CH 234

Villainous Singer (6)

Soon, Song Xu Yi will face the first examination after arriving at Proxima Centauri.

As the most prestigious discipline on Proxima Centauri, the Robotics Research Department enforces a strict elimination system. After eight years of courses, only the top ten students will be selected to continue their studies at the advanced institution on Proxima Centauri, while the rest will be eliminated and redirected to other disciplines.

Currently, there are over a hundred students majoring in robotics, which means Song Xu Yi’s chances of staying are less than one in ten.

Compared to those who grew up immersed in various robot-related knowledge, Song Xu Yi, as a Ruo Shui native, possesses a significant disadvantage despite having a certain foundation in robot usage. Almost no one believes that Song Xu Yi will be among the chosen few.

Song Xu Yi is also aware of the pressure.

However, Song Xu Yi understood that being anxious was futile, and she gave her utmost effort, even if she were eventually eliminated. In that case, she wouldn’t have any regrets.

Day and night, Song Xu Yi started studying and practicing her theoretical knowledge relentlessly, and her grasp of the subject became incredibly solid, almost becoming second nature. However, what worried her was the lack of practical experience in dismantling and assembling robots. The most crucial part of creating a robot is the practical aspect, and students from Proxima Centauri had enough financial resources to buy robot models for hands-on practice. However, Song Xu Yi was in dire poverty, relying on financial aid from Proxima Centauri even for her basic needs, and she simply couldn’t afford to purchase any equipment.

Every two weeks, Song Xu Yi had a chance to contact her family back on Ruo Shui. However, she hesitated to let Song Yi, her father, know about her predicament. Song Xu Yi didn’t know how the original owner of her body had dealt with this situation, but she just couldn’t bring herself to speak up. Regardless of whether Song Yi would eventually become a Guardian, Song Xu Yi didn’t want to be the one pushing him onto that path.

During every conversation with her family, Song Xu Yi would only report that everything was fine and she lacked nothing. Song Yi, burdened with numerous responsibilities, didn’t notice Song Xu Yi’s struggles. Their conversations lacked the warmth of a typical family interaction and felt more like a subordinate reporting to a superior about their work.

When the first examination ended, as Song Xu Yi had anticipated, her theoretical scores ranked among the top few, but her practical abilities were at the bottom. Overall, her performance was mediocre, and although she wasn’t eliminated, the situation still looked far from optimistic.

Among the Ruo Shui natives, this performance was already considered excellent. Several individuals who applied for the robotics department alongside Song Xu Yi were eliminated in the first round and had to choose other majors.

However, Song Xu Yi was not content with this outcome.

She needed money to purchase equipment and parts.

Song Xu Yi decided to earn money on her own.

After giving it some thought, she began asking Luo Xi for information about part-time jobs.

However, Luo Xi was also a diligent and studious person, only seeking to make ends meet, and she wasn’t familiar with the ways Ruo Shui natives could earn money on Proxima Centauri. Song Xu Yi had no choice but to seek help from someone else.

To her surprise, there were very few Ruo Shui natives doing part-time jobs. After inquiring around, Song Xu Yi finally found a relatively reliable opportunity: becoming a mascot at a museum.

In this era, Proxima Centauri natives were generally lazy and seldom went out. The pay offered by the museum was not high, and it would take Song Xu Yi about a month of work to buy a basic robot model kit.

Nevertheless, Song Xu Yi was content. Compared to the situation back on Ruo Shui, where working day and night in the mines barely provided enough to eat, the remuneration from this job was considered generous. She planned to work hard, first to repay the money owed to Lin Ruoyu for the translator and then to save up for buying robot model equipment.

The only drawback was that, as a mascot, Song Xu Yi had to take off her glasses and wear a heavy suit of armor. Without having undergone nearsightedness surgery, her vision was blurred, making it hard for her to see clearly beyond two meters. This situation made her feel insecure.

Although Song Xu Yi’s current body didn’t possess Lin Ruoyu’s exquisite beauty, it could be considered a cute little loli. With a palm-sized face and a pair of misty big eyes, combined with the cold machinery, it created an extreme contrast of aesthetics, leading people to exclaim at the cuteness when the images were shared on social media. Soon, it sparked a trend of people visiting the museum to take photos with her.

In the beginning, the situation was manageable, but as the images spread, more and more people came to take photos with her. Song Xu Yi had no choice but to endure the heavy armor and put on a smile while taking photos with the visitors from Proxima Centauri. Occasionally, some unruly individuals would attempt to breach the line of defense and touch her, even hurling indecent remarks at her.

With the increasing number of visitors to the museum, this job further compressed Song Xu Yi’s resting time. She didn’t want to neglect her studies, so she had to work harder at night, resting for less than four hours a day.

The obvious consequence of such excessive fatigue was a decline in Song Xu Yi’s physical condition. One day, when she was putting on the armor in the resting room, a sudden and intense pain struck her chest, causing her heart to race, feeling dizzy, and her hands and feet turning cold. She collapsed to the ground.

However, the supervisor outside was urging her, so Song Xu Yi forced herself to stand up after a few minutes and sent a voice message to Luo Xi, informing her that she wasn’t feeling well and asking Luo Xi to pick her up after work.

When Song Xu Yi spoke, her voice was very soft and gentle, sounding like a little kitten’s cry, incredibly pitiful. In another country with a time difference, Lin Ruoyu had just woken up when she heard the weak and pitiful sound of Song Xu Yi’s voice.

Song Xu Yi didn’t know if Luo Xi had heard the voice message, but the supervisor outside started urging her again. Taking a deep breath, Song Xu Yi could only lean against the wall to support herself and stood back at her working position.

The noise around her seemed never-ending, and Song Xu Yi lost track of time. She felt her heart pounding, her head throbbing like needles pricking, and sweat continuously dripping down her forehead. Her body felt disconnected, as if it wasn’t her own.

Amidst the noisy crowd, Song Xu Yi heard the voice of a repulsive Proxima Centauri man.

“Why do you make this adorable Ruo Shui girl stand here?” The man had been coming to see Song Xu Yi for the past few days, and his lascivious gaze made her feel extremely disgusted. At this moment, his voice sounded very close, “Such a weak race, she should be well kept and displayed for admiration. Oh, poor little thing…”

The man’s voice seemed to draw closer, causing a commotion around them.

Blurred figures danced before Song Xu Yi’s eyes, and she couldn’t make out if the man had approached her. Instinctively frightened, she took a step back, but screams echoed around her, suggesting that someone had come in.

Song Xu Yi was puzzled and took another step back, her vision darkening. She accidentally bumped into the edge of a display table, and in her stumble, she fell into a soft embrace.

Instinctively, Song Xu Yi wanted to break free, but amid the chaotic surroundings, she heard a familiar voice from above, saying, “It’s me—”

Lin Ruoyu? How did she get here?

Song Xu Yi was amazed but subconsciously relieved. The tension that had been gripping her heart was finally released in an instant, and her vision blurred as she fell into a deep slumber.

When Song Xu Yi woke up again, she found herself back at Colin Academy.

This planet highly respected privacy and provided each student with a single room. Unlike the simple single room where Song Xu Yi used to live, this room was unexpectedly spacious, as if several layers had been combined into one. When she woke up, she didn’t even realize where she was until she put on her glasses and saw the iconic spire of Colin Academy through the window, confirming that she was still inside the academy.

Then, the sight inside the room captured all of Song Xu Yi’s attention. It was like a paradise for robotics students, as half of the room was filled with various types of small robot models!

Song Xu Yi widened her eyes, wondering if she was hallucinating due to her desire for models during this time. But unexpectedly, a light laugh came from the side—

“Little fool!”

Song Xu Yi turned her head and saw Lin Ruoyu’s beautiful face at the door. Lin Ruoyu came out of the small kitchen and handed a glass of water to Song Xu Yi, kindly explaining, “This is my room.”

Song Xu Yi hadn’t expected Lin Ruoyu to bring her to her own room, feeling a bit awkward. Under Lin Ruoyu’s gaze, she obediently drank the water Lin Ruoyu handed to her. She was just about to get off the bed when Lin Ruoyu held her hand.

“You need more rest, and it happens that I want to discuss something with you.” Seemingly aware of what Song Xu Yi was thinking, Lin Ruoyu continued, “I’ve already asked for leave with the teacher on your behalf. This class is about learning theoretical knowledge, and your teacher said that, given your understanding, you can catch up by studying the material on your own.”

Song Xu Yi finally relaxed and lay back on the bed. Just about to thank Lin Ruoyu, another sentence from her made Song Xu Yi’s heart sink: “By the way, no need to thank me. I’ve already quit your part-time job at the museum!”

?!

Song Xu Yi widened her eyes, not understanding why Lin Ruoyu would make decisions on her behalf. But due to her surprise and her gentle nature, she couldn’t bring herself to question it.

“Because your teacher scolded me,” sensing Song Xu Yi’s astonishment, Lin Ruoyu sat beside her and pinched her cheek, explaining, “He probably thinks we have a good relationship and as your good friend, I shouldn’t only focus on having you study theory. After all, practical experience is the essence of your profession. He asked me to pay more attention to your practical work; otherwise, you might get eliminated soon…”

Song Xu Yi frowned, avoiding Lin Ruoyu’s cheek pinch. She knew that Lin Ruoyu being scolded was not the real reason she quit the job for her.

“He said some hurtful things that made me angry…” This time, it was Lin Ruoyu who frowned. She hesitated and fiddled with her fingers, seemingly reluctant, but eventually she withdrew her hand from pinching Song Xu Yi’s cheek.

Song Xu Yi guessed that the teacher’s words must have wounded Lin Ruoyu’s self-esteem, as these teachers often had a sense of superiority being Proxima Centauri natives, sometimes leading to discrimination against students from Ruo Shui. As expected, Lin Ruoyu looked deeply into Song Xu Yi’s eyes and said, “As a Ruo Shui native, I have to prove to him that we Ruo Shui natives are not lacking in intelligence.”

“I entered the museum to earn money, but I don’t lack money,” Lin Ruoyu said after giving up on pinching Song Xu Yi’s cheek. Instead, she focused on Song Xu Yi’s hair, lazily playing with it. Her demeanor and expression resembled a willful and indulgent little girl. “And I was insulted by him for no reason, so naturally, I want to get back at him—”

“So, I’ve decided to hire you to help me get even,” Lin Ruoyu glanced at Song Xu Yi with a sideways look. “You still owe me money, right? And you need a job, so why not accept my offer? I’ll pay you twice the wage of the museum, and I plan to hire you to study diligently, all the way to the highest-level courses, to make those disgusting Proxima Centauri people look at you in a different light!”

Song Xu Yi’s eyes widened. She didn’t expect Lin Ruoyu to quit her job for this reason.

For Song Xu Yi, it was like a pie falling from the sky. However, she wasn’t knocked out by the pie; she hadn’t forgotten that Lin Ruoyu was a villain in the storyline. Did she have other motives for doing this?

Song Xu Yi’s doubts were all reflected in her eyes, and Lin Ruoyu naturally noticed.

Her eyes darkened slightly, but the smile on her face deepened. She extended her finger toward the robot models in the room and continued, “Of course, I definitely have other conditions. I originally wanted to study in the Robotics Department too, but I chose a different path. Robot research became my hobby, and I couldn’t let go of it. However, the school’s teachers refused to be my tutor. I want you to learn it and then teach me. As a reward, you can use all the models in my room…”

All… the models?!

Following Lin Ruoyu’s finger, Song Xu Yi looked at the models in the room and swallowed hard. Those models were even more sophisticated than the ones in the school’s laboratory! Although she still suspected that Lin Ruoyu might have hidden motives, the temptation of those models was too difficult for Song Xu Yi to resist.

“Are you really willing to let me use these models?”

Happiness came too suddenly, and Song Xu Yi couldn’t help but repeat the question, looking at Lin Ruoyu with a questioning gaze.

Lin Ruoyu had a hint of a smile on her face, and Song Xu Yi couldn’t quite describe the feeling she had. The Lin Ruoyu in front of her seemed somewhat different from usual. The glow in her eyes appeared brighter, and she looked exceptionally dazzling.

Song Xu Yi dared not meet Lin Ruoyu’s gaze directly and instead focused on the small mole at the corner of Lin Ruoyu’s eye.

“Of course! My father always told me that I should never promise something I can’t do. Since I’ve spoken, I will definitely deliver,” Lin Ruoyu curved her lips.

Song Xu Yi wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but she felt that Lin Ruoyu’s expression looked composed, like a hunter lying in wait for its prey…

Despite feeling a bit uneasy in her heart, the temptation Lin Ruoyu presented was just too great to resist. Even with the system’s warning voice, “Agree! This young girl is only thirteen years old. You surely can’t lose to someone so young,” ringing in her mind, Song Xu Yi closed her eyes and nodded in response to Lin Ruoyu’s arched eyebrow.

“I agree!”

The author has something to say:

Lin Ruoyu (#^.^#): It seems like it’s not easy to deceive a child~