CH 237

Villainous Singer (9)

In the time that followed, Song Xu Yi continued to explore the world from Lin Ruoyu’s perspective. In an effort to spark Lin Ruoyu’s interest in learning, she devised a range of peculiar robots, such as a scalp massaging robot, a conversational companion bot, a feeding machine, and more – all intended to capture Lin Ruoyu’s fascination.

As their interactions deepened, Song Xu Yi grew increasingly amazed by Lin Ruoyu’s exceptional intellect. Whatever she was taught, Lin Ruoyu grasped with remarkable speed. Eventually, Song Xu Yi understood why Luo Xi had held onto resentment over Lin Ruoyu’s decision to stop learning from the robots. With Lin Ruoyu’s natural talents, she could have made significant strides in the robotics industry, instead of being constantly ensnared by her management company, paraded around like a mascot at various performances.

Time flowed on, and within this process, Song Xu Yi and Lin Ruoyu gradually grew more acquainted. Lin Ruoyu displayed a different, more relaxed demeanor around Song Xu Yi, a departure from her usual self. The more time they spent together, the less Song Xu Yi felt any lingering resentment toward Lin Ruoyu. In fact, the more they connected, the more Song Xu Yi felt dissatisfied with Lin Ruoyu’s current circumstances. While Lin Ruoyu was undoubtedly the most adored female singer from Proxima Centauri, with countless devoted fans, her success was built upon an incredibly hectic schedule. Often, their communication took place late at night, with Lin Ruoyu just stepping off the stage, sometimes without even removing her makeup.

Lin Ruoyu was kept so busy that she hardly had a moment to spare over the course of a month. She could only return to Colin Academy for a day or two. Her studies had fallen significantly behind. Yet, even in her absence, Colin Academy consistently awarded her top marks on tests, seemingly permitting her extensive performances.

At this stage, Lin Ruoyu had not yet reached adulthood. This was a pivotal period for acquiring knowledge and developing one’s core beliefs. She was undeniably intelligent and had the potential for a bright future. Song Xu Yi believed that Lin Ruoyu wasn’t averse to learning; her attitude towards education was quite positive. Whenever Song Xu Yi reached out, Lin Ruoyu promptly responded. However, Lin Ruoyu was now overlooked in terms of cultural and moral education. She had forsaken her studies to become a cash cow for her management company, performing incessantly. The more Song Xu Yi got to know her, the more she felt a pang of heartache.

It’s not surprising that Song Xu Yi would think this way. Over the course of their interactions during this period, Lin Ruoyu appeared incredibly gullible: she believed every word Song Xu Yi said without hesitation, often looking at her with a shining gaze. After each class, she actively gave money to Song Xu Yi, and the amount of money she gave kept increasing…

In just one short year of being together, the money Lin Ruoyu had given Song Xu Yi added up to more than the expenses of an average family on Proxima Centauri. Song Xu Yi had once inquired about Lin Ruoyu’s income, and she didn’t hide anything, casually mentioning a number. This number left Song Xu Yi speechless – it sounded unbelievably exaggerated! Especially considering that Lin Ruoyu and her management company had a 90-10 profit split, and yet Lin Ruoyu still had so much profit. One could only imagine how much the management company had squeezed out from Lin Ruoyu.

The management company had earned so much money from Lin Ruoyu but showed no concern for her personal development. Song Xu Yi couldn’t help feeling resentful on Lin Ruoyu’s behalf, and this resentment gradually transformed into pity. When meeting Lin Ruoyu, Song Xu Yi would subconsciously recommend some uplifting books and casually convey life wisdom, hoping Lin Ruoyu would cultivate some awareness of potential crises and start planning for the future…

However, the results were not as hoped. Every time Song Xu Yi worriedly planned Lin Ruoyu’s future and hoped she would be cautious, Lin Ruoyu would just watch her with keen interest, smiling in a very cheerful manner. “It’s okay, I believe Xu Yi won’t ignore me if I’m in danger.”

Song Xu Yi felt utterly exasperated, but upon closer thought, Lin Ruoyu’s beautiful face and captivating singing voice probably meant that no one in the world would want to harm her. Her life was likely sheltered, which was why she lacked the inclination to be cautious around others.

With such thoughts in mind, Song Xu Yi could only resign herself to becoming a money-guardian, saving up the money Lin Ruoyu gave her and planning to return it to her when needed in the future.

In this year, Song Xu Yi’s academic performance also made remarkable progress, leaping from an average position to the top three in the class. However, no one seemed pleased for Song Xu Yi. Her classmates started giving her odd looks, and during subsequent lessons, even the teachers would occasionally single her out, intentionally finding fault…

At first, Song Xu Yi didn’t realize the targeted treatment she was receiving until Luo Xi informed her of the recent rumors circulating around the school. It was then that Song Xu Yi learned that there were whispers about her cheating, which was believed to be the only explanation for her outstanding performance.

In truth, Song Xu Yi’s hard work had been noticed by the people of Proxima Centauri, but in their minds, individuals from Ruo Shui were perceived as inherently unintelligent. They simply couldn’t believe that Song Xu Yi could achieve such results through effort.

Discrimination and prejudice had become ingrained in their perceptions.

Despite the friendly demeanor typically displayed by people from Proxima Centauri, when individuals from Ruo Shui demonstrate abilities beyond what is commonly perceived, they often become the target of subtle biases from their Proxima Centauri counterparts.

This isn’t solely Song Xu Yi’s personal experience; Ruo Shui individuals who excel on Proxima Centauri have, to varying degrees, faced treatment similar to Song Xu Yi’s.

This underlying discrimination has almost permeated the entire Proxima Centauri society. To achieve success in such an environment, one not only needs to put in double the effort but also possess unwavering mental resilience.

However, the majority of those coming from Ruo Shui are children. Many of them lack the kind of resilient mindset required to navigate this environment. Faced with the immense cultural differences between the two planets, it’s easy for them to lose themselves.

In Song Xu Yi’s second year on Proxima Centauri, she heard about a Ruo Shui girl who had reached the marriageable age on Proxima Centauri voluntarily relinquishing her Ruo Shui citizenship and planning to drop out of school to marry a person from Proxima Centauri.

This news cast a heavy stone in the hearts of all Ruo Shui individuals. Even though many understood that such a situation was bound to occur sooner or later, when these events actually unfolded before them, people couldn’t help but subconsciously feel uneasy.

Unexpectedly, Lin Ruoyu, who was originally performing abroad, heard this news and hurried back from out of town.

She leaned against the door, standing at the entrance of the hall, just as she had appeared when Song Xu Yi first met her. She seemed slightly taller and more refined. Her eyes, which usually held a casual and elusive glint, now concealed the amusement within, appearing deep and dark like an unfathomable abyss.

“… I’m sorry!”

The girl who had dropped out of school packed her belongings and walked past Lin Ruoyu. Somehow, she trembled for a moment and spoke in a low voice. She seemed unable to meet Lin Ruoyu’s gaze, kept her head down as she walked past her, and got into her fiancé’s car.

Lin Ruoyu remained silent all along, yet Song Xu Yi inexplicably sensed that she seemed to be feeling sad. And this sense of sadness wasn’t confined to Lin Ruoyu alone; due to this incident, an eerie gloom seemed to shroud the entire circle of Ruo Shui individuals.

Song Xu Yi overheard older students talking about the story between Lin Ruoyu and the girl who dropped out: both of them were among the batch of students who came to Proxima Centauri. Back then, after Lin Ruoyu returned from applying to the Robotics Research Department, she witnessed a situation where the girl was being deprived of her nutritional supplements. Lin Ruoyu had given her own supplements to that student, and for some reason, she didn’t pursue her studies in the Robotics Research Department any further; instead, she became a singer…

Following Lin Ruoyu’s rapid rise to fame, the treatment of Ruo Shui individuals on Proxima Centauri gradually improved.

As Song Xu Yi listened to these stories and thought about Lin Ruoyu’s demeanor, she realized she might have misunderstood something—

Did Lin Ruoyu truly choose to become a singer instead of pursuing robotics just because being a singer was more popular?

She had initially thought that after gaining status and wealth, Lin Ruoyu might want to stay on Proxima Centauri. However, judging by Lin Ruoyu’s current attitude, it seemed she didn’t have that intention at the moment.

If Lin Ruoyu had truly become a singer to provide a better life for the Ruo Shui children and had given up her original dream for that reason, then witnessing the student she had protected give up their dreams would likely be very distressing for her.

Not long after the girl who dropped out left, Song Xu Yi spotted Lin Ruoyu’s manager.

Lin Ruoyu had left a message for her manager saying that she needed some time to rest, and after that, she had disappeared. Her manager couldn’t find Lin Ruoyu no matter how hard they tried and was now visibly anxious.

Due to the spread of Lin Ruoyu’s fame, her manager’s own reputation had also soared. Seeing the manager’s anxious state, many Proxima Centauri individuals who wanted to curry favor with them joined in the search. Some Ruo Shui individuals even joined the effort…

However, Song Xu Yi bypassed the group of searchers and walked out on her own.

She made her way to the small playground and indeed found Lin Ruoyu sitting in the shade. Lin Ruoyu’s condition wasn’t as dire as Song Xu Yi had anticipated. She seemed lost in thought, her gaze vacant as she stared at the sky. When she saw Song Xu Yi approaching, she turned her head and offered a smile.

Seeing Lin Ruoyu’s smile, Song Xu Yi felt relieved.

She sat down beside Lin Ruoyu, originally planning to say comforting words, but upon seeing Lin Ruoyu’s expression, Song Xu Yi suddenly found herself at a loss for words…

On the other hand, Lin Ruoyu engaged in casual conversation with Song Xu Yi, seemingly without a specific direction in mind.

“Your dad will become a Guardian before long. He probably hopes you’ll stay on Proxima Centauri. Do you still plan to go back in the future?”

“My dad has always wanted me to master the technology before returning…” As Lin Ruoyu mentioned Song Yi, something seemed to briefly flicker in Song Xu Yi’s heart, but the sensation was fleeting. Song Xu Yi blinked and decided to truthfully share her own plans with Lin Ruoyu: “I’ve never considered not going back.”

“But I can’t go back for now,” Lin Ruoyu turned her head, her gaze fixed on Song Xu Yi, her lips pursed. “Can’t you stay on Proxima Centauri with me? I’ll treat you well…”

“You will go back,” Song Xu Yi interrupted her, moving closer to Lin Ruoyu, looking into her eyes steadfastly. “We will all go back.”

“Trust me, I will bring you home.”