Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 93.1

Song Yingshi was a little nervous when she first lay down, constantly thinking that she might wake Huai Xu. After all, no matter how lightly she moved, the mattress would still sink with an extra person lying on it. If Huai Xu were a light sleeper, she would surely notice the change.

After lying on her back, Song Yingshi closed her eyes and stayed motionless for about five minutes. When she still heard nothing coming beside her, she relaxed her body, opened one eye to confirm it was safe, and then proceeded to open her other eye.

Song Yingshi glanced in Huai Xu's direction. Although the darkness prevented her from seeing anything, her ears still picked up on Huai Xu's soft, steady breaths.

Upon realizing that Huai Xu was still fast asleep, Song Yingshi extended her limbs, relaxing them thoroughly. However, just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly remembered she had forgotten to bring her blanket.

The air conditioner was running, so the room was bound to get colder later into the night. Song Yingshi didn't want to catch a cold, but she was too lazy to fetch her blanket. Thus, she quietly reached out to pull the thin blanket covering Huai Xu's waist.

She only needed a corner of the blanket. That wasn't too much to ask, right?

Song Yingshi repeatedly pulled and released to gauge her strength and test the limits of the sleeping Huai Xu. Eventually, the blanket slowly but surely slid over.

However, before Song Yingshi could rejoice, a hand slid onto the back of hers.

The hand was supple and slightly cool, like mint steeped in the gentle night. Appearing alongside this hand was an intrigued voice, "I'm trying so hard to feign ignorance, so can't you behave yourself?"

"...Thank you for your effort?" Song Yingshi blinked.

"What are you doing here?" Huai Xu asked, squeezing Song Yingshi's hand.

"I can't sleep," Song Yingshi replied frankly.

"You could've counted the stars, counted sheep, or been more mature and taken melatonin. Of all these options, why did you choose to run to my bed?" Huai Xu asked, chuckling. Amidst the darkness, she propped herself up on her side, her body curving gracefully under the thin blanket, her eyes radiating tenderness and affection. She wasn't putting on a performance for Song Yingshi; these were her genuine emotions.

At this time, Song Yingshi still hadn't forgotten about securing her little blanket corner. Under Huai Xu's gaze, she tugged the blanket over her waist, not one bit concerned about being discovered. She behaved so frankly that it looked as if Huai Xu were the one caught sneaking into her bed.

After doing all that, Song Yingshi mimicked Huai Xu and propped herself up on her side, saying, "Fine, I have another purpose."

Despite facing each other, neither Song Yingshi nor Huai Xu could see each other's faces.

"Go on," Huai Xu said, her voice amused. She sounded like she already knew the answer wouldn't be anything proper and was merely waiting for Song Yingshi to fabricate something.

Song Yingshi did not disappoint, saying, "I can't sleep, so…"

Huai Xu half-expected Song Yingshi's following words to go something like, "...so you shouldn't think of sleeping, either." Yet, as she narrowed her eyes, Song Yingshi abruptly stopped speaking, as if sensing imminent danger, and sharply changed course, "...so I thought you might be having trouble sleeping, too. Thus, I came here to coax you to sleep, then I'll go back to my bed. I'm considerate, aren't I? Don't be too moved by my gesture, Instructor Huai."

Huai Xu chuckled. Lying back down, she replied in a languid voice devoid of gratitude, "I was already asleep before you came. You woke me up."

Song Yingshi: "..."

Huai Xu patiently waited for Song Yingshi to make up further excuses or perhaps switch to pouting.

However, even after a while, Huai Xu heard nothing from beside her.

Frowning slightly, Huai Xu tilted her head and leaned forward. As she closed in, she saw that Song Yingshi had already laid back down and settled into a comfortable sleeping posture, looking like she was ready to sleep.

Huai Xu laughed in amusement. "Song Yingshi?"

Song Yingshi let out a soft hum, sounding like a small, whimpering animal.

A sudden urge stirred within Huai Xu, compelling her to lean forward and plant a kiss on Song Yingshi's cheek. However, just as her lips were about to make contact, their positions reversed in the blink of an eye, and Song Yingshi was now on top of her.

Amidst the flickering moonlight, Song Yingshi looked down at Huai Xu and asked, "Weren't you going to sleep?"

Huai Xu's eyelashes fluttered, and her breathing grew erratic.

Song Yingshi chuckled when she sensed the arrhythmic rise and fall of Huai Xu's chest. However, being the accommodating and understanding employer that she was, she generously forgave her employee's previous transgression, saying playfully, "See? I was right to come. You do need someone to coax you to sleep."

Teasing someone, then coaxing them. This was something only Song Yingshi would do.

Huai Xu mentally chided herself for being too cooperative and giving Song Yingshi a way out of her embarrassing predicament. At the same time, she glared at Song Yingshi for being so unscrupulous, taking advantage of her affection to behave wantonly. Yet…

Despite Song Yingshi acting like this, Huai Xu's heart still pounded like a drum.

Before Huai Xu could think further, Song Yingshi lowered her head and gently kissed her eyes, one, then the other.

As Huai Xu immersed herself in the tender warmth on her eyelids, Song Yingshi withdrew her lips and covered Huai Xu's eyes with her palm. Then, she leisurely yawned and said, "Hurry up and sleep. I'll sleep after you do."

…

When Huai Xu awoke, she could no longer recall what she looked like before falling asleep. She only remembered that the warmth of Song Yingshi's hand had stayed with her until sleep took over.

All in all, Huai Xu had a good night's rest. It was so good, in fact, that when her phone alarm blared at 3 AM, she felt incredibly refreshed despite having slept for less than six hours.

Huai Xu switched off the alarm and turned on the bedside lamp. As she sat up amidst the soft, yellow light, the quilt covering her moved with her. However, just as the blanket started coming her way, it was suddenly tugged to the left.

Glancing to her side, Huai Xu saw Song Yingshi hugging the blanket and rolling to the left. Song Yingshi's already short sleep shorts had ridden up at some point, exposing her smooth, tender inner thighs and appealing curves exquisitely toned through years of dance practice.

Looking further up, Huai Xu saw a palm-sized area of skin exposed below the blanket partially draped over Song Yingshi's torso. Illuminated by the bedside lamp, the shorts tucked into the small of Song Yingshi's back cast a concave shadow, making the exposed skin appear incredibly soft in the dim light.

Huai Xu resisted the urge to continue her observation, prying her gaze away and gently calling out, "Little Shi, it's time to wake up."

Song Yingshi subconsciously groaned, the sound seemingly coming from her nose.

"It's 3 AM; they'll be here soon," Huai Xu sighed.

Upon hearing this, Song Yingshi reluctantly opened her eyes, her face full of resentment.

Huai Xu reached out and waved a hand in front of Song Yingshi, asking, "Awake yet?"

"No," Song Yingshi replied, drawing out her voice.

"Go back to your room if you want to continue lazing in bed," Huai Xu said.

"One night of married life breeds a hundred days of affection[1]. We've shared the same twice now, so how can you be so heartless?" Song Yingshi questioned.

However, as soon as Song Yingshi finished speaking, she remembered what she had done on their first night together, and it was a shameful history she wanted nothing more than to forget. (ref. Chapter 35.2 - 36.1)

Evidently, Song Yingshi wasn't the only one to have recalled this awkward history, as Huai Xu fell silent and looked at her resentfully.

After a while, Huai Xu said, "Yet, who would've expected that each preceding night would be worse than the last."

Song Yingshi: "..."

Song Yingshi abruptly sat up and said coldly, "Get up!"

Thanks to the incredibly awkward recollection, Song Yingshi's mind fully regained its clarity.

After getting out of bed, Song Yingshi tyrannically occupied Huai Xu's bathroom and even used Huai Xu's hair tie. While facing the mirror and rubbing cleansing foam on her face, she said, "They're not very punctual, are they? They said they'd be here at 3 AM, but it's already five minutes past three… I could've gotten more sleep."

Huai Xu, having just finished brushing her teeth, felt something was amiss when she heard Song Yingshi's words. "Did they mention how they would be arriving yesterday?"

After pondering for a moment, Song Yingshi answered, "I gave Big Sis Qing an elevator card yesterday and told her to bring the crew up. I also told her to give me a call before coming up."

Song Yingshi, who had specifically raised the volume of her ringtone before bed, added emphatically, "I haven't received any calls so far."

Her phone hadn't rung at all.

Looking at Song Yingshi's smug look in the mirror, Huai Xu asked, "Did you bring your phone over last night?"

The smile on Song Yingshi's face froze.

…

In the chilly underground parking lot, Qu Qing dialed Song Yingshi's number for the third time. But like her previous two attempts, her call went unanswered.

The crew members from My Life's Journey waited patiently behind Qu Qin. Similarly waiting were the audience watching the live stream.

My Life's Journey had a live version and an edited version. The live version focused on real-time viewing and interaction, while the edited version highlighted key moments and included footage missed during the live shooting and directing. Both formats had their respective appeal, enjoying equal popularity throughout the show's four seasons.

Without exception, however, the live stream was always the most deserted in the middle of the night on the first day of each season.

Firstly, it was because the average person wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night to watch celebrities pack their luggage and engage in idle chatter. Secondly, the show maintained strict secrecy on the identities of its guest celebrities, so fans would typically only find out whether their idols were participating after waking up and tuning in.

This episode, however, was an exception.

Two days ago, someone claiming to be an insider from Star of Spring leaked on a certain app that the team that took first place in the third public performance would receive a reward: the opportunity to participate in a certain popular travel variety show. As this leaker had a proven track record of providing accurate leaks, many idol fans screenshotted this post and circulated it across various fan communities for careful analysis.

Because only a limited number of people got to watch the third public performance live, the majority of the show's audience remained in the dark as to which team came in first place. Hence, there was a flurry of speculation among the various fan bases.

As for the travel variety show mentioned, it was easy to guess its identity. After considering Star of Spring and the various variety show's recording schedules, My Life's Journey was the only possibility.

Therefore, at 3 AM on July 17th, as soon as My Life's Journey's stream went live, Star of Spring's various fan bases flooded it.

Originally, the show's production crew only expected a few hundred viewers at most. However, the stream ended up having over 3,000 viewers shortly after going live. The comment section was also so lively that the production crew's members couldn't help but wonder if their director had bought the services of bot commenters.

[Is she out yet? Is she out yet? Is she out yet?]

[I'm dying of anxiety! Hurry up and let me see if it's my Rong Yi!]

[I wager my breakfast (a bowl of soy milk, two fried dough sticks, and one tea egg) that it must be Snow-Kissed Rose!]

[Whoever it is, get on with it! If it's not my Huai Xu, I'm going back to sleep!]

…

The comments were overly enthusiastic. Worried that things might get out of hand, a crew member suggested to Qu Qing, "Manager Qu, it's fine if they're not answering your calls. We can wait in the living room while you call them."

Qu Qing knew it wasn't good to keep the viewers watching an underground parking lot. Not to mention, her boss's living room was so spacious, so it was unlikely the cameras would catch anything that might intrude on her boss's privacy. After considering all possible scenarios, she smiled and said, "I was thinking the same thing. Let's take the elevator, then."

The cameras followed Qu Qing into the elevator, carefully avoiding showing anyone else, including Qu Qing. This was to provide the viewers with an immersive first-person perspective.

[The immersion is strong. It really feels like I'm riding the personal elevator of my mansion.]

[I've seen many luxury homes of celebrities before, but this one's decoration is definitely my favorite!]

[This is my home. Whoever's living in it, please vacate it immediately.]

My Life's Journey's immersive luxury home tour was a staple segment, and everyone's spirits lifted as they joked around with one another.

However, one particular group of people's excitement differed from the others. After posting their screenshots under a certain Weibo Super Topic, they then compared it with the photos taken by a certain duo after Star of Spring's second public performance:

"That exposed sofa corner! That Kirby ornament! That river view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows! That settles it! This is our home! Sisters, assemble!!! [live stream link]"

This singular Weibo post startled many, garnering numerous shares and adding over 1,000 viewers to My Life's Journey's live stream.

Because Song Yingshi and Huai Xu were filming their departure from the same location, two cameramen were sent to film them. While one cameraman stayed in the living room to film the apartment's decor, the other followed Qu Qing downstairs.

Of course, to avoid invading Song Yingshi and Huai Xu's privacy, the live stream only showed the first cameraman's perspective.

Qu Qing originally wanted to have the second cameraman wait for her at the stairwell, but before she could speak, the door to her left opened, and Song Yingshi walked out of the room.

Without hesitation, Qu Qing blocked the camera lens with her body and promptly scanned Song Yingshi's body. When she saw that Song Yingshi was wearing neat and comfortable loungewear that was suitable for filming, she breathed a sigh of relief and went up to meet her employer.

"I thought you overslept," Qu Qing said.

The cameraman behind Qu Qing quickly followed, and the director took this as a signal to cut the camera to the main character—

At the same time, a figure emerged from behind Song Yingshi.

This figure was about to follow Song Yingshi out of the room, but upon hearing Qu Qing's voice, she stopped and retreated into the camera's blind spot. Her body swayed like a willow in the wind, revealing only a small portion before disappearing again. Her face wasn't even shown, further fueling the audience's speculation.

[??? Song Yingshi, you're hiding someone in your room!]

[Ahhhhh, is it who I'm thinking?!]

[Since Little Shi is on the show, Huai Xu must be, too! What are you two doing together at three in the morning? Don't tell me you're reading scripts. #dogehead]

[Is this also part of the production crew's strategy? I see they've mastered the key to good ratings!]

TL Notes:
[1]one night of married life breeds a hundred days of affection (一夜夫妻百日恩): This is a Chinese proverb that describes the deep and lasting affection between a couple once they have established a relationship. It also emphasizes the depth and durability of the relationship between a couple by comparing the time of "one night" and "a hundred days."