Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 9

Faced with the supposedly caged canary's invitation, Boss Song naturally chose to…back down.

After all, how could Song Yingshi possibly dare to take on Huai Xu when the latter was in such a state? On top of drawing the curtains, Huai Xu even called her by her full name!

This scene instantly reminded Song Yingshi of that night in the hotel, and she knew she had driven the female protagonist crazy once again.

However, despite her urge to cry, Song Yingshi decided she would maintain her dignity this time. Rather than running away like a complete coward, she planted her feet firmly on the floor and said in a calm and slightly disapproving tone, "Do you know what I like about you?"

"Save your words for later," Huai Xu said, looking at Song Yingshi with her chin slightly raised. Then, her lips curved into a smile as she continued, "Or are you worried you won't be able to speak once you're in bed?"

"..." Huai Xu's words interrupted Song Yingshi's line of thought, causing her to forget what she was going to say next. Now, all she could think of was what two women could possibly do in bed together.

Isn't it just some cuddling and maybe some kissing? That's nothing. What am I even afraid of? Thought Song Yingshi. No, no. What's dangerous isn't the cuddling or kissing but rather Huai Xu. She's truly terrifying once driven to a corner.

Upon realizing the threat, Song Yingshi firmed her resolve and sternly said, "I like it when you ignore me. As your employer, my first request to you is that you stop paying attention to me unless necessary."

After saying so, Song Yingshi sat on her small chair, adopting a condescending sitting posture. Then, she added, "Also, the way you are inviting me right now sullies the icy and flawless image I have of you. I won't allow such a thing to happen, so pay attention in the future and don't repeat the same mistake."

"Icy and flawless?" Huai Xu repeated.

"On second thought, let me correct myself," Song Yingshi said after giving the matter some thought. "It's mainly your purity that I like, so remember to stay virtuous. Otherwise…"

Song Yingshi originally wanted to say, "I won't like you anymore," but she quickly remembered that Huai Xu would likely be eager for that to happen. Hence, she promptly changed her tune and said, "I'll extend your contract as punishment."

There shouldn't be a problem if I word it this way, Song Yingshi thought as she nodded in satisfaction. Then, thinking she had successfully avoided this death trap, she got up from her seat and walked over to the curtains, saying, "You should keep your room ventilated when you're sick. How can you not know this?"

After saying so, Song Yingshi reached for the curtain and pulled on it…only for it to remain in place.

Looking down, Song Yingshi saw Huai Xu's hand was also gripping the curtain, just slightly below hers. Compared to Huai Xu's hand, even the beige-white curtain looked dark and rough.

Song Yingshi fell into a daze momentarily as she stared at Huai Xu's hand. In that brief moment, that hand gently loosened its grip, and its pale fingertips slid down the curtain's edge.

Then, Song Yingshi finally snapped back to reality, pulled the curtain aside, and opened the glass window.

Sunlight flooded the room instantly, brightening the room and causing Song Yingshi to squint. However, once her eyes adjusted, she looked out the window with a bright smile.

Huai Xu watched Song Yingshi, noting the understated beauty of Song Yingshi's almond-shaped and watery eyes highlighted by the sunlight. She watched as Song Yingshi welcomed the sunlight—or rather, the scenery outside with a bright and cheerful smile, as if it were the most beautiful thing in the world.

However, in reality, all there was outside was a dreary residential district covered under a layer of dark clouds.

The wind, though, was rather pleasant.

Thinking back to Song Yingshi's words, Huai Xu's gaze deepened.

Huai Xu didn't believe what Song Yingshi said, but she was curious about why Song Yingshi would say and do such things. Although she doubted she could get an answer from Song Yingshi, it was fine. She would use Song Yingshi's thoughts to achieve her goals.

"I'm going to take a nap," Huai Xu said, walking away from the window.

Huai Xu still remembered this was something Song Yingshi wanted her to do. Although Song Yingshi's motives remained unclear to her, she knew that her going along with this request would make Song Yingshi happy.

In reality, Song Yingshi was relatively easy to please.

Meanwhile, Song Yingshi was naturally happy to hear these words from Huai Xu. Turning around, she said, "Then, I'll—"

However, before Song Yingshi could speak her mind, Huai Xu interrupted, "I fall asleep quickly, so you can come in to check once I'm asleep."

Song Yingshi couldn't find any faults with this arrangement, so she said, "Remember to sleep more." At least half an hour.

"Mhm," Huai Xu responded.

Song Yingshi didn't ask why Huai Xu had suddenly become so cooperative. She also trusted Huai Xu to keep her word, so she left the bedroom without hesitation.

…

After watching some dance videos in the living room for 10 minutes, Song Yingshi pulled the same old trick and stuck her ear to Huai Xu's bedroom door.

—Nothing again.

To avoid alerting Huai Xu like before, Song Yingshi only partially closed the door when she left the room. This way, she could push the door open without turning the doorknob.

When Song Yingshi entered the room, she saw that Huai Xu had fallen asleep.

However, Huai Xu seemed incredibly sensitive to her surroundings when asleep, as her body twitched slightly the moment Song Yingshi entered the room.

Song Yingshi froze on the spot. She even held her breath to avoid accidentally waking Huai Xu. At the same time, she mentally remarked, See! It's so obvious you were pretending to be asleep before! Now that you're actually sleeping, even a cat sneaking in can probably wake you up!

Huai Xu furrowed her brows slightly, a hint of melancholy mixing with her cool complexion, the two combining to create an indescribably beautiful sight. However, the fragility she displayed quickly disappeared as her brows relaxed.

Due to her occupational habits, Song Yingshi observed Huai Xu for a good while. In the end, she couldn't help but think that Huai Xu was genuinely unique. No amount of acting skill could let someone replicate Huai Xu's aura and demeanor.

After achieving her goal of entering the room, Song Yingshi didn't try to sit down on the chair for fear of making noise and waking Huai Xu. Since she wasn't picky, she simply sat cross-legged on the floor, leaned against the bed, and dozed off.

…

The temperature in May was perfect for an afternoon nap. When Huai Xu woke up, she couldn't remember anything from before she slept, and she lay on her bed and stared at the ceiling for a good while before sitting up.

When her gaze fell on the curtain, she finally recalled what happened before she slept, and her eyes quickly scanned the room.

Where is she? Did she leave?

Her mind filled with skepticism, Huai Xu decided to get out of bed. However, as she was setting her blanket aside, she saw Song Yingshi's head slowly rising from the side of the bed.

With hands gripping the edge of the bed, Song Yingshi propped herself up and rested her head on the bed. Then, in a soft and lazy voice, she greeted, "Good afternoon."

Huai Xu paused her actions and stared at Song Yingshi to process the situation. Then, she asked, "Did you sleep on the floor?"

Song Yingshi yawned as Huai Xu spoke. Then, she looked at Huai Xu with a disgruntled expression, pretending to be aggrieved as she said, "You wouldn't let me on the bed. Where else could I sleep?"

Huai Xu took the complaint with ease and calmly replied, "Didn't you prefer for me to be icy and flawless?"

"..." Song Yingshi took a moment to recall what she had said to Huai Xu before. Then, she gnashed her teeth and said fiercely, "But of course."

Huai Xu chuckled at this response.

Unable to stand seeing Huai Xu behave so smugly, Song Yingshi snorted and said, "I forgot to mention this, but I also enjoy forcing virtuous girls into submission, so you should mentally prepare yourself."

"..."

Despite the back-and-forth, the atmosphere between the two was much less confrontational and more relaxed compared to when they first met.

…

Song Yingshi was in a good mood after having completed her mission. Huai Xu noticed this, so after getting out of bed and hydrating her throat with some water, she casually mentioned, "There are only a few days left before the training camp."

"Yes." Song Yingshi nodded without much thought.

"If I recall correctly, you will also be participating in the survival show, right?" Huai Xu asked.

"That's right." Song Yingshi nodded again.

Getting to the point, Huai Xu asked, "How should we interact with each other on set?"

Song Yingshi paused and looked at Huai Xu. A moment later, she asked, "How do you want us to interact?"

Huai Xu poured herself a second mug of water. While watching the stream of warm water flowing into the mug, she said, "I want to be myself."

What was the purpose of a survival show? Huai Xu did not know. But she did not wish to carry anyone's mark or become anyone's follower when joining a new community.

Perhaps it might be comical for someone whose back had been bent by life to insist on dignity, but Huai Xu saw hope through Song Yingshi. Despite Song Ming having repeatedly told her it was pointless to hold onto something so intangible without money, she instinctively felt that the good-natured and easy-to-please Song Yingshi would agree to her request.

Huai Xu looked down and stared at her fingertips.

Of course, just like how Huai Xu couldn't understand some of Song Yingshi's actions, it was also possible that Song Yingshi would react entirely outside her expectations this time.

Nonetheless, she had to try.

Huai Xu couldn't see what expression Song Yingshi was currently making, and the silence in the air was suffocating. However, just as she had started to expect the worst, a hand suddenly landed on her head and ruffled her hair. Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, the hand pulled away, as if afraid of being swatted.

Subsequently, Song Yingshi's cheerful voice entered Huai Xu's ears:

"What are you thinking? I'm attending the survival show as a participant, not to be your patron."

Huai Xu's eyelashes fluttered.

"Do you understand what I'm getting at?" Song Yingshi asked.

Huai Xu looked up and said, "Mhm. We are all trainees during the survival show."

"That's one." Putting on a serious face, Song Yingshi said, "Number two: If you get eliminated because of your lack of skill, don't expect any help from me."

Likewise, should Song Yingshi get eliminated herself, she wouldn't abuse her authority to remain in the survival show. At most, she would find a way to stick around the show as a staff member.

At Song Yingshi's words, Huai Xu smiled and said, "That'd be for the best."

Huai Xu's smile was beautiful, gentle, and pleasant. Different from the intimidating smiles she had made in the past, it was a joyful smile from the heart, and seeing it made Song Yingshi momentarily forget what she wanted to say.

Whenever Song Yingshi thought she had seen it all, Huai Xu could always refresh her perception of beauty.

Subconsciously, Song Yingshi took two steps closer to Huai Xu. Then, she suddenly remembered what she had forgotten to say.

Song Yingshi had no interest in interfering with or influencing Huai Xu's career path. It was too much of a burden for her to shoulder someone else's future. Since Huai Xu sought freedom during the survival show, she was more than happy to give Huai Xu this freedom.

However, she couldn't just stop doing her missions.

It wasn't every day that she would receive a mission. Despite her continuous efforts in completing every mission she received, she only managed to rack up 52 hours of life thus far. That was nowhere near enough to get her through the entire survival show.

Hence, for the sake of her life, Song Yingshi had no choice but to pour cold water over Huai Xu's enthusiasm, hesitantly saying, "Um…"

Huai Xu gestured for Song Yingshi to speak.

Wait, what am I hesitating for? A capitalist employer shouldn't be soft on oppressing their employees! Song Yingshi mentally reprimanded herself, giving herself a boost in confidence. "I can treat you like any other trainee in the survival show, but once I have needs, you must cooperate with me. Got it? Otherwise, I'll—"

"I got it," Huai Xu said.

? What did you get? Song Yingshi looked at Huai Xu in confusion.

"I'll satisfy your…" Huai Xu paused and leaned into Song Yingshi's right ear. Then, she whispered, "...needs."

…

The official Weibo[1] account for Star of Spring was established in early May, and soon after, promotion for the survival show began.

On May 11th, the program's official Weibo announced that participants would soon begin a two-week training camp.

The survival show's production set was still being prepared and would only be used once the official recording began. Hence, the training camp would take place on the newly constructed campus of H City's Media University. As the campus would only be put to official use in September, it was the ideal location to host an idol training camp.

Song Yingshi halted Huai Xu's lessons on May 10th and traveled to H City together.

Seeing as they had the whole day off, Song Yingshi dragged Huai Xu out to visit tourist spots around H City, citing, "This is our last chance to walk around freely. Once the show begins airing, we'll have to wear masks whenever we go out."

Despite Song Yingshi's reasoning, Huai Xu still couldn't help but look at Song Yingshi and wonder how the other party could be so energetic.

They only stayed a day in their hotel, checking out the next day. On their way out, Song Yingshi even waved goodbye to the valet outside the hotel.

…

On May 11th, the sky was clear, looking as blue as the vast sea.

Holding a stack of photos she had taken at H City's tourist spots, the ever-sociable Boss Song and her employee Huai Xu hopped on a bus headed for the Media University's new campus with their four suitcases, eager to see what life as an idol-in-training had installed for them.

…

TL Notes:

[1]Weibo: It's like the twitter/X of China.