Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 94.2

Before 11 AM arrived, everyone had concluded their lessons, and it was time to showcase their results.

To avoid stark comparisons, the trainees and celebrities would perform separately.

This time, the trainees all wore their uniforms from Star of Spring. After changing into her uniform, Huai Xu stood at the front, leading her third public performance team in dancing to a widely familiar song. Their movements were light and lively, and they thoroughly displayed the sweet charm of young girls.

[Girls are the cutest!]

[They're doing very well for how little time they had to prepare.]

[I've decided to join the Star of Spring rabbit hole. Anyone wanna join me?]

Next up were Hu Feng, Fu Shu, and the others. The director thoughtfully avoided showing a single continuous shot, opting for mid-range and close-up shots to obfuscate the lack of coordination between the celebrity guests.

Zhou Chun and Hu Feng performed quite well. Zhu Zi managed to correct his tendency to overexert, achieving a playful charm befitting a mature man. In contrast, Fu Shu's performance was merely adequate, greatly disappointing viewers who had high expectations for him.

[He's not even as good as Zhu Zi. Isn't he supposed to be younger?]

[He even asked for a good teacher, yet this is all he has to show.]

It was already 11 AM when the first interactive segment concluded. Kou Lengyu shared her research findings, and everyone eventually decided to visit a local specialty restaurant discovered by the production crew for lunch.

Song Yingshi immediately went into power-saving mode the moment she completed her task. After getting onto the show's travel bus, she discreetly sat in the back. Shortly afterward, Huai Xu sat down beside her.

While keeping her head facing forward, Song Yingshi asked, "Why are you sitting here? There are so many open seats."

Huai Xu leaned back against the seat and stretched her legs in the spacious area. Her lips curving into a languid smile, she said softly, "Don't you know this seat is in high demand?" She then tapped on Song Yingshi's baseball cap and continued, "A certain someone simply has too much charm."

Song Yingshi couldn't resist glancing at Huai Xu, and their eyes briefly met.

Huai Xu was the first to look away, then Song Yingshi. After this brief interaction, neither of them looked at each other again.

As the bus began to move, Song Yingshi watched the scenery outside pass by. Meanwhile, her hand, resting on her lap, stealthily slid down her thigh, moved past the seatbelt along the edge of the seat, and crept forward until it arrived beside Huai Xu's thigh.

A moment later, Song Yingshi's hand was caught by another hand. Then, in a place where no one could see, two hands gently squeezed each other.

Hu Feng sat at the front, gazing out at the scenery. Amidst her observation, she noticed Song Yingshi's face reflected in the window, and she couldn't help but take a closer look.

Song Yingshi's loose hair softly brushed against her cheek, and her eyes held a smile brighter than the sunshine in spring, clear and soft.

This scene struck Hu Feng. After revealing a knowing smile, she started to wonder who Little Shi was thinking about for her to wear such a moving expression.

…

After lunch, everyone chose not to rest, proceeding straight to their next destination.

Today was a Saturday, so tourist spots were quite crowded. Although My Life's Journey had good security, the production crew wasn't about to take any chances. Hence, the guests were required to follow the production crew's script and visit only pre-arranged tourist spots.

At 3 PM, the guests arrived at G City's "No Entry Pier," planning to watch the sunset later in the evening.

As they stepped off the bus, the humid air enveloped them, bringing a welcome touch of coolness to the sweltering summer day. Song Yingshi took a few comfortable breaths and walked alongside Huai Xu, following the others to view the graffiti wall and creative park.

By now, their whereabouts were already known, so many of G City's residents were waiting for them outside the pier's entrance. Although security prevented these people from entering, their excited voices still drifted over like gusts of wind across the ocean.

When the guests returned from the creative park, the second interactive segment, which involved selecting audience members from the crowd, began.

The production crew brought three selected audience members before the guests. Each audience member was allowed to make three requests to one guest. The requests were pre-screened by the production crew, and the selected guests had to fulfill one of the three requests presented to them.

There were nine guests, four of whom were well-known celebrities. Song Yingshi wasn't worried that she or any of her friends would have to do anything in this interactive segment.

Sure enough, the first selected audience member excitedly walked up to Hu Feng to voice his request.

Hu Feng didn't hesitate to fulfill her fan's request, so the other eight guests used the opportunity to slack off.

When Song Yingshi noticed a cold beverage vendor nearby, she whispered to Huai Xu, "Are you thirsty?"

"A little," Huai Xu replied.

"I see a cold beverage vendor," Song Yingshi stated.

"What are you two talking about?" Kou Lengyu asked, leaning in.

"About buying cold beverages," Song Yingshi answered.

"I want ice cream!" Kou Lengyu exclaimed.

"Are we allowed to buy them?" Li Taoran asked.

Song Yingshi's eyes darted around, a cunning look on her face as she said, "We'll do it quietly. We'll say we're buying them for Instructor Zhu, and we're just getting some for ourselves while we're at it."

Zhu Zi was sensitive to heat. The moment he saw Hu Feng taking on this interactive segment, he promptly hid under a tree to escape the sun. Song Yingshi had a good impression of the veteran actor, so when she noticed this detail, she genuinely thought about buying him a drink.

"Yay!" Chen Wan cheered.

While the four were secretly discussing their plan, they suddenly heard Huai Xu saying, "Look up, all of you."

Song Yingshi: ?

When Song Yingshi and the others followed Huai Xu's instructions and looked up, they found themselves face-to-face with a large camera lens.

Song Yingshi, Kou Lengyu, Chen Wan, Li Taoran: "..."

[Hahahaha! It's like when you're trying to sneak off to buy snacks during a field trip, and you turn around to see the dean looking at you!]

[Huai Xu's the class monitor and the teacher's informant! She could've warned them ages ago, but she only told them after they were done discussing, tsk tsk.]

[Zhu Zi: What about my drink?]

[So, don't scold them! They didn't do anything wrong! I pity them!]

Since they were already caught, it'd be a waste not to buy anything. Song Yingshi, along with Kou Lengyu and Li Taoran, visited the beverage vendor and returned with a variety of cold beverages.

Song Yingshi purchased beverages for everyone except Fu Shu. For him, she merely requested a complimentary cup of iced water from the vendor.

Huai Xu noticed this, and she couldn't help but cast a leisurely glance at Song Yingshi.

Feigning ignorance, Song Yingshi asked, "What?"

"This is my first time seeing you so stingy, Boss," Huai Xu said, raising the paper cup Song Yingshi had handed her.

"Mhm, I'm stingy," Song Yingshi admitted readily. Then, she said indignantly, "It's his fault for making you jealous."

Huai Xu averted her gaze, letting her eyes fall on Li Taoran and the others. When she looked back, Song Yingshi had already lowered her head, seemingly absorbed in something.

As if sensing Huai Xu's gaze, Song Yingshi looked up and beamed a smile at Huai Xu, her eyelashes and sideburns fluttering in the breeze.

The hot summer wind abruptly rushed into Huai Xu's chest, warming her up.

…

When Huai Xu handed the cup of ice water to Fu Shu, she said succinctly, "I heard Instructor Fu is very health-conscious and only drinks purified water."

In front of the camera, Fu Shu had no choice but to respond with a "thank you."

Meanwhile, Zhu Zi was finally rescued from his predicament, trembling as he emerged from the shade and rejoined the group.

Huai Xu had a habit of protecting her voice, so she drank warm water. However, as the beverage vendor didn't have any warm water, Song Yingshi had to get a cup from a different vendor.

Fu Shu's fans were originally considering criticizing Huai Xu for her treatment of their idol, but when they saw her drinking plain water as well, they suddenly grew unsure. Maybe…Huai Xu really was being considerate?

After Hu Feng fulfilled her fan's request to sing a song with her, Fu Shu, who just finished drinking his tasteless beverage, was the next person to receive a request.

Song Yingshi didn't pay attention to what Fu Shu did, but she was surprised to hear Huai Xu's name being called out as Fu Shu stepped down.

Grabbing the cup in Huai Xu's hand, Song Yingshi gestured with her chin and said, "Go on, go on."

Song Yingshi looked even more enthusiastic about this situation than Huai Xu herself.

Huai Xu glanced at Song Yingshi for a moment before making her way over.

The audience member who requested Huai Xu was a young girl. The girl's face started blushing as soon as she saw Huai Xu approaching her. Once Huai Xu stood before her, she covered her mouth in excitement, and she struggled to speak for quite some time before she said, "Huai Xu, I-I'm your fan. Do you know about the Willows? I-I'm one of them… I really love you! Oh my god! I finally got to meet you! I can't breathe!"

"I'm listening," Huai Xu said, her gaze softening.

Song Yingshi and the others quietly watched from the side. Song Yingshi noticed that as soon as Huai Xu said that, the girl nearly burst into tears.

[Fellow Willow, you've made it!]

[Have Huai Xu sing! I want to hear Huai Xu sing other songs! Anything will do! QAQ]

[Why didn't one of us CP fans get selected? If it were up to me, I would've made them kiss on the spot!]

A moment later, the young girl took a deep breath, suppressed her urge to cry, and said, "My request is…"

Just when everyone thought the girl would ask for an autograph, a song, or a hug, she suddenly looked toward Song Yingshi, her expression turning complicated as she said coldly, "I want to hear you say that you and Song Yingshi are just normal friends."

[These damned Willows are at it again! Who do you take us CP fans for?! Pushovers?!]

[Holy shit! My Life's Journey is stirring up trouble again! So exciting!]

[Is she the number one Snow-Kissed Rose Anti????]

My Life's Journey might be slow-paced, but it still retained all the troublemaking tendencies of variety shows. Although Song Yingshi had heard about this before coming here, she never expected this season's highlight to fall on her and Huai Xu, who were just supposed to be minor guest stars.

However, as Song Yingshi was an outsider in this interaction, she didn't intervene, simply wearing an appropriately surprised and smiling expression.

"Huai Xu, say something!" the girl urged.

[Ahhhh, I'm so nervous!]

[Please don't let Snow-Kissed Rose have a BE (bad ending)!!!!!]

A moment later, Huai Xu looked the girl in the eye and said, "I refuse."

[!!!]

The girl was momentarily stunned. Then, she quickly made her second request, "I want you to say that you don't like Song Yingshi."

It was the same request, just repackaged in a different way.

Naturally, Huai Xu's answer remained the same: "I refuse."

The girl looked like she was about to cry, but she couldn't bear to compel her idol into doing something she didn't want. Stamping her foot in frustration, she said, "Then, what can you say? Just say something to distance yourself from Song Yingshi! Anything!"

Huai Xu pondered for a long time.

Song Yingshi started to find this scene unbearable. In reality, she wouldn't mind if Huai Xu distanced herself to smooth things over. However, she knew Huai Xu wouldn't do so. Huai Xu's sincerity toward her fans meant she would never lie to them.

Song Yingshi didn't know if Huai Xu's solo fan felt guilty over pressuring Huai Xu with such expectations, but she couldn't bear it.

Eventually, Song Yingshi stepped forward, her voice clear and bright as she said, "I'll say it. Huai Xu and I are just friends." The kind of friends who've pretty much done everything together.

"We don't share any special relationship." We're in a very common relationship of mutual liking.

Song Yingshi spoke firmly, her words causing Huai Xu and her solo fan to look at her.

However, just as Song Yingshi thought she had diffused the situation, the solo fan, looking even more dissatisfied than Huai Xu, said, "Song Yingshi, are you looking down on Huai Xu?!"