Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 97.2

The audience watching the livestream quickly realized that the production crew had invited fans of the guests to appear on the show.

[Then what?]

The host turned on the projector, displaying the scene captured in the villa on a blank wall.

Zhu Zi was cleaning a large fish in the kitchen, while Li Taoran excitedly cheered him on with naive enthusiasm. Chen Wan was explaining the difference between baby cabbages and Napa cabbages to Kou Lengyu, while Hu Feng and Song Yingshi were discussing the day's menu. Zhou Chun was busy making watermelon juice, and Huai Xu was defrosting beef.

The usually spacious kitchen suddenly seemed cramped but incredibly warm.

"We invited you here for a simple interview. At the end of tonight, it will be made into a short video for the guests," the host explained.

When the five fans heard their interviews would be conveyed to their respective idols, they nodded their heads and agreed without hesitation.

The host's questions weren't directed at anyone specific. It felt more like a casual roundtable discussion than an interview. Under the host's control, the ordinary audience members gradually relaxed, casually chatting while watching their idols on the screen.

After about 10 minutes, the host stepped out of the room, no longer directing the flow of the conversation. Thus, everyone began to actively share how they became fans of their idols.

[Are we supposed to just watch them chat?]

[At least the screen is split; we can still see the beauties cook.]

Just as the livestream audience was scratching their heads over Huai Xu's strategy, the fans' conversation grew increasingly enthusiastic.

"...Really? In our generation, being a fan wasn't so complicated. We just bought posters. Even now, I still have Hu Feng's posters," the middle-aged woman said.

The female university student, mirroring her idol, complained while watching the livestream, "When I first became a fan of Kou Lengyu, I never thought she couldn't even differentiate between baby cabbage and Napa cabbage. Look, she even messed up cracking an egg."

At this time, the male bank employee exclaimed, "Oh, Zhu Zi can even flip food in a pan? This dish must be delicious! If only there's soup to go with this dry dish."

The five fans all looked at the projection on the wall. Because the screen was so large, they had the illusion that their idols were right in front of them.

Unfortunately, this was just an illusion. Idols were supposed to be out of reach for fans.

"Even though we're this close, I still can't smell the braised beef…" the female office worker murmured wistfully.

However, as soon as the office worker finished speaking, Huai Xu, who was cooking the braised beef in question, suddenly turned and looked over—

She was actually looking over!

Huai Xu wasn't wearing an apron. As she twisted her body, her shirt outlined her waist. Her gaze was incredibly piercing; the five fans felt as if they could see their own reflection in her pupils.

The five fans froze, their minds filled with confusion and disbelief. Just as they wondered if they were mistaken, they saw Huai Xu opening her lips and saying, "Can't you smell the fragrance from over there? That's a shame."

"What the?!" the office worker exclaimed.

The university student's eyes widened as she stuttered, "W-W-What's going on—"

Huai Xu's strange behavior was only the beginning. As soon as she finished speaking, Zhu Zi also turned to look at the fans, his gaze landing on the bank employee. Then, he said, "Heh, you have a good eye! My dish is going to be the most delicious! Also, there's going to be soup. How can there not be soup? I'll make tomato and egg soup later."

"Oh my gold, Old Zhu is t-t-talking to me?!" the bank employee exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Kou Lengyu pointed her cleaver at the university student and demanded, "What did you say just now? Why don't you repeat yourself?"

University Student: "..." Why does my idol behave so differently?!

Subsequently, Hu Feng, Zhou Chun, Chen Wan, and Li Taoran also interacted with their respective fans. It was as if the wall between them had been torn down, and they were communicating face-to-face without barriers.

Although the boundary between celebrity and fan still existed, its thickness was infinitely close to zero at this moment. For the fans, this was a situation they had dreamed of countless times but never thought possible.

"The production crew never told me you could see me!" the university student said, sniffling. She didn't know whether she should laugh or cry over this situation. "I would've put on new colored contacts, new eyelashes, and a new dress if I had known!"

"Don't bother. No matter how much you dress up, you'll never look as good as me," Kou Lengyu stated confidently.

University Student: ?

"Well, are you as stunning as Song Yingshi? Are you as beautiful as Huai Xu?" the university student fought back. Two can play at that game!

Kou Lengyu silently balled her fist at the university student, looking very menacing.

To the side, the office worker was wiping away her tears with her fingers, saying, "I feel like I'm the happiest fan right now to be able to talk to you, Huai Xu… Ah, what about Little Shi? Can I talk to Little Shi, too?"

The office worker made her request carefully and expectantly.

"There, there, don't cry," Huai Xu soothed. After a pause, she continued, "Also, you can be even happier."

The office worker was confused by Huai Xu's remark. But before she could figure things out, the door to the room opened—

"Everyone here is a welcome guest. Would you like to join us for a meal before heading back?"

Song Yingshi appeared before everyone with a radiant smile, her graceful presence instantly stealing the attention of everyone in the room.

After a short silence, the office worker was the first to offer a response, "Ahhhh!! I'm going to cry! I'm really going to cry!"

"Kou Lengyu, I'm switching sides!" the university student declared.

"You wouldn't dare! I'll break your legs!" Kou Lengyu threatened.

…

As the five fans followed Song Yingshi through a narrow passage, arrived inside the villa, and met the other guests, the live chat exploded with activity.

[If I were in their shoes, I'd be overjoyed! Ah, I'm so envious of them!]

[This is truly a pleasant—no, a wonderful surprise! Huai Xu completed this task perfectly!]

[This is my favorite season of My Life's Journey so far.]

…

As the celebrities and fans shared lunch and conversations around the table, the livestream portion of My Life's Journey for this season concluded. In the afternoon, the guests would record additional content for the unreleased, edited version.

Around 5 PM, Qu Qing arrived to pick up her two artists, along with their three teammates, dropping them off at the airport for their flight to N City.

Although the four-day break after the third public performance wasn't particularly long, when Song Yingshi arrived back at the White Tower, she couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity and relaxation, as if she were coming home. Despite the White Tower being just another filming location, the vibes it gave off felt completely different from My Life's Journey's filming location.

Ultimately, it was likely due to the people she was surrounded by.

…

Around 10 PM, the sky was dark, and the smell of rain was in the air. The wind, preceding the rain, stirred the dark clouds and rustled the tree leaves, bringing a touch of coolness to the intense summer heat.

When Song Yingshi and her four companions arrived outside at the White Tower, they came across Lu Xuewen, who had just returned from the convenience store.

"Well, well, well, look who's back. If it isn't our five celebrities," Lu Xuewen joked.

"Screw you," Li Taoran retorted playfully.

As they walked into the White Tower, every trainee they met would, without fail, bring up the show.

"Mom, look! I saw those people on TV!"

"I honestly thought you two were going to go public. I even started to wonder what wedding gift I should get you."

"That last interaction was amazing. You two really can't stop trending for even a few days, can you?"

Even the staff responsible for collecting their phones secretly hinted to them, "The guest collaboration this time had unexpectedly good results. The directing team was just praising you in their meeting."

Song Yingshi smiled as she handed over her phone. She then turned around to find Huai Xu still sending messages.

Huai Xu's steady typing speed quickened. Concisely, she said, "Give me a second."

Song Yingshi glanced at Huai Xu's slender fingers gripping the phone. In a teasing tone, she said, "You have so many messages today."

Huai Xu's fingers paused momentarily. Then, after pressing two more keys, she powered down her phone and handed it to the staff.

A lock of hair fell across Huai Xu's face, perfectly hiding her eyes from Song Yingshi. Unable to discern Huai Xu's expression, Song Yingshi only heard her calm voice say, "Just some trivial matters."

…

Trivial matters.

Song Yingshi pondered over these two words as she headed upstairs.

Their dormitory had been left unoccupied for four days. So, upon returning, Song Yingshi first opened the windows and turned on the air conditioning. While waiting for the room to air out, she sat in the shared living room, chatting with Rong Yi and the others.

Engrossed in her conversation, Song Yingshi didn't keep track of the person sitting beside her. By the time she turned around, Huai Xu was already gone.

Song Yingshi: ?

It's only been a few days, and she's already keeping little secrets from me? Is our bond fading? She's leaving without even telling me now?

Where are her principles as a former kept woman? Where is her self-awareness as an employee? Where are her responsibilities as a girlfriend?

This is utterly ridiculous!

With such thoughts in mind, Song Yingshi decided to teach Huai Xu a lesson.

Then, Song Yingshi realized this was an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, so without hesitation, she called out to the system, System, I want a mission.

However, Song Yingshi quickly came across a problem: What kind of mission should I go for?

Over the past several days, the system couldn't help but feel that its Life Points were being freeloaded. After all, with Song Yingshi's current intimacy with Huai Xu and its version update nowhere in sight, none of the daily missions it came up with could trouble her.

Seeing that its host was finally going to make things difficult for herself, the system's spirits were lifted immediately. Then, it suggested, "How about 口口 in bed?"

Song Yingshi: ?

No need for any 口口 missions. That'll make things too easy on her, Song Yingshi refused sternly.

System: "..."

After rejecting the system's suggestion, Song Yingshi resumed pondering.

Hm… On second thought, maybe it's not out of the question. I mean, we have to start somewhere, right? Song Yingshi ultimately gave in to temptation, submitted her requirements to the system, and successfully received a mission.

System: "Hidden Mission: Restrain Huai Xu and share a bed with her for one night. Specific conditions are as follows…"

Halfway through the system's explanation, Song Yingshi suddenly heard familiar footsteps and voices approaching the living room.

"What did you buy?"

"Mandarins."

The crisp sound of this word rounded the corner before Huai Xu herself did, momentarily startling Song Yingshi. When she regained her senses, Huai Xu had already walked over to her side, her body carrying a slight scent of rain.

Looking at Song Yingshi with pristine eyes, Huai Xu raised the blue plastic bag holding bright orange mandarins and said softly, "Little Shi, it started to rain outside. It's time to peel some mandarins."

Song Yingshi: "..."

Before Song Yingshi could even smell the unique sourness of mandarins, her nose grew stuffy. Why does she have to remember small details like that even more clearly than I do?

"It's finally raining. I'll finally get to sleep soundly," Rong Yi said as she sat down beside Song Yingshi.

Song Yingshi's emotions were still a little stirred, so she instinctively hummed and nodded in response. However, halfway through her nod, her head froze in place. Then, she stiffly turned her neck and looked up at Huai Xu.

Not good!

It seemed like…she would be biting the hand that fed her.