Snow-Kissed Rose (GL) Chapter 99

With the flame of passion ignited within her, Song Yingshi abandoned all thoughts of her mission. She felt like she was on a boat on rough seas, her body lifted as the boat rocked back and forth. The intoxicating pleasure made her perspire all over, as if drenched by surging tides.

When the jade-white boat eventually returned to dock, Song Yingshi rolled off the boat, a feeling of weakness spreading across her limbs.

Though her strength remained, Song Yingshi was overcome by an immense sense of contentment, as if she had just indulged in a grand feast. She felt too languid to even lift a finger.

As Song Yingshi lay on the bed, she turned to look beside her. Unfortunately, the room was too dark for her to make out Huai Xu's face. She only heard Huai Xu's hoarse voice asking, "Aren't you going to untie me yet?"

Song Yingshi felt languid all over, and even her speech had slowed down by a notch. After comfortably rolling on her side and facing Huai Xu, she asked, "You won't do anything, will you?"

Huai Xu chuckled, her laugh at this moment having a low, sensual quality. Then, she asked, "If I said no, would you believe me?"

Song Yingshi: "..."

Song Yingshi licked her lips, as if savoring a delicious aftertaste. However, she resisted her urges and said, "Work awaits us at 6.30 AM tomorrow. Instructor Huai, with how dedicated you are, you surely wouldn't act foolishly, right?"

"What are you afraid of?" Huai Xu provoked.

"Me? Afraid? You're not even stronger than me," Song Yingshi retorted.

"Untie me."

When Huai Xu said these two words, an inexplicable shiver ran down Song Yingshi's spine, followed by a ripple of anticipation…

…Hold it!

Song Yingshi shook her head, expelling the tempting thoughts from her mind.

Returning to the current situation, Song Yingshi knew it was unreasonable to keep Huai Xu restrained the entire night. If left in this state, Huai Xu would certainly feel sore all over when she woke up tomorrow morning.

However, Song Yingshi also knew she had taken things a step too far with her teasing just now. If she were to release Huai Xu now, she would be the one feeling sore tomorrow morning.

With this profound realization, Song Yingshi slowly sat up, saying with a lingering hint of allure, "For the sake of our careers, I'll sleep in the living room tonight." The living room cameras will certainly keep me safe.

After a period of silence, Song Yingshi still hadn't heard an answer from Huai Xu. Tentatively, she asked, "Have we reached a consensus?"

In the darkness, Huai Xu lay on the bed, her body slick with sweat, a serious expression forming on her flushed face.

At Song Yingshi's question, Huai Xu kicked out toward Song Yingshi, her instep landing on Song Yingshi's toned abdomen. However, when it came time to kick Song Yingshi off the bed, her affection for the woman ultimately prevented her from going through with the action. Instead, with a mix of love and resentment, she used her toes to gently pinch Song Yingshi's belly, eliciting a soft hiss from the other party.

Huai Xu felt a little better after enacting punishment on Song Yingshi. However, her voice still sounded exceptionally cold as she said, "Sleep here. I won't touch you."

"Really?" Song Yingshi asked.

Huai Xu closed her eyes, then ruthlessly pinched Song Yingshi's belly again, the thin veil of sweat clinging to it making Song Yingshi's warmth all the more apparent. Then, as she playfully kneaded Song Yingshi's lower abdomen with her toes, she said, "Ask again, and I'll change my mind."

If anyone else had tried to knead her like so, Song Yingshi would've regarded their actions as crude and irritating. But from Huai Xu, it carried an unmistakable charm. Song Yingshi had seen videos of cats "making biscuits," and she felt that Huai Xu's current actions were quite similar—clearly angry, yet still seeking closeness.

When Song Yingshi grabbed Huai Xu's calf and moved it aside, she couldn't help but notice that it resembled a cat's paw, dangerous yet inviting.

Perhaps this was due to the enchanting night, or the fact that both of them were covered in sweat.

Afterward, Song Yingshi leaned over to untie the haphazardly tied ribbon around Huai Xu's wrists. As she pulled the ribbon free, she whispered into Huai Xu's ears, "Little kitty, is my tummy soft?"

Song Yingshi's teasing tone carried a hint of triumph and indulgence.

Before Huai Xu could respond, Song Yingshi grabbed her wine-red nightdress, hopped off the bed, and said, "I'm going to wash up."

She certainly runs fast.

Huai Xu narrowed her eyes as she lowered her arms and gently rotated her shoulders. Her body, having just been somewhat soothed by Song Yingshi, gradually calmed down under the control of her rationality.

Not yet. At least not in the White Tower.

…

Song Yingshi turned on the shower, and hot water cascaded over her head. She felt an indescribable sense of comfort, as if she had just completed a good workout. It also felt like something within her had been liberated, making her body feel exceptionally light.

After a quick wash, Song Yingshi put her nightdress back on and stepped out. She hadn't turned on any lights when she left the room, but now a small lamp was lit.

Huai Xu was sitting by the bed, her nightdress draped beside her knees. At a glance, she looked like a moonlit water lily.

Song Yingshi stared for a long moment before she asked with concern, "Aren't you cold?"

"Your 'straight woman' comment is what's truly chilling," Huai Xu retorted.

Song Yingshi: "..."

Song Yingshi awkwardly rubbed her nose as she watched Huai Xu enter the bathroom.

Both of us showered twice tonight—

This thought inexplicably popped into Song Yingshi's head, and she couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

As Song Yingshi lay back on her own bed, she started to wonder if she should wait for Huai Xu or go to sleep without waiting.

Before Song Yingshi could make a choice, the system interjected, "Reminder, Host, if you have excess Life Points that you don't need, you can use them for gacha."

"Have you ever met anyone who complains about living too long? I don't have excess Life Points; I only have a point deficit, thank you very much," Song Yingshi retorted casually.

System: "..."

The system persevered, asking, "Why aren't you willing to use the gachapon machine, Host? Surely you've realized its importance."

The system's persistence successfully caught Song Yingshi's attention, or rather, aroused her suspicion.

Song Yingshi was still immersed in the evening's atmosphere and wasn't in the mood for business or intellectual battles with the system. Hence, she had casually refused its suggestion. She hadn't expected the system to start doing market research. Moreover, its words revealed an urgent push for her to use the gachapon machine.

What? Did the system have a gacha KPI?

"The gacha rates are too low. I'll use it once I've saved enough for permanent life[1]. I'm not in a hurry," Song Yingshi stated calmly.

Song Yingshi's answer caused the system to question itself. How could a woman change so quickly? Wasn't Song Yingshi trying to extra Life Points and mystery items from it not long ago? All of a sudden, she was no longer in a hurry?

Looking at the indifferent and leisurely Song Yingshi, and then considering that this woman was now indulging in romance and feeling 'in the mood,' the system had to face reality—Huai Xu had taken priority over it. From now on, the emperor would no longer attend morning court; its host no longer wished to further her career.

"We're going to sleep, so you can go off duty. Also, please refrain from mentioning gacha again. With that lousy drop rate, it's not worth spending money on it anyway," Song Yingshi said leisurely.

System: "..."

To motivate its host, the system reluctantly gave a crucial hint, "Host, you should try your luck now. Who knows, you might just get a surprise."

A glint flashed in Song Yingshi's eyes. On the surface, though, she said reluctantly, "You won't leave if I don't satisfy you, huh? Fine, I'll do a single pull."

After saying so, Song Yingshi casually twisted the gachapon machine.

System: "Congratulations, Host. You have received [Mystery Item: 999 hours of Life Points]."

"What? How many hours did you say?" Song Yingshi was stunned.

After the system repeated itself, Song Yingshi finally recovered from her surprise.

A whopping 999 hours of Life Points. Just how many missions did she have to complete to accumulate such an amount?

Song Yingshi had just saved a little over 1,000 hours of Life Points after working hard for the past few months. Yet, now, she had doubled her savings by simply spending 10 hours of Life Points!

In the blink of an eye, Song Yingshi was now one-fifth of the way to achieving permanent life. If she could do this a few more times…

Song Yingshi's breath quickened, and her face flushed with excitement.

However, no matter how excited Song Yingshi was internally, she still warned herself to stay calm. After all, if she didn't stay calm, how could she fleece the dastardly system and make it secretly adjust the drop rate again?

"Looks like my luck is good today," Song Yingshi said, smiling.

"Host, you should believe in the gachapon machine, and yourself. How about we do a 10-pull?" the system encouraged.

"Extreme luck is followed by bad luck. Contentment is happiness. I won't touch the gachapon machine for the next month—no, three months. I need to save up my luck," Song Yingshi replied decisively and powerfully, her words hitting the system, which was doing its best at marketing, with a face full of frustration.

However, the system then detected an anomaly—

Ten out of ten humans were gambling addicts, so why wasn't its host one? This shouldn't be possible.

After a quick analysis of its host's behavioral logic, the system arrived at several conclusions with varying probabilities. Targeting the highest possibility, it took action and told its host the truth, "Beep— Host, please be aware that the system cannot alter the gachapon machine's drop rates. Please be realistic and do not resort to improper means."

Seeing as the system had seen through her, Song Yingshi stopped pretending and asked, "Then, how do you explain today's 999 hours? There's no way I could've pulled that myself."

Song Yingshi's tone was filled with the confidence of someone with perpetually bad luck.

"You can find the reason from your surroundings," the system replied.

Confusion briefly colored Song Yingshi's face before her expression turned serious.

After a slight pause, the system said tactfully, "There exist truly lucky individuals in this world."

The system vanished after dropping this hint. Song Yingshi froze, and by the time she collected herself, the sound of water coming from the bathroom had ceased. Moments later, Huai Xu returned, clad in a champagne-colored slip dress, one strap artfully dangling off her shoulder.

Huai Xu walked over in her slippers, exuding a languid air. She didn't even glance at her own bed, walking straight to Song Yingshi's bed and saying succinctly, "Move over."

"The bed's too narrow for two people, and hot," Song Yingshi said while making space.

"Why didn't you think it was narrow or hot when you sat on top of me?" Huai Xu scoffed.

Song Yingshi lay down and watched Huai Xu sit by the headboard, bending forward to wipe off the moisture from her lower body. Huai Xu's long hair was gathered in front of her chest, highlighting the beautiful lines of her neck and shoulders. Her back, arched like a crescent moon, was adorned with dew-like droplets.

While admiring the view beside her, Song Yingshi retorted, "It was narrow. Didn't you see how closely we had to cling to each other? And did you forget about all the sweat we let out?"

Huai Xu froze. Song Yingshi, realizing what she'd said, quickly reined in the veering atmosphere, saying, "Alright, let's have a serious talk."

Huai Xu finished drying herself and lifted her legs onto the bed. Before she turned off the lights, she glanced at Song Yingshi, her eyes seemingly saying: "What serious topic could possibly come from your mouth?"

The lights went out for the second time tonight. This time, the cool, quiet night finally enveloped the room.

Song Yingshi shifted deeper into the blanket. Listening to the shallow, even breathing beside her, she quietly began her serious talk, "Do you know how to sing 'Good Luck Comes?'"

Huai Xu: "..."

After fooling around for a bit, Song Yingshi said, "I'm joking. I was just wondering, Instructor Huai, are you usually very lucky when it comes to draws and lotteries?"

The system's hint earlier made Song Yingshi think this was the only explanation for how she got so lucky with the gachapon machine. Out of everything that happened in the past few days, the most special event that occurred was her heightened intimacy with Huai Xu just now. If luck could truly be shared, then Huai Xu's good fortune might have "rubbed off" on her.

In reality, Song Yingshi had considered doing another single pull just now. However, Huai Xu had already returned by then, and she worried that she might get another strange prize that might excite Huai Xu.

"Me? I've never won a prize," Huai Xu replied faintly. Moreover, her life couldn't exactly be described as lucky.

However, when Huai Xu considered how she was able to reincarnate and meet Song Yingshi in this life, she corrected herself, "But I wouldn't say I'm unlucky."

More specifically, Huai Xu was terribly unlucky in her previous life. But in this life, she seemed to be very fortunate.

Song Yingshi, having come to a certain conclusion, decided that regardless of Huai Xu's thoughts, she would try it again tomorrow.

And besides…there was no harm in trying.

Having made up her mind, Song Yingshi patted the blanket and said, "Time to sleep, time to sleep."

Huai Xu, however, asked, "Was I well-behaved tonight?"

Hm? Asking for praise? Song Yingshi was instantly charmed. Nodding, she said, "Yes, exceptionally well-behaved."

"Do I get a reward?" Huai Xu asked.

Song Yingshi became a little alert. However, her mind was still overwhelmed by the imagined image of Huai Xu eagerly asking for a reward, so, in a half-dazed state, she said, "If it's nothing excessive, you can have whatever you want."

"I only want an answer," Huai Xu said.

"Hm?" Song Yingshi tilted her head.

Huai Xu's fingertips tensed. She lowered her gaze and asked softly, "Little Shi, which school did you attend for junior high?"

TL Notes:
[1]permanent life: I previously translated this as "eternal life" in Chapter 40.3, but after thinking it over, I think this might not be referring to having an infinite lifespan, but rather a life with a normal expiration date. For now, I've changed "eternal life" to "permanent life."