CH 238

Villainous Singer (10)

After uttering this sentence, Song Xu Yi seemed to experience a momentary daze, as if she had said the exact same words to someone at some point, too.

However, Song Xu Yi couldn’t recall whether she had actually followed through on them later.

Upon closer contemplation, a faint ache seemed to spread within her innermost being. It was as if this was a memory deeply ingrained in her subconscious, something she couldn’t fully grasp.

Lin Ruoyu also displayed a sense of being lost in thought.

She gazed deeply at Song Xu Yi, her lips forming a slight smile. In that fleeting moment, it appeared as though she intended to say something, yet in the end, no words escaped her lips. Just then, her manager walked in from the entrance.

“Then you should study hard to regulate your body as much as possible. Otherwise, be careful not to stay short in the future.”

Lin Ruoyu curved her lips, stood up, and lightly pinched Song Xu Yi’s cheek.

The wind lifted her black hair as she stood there, slender and graceful in her white dress. The smile in her eyes seemed more genuine than ever before. Her posture was upright, like a sharp sword.

In that instant, there was a vividness about Lin Ruoyu that even surpassed the various blooming flowers behind her.

This vitality was not just because of Lin Ruoyu herself, but also because of the ordinary yet extraordinary masses of people standing behind her, the myriad people of Ruo Shui.

Just like flowers that grow in the cracks, even though burdened by a heavy load, Song Xu Yi suddenly found a sense of confidence due to this vigorous and tenacious attitude: one day, they would break through the obstacles and reach the shores of victory.

This process might be arduous and lengthy, but it was certain to come.

Just as Lin Ruoyu had let go after pinching Song Xu Yi’s cheek, her manager walked up to her. The manager seemed to be holding back a great deal of anger as she said, “Ruoyu, how many times is this for this month? Why do you suddenly disappear without a word every time? What’s wrong with this lifestyle? Many Proxima Centauri starlets can’t even hope for something like this…”

Song Xu Yi was taken aback and subconsciously looked at Lin Ruoyu. She had always thought that Lin Ruoyu followed the manager’s schedule diligently and in an orderly manner every day. So, Lin Ruoyu also sometimes made it hard for the manager to find her?

What was Lin Ruoyu doing when she escaped like this?

Seeing Lin Ruoyu remain silent, the manager on the other end seemed to lose even more control over her emotions. Her face turned red as she angrily rebuked Lin Ruoyu:

“Lin Ruoyu, if it weren’t for us giving you the opportunity, you’d still be mining on your home planet. How could you enjoy such a comfortable life now? Why are you so ungrateful…”

“So, should I thank you then?”

Lin Ruoyu had been keeping her head down and not saying a word, but upon hearing this statement, she lifted her head and quietly glanced at the manager.

Song Xu Yi couldn’t quite describe this feeling: in that moment, Lin Ruoyu seemed to transform into a different person. Her gaze turned icy, and despite appearing much younger than the manager, her height might have contributed to it. In that instant, she exuded a strange aura, causing an involuntary instinct to back away…

The manager’s gaze flickered for a moment. Under Lin Ruoyu’s scrutiny, she seemed to calm down and lowered her voice, “I understand that you’re under a lot of pressure with daily performances. I’m also doing my best to secure your rest time. But if you have something to discuss, there’s no need to disappear without a word…”

“I got it,” Lin Ruoyu curved her lips, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “I won’t delay things. After all, I want to earn more money too. As you’ve said, you’ve been quite good to me and have provided various opportunities.”

“It’s just that in the next performance, the princess of their country suddenly fell ill. The scheduled performance was postponed to tonight. We have enough time to rush over…”

“Is that so?” The manager immediately took out her communication device, as if verifying the information Lin Ruoyu mentioned. Her expression flickered, and when she looked back at Lin Ruoyu, her face was filled with a smile. “You, this child… Knowing this news and not telling me, you gave me such a scare.”

“You should communicate with me properly. I wouldn’t stop you from resting…”

“Is that so?” Lin Ruoyu’s lips curved into a scornful smile. “I thought if I told you, you’d take the opportunity to schedule a performance for me with the military. You know, as a Ruoshui person, I really dislike those military-related jobs.”

“How could I do something like that!” The smile on the manager’s face froze, clearly struck by something that bothered her. However, she denied it, saying, “You, always overthinking things at such a young age. I didn’t deliberately deceive you into going before. It was really unavoidable. You never told me you didn’t like military performances before, so I had no idea…”

“Well, I’m telling you now.” Despite her words, Lin Ruoyu’s face maintained that half-smile, half-smirk expression. It was an emotion that shouldn’t have appeared on a girl of her age, yet it seemed completely natural on her.

“Okay, okay,” the manager responded in a dismissive manner, changing the subject. “Let’s get going! The car is here. Even though we have enough time to make it there, considering the traffic, it’s better to leave early. We might even make it in time for the evening reception. After all, I heard that the princess’s two children really like you…”

Lin Ruoyu remained silent and didn’t say anything further.

She lowered her head, listening to the manager’s instructions, then turned her head to wave at Song Xu Yi before following behind the manager. From Song Xu Yi’s perspective, the sunlight cast her shadow as a short figure. In that moment, it seemed as though her slender shoulders bore an immense weight…

Song Xu Yi pursed her lips.

During the time she had spent with Lin Ruoyu, Song Xu Yi had thought she already understood her well enough. However, at this moment, she realized that there were two sides to Lin Ruoyu: the one in front of her and the one in front of others. The Lin Ruoyu of today was unlike any Lin Ruoyu Song Xu Yi had ever seen.

In times when she wasn’t aware, what state was Lin Ruoyu in? What were her dreams, where was her family, and what kind of people had she encountered? Song Xu Yi had no knowledge about these aspects.

But should she try to find out on her own?

Suddenly, Song Xu Yi felt a sense of apprehension. Even though she had come to this world with a weighty mission on her shoulders, she had always carried a certain detached feeling, as if she were an outsider. Fortunately, the original owner’s silent and reserved personality, combined with the circumstances, had prevented anyone from sensing anything amiss with Song Xu Yi. However, if she delved too deeply into Lin Ruoyu’s background, she was bound to become entangled in the intricacies of this world, and her relationship with Lin Ruoyu would grow closer and closer…

Song Xu Yi had never forgotten that Lin Ruoyu was the villain, but the Lin Ruoyu she was currently interacting with didn’t seem like the type to blow up the Guardian’s Residence due to personal grudges. If the information she uncovered turned out to be unexpected, would she still be able to carry out her mission?

……

Song Xu Yi clenched her lips tightly.

But in just a moment, she made a decision within herself: as important as the mission was, everything had to be built upon the foundation of not compromising her principles.

If she lost her sense of integrity, even if she completed the mission, her future self wouldn’t find peace.

Yet, there was always a lingering feeling in Song Xu Yi’s heart: Song Yi wasn’t a bad person.

Most importantly, she needed to know what exactly had happened on the day of the male and female lead’s wedding, as described in the plot summary. Why did Lin Ruoyu decide to blow up the entire Guardian’s Residence…

The future was unpredictable, but by carefully examining the clues and underlying currents, she might be able to glimpse some traces.

With a preliminary understanding of Lin Ruoyu, Song Xu Yi realized that she still had the impression of Song Yi, the one who had adopted her, in her mind when it came to the other side of the events. However, it wouldn’t be long before Song Yi became a Guardian, and power and status were often corrupting influences. Would Song Yi still uphold the same ideals as when he had brought her to Proxima Centauri?

With these thoughts in mind, during her conversation with Song Yi, Song Xu Yi began to proactively share details about her life and the knowledge she had acquired. She aimed to find subtle hints from their conversations, to understand Song Yi’s character better—

“Dad, I got second place in the robotics competition again recently. This time, three more classmates got eliminated. The number of students in our class keeps decreasing, and even though we have surveillance cameras everywhere in school, the teachers and classmates still don’t believe me. There are whispers and rumors going around. They think my achievements are due to cheating… even though there’s constant monitoring in school…”

After laying the groundwork for two months and gradually explaining her observations in Proxima Centauri, Song Xu Yi began to share her feelings with Song Yi.

At the beginning, when Song Xu Yi started sharing her observations with Song Yi, she had some concerns. After all, Song Yi was likely extremely busy and might not have the patience for her words. However, those worries quickly faded. Song Yi seemed genuinely interested in everything about Proxima Centauri, and he even took notes on the details of what Song Xu Yi was saying on his end of the communication.

Originally, the conversations between the two had been brief and ended with a few words. But thanks to Song Xu Yi’s initiative, their conversations now exceeded the communication time allowed by Proxima Centauri’s regulations. Luckily, Song Yi held a significant position on Ruo Shui and had established a close relationship with the people there. As a result, they slightly exceeded the permitted call duration without raising suspicion from Proxima Centauri authorities.

Later, Song Xu Yi came to know the reason why Song Yi was taking notes. Just like in the original plot summary, he began suggesting that the Proxima Centauri garrison on Ruo Shui invest in constructing a Guardian’s Residence that combined the styles of both Proxima Centauri and Ruo Shui. This residence would be presented as housing for the Guardians but would actually serve as accommodation for the Proxima Centauri garrison leaders. This way, the Proxima Centauri garrison could enjoy a lifestyle similar to their homeland on Ruo Shui.

Having grown accustomed to high-tech living, the people of Proxima Centauri were weary of Ruo Shui’s poverty and backwardness. Naturally, they strongly supported Song Yi’s idea. Countless advanced materials were shipped from Proxima Centauri to Ruo Shui, laying the foundation for Song Yi’s later assumption of the position of Guardian. However, this decision also brought him infamy, making him one of the most notorious Guardians. After all, the construction of the Guardian’s Residence was a massive undertaking, and the physically weakened Proxima Centauri people couldn’t perform the labor. The unfortunate Ruo Shui people were the ones forced into hard labor.

Song Yi gathered many individuals to work on constructing the Guardian’s Residence, leading to widespread complaints. During that time, even Luo Xi began to subtly distance herself from Song Xu Yi…

But now, everything hadn’t progressed to that point yet. Upon hearing Song Xu Yi’s complaints about school, there was a moment of silence on Song Yi’s end.

However, he quickly responded, and the man known for his stern tone now had a hint of softness in his words: “The people of Proxima Centauri are all very friendly. They’ve invested so much in your education; they should be pleased with your progress. You’re overthinking it…”

Despite knowing that the call might be monitored, Song Yi’s words made Song Xu Yi sense a hint of disappointment. Had Song Yi truly become a complete puppet of Proxima Centauri?

However, Song Xu Yi’s attention was quickly drawn to another sentence from Song Yi:

“Do you remember the ‘Aspiration Sutra’ that I gave you? There are methods in there to help you regulate your mood. You might want to take a look…”