Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 91.2

It was almost 6 PM when Huai Xu reached the intersection leading into her residential complex.

As Huai Xu stepped out of the car, the chauffeur went to retrieve her suitcase from the trunk. After handing it to her, the chauffeur smiled and said, "Goodbye, Miss Huai."

Earlier, upon learning that Huai Xu was going home, Xu Conghan had insisted on having the chauffeur drive her back, assuring her that there were other chauffeurs on rotation and that it wouldn't be an inconvenience.

Huai Xu couldn't refuse, so she rode home in the Song family's car.

With a firm grip over her suitcase handle, Huai Xu responded, "Goodbye."

As it was summer, the sky was still bright outside at this hour, so Huai Xu's return was witnessed by many. The residents of this residential complex were notorious for their gossip. Like a century-old cobweb, even the slightest ripple could stir a huge commotion. Furthermore, the term "social etiquette" did not exist in any of their dictionaries.

When Huai Xu returned to her residential complex after a quick stop at the supermarket to buy some fruit, the idle middle-aged women and elderly people with their grandchildren loitering in the public square simultaneously turned to look at her, their previously lively chatter suddenly quieted.

A beautiful woman living alone, especially one so beautiful that she could steal one's soul at the slightest glance, always seemed to be able to spark countless stories.

When this woman entered a luxury car, her reputation would almost certainly be tarnished.

Then, when this same woman reappeared on a distant televised show, rising to unparalleled fame and being admired by countless people, those who previously besmirched her name would start to praise her sarcastically: Wow! She made it big! On top of a pretty face, she also has a cunning heart!

When the bitter occupants of the residential complex saw Huai Xu returning after a long absence, and in a luxury car no less, they felt as if they had grasped the truth, saying implicitly:

"Look who's back; it's our famous celebrity."

"You're Huai Xu, right? I've known about you for a long time… That car you came back in cost at least three to five million, right? My daughter says you haven't even debuted yet, and you're earning this much already?"

"Didn't you see her trending on social media? How much is a celebrity's daily wage? What's a luxury car compared to it? Haha…"

Huai Xu's gaze swept over these people indifferently. Her eyes, usually as clear as autumn water, revealed a subtle, intimidating glint. Her expression also carried a hint of contempt and disdain, as if she were looking at garbage and filth that were polluting the landscape.

For the first time, those who envied and badmouthed Huai Xu saw her not just as an exceptionally beautiful woman living in a dilapidated residential complex. They saw her as a noble lady who transcended this drainage ditch of a community, destined to soar toward the clouds while they remained in the mud.

The middle-aged man who laughed at Huai Xu suddenly froze, his face turning red under Huai Xu's intimidating gaze.

After this, no one else chimed in. As Huai Xu's unhurried, steady, and powerful steps faded into the distance, an awkward silence enveloped the public square.

Shortly afterward, the crowd made up excuses to protect what little dignity they had left and dispersed.

…

Huai Xu neither noticed nor cared what was happening behind her. If this were before her reincarnation, she might have quickened her pace under such scrutiny. But now?

After arriving outside her apartment, Huai Xu took out her keys and opened the door. It had been close to a month since she last returned, so the air inside was stifling. She opened the windows and turned on the air conditioner for ventilation, drank a glass of water to quench her thirst, and slowly surveyed her home.

In her previous life, Huai Xu never participated in Star of Spring's audition, but she still moved out of this place shortly after the show started airing, relocating to the villa Song Ming had prepared for her. Later, she escaped from Song Ming, only to be brought to Fu Shu's home. Sometime afterward, she learned the news that the whole building had burned down because of an apartment upstairs catching fire, leaving nothing behind.

Huai Xu briefly checked the living room drawers before heading into her bedroom. Ever since her parents passed away, she had lived here by herself for a long time. However, as she rarely bought anything, everything in her room was visible at a glance.

Huai Xu carefully scanned every object in the room, then pulled open all the drawers. When she opened the drawer inside the wardrobe, her heart skipped a beat.

Immediately, Huai Xu focused and scrutinized every item inside the drawer.

This drawer was where she habitually kept her documents since she was a child. Inside, she found a piano certificate from her childhood, a long-expired insurance policy purchased by her parents, a large bag filled with school-related items, and even an elementary school math Olympiad award certificate. Her gaze inadvertently softened as she looked at these personal relics.

Huai Xu carefully looked through these items and set them aside. As she held up her middle school graduation certificate, the internal alarm in her mind strengthened.

Setting aside everything else, Huai Xu picked up the certificate and sat on the bed.

Huai Xu studied at S City's Twelfth Middle School, which was divided into junior and senior high school divisions. Her enrollment into Twelfth Middle School involved a lot of luck.

At the time, S City's old district was designated for demolition. To persuade the residents of the old district to relocate, in addition to monetary compensation, the government offered their children admission to Twelfth Middle School.

The allure of admission to S City's top middle school was immense, and negotiations were completed quickly. As a result, Huai Xu got to attend Twelfth Middle School.

That year, due to changes in urban planning, Twelfth Middle School's new campus was situated between the decaying, soon-to-be-redeveloped old city center and the new affluent area where every inch of land was precious. Consequently, the school was exceptionally wealthy, to the point where their graduation certificates were practically gilded with gold and inlaid with silver. Even after some time, Huai Xu's certificate still gleamed.

However, besides the certificate's exquisiteness, Huai Xu failed to spot anything unusual about it. Even after flipping the certificate around multiple times, she didn't receive any further revelations.

Huai Xu frowned and pondered. If there was nothing wrong with the graduation certificate itself, then…

Shifting her thoughts to the school itself, Huai Xu gently tapped the gold foil letting of "S City Twelfth Middle School," pulled out her phone, and typed the following two terms into her search engine—"Twelf Middle School" and "Provincial Museum."

The results appeared quickly.

"Twelfth Middle School's back gate faces the Provincial Museum across the road. You can take bus routes 113 or 52…"

The location of Fu Shu's suicide wasn't before the Provincial Museum but in front of Twelfth Middle School's back gate.

This was the answer.

…

When Song Yingshi arrived home with her mother, she was surprised to find her father there as well.

Seeing his daughter's surprise, Song Cheng said, "I canceled every appointment I could when I heard you were coming back! How long has it been since we last saw each other? Now, everyone I meet keeps praising how capable and charming my daughter is, saying they're envious of you!"

"Really? Then, Dad, why don't you quickly take me to meet your friends?" Song Yingshi joked, pursing her lips and smiling.

"Ah, but my daughter is even busier than I am," Song Cheng asked, playing along. "I have to check Little President Song's schedule. Little President Song, when will you have time?"

Standing nearby, Xu Conghan chided, "You two are so talkative."

Then, the three of them exchanged glances and simultaneously laughed.

Song Yingshi knew that, at her father's level, his business associates were unlikely to envy a small-time idol like herself. He had said so purely out of affection and also to convey that he wouldn't interfere with her career development. Knowing that she had such a supportive family, she felt incredibly fortunate.

After chatting with her parents for a while, Song Yingshi seized the opportunity when Xu Conghan went to the kitchen to check on dinner to bring up the matter of needing more personnel with Song Cheng.

"It's so inconvenient to get things done by myself," Song Yingshi grumbled.

"What does my Little President Song want to do? Any examples?" Song Cheng asked.

Song Yingshi thought for a moment, then half-jokingly said, "For example, there's this person who has offended me. I'd like to see how miserable his life is right now."

"How petty of you," Song Cheng said, laughing.

However, despite Song Cheng's words, the doting father within him was very honest. After a moment's thought, he pulled out his phone and called his personal assistant.

After dinner, Song Yingshi received a friend request on WeChat. When she saw who the other party was, she accepted it without hesitation.

The other party's name was Chen Ru. She often assisted the Song family, including Song Cheng and other family members, in various matters. Hence, she possessed extensive connections and personnel.

When Song Yingshi learned that Chen Ru would be working for her for the foreseeable future, she promptly tasked the other party with personally visiting B City to investigate Zheng Qiyi's current situation.

After arranging this matter, Song Yingshi continued playing the role of a good daughter, accompanying her parents to watch a mundane TV drama and idly chatting with them.

Originally, the drama's plot was supposed to serve as a conversation topic for the family of three. The problem was that none of them watched dramas. They were usually busy doing their own things, and today was a rare occasion where all three of them had gathered as a normal family. Hence, they knew nothing about the drama and simply stared at the TV.

After an awkward silence, Song Yingshi smoothly changed the subject and started critiquing the acting of the various characters. She spoke vividly, praising well-acted scenes to the high heavens and cleverly poking fun at poorly acted scenes, filling the living room with Song Cheng and Xu Conghan's laughter.

…

Around 10 PM, Song Cheng had to leave to answer a call, while Xu Conghan had to get ready for her beauty sleep. Thus, the family gathering in the living room dispersed.

Having fulfilled her filial duties, Song Yingshi promptly pulled out her phone and checked her WeChat.

Surely, Huai Xu hadn't gone half a day without messaging me, right? Song Yingshi mused. Then, when she saw the bold red "1" next to Huai Xu's conversation box, she thought, Barely passed.

As for what Huai Xu wrote in her message, it was:

"Boss, you mentioned finding me a company dormitory before. Is the offer still available?"

The message was remarkably proper and formal, so much so that even if Xu Conghan were to peek over Song Yingshi's shoulder now, she wouldn't recognize it as being from the person her daughter had kissed earlier in the day.

While walking toward her bedroom, Boss Song calmly replied: "It's still available."

"But the company's accounts are in deficit. We're broke. So, your only choice is to stay at the boss's house."

Song Yingshi sent both messages consecutively. By the time she returned to her room, Huai Xu's reply had arrived:

"It's a pity the boss's house is too big."

Song Yingshi raised an eyebrow. When she eventually realized what Huai Xu was implying, she softly scoffed at Huai Xu's profile avatar, Always pretending to be proper, but deep down, you're just a refined scoundrel.

"The White Tower's dorms are small, but they still have two separate beds." After sending this retort, Song Yingshi got serious, asking: "Are you finally moving out? What made you change your mind?"

Song Yingshi had long since been trying to get Huai Xu to move out of that residential complex, but Huai Xu adamantly refused. So, what made Huai Xu change her mind now?

"Mhm. There are paparazzi in the complex."

After replying, Huai Xu looked out the window, peering down through the curtain gap and locking her gaze on a specific minivan parked on the street below. The minivan, along with its occupants, had been there since she got back.

Huai Xu hadn't been actively looking out for paparazzi. She only noticed their presence due to the sensitivity she had developed in her previous life. Unfortunately for them, she possessed none of the juicy scoops they wanted, so they were destined to return empty-handed tonight.

The dilapidated residential complex's security guards were practically scarecrows. Whether it was to protect her privacy or keep herself safe from the future fire, she needed to move out.

However, Huai Xu wasn't planning on moving in with Song Yingshi. That'd be too conspicuous and impossible to keep secret long-term. Song Yingshi surely understood this logic as well.

As Huai Xu lay back on her small bed, she held up her phone and typed: "Since the company has no money, I'll just have to pay out of pocket."

When Huai Xu saw the "Typing…" indicator lingering on her screen, she inexplicably had a bad premonition that Song Yingshi was about to stir up trouble. Thus, while wearing an unreadable expression, she quickly chose a cute emoji and sent it, hoping to interrupt Song Yingshi's impending antics.

Immediately, the "Typing…" indicator disappeared.

A faint chuckle escaped Huai Xu's lips. But before she could fully form her smile, a message popped up on her screen:

"Woman, did I not satisfy you enough?"