CH 232

Villainous Singer (4)

Song Xu Yi’s eyes widened in surprise.

In the original plot synopsis, a huge energy bomb fell from the sky, and the male and female leads were killed in an explosion during their wedding at the residence of the guardian, Song Yi.

The plot synopsis did not specify who the culprit was, but it made it clear why the male and female leads died. Song Xu Yi didn’t think the system’s perception was wrong – Lin Ruoyu’s involvement seemed undeniable in the deaths of the male and female leads.

At first, Song Xu Yi didn’t dwell too much on it, but now that she knew this, she couldn’t help but think more about it. Was Lin Ruoyu’s reason for getting close to her really just because they were both from the southwest district?

Now, as she calmed down and let go of her infatuation with Lin Ruoyu’s appearance, Song Xu Yi couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something ominous about her.

If I had known about this, even if Lin Ruoyu was born incredibly beautiful, Song Xu Yi believes she would not have gotten involved with her… However, it’s too late now.

Song Xu Yi didn’t suspect that the system intentionally waited until now to tell her about this. After learning Lin Ruoyu’s true identity, despite feeling shocked, Song Xu Yi digested the information and decided not to have any unnecessary involvement with her after returning the money for the translator.

After raising her vigilance towards Lin Ruoyu in secret, Song Xu Yi didn’t dwell on it anymore. She tucked the necklace into her collar, then opened the light-brain provided by Colin Academy to its students.

Whenever a student enrolled, Colin Academy would provide them with a free light-brain to help them familiarize themselves with everything about Proxima Centauri and complete their daily assignments. Since Colin Academy was considered a relatively less prestigious school on Proxima Centauri, the light-brain they distributed were the cheapest and most basic models. However, even such a light-brain was a highly sought-after piece of advanced technology for students like Song Xu Yi, who came from Ruo Shui and were financially challenged.

The language on Proxima Centauri was different from that on Ruo Shui. Song Xu Yi always believed that to understand a civilization, one must start by learning their written language. Now in the stage of fervently absorbing knowledge from Proxima Centauri, Song Xu Yi felt the urgency of time and devised an unprecedented rigorous learning plan for herself. She set a daily target for the number of words she needed to master and began staying up late to study the written language of Proxima Centauri. Moreover, Luo Xi had introduced to her that only by mastering the language and etiquette of Proxima Centauri could she advance to study other disciplines more deeply.

In Song Xu Yi’s mind, regardless of any era, having a healthy physique was extremely important.

Therefore, after familiarizing herself with the layout of Colin Academy in the following days and being observed as a curiosity by the people of Proxima Centauri for a few days, Song Xu Yi discovered a seldom-visited playground within the academy.

The playground was located behind abandoned buildings, with the shadowy teaching building as its backdrop. Proxima Centauri people were not good at sports, and the small playground was meticulously cleaned by robots but still rarely frequented by anyone.

Generally, newcomers to Proxima Centauri would need a period of adjustment.

In the following days, Luo Xi showed Song Xu Yi around Colin Academy, allowing her to experience the stark contrast in technology between Proxima Centauri and Ruo Shui.

The rest of the arriving children appeared extremely astonished, overwhelmed by the array of machines. Song Xu Yi, having traveled through many worlds, was already well-versed and couldn’t feign a surprised expression. While the other children immersed themselves in experiencing the advanced technology of Proxima Centauri, Song Xu Yi quickly familiarized herself with the technological applications and opened the light-brain to start learning the language.

In this unfamiliar place, Song Xu Yi’s calm and gentle demeanor, neither noisy nor disruptive, attracted even more attention as time went on.

For some reason, Luo Xi, despite knowing that Song Xu Yi was the youngest among them, stopped treating her like a little kid when she saw how composed and tranquil Song Xu Yi was. One day, while escorting Song Xu Yi back to her room, some words involuntarily slipped out of Luo Xi’s mouth:

“You’re doing great, and I truly hope you can continue like this.”

“But I also know how difficult it is for you.” At the door of Song Xu Yi’s room, Luo Xi watched her still silently reciting the words of the Proxima Centauri language and let out a soft sigh. This young girl, who should have been carefree like a middle school student in some other time and space, was burdened with worries beyond her age. “You have no idea how sad I am now! I feel like so many people have changed; they’re starting to forget our mission here and trying to assimilate into the society of Proxima Centauri, becoming like the people of Proxima Centauri…”

“It’s been five years since the first group came to Proxima Centauri, but they seem to have become like the people of Proxima Centauri. I can’t even recognize them anymore.”

“Xu Yi, although your background is better than ours, and your father can afford to support you, there are still millions of oppressed people on Ruo Shui. We can’t abandon them…”

Song Xu Yi looked at Luo Xi’s sorrowful gaze and let out a sigh.

During this period, to some extent, some people had already come to test Song Xu Yi’s attitude.

Luo Xi’s perception was not wrong; the people transported here from Ruo Shui were a mixed bunch. But undoubtedly, the tall, slender, and beautiful children from Ruo Shui perfectly matched the aesthetic preferences of the people of Proxima Centauri. Faced with the overwhelming display of wealth and technological advantage intentionally shown by the people of Proxima Centauri, not only the children but even adults found it hard to resist. Now, many older Ruo Shui students have even started dating Proxima Centauri natives.

Like Luo Xi, Song Xu Yi knew she had no right to interfere in the choices of other Ruo Shui people, but for a planet to rise, there always had to be some stubborn citizens. For example, people like Luo Xi, who always wore thick glasses and automatically distanced themselves from the people of Proxima Centauri, were known as unyielding Ruo Shui natives.

Song Xu Yi admired such people and was willing to become one of them.

“My father has always taught me to remember our identity as Ruo Shui people, no matter what happens, never forget,” Song Xu Yi knew Luo Xi’s anxiety and softly comforted her, but she didn’t say much more. Even though she didn’t think Song Yi was a bad person, according to the original plot synopsis, Song Yi eventually became the guardian of Proxima Centauri, and until she knew what happened in between, Song Xu Yi didn’t want to be too outspoken.

She demonstrated her identification with her Ruo Shui identity through actions, even if it seemed somewhat juvenile: Song Xu Yi never took off her thick glasses.

When she first arrived at Proxima Centauri, Song Xu Yi had thought about getting surgery to remove her glasses, but after learning that Proxima Centauri people judged Ruo Shui people’s willingness to accept them based on whether they wore glasses or not, she continued to wear her glasses to avoid trouble.

Although Song Xu Yi’s appearance may not be as outstanding as Lin Ruoyu’s, she is still an attractive young woman with strong charisma. Song Xu Yi detests the way Proxima Centauri people look at her as if she’s already in their grasp, and wearing her glasses helps to reduce those kinds of gazes. After a few days of adaptation, she gradually got used to wearing glasses.

If they don’t want to join the people of Proxima Centauri and want to break free from their dependence on them, apart from studying hard, these students have no other choice.

To demonstrate a welcoming attitude towards these students and to help them adapt to life on Proxima Centauri as quickly as possible, Colin Academy conducts language tests for the Ruo Shui children coming from Ruo Shui every six months. The next test is just a month away, otherwise, they’ll have to wait another six months for the next one.

The other students who arrived at the same time as Song Xu Yi plan to wait for the test six months later, but Song Xu Yi decides to take a gamble, so she works even harder, dedicating almost all her time to studying.

During this month, Song Xu Yi gradually became familiar with using the light-brain.

She desperately recognized the writing of Proxima Centauri and was now able to fully understand the content of a news report. Therefore, when a message about Lin Ruoyu popped up on the light-brain, Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but click into it.

Struggling through the article, Song Xu Yi roughly grasped its meaning. The general idea was that a recent official organization initiated a poll, and Lin Ruoyu was voted as the most desired woman to marry among Proxima Centauri men in recent years. The report lavishly praised Lin Ruoyu without reservation.

Song Xu Yi didn’t expect Lin Ruoyu to have such a high reputation on Proxima Centauri. As a Ruo Shui native, having so many admirers on Proxima Centauri was a testament to Lin Ruoyu’s success in some sense.

With the intention of learning the Proxima Centauri language, Song Xu Yi finished reading the report, and when she scrolled to the end, a video of Lin Ruoyu singing appeared on the page.

Song Xu Yi had a bit of a perfectionist streak and didn’t like leaving things unfinished. With the thought of completing the report, she clicked on the video.

In the video, Lin Ruoyu changed into a black outfit.

As she sang the first line of the song, Song Xu Yi, who was casually organizing the entire mechanical system of the world, suddenly stopped her pen in its tracks. Lin Ruoyu’s voice was simply enchanting; the moment she started singing, Song Xu Yi was almost covered in goosebumps—

It was strange.

Lin Ruoyu appeared aloof and seemingly disinterested in many things, but her singing voice was filled with power, carrying a haunting ethereal quality that made people inexplicably want to shed tears. Amidst the melancholy, it stirred a desire to pursue something from deep within the heart…

Regardless of the era, the pursuit of beauty is universal.

Song Xu Yi had never heard such a captivating voice before and, in that moment, completely understood why Lin Ruoyu was so popular on Proxima Centauri. Her mesmerizing voice, combined with her stunning appearance, made her stand out on any planet.

Even though she knew deep down that Lin Ruoyu was the villain and might become an adversary in the future, Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but set the song to repeat mode.

Song Xu Yi didn’t deliberately search for Lin Ruoyu’s songs, but Colin Academy, being a less prominent institution, rarely had students who garnered social attention. Naturally, they went all out to promote Lin Ruoyu to raise her popularity, which would, in turn, bring more attention to the academy and facilitate enrollment.

As a result, Colin Academy strongly supported Lin Ruoyu’s development and designed all their ringtone melodies to be her songs.

When Song Xu Yi first heard this, she was extremely surprised. She didn’t know who came up with such a bizarre idea since, in any time and space, students typically detest ringtones in unison.

However, Song Xu Yi was surprised to learn that the school had convinced Lin Ruoyu to record a holographic image, and they set up welcoming messages on the electronic doors of various classes. Early students could see a lifelike holographic image of Lin Ruoyu walking down from the door, smiling and exchanging greetings with the students.

The Ruo Shui students were fine with this arrangement, but the Proxima Centauri students couldn’t resist falling for this gimmick. Among the Proxima Centauri students, a peculiar trend emerged, where everyone tried to be the first to say hello to Lin Ruoyu. They competed with each other to be the first student to enter the classroom and have a conversation with her.

Undeniably, Ruo Shui students held a good position in Colin Academy, and their relationship with Lin Ruoyu’s popularity played a part.

Song Xu Yi didn’t pay much attention to this gossip; her focus was on preparing for the language test and quickly learning the specialized knowledge. Due to her petite stature, young age, and seemingly harmless appearance with glasses, she looked like a bookish and well-behaved girl. Everyone couldn’t help but treat her with care and was willing to talk to her.

People thought Song Xu Yi might not pass the language test easily, as learning a language isn’t something that happens overnight. Among the existing records, Lin Ruoyu was the fastest person to pass the language test, and even she took over three months. For some, it took two to three years.

Afraid that Song Xu Yi would be demoralized and have her confidence affected if she failed, many people came to dissuade her.

Seeing the overwhelming number of people trying to persuade her, even Luo Xi hesitated and came to dissuade her. Knowing Luo Xi’s strong aversion towards Lin Ruoyu, Song Xu Yi casually came up with an excuse: “I just want to try and see if I can surpass Lin Ruoyu. I also want to earn money quickly to repay her for the translator.”

Having said this, Luo Xi didn’t stop her anymore and relayed Song Xu Yi’s reason to other students. However, within a few days, a strange rumor spread among Ruo Shui students, claiming that Song Xu Yi greatly admired Lin Ruoyu and was striving to be on par with her, which is why she was working hard to learn the language.

Upon hearing this rumor, both Luo Xi and Song Xu Yi had different reactions. While Luo Xi was indignant, Song Xu Yi remained indifferent, knowing that rumors end with wise people. She decided to avoid further contact with Lin Ruoyu, believing that the rumor would eventually debunk itself.

However, the subsequent events were beyond Song Xu Yi’s expectations.

A month later, the language examination at Colin Academy began on schedule. When Song Xu Yi, who was noticeably younger than the other students, entered the examination room, she quickly caught the attention of the examiners.

The examiners were initially indifferent, expecting this young girl to surely fail the language test. However, Song Xu Yi shattered their preconceived notions with her performance. She appeared remarkably skilled in the language of Proxima Centauri, although she stumbled on some challenging terms, she easily passed the language test.

The examination process went smoothly, and after seeing the admiration in the examiners’ eyes, Song Xu Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that she had this in the bag. However, a minor incident occurred at the end of the examination.

“How amazing!” One examiner couldn’t help but exclaim as he looked at the seemingly obedient and meek Song Xu Yi with her large-framed glasses. “What an extraordinary linguistic talent!”

Another Ruo Shui girl who was taking the examination alongside Song Xu Yi heard the examiner’s praise and laughed, taking the opportunity to chime in, “Xu Yi not only has talent but is also extremely diligent. Her idol is Lin Ruoyu. I heard that Lin Ruoyu passed the test in just three months, so Xu Yi is determined to follow in her footsteps…”

?!

Song Xu Yi widened her eyes.

Though her heart and mind were screaming, “No, that’s not true, I don’t have such feelings,” the examiners perceived her reactions as shyness. After all, it was not uncommon for young people to admire Lin Ruoyu, especially considering they both hailed from the same planet.

“Well, I’m sure you must be a talented singer too, right? Perhaps you also aspire to pursue a singing career like Miss Lin?” one examiner eagerly asked Song Xu Yi.

Shaking her head, Song Xu Yi replied, “I want to specialize in robot development.”

“That happens to be one of the most challenging fields on our planet,” the examiner said, waving a hand, convinced that Song Xu Yi was simply being shy. Encouragingly, he continued, “Could you give us a little performance right now?” He chuckled, saying, “You really know Miss Lin so well. Back when she took the language test, she also mentioned an interest in robot development. However, she drew the singing exam topic. I’ll never forget her beautiful singing voice from that day. Afterward, I recommended her to my close friend, and then she joined his company. Within a few short years, she has become a global sensation…”

“Child, don’t be afraid. Just hum a portion of your idol’s song, like our current ringtone,” the examiner encouraged, looking expectantly at Song Xu Yi. “Boldly show us what you’ve got. You might be the next Miss Lin, capable of delivering an unforgettable performance just like her.”

Song Xu Yi’s face turned red.

However, the exam was still ongoing, and this could be considered an additional question in the exam room. Despite her reluctance, Song Xu Yi faced the examiner’s hopeful gaze and cleared her throat. She hummed a few notes hesitantly.

Song Xu Yi had never been known for her singing talent. Singing in front of everyone was akin to public humiliation for her. Her embarrassment was so intense that her ears turned crimson, and after finishing, she couldn’t bring herself to look at the reactions of the people present.

A moment of silence followed.

“Cough, cough, I don’t think I’ll ever forget your singing,” the examiner broke the silence again. After a moment, he composed himself and continued, suppressing his amusement, “You’re a rational child, knowing that instead of choosing a music major, it’s better to pursue robotics development.”

“Robotics development, although challenging, is not impossible! Go ahead, child. You will surely fulfill the dream of your senior, Miss Lin.”

That’s what got Song Xu Yi through the exam.

Song Xu Yi bowed to express her gratitude, biting her lower lip and blushing as she left the exam room. It took several deep breaths to regain her composure. Though the process was a bit embarrassing, she had finally achieved her goal.

Song Xu Yi ran a few laps around the small playground, putting the incident behind her completely. Later, she returned to her dormitory and began preparing for her future studies…

However, Song Xu Yi was unaware that as soon as she left the exam room, there was an explosion of laughter inside. The examiner who heard her singing couldn’t stop laughing, saying, “Heavens! I’ve never seen anyone sing so off-key like that!”

The examiner took out his light-brain and couldn’t help but play back the surveillance of Song Xu Yi’s singing. As he watched, he laughed for a long time and finally burst into laughter. He saved the video and sent it to Lin Ruoyu’s official account in a private message.

“I hope Miss Lin can see this video,” the examiner laughed and sighed, “The people of Ruo Shui are indeed a strange species. They can give birth to talented singers like Miss Lin, and also produce singers like Miss Song who sing so off-key… I really look forward to seeing how Miss Lin will react when she hears her song sung so off-key by Miss Song.”

Despite saying this, the examiner didn’t actually believe that Lin Ruoyu would see the video. Lin Ruoyu was now a beloved singer with thousands of private messages flooding her account daily. It was doubtful she would have time to go through all of them.

After passing the language test, Song Xu Yi’s light-brain permissions were further expanded, and she gained access to the course selection interface. Without hesitation, she chose “Robotics Development.” As a major of expertise on Proxima Centauri and one of the most challenging subjects at Colin Academy, the Robotics Development major adopted a elimination system. If one failed the exams several times, they would be forced to switch to another major and couldn’t continue in the Robotics Development.

As a result, Song Xu Yi became even more alarmed and used the time before enrollment to intensely study in advance. It was only when Luo Xi came to her with a worried expression that Song Xu Yi learned her singing video had been circulated and had sparked a huge sensation on the light-brain.

People were imitating Song Xu Yi’s off-key singing, while others teasingly commented that it was a singer’s profound love for Lin Ruoyu that drove her to sing like that and strive to complete Lin Ruoyu’s songs. Some even created simple comic-style emojis of Lin Ruoyu, with one portraying Lin Ruoyu holding a sign that said, “You sang well, but please don’t sing again next time”…

Song Xu Yi’s singing video had become a laughingstock to everyone.

“These Proxima Centauri people are just too much!” Luo Xi was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes. “Your singing video is your privacy, how could they spread it like this in public?”

Song Xu Yi saw the blurry video of the singing person, and although outsiders might not recognize her, those who were familiar with her would easily identify her as the person in the video.

Unexpectedly, Song Xu Yi’s expression remained extremely calm, contrary to Luo Xi’s expectations. It was so serene that Luo Xi couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you angry?”

“Angry,” she said, claiming to be angry, but Song Xu Yi’s expression remained composed. Looking at this version of Song Xu Yi, Luo Xi’s anger seemed to be suddenly doused with a bucket of cold water, and she slowly calmed down.

“But haven’t they always looked down on others?” Song Xu Yi continued to look at the data, her head lowered. “On their planet, we are like parasites, while on our planet, they have become the masters…”

“We need to change this situation,” Song Xu Yi said calmly, gazing steadily at Luo Xi. “We can only defeat them!”

Luo Xi clenched her lips tightly, instinctively wanting to say that Song Xuyi’s ideas were unrealistic. The backward Ruo Shui could never defeat Proxima Centauri. However, looking at the light-brain in Song Xu Yi’s hand and the determination in her eyes, the words at the tip of Luo Xi’s tongue suddenly became hard to say…

Her heart was filled with unknown emotions as Luo Xi clenched her lips.

As it turned out, only a few people who knew Song Xu Yi recognized her in the video. These few people also made mocking remarks, but Luo Xi realized that as long as Song Xu Yi didn’t care, the words of others couldn’t hurt her at all.

Luo Xi then discovered that this seemingly delicate young girl possessed an unparalleled resilience; external matters seemed to have no effect on her.

She put her words into action: studying knowledge early and returning late every day, always being the first to arrive at the classroom for learning, and spending most of her time in the classroom and library.

But Song Xu Yi’s behavior of coming and leaving the school early and late further fueled the rumors that she was Lin Ruoyu’s enthusiastic fan. Everyone was saying that Song Xu Yi wanted to be the first one to greet Lin Ruoyu through the daily electronic door, which was why she arrived so early in the classroom.

The rumors escalated, and Song Xu Yi couldn’t be bothered to clarify, but little did she expect that it would reach Lin Ruoyu’s ears.

Song Xu Yi never imagined that Lin Ruoyu would seek her out—

It had been almost two months since they last saw each other. The small running track where Song Xu Yi usually ran was always secluded. On this day, she went to the library to search for some information that was not available on the light-brain. By the time she finished, it was already dark outside. Song Xu Yi planned to run a few laps before returning to study, but she never expected Lin Ruoyu to suddenly appear here.

Under the dim streetlamp, Lin Ruoyu looked even more exquisite and beautiful. She seemed to have a penchant for wearing black and white clothes. At this moment, she was in a white shirt with her hair tied up, revealing her delicate forehead.

Even though she knew she shouldn’t, Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but look at Lin Ruoyu a little more: Why is she here…

“That video wasn’t posted by me.” The girl, however, seemed somewhat anxious. Leaning against the wall in a secluded corner of the small sports field, she discarded her previous nonchalance and stood in front of Song Xu Yi, furrowing her brows, and spoke softly…

The author has something to say:

Several years later, after they got together, whenever they had a little disagreement, Lin Ruoyu couldn’t bear to blame Song Xu Yi. She could only turn away from Song Xu Yi, pretending to hold her grudge, but she wouldn’t last for more than half an hour—

Every time, Song Xu Yi would play along and coax her, saying, “Don’t be angry. If you’re still upset, I’ll sing a song for you to listen to. (#^.^#)”

Lin Ruoyu: …

“—Pfft!”