nerves.

After loitering under the shade for a while, Song Yingshi spotted Tao Qin walking toward the stage area and decided to join her.

Looking back, Song Yingshi realized it had been quite some time since she last had a private interaction with Tao Qin. Although they met daily, Huai Xu or someone else would always be around them. Not to mention, Tao Qin almost always moved in groups, inseparable from Lu Xuewen and the others.

Perhaps realizing this as well, Tao Qin sighed, "I'm surprised Huai Xu's not with you."

Then, Tao Qin chuckled and continued, "Time really flies. In the blink of an eye, we've gone through the Initial Rating Performance and the first and second public performances. It feels like it was only yesterday when Huai Xu told me she liked you. I never thought you two were already a unit way back then…"

At the time, Tao Qin thought Song Yingshi was straight. However, it turned out that her les-dar wasn't flawless, and Song Yingshi and Huai Xu were actually dating in secret.

Just as Tao Qin was savoring the taste of the "dog food" she had just cooked up for herself, her arm was suddenly seized.

When Tao Qin turned to look at Song Yingshi, the latter loosened her grip and put on a strange look, asking, "Huai Xu told you…she liked me?"

"Yeah." Tao Qin nodded.

"When?" Song Yingshi asked, her throat feeling a bit dry.

After pondering for a moment, Tao Qin answered, "Around the time of the theme song ranking, specifically the night before the mentors came to evaluate us. Early June?"

Song Yingshi quickly processed the timeframe, narrowing it down to June 3rd.

Meanwhile, Huai Xu's confession was on the day of the first public performance rehearsal, June 13th.

Upon learning this matter, Song Yingshi was lost in thought for a good while.

Tao Qin sensed something was amiss, so she tentatively asked, "...I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"

Song Yingshi snapped out of her daze. Shaking her head, she smiled and sighed, "Thank you for telling me this."